VANCOUVER, BC – JUNE 24: (L-R) 3rd overall pick Jonathan Toews of the Chicago Blackhawks poses for a photo at the 2006 NHL Draft held at General Motors Place on June 24, 2006 in Vancouver, Canada. (Dave Sandford/Getty Images for NHL)
The Chicago Blackhawks are the beneficiary of a couple of mistakes made in the 2006 NHL Draft. Looking back on that year brings a smile back to all fans.
The Chicago Blackhawks have made some poor decisions in recent memory. The thing is that before this stretch of poor decisions was about a decade of smart decisions. They have drafted and developed as good as any team in the National Hockey League in that span and it led to them winning the Stanley Cup three times in six seasons. They also had two additional appearances in the Western Conference Finals sprinkled in there.
One of the biggest factors in those glory days was the 2006 NHL Entry Draft. In the season that proceeded that draft, the Blackhawks were awful. Their 23-43-13 record was one of the worst in the entire NHL. They were 29th out of 30 in goals for and 27th out of 30 in goals against. Adrian Aucoin and Martin Lapointe were so-captains in that season and little did Chicago know, they were drafting their future superstar captain that summer.