The 2020 Chicago White Sox can learn from the 2013 Chicago Blackhawks.
There is a lot of chatter about the future 2020 World Series Champion and what it is going to mean. A lot of people smartly think that this World Series winner deserves even more praise because of all that they are going to need to overcome in order to win. There is a global pandemic that they need to overcome along with the fact that a small losing streak could sink a season. The Chicago White Sox need to have a perspective like this because they are going to be a great team.
One team that they can look at as a model didn’t play their games too far away from them. The 2013 Chicago Blackhawks dealt with being elite in a short season and it worked out well for them. Now, it was because of a lockout and not because of a health crisis but in terms of dealing with adversity, this might be a team to look at.
The Blackhawks and the rest of the National Hockey League knew that starting off good or bad would be a big key to how their season would go as they were only playing 48 instead of their normal 82. Well, Chicago started off 21-0-3 which is about as good of a start as possible. The White Sox getting off to a great start is key to this year. If they get off to a hot start similar to that Blackhawks team then things might be good for them this year.
A big key to that team in addition to their hot start was the stars that led to winning those games. Think of Corey Crawford and Ray Emery as the equivalent of good pitching in baseball. Then there are offensive stars like Patrick Kane, Jonathan Toews, and Marian Hossa similar to Yoan Moncada, Eloy Jimenez, and Tim Anderson. You even need some great rookies like Brandon Saad or Luis Robert to have strong starts to lead the depth and eventually become stars.
In terms of a short season in a sport, the 2013 Blackhawks are a great model for success. They won the Stanley Cup after that great regular season and nobody in their right mind puts an asterisk next to it. They won the Cup with the same rules as everyone else just like this year’s World Series Champion. The White Sox have a chance and nobody should make it feel wrong.