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Experience could help Chicago avoid Stanley Cup hangover

Los Angeles Kings v Chicago Blackhawks - Game One

CHICAGO, IL - JUNE 01: Duncan Keith #2 of the Chicago Blackhawks skates through the neutral zone in the third period of Game One of the Western Conference Final during the 2013 NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs at United Center on June 1, 2013 in Chicago, Illinois. The Blackhawks defeated the Kings 2-1. (Photo by Jamie Squire/Getty Images)

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As hard as winning the Stanley Cup is, defending it seems to be an even more daunting task. Everyone is out to get you plus you’re coming off of a season where you played more than almost every other team and had less time to rest over the summer.

This year it might be even tougher as the Stanley Cup Final ended later due to the lockout and the top players on teams will be playing in the 2014 Winter Olympics in addition to the 82-game grind.

As it is, no team has successfully defended the Cup since the Detroit Red Wings earned back-to-back championships in 1997-98. That being said, the Blackhawks have a rare advantage: They know what to expect.

Many of the Blackhawks’ best players were also around when they won it all in 2010, so they know exactly what it’s like to try and defend the Cup, even if they weren’t successful in their first attempt.

“Winning the first time, you learn a lot about what to do in the offseason the next year,” Defenseman Duncan Keith told CSN Chicago. “Obviously we’ll see. There can only be one winner at the end of the day. But I still think we have to make sure we’re prepared and make sure we know it’s important to get off to a good start and use the experiences of last time.”

Patrick Sharp added that going into the 2013-14 campaign with mostly the same team will help. They were in a terrible cap situation in the summer of 2010 and had to sacrifice many of their complimentary players in addition to starting goaltender Antti Niemi as a result. By comparison, this summer’s turnover was far less severe.

“Easier’s the wrong word, but it might be more comfortable with the number of returning players and Joel (Quenneville’s status) being locked up,” Sharp said. “There’s going to be that familiarity.

“Hopefully we pick up where we left off last season.”