The light at the end of the tunnel is getting brighter and brighter despite the absence of NHL games on our TVs and in front of our eyes for 100 days.
Teams have been allowed to hold small group workouts at their practice facilities for almost two weeks, training camps are being targeted for July 10 and hub cities to host the NHL's 24-team playoff format are being finalized with Chicago and its mayor lobbying to be one.
Sure there's probably still some wrinkles to iron out in the NHL's Return To Play plan, as Patrick Kane mentioned during a Zoom video conference call for Blackhawks media held last Thursday, but everyone is working towards the same goal and the NHL is seemingly a lot further ahead than other pro sports leagues in returning to game action.
Stay in the game with the latest updates on your beloved Chicago sports teams! Sign up here for our All Access Daily newsletter.
Related: Patrick Kane wants to play hockey, but cautions: nothing has been agreed to yet
Regardless, things are much better off now for hockey than they were at the beginning of the pandemic.
"It's been crazy. I don't think any of us expected that either," Kane said on the call regarding the duration of the NHL pause, which began on March 12. "We thought it might be a one or two-week thing and we could come back and play. But obviously as the situation grew and things started to become more clear of what was going on in the world, especially coming to the United States, it became a situation that you just kind of sat back and kind of watch what was going on.
"You knew that maybe you wouldn't be playing hockey for a long time. Nice to see it dying down a little bit, I know that the numbers have kind of spiked here the last couple days (at the time of the call), but nice to see the numbers going down (overall).
NHL
"I think everyone in the world just wants to get back to some type of normalcy here and obviously it might be tough with what's going on in the world right now and the position we're at. As hockey players, we want to give the fans what they want to see, playing the game and being able to entertain and give some type of joy and excitement for people that are watching all over the world.
"Hopefully we're able to do that soon, but it's been a wild ride, it's been three months. Part of it has gone so slow and part of it, it seems like it was yesterday we were at the United Center playing hockey. It's been a weird three months."
On March 11 the Hawks were at the United Center beating the Sharks 6-2 off two goals from Kane. Duncan Keith, Brandon Saad, Alex Nylander and Dominik Kubalik also lit the lamp that night.
Kubalik's goal was the Hawks' last before the pause and gave the rookie 30 markers, 10 more than any other rookie in the league.
Kane's 84 points (33 goals, 51 assists) were good for eighth in the league at the time of the pause and the Hawks were a long shot to make the playoffs, being six points out of a wild card spot with four teams to jump and 12 games remaining in the regular season.
Today, under the NHL's 24-team playoff format the Blackhawks are set to take on Connor McDavid and the Oilers in a best-of-5 play-in round when play resumes.
Perhaps now more than ever, with the unique circumstances and playoff format, you just have to get in when it comes to the NHL playoffs. Not to mention the Hawks' veteran experience.
Related: Why the Oilers fear the Blackhawks 'elite' veteran players
Regardless, with everything that's happened in the world since the final horn of the Hawks' final game before hockey stopped, seeing them take the ice would no doubt provide both the joy and normalcy to Blackhawks fans Patrick Kane was talking about.
Click here to download the new MyTeams App by NBC Sports! Receive comprehensive coverage of your teams and stream the Blackhawks easily on your device.