Kudos to Peter DeBoer, the king of Game 7 — with a nod to Joel Quenneville, the king of Game 6

Maybe because it's been 10 years since the Blackhawks won the last of their three Stanley Cups in the Jonathan Toews/Patrick Kane era, but it doesn't take much to evoke memories of that magnificent run.

(For some reason, every Chicago sports feast is followed by years of famine — the Bulls have won five playoff series in 28 seasons since the end of the Jordan era; the White Sox have yet to win a playoff series in 20 seasons since winning the 2005 World Series; the Cubs have won one playoff series — and a best-of-5 at that — since winning the 2016 World Series; and the Hawks have not won a playoff series since winning that last Stanley Cup in 2015. But that's a story for another day.)

The Stars' thrilling 3-2 victory over the Avalanche in Game 7 of their first-round series did it again Sunday night. The Stars rallied from a 2-0 deficit in the third period to clinch the series — the full-period version of the Blackhawks scoring two goals in 17 seconds to steal Game 6 of the Stanley Cup Final against the Bruins in 2013 and clinch their second cup in four seasons at TD Garden. And on the inglorious flip side, the Avalanche losing a 2-0 lead in a Game 7 was reminiscent of the Blackhawks' 5-4 overtime loss to the Kings in the Western Conference Final in 2014 — when they led 2-0, 3-2 and 4-3 on home ice.

The Stars' rally behind former Avalanche star Mikko Rantenan's three goals also maintained coach Peter DeBoer's unbeaten record in Game 7s of the Stanley Cup playoffs. DeBoer is now 9-0 in games that historically — but with exceptions — have been a coin flip. The Blackhawks were the epitome of resilience and mental toughness in the Joel Quenneville era, yet were only 2-3 in Game 7s, including that home loss to the equally resilient and mentally tough Kings in 2014.

But with all due respect to Peter DeBoer, Quenneville's teams had an equally impressive knack for avoiding Game 7s when they could. The Blackhawks, in fact, were 10-0 in Game 6 with a chance to clinch the series under Quenneville. They never backed into a Game 7. The only times they played a Game 7 was when they had no choice — down 3-0 in the series to the Canucks in 2011, down 3-1 to the Red Wings in 2013, down 3-1 to the Kings in 2014, down 3-2 to the Ducks in 2015, down 3-1 to the Blues in 2016.

DeBoer's teams, again with all due respect to his impressive Game 7 record, have not been as good at putting the hammer down. While Quenneville is 12-1 in Game 6 clinchers in his career, DeBoer is 5-7 (and 7-15 overall in Game 6 in his coaching career)

Game 7 is the glory game of the best-of-7 playoff series, and for obvious and good reason. But the importance of Game 6 doesn't get the recognition it deserves. That game is always either a clinching game or an elimination game. It can keep you alive or prevent you from having to play a Game 7 that even if you win and advance, is mentally and physically draining — a toll that can prove costly down the road.

The Blackhawks' ability to avoid those Game 7s was a hallmark of their success and an early testament to their mental toughness — from the very first playoff series of the Quenneville/Toews/Kane era when the Hawks beat the Flames in Calgary to clinch their first-round series.

Winning Game 6 on the road when you know you have Game 7 at home in your pocket is a test of mental toughness. The Blackhawks under Quenneville were 6-0 (1.000) in that situation. The rest of the NHL is 51-57 (.472) in the salary cap era (2006-25).

So while Peter DeBoer and anyone with notable Game 7 success deserve all the credit they get, there's something to be said for avoiding Game 7 when you can.