Hawks supporters need to relax

The Blackhawks have finally arrived. We know this because Hawks fans booed goalie Cristobal Huet during a 5-4 loss Sunday to Detroit and afterward lamented the sorry state of goaltending in this miserable hellhole of a town they call home.

OK, so they were depressed.

Blackhawks followers think they'd have a decent chance of posing with the Stanley Cup in the offseason if only the team could find a goalie who didn't have the fine motor skills of an inchworm.

They and others are telling us the Hawks can't win with Huet and Antti Niemi. On Tuesday, hockey analyst and former Hawks goalie Darren Pang told WSCR-AM (670) that the Hawks aren't title contenders ''the way that they are playing right now.''

He's right, of course. They aren't going to win the Stanley Cup if they play the way they've been playing since the Olympic break — you know, those incredibly meaningful four games. The Hawks are 2-2 since the Winter Games. In February, they were 4-2. In January, their record was 10-5.

CALM DOWN

Remind me what we're freaking out about here?

Whether all the angst is a reflection of the goaltending or the shrillness of sports discussion in this city is a question for another day. I will say that if I see one more despondent Hawks fan jump into the Chicago River after a loss, I'll probably pick up a phone and report it, just to save his life out of spite.

I'll also say that faith is a dwindling natural resource these days.

You might as well buckle up and get behind the goalies. Huet or Niemi (or both) is going to be your playoff goaltender. After Wednesday's game against the Kings, the Hawks have 16 games until the postseason begins. There's enough time to calm the sea.

Hockey people like to say that hot goalies can win playoff series almost singlehandedly. Who's to say Huet or Niemi won't get hot?

And who's to say that whomever the Hawks had acquired before the trade deadline wouldn't have turned lukewarm in the postseason?

It's as if people want all the mystery taken out of the proceedings. They'd like to be guaranteed a great goaltender and a Stanley Cup. They'd like to skip the playoffs and line up along the parade route.

Life doesn't work that way.

And it's a better story this way, especially if a Hawks goalie goes on a roll.

If you recall, people were down on Nikolai Khabibulin before last season began, and he went on to play well in the Hawks' playoff victories over Calgary and Vancouver. When Khabibulin got hurt in Game 3 of the Western Conference finals, Huet replaced him. You can choose to remember Huet's struggles in Game 4 or you can choose to remember his 44 saves in a 2-1 overtime loss to the Red Wings in Game 5.

The point is, he's not the lump of a goalie he has been made out to be.

Huet certainly was bad against the Wings the other day, when he gave up four goals in the second period before being pulled. But he wasn't nearly as bad as the defense in front of him.

A BREED APART

It's easy to jump on the goalie. Goaltenders are an odd breed, given to tics, twitches and bad dreams. In a way, they're outsiders on a hockey team. They play a position that's unlike any other on the ice, and they're treated differently. The leash they're on is the length of a shoelace.

Both Hawks goalies have the potential to be very good in the playoffs. This isn't like having a stacked baseball team with LaTroy Hawkins as your closer.

Neither's save percentage is outstanding, but the Hawks are third in the league in goals-against average at 2.4. Winning games and not allowing the other team to score too often — that's the whole idea, right?

Huet has some playoff experience. Niemi has none. I'd go with the guy who has been there.

Nobody wants to hear that the Blackhawks will have other chances at the Cup down the line. Nothing is promised to anyone, and all that. But with the talent on the roster, there's every reason to believe they'll be a factor for a while.

So let's see how this little experiment plays out, shall we? I know: You'd prefer that there'd be something in writing that says the goaltending will be stellar in the playoffs. Actually, you'd prefer a coronation. But what fun is that?

In a matter of a few years, Hawks fans have gone from staying away from the United Center in droves to being overcome with nerves about the goalie situation. They've gone from 0 to 60 mph in about two seconds. Nice to see the passion coming out of its slumber, but geez.

Congratulations, Hawks management, your team no longer is just a feel-good story in this town. Now there's pressure.

To those applying the pressure: Remember to breathe. And for goodness' sake, remember to enjoy.