A Blackhawks lesson in Chemistry 101

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Don't look now, but the Blackhawks are the only team in the NHL with four wins and no losses this season. San Jose and Ottawa have achieved perfect records so far as well, but both have only played three games in 2013.

It may be early in the season, but right now the concept of the Blackhawks doing some serious damage within the Western Conference looks pretty good. Did we see this coming? Well, yes, but there were a lot of "ifs" that needed to be answered in order to feel fully confident.

Would Marian Hossa return to the form that saw him perform as a perennial All-Star after suffering a severe concussion to end last season? Would the special teams, both power play and penalty kill, return to the form that saw them among the leagues elite just a few years ago? Would the Blackhawks find that second line center that seems to have eluded them since Jonathon Toews became the captain of this team? Would the duo of Duncan Keith and Brent Seabrook return to become the best twosome in the entire league to man the blue line? Would Patrick Kane return to being Patrick Kane?

So far, all of these questions have been answered in the affirmative, but I think there is one more key here that is easy so overlook from an outsiders perspective: chemistry.

Whether its hanging out with each other on the road, pranking each other in the dressing room, or blocking a shot in front of the net after your teammate has turned it over, these guys have a bond that borders on brotherhood. The fact that the Blackhawks have just two new faces in the lineup (Michal Rozsival and Sheldon Brookbank) certainly helps, but the way this team has come together both on and off the ice is going to make them a team that is hard to compete with.

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