Emotional handshake for Robin Lehner after eliminating the Hawks

The Chicago Blackhawks were the first team to get eliminated from the first round of the postseason after losing 4-3 at the hands of the Vegas Golden Knights in the fifth contest of the series Tuesday night. 

The Hawks had managed to get into the official postseason by beating the Edmonton Oilers in just four games during the qualifying round. But it was a different story against the Golden Knights, who went for the Gentleman’s Sweep after losing Game 4, thanks to Corey Crawford. 

The playoff journey is now over for star players Jonathan Toews and Patrick Kane and defenseman Duncan Keith. Both forwards were clearly devastated as they lined up for the traditional handshake. Toews and Kane both managed to score in the loss as they wanted to survive - at least this game. The Hawks simply couldn’t match the Knights’ energy and intensity… Vegas was just a better team. 

This happens to be a great story when it comes to goaltender Robin Lehner, who was the starting goalie for the series, and probably moving on. It was clear that Lehner had extra motivation to eliminate the team that shipped him out at the trade deadline. When Vegas found out they were facing Chicago in the first round, Lehner opened up on how he wasn’t exactly thrilled with the end of his tenure with the Blackhawks and their broken promises.

“I went to Chicago to help them out and got promises of getting a fair chance to play,” Lehner said, according to Ben Pope. “I didn’t play much in the beginning or the middle-beginning of the season, even if I played really well and had a good camp. Eventually I took over, and I won like nine out of 10 (games) … and we walked up one point behind a playoff spot. Then all of a sudden, I found myself on the bench for no reason. That was tough. Plus, negotiations had totally died out.”

However, it was just great to see his genuine reaction to eliminating his former team. Lehner took the time to hug every player in the Blackhawks' lineup, taking the time to share words and support to each of them. This was very moving to watch, reminding us why we love sport. 

The Hawks go home, the Knights move on.