In a 10-part series, we look back at the 10-year anniversary of the 2008-09 season, the start of the Blackhawks dynasty.
For the first time since 2002, the Blackhawks were back in the dance. They compiled 104 points during the 2008-09 season and secured home-ice advantage for the first round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs.
"The last time the Blackhawks made the playoffs I was 13 years old or something like that," Patrick Kane said on April 3, 2009 after clinching a playoff berth with a 3-1 win over the Nashville Predators. "Now I'm 20, so it's been a long time comin'."
But the fun was only beginning.
Awaiting the Blackhawks in the Western Conference quarterfinals were the Calgary Flames, who had lost all four regular-season matchups to Chicago that year. So naturally, they were looking for revenge when it mattered most.
There were comeback victories, there were controversies in overtime, there were conspiracies. Round 1 seemingly had it all. In the end, the Blackhawks prevailed and got the last word by eliminating the Flames in six games.
Relive the series in the video above.