Chicago Blackhawks

"Blackhawks" redirects here. For other uses, see Black Hawk (disambiguation).

Chicago Blackhawks
2011-12 Chicago Blackhawks season
Conference	Western
Division	Central
Founded	1926
History	Chicago Black Hawks 1926–1986 Chicago Blackhawks 1986–present
Home arena	United Center
City	Chicago, Illinois
Colors	Red, black, white
Media	Comcast SportsNet Chicago WGN Sports WGN Radio (720 AM)
Owner(s)	Wirtz Corporation (Rocky Wirtz, chairman)
General manager	Stan Bowman
Head coach	Joel Quenneville
Captain	Jonathan Toews
Minor league affiliates	Rockford IceHogs (AHL) Toledo Walleye (ECHL)
Stanley Cups	4 (1933–34, 1937–38, 1960–61, 2009–10)
Conference championships	2 (1991–92, 2009–10)
Presidents' Trophies	1 (1990–91)
Division championships	14 (1969–70, 1970–71, 1971–72, 1972–73, 1975–76, 1977–78, 1978–79, 1979–80, 1982–83, 1985–86, 1989–90, 1990–91, 1992–93, 2009–10)

The Chicago Blackhawks (spelled as Black Hawks before 1986, and also known colloquially as the Hawks) are a professional ice hockey team based in Chicago, Illinois. They are members of the Central Division of the Western Conference of the National Hockey League (NHL). They have won four Stanley Cup championships since their founding in 1926, most recently coming in 2009-10. The Blackhawks are one of the Original Six NHL teams, along with the Detroit Red Wings, Montreal Canadiens, Toronto Maple Leafs, Boston Bruins and New York Rangers. Since 1994 the Blackhawks have played their home games at the United Center after having spent 65 years playing at Chicago Stadium.

Franchise history

Founding

The Chicago Blackhawks joined the NHL in 1926 as part of the league's first wave of expansion into the United States. They were one of three American teams added that year, along with the Detroit Cougars (now the Detroit Red Wings) and New York Rangers. Most of the Hawks' original players came from the Portland Rosebuds of the Western Hockey League (originally the Regina Capitals of the Western Canada Hockey League), which had folded the previous season.^[1]

The team's first owner was coffee tycoon Frederic McLaughlin, who outbid grain magnate James E. Norris for the franchise. McLaughlin had been a commander with the 333rd Machine Gun Battalion of the 86th Infantry Division during World War I.^[2] This Division was nicknamed the "Blackhawk Division", after a Native American of the Sauk nation, Chief Black Hawk, who was a prominent figure in the history of Illinois.^[2] McLaughlin evidently named the hockey team in honor of the military unit, making it one of many sports team names using Native Americans as icons. For many years, the name was spelled "Black Hawks." This ambiguity was finally settled in the summer of 1986 when the club officially decided on the one-word version based on the spelling found in the original franchise documents.^[3]

McLaughlin took a very active role in running the team despite having no background in the sport. For most of his tenure as owner, he served as his own general manager. He was also very interested in promoting American hockey players, then very rare in professional hockey. Several of them, including Doc Romnes, Taffy Abel, Alex Levinsky, Mike Karakas, and Cully Dahlstrom, become staples with the club, and under McLaughlin, the Blackhawks were the first NHL team with an all-American-born lineup.^[2]

1926–1938

Artist's rendition of Chicago Stadium.

The Hawks' first season was a moderate success. They played their first game on November 17 when they played the Toronto St. Patricks in the Chicago Coliseum. The Black Hawks won their first game by beating the St. Pats 4 to 1. They ended up finishing the season in 3rd place with a record of 19-22-3. The Black Hawks lost the 1927 first-round playoff series to the Boston Bruins.

Following the series, McLaughlin fired head coach Pete Muldoon. According to Jim Coleman, sportswriter for the Toronto Globe and Mail, McLaughlin felt the 'Hawks were good enough to finish first. Muldoon disagreed, and in a fit of pique, McLaughlin fired him. According to Coleman, Muldoon responded by yelling, "Fire me, Major, and you'll never finish first. I'll put a curse on this team that will hoodoo it until the end of time." The Curse of Muldoon was born - although Coleman admitted years after the fact that he had fabricated the whole incident^{[citation needed]} - and became one of the first widely known sports "curses." While the team would go on to win three Stanley Cups in its first 39 years of existence, it did so without ever having finished in first place, either in a single- or multi-division format.

1934 Cup win

The Black Hawks proceeded to have the worst record in the league in 1927–28. By 1931, they reached their first Stanley Cup Final, with goal-scorer Johnny Gottselig, Cy Wentworth on defense, and Charlie Gardiner in goal, but fizzled in the final two games against the Montreal Canadiens. Chicago had another stellar season in 1932, but that did not translate into playoff success. However, two years later, Gardiner led his team to victory by shutting out the Detroit Red Wings in the final game of the Stanley Cup. The score, after double overtime, was 1-0.

Further information: 1934 Stanley Cup Finals

1938 Cup win

In 1938 the Black Hawks had a record of 14–25, and only barely made the playoffs. They stunned the Canadiens and New York Americans on overtime goals in the deciding games of both semifinal series, advancing to the Cup Final against the Toronto Maple Leafs. Black Hawks goalie Mike Karakas was injured and could not play, forcing a desperate Chicago team to pull minor-leaguer (Pittsburgh Hornets) Alfie Moore out of a Toronto bar and onto the ice. Moore played one game and won it, but repeating the plan with another player failed as the Hawks lost the game. However, for Games 3 and 4, Karakas was fitted with a special skate to protect his injured toe, and won both games. It was too late for Toronto, as the Hawks won their second championship. To this day, the 1938 Black Hawks possess the poorest regular-season record of any Stanley Cup champion.

Further information: 1938 Stanley Cup Finals

The Original Six era

Ron Murphy and Eric Nesterenko battle in front of the Toronto net

The Black Hawks returned to the Finals in 1944 behind Doug Bentley's 38-goal season and their linemate Clint Smith leading the team in assists. After upsetting the Red Wings in the semifinals, they were promptly dispatched by the dominant Canadiens in four games. Mosienko still holds the record for quickest hat trick, 21 seconds, in the NHL, but Habs star Maurice "The Rocket" Richard proved to be Mosienko's better.

Owner and founder Frederic McLaughlin died in 1944. His estate sold the team to a syndicate headed by longtime team president Bill Tobin. However, Tobin was only a puppet for James E. Norris, who now owned the rival Red Wings. Norris had also been the Black Hawks' landlord since his 1936 purchase of Chicago Stadium. For the next eight years, the Norris-Tobin ownership, as a rule, paid almost no attention to the Black Hawks. Nearly every trade made between Detroit and Chicago ended up being Red Wing heists. As a result, for the next several years, Chicago was the model of futility in the NHL. Between 1945 and 1958, they only made the playoffs twice.

Upon Norris' death, his eldest son, James D. Norris, and Red Wings minority owner Arthur Wirtz (the senior Norris' original partner in buying the Red Wings 23 years earlier) took over the floundering club. They guided it through financial reverses, and rebuilt the team from there. One of their first moves was to hire former Detroit coach and GM Tommy Ivan as general manager.

In the late 1950s, the Hawks struck gold, picking up three young prospects (forwards Bobby Hull and Stan Mikita and defenseman Pierre Pilote), as well as obtaining both star goaltender Glenn Hall and veteran forward Ted Lindsay (who had just had a career season with 30 goals and 55 assists) from Detroit. Hull, Mikita, Pilote, and Hall became preeminent stars in Chicago, and all four would eventually be inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame.

1961 Cup win

After two first-round exits at the hands of the eventual champions from Montreal in 1959 and 1960, it was expected that the Canadiens would once again beat the Hawks when they met in the semifinals in 1961. A defensive plan that completely wore down Montreal's superstars worked, however, as Chicago won the series in six games. They then bested the Wings to win their third Stanley Cup championship. In the 25 years of the Original Six era, this was the only time a team other than Montreal, Toronto, or Detroit won the Cup.

Further information: 1961 Stanley Cup Finals

The Hawks made the Cup Finals twice more in the 1960s, losing to the Leafs in 1962 and the Habs in 1965. They remained a force to be reckoned with throughout the decade, with Hull enjoying four 50-goal seasons, Mikita winning back-to-back scoring titles and MVP accolades, Pilote winning three consecutive Norris Trophies, and Hall being named the First or Second All-Star goaltender eight out of nine seasons. Hull and Mikita especially were widely regarded as the most feared one-two punch in the league. However, despite a strong supporting cast which included Bill Hay, Ken Wharram, Phil Esposito, Moose Vasko, Doug Mohns, and Pat Stapleton, the Hawks never quite put it all together.

In 1967, the last season of the six-team NHL, the Black Hawks finished first, breaking the supposed Curse of Muldoon, 23 years after the death of Frederic McLaughlin. However, they lost in the semifinals to Toronto, who went on to win their last Stanley Cup to date. Afterward, Coleman, who first printed the story of the curse in 1943, admitted that he made the story up to break a writer's block he had as a column deadline approached.

The expansion era and Cup drought

Hall was drafted by the expansion St. Louis Blues for the 1967–68 season, while Pilote was traded to the Maple Leafs for Jim Pappin in 1968. In that season, despite Hull breaking his own previous record of 54 goals in a season with 58, the Black Hawks missed the playoffs for the first time since 1958—and the last time before 1997–98.

In 1967, the Black Hawks made a trade with the Boston Bruins that turned out to be one of the most one-sided in the history of the sport. Chicago sent young forwards Phil Esposito, Ken Hodge and Fred Stanfield to Boston in exchange for Pit Martin, Jack Norris and Gilles Marotte. While Martin would star for the Hawks for many seasons, Esposito, Hodge, and Stanfield would lead the Bruins to the top of the league for several years and capture two Stanley Cups. In Boston, Phil Esposito set numerous scoring records en route to a career as one of the NHL's all-time greats.

Nonetheless, in 1971, life was made easier for Chicago, as in an attempt to better balance the divisions, the expansion Buffalo Sabres and Vancouver Canucks were both placed in the East Division, while the Hawks moved into the West Division. They became the class of the West overnight, rampaging to a 46–17–15 record and an easy first-place finish. With second-year goalie Tony Esposito (Phil's younger brother and winner of the Calder Memorial Trophy for Rookie of the Year the previous season), Hull, his younger brother Dennis, Mikita, and sterling defensemen Stapleton and Bill White, the Hawks reached the Stanley Cup final before bowing out to the Canadiens.

A critical blow to the franchise came in 1972–73, though, with the start of the World Hockey Association. Long dissatisfied with how little he was paid as the league's marquee star, Bobby Hull jumped to the upstart Winnipeg Jets for a million-dollar contract. Former Philadelphia Flyers star Andre Lacroix, who received very little ice time in his single season in Chicago, joined Hull, and the pair became two of the WHA's great stars. The Hawks repeated their appearance in Cup Final that year, however, again losing to Montreal. Stapleton left for the WHA too after that year, depleting the team further.

While the team led or was second in the West Division for four straight seasons, for the rest of the 1970s, the Black Hawks made the playoffs each year—winning seven division championships in the decade in all—but were never a successful Stanley Cup contender, losing 16 straight playoff games at one point. The team acquired legendary blueliner Bobby Orr from the Boston Bruins in 1976, but ill health forced him to sit out for most of the season, and he eventually retired in 1979, having played only 26 games for the Hawks. Mikita did the same the following year after playing 22 years in Chicago, the third-longest career for a single team in league history.

By 1982, the Black Hawks squeaked into the playoffs as the fourth seed in the Norris Division (at the time the top four teams in each division automatically made the playoffs), and were one of the league's Cinderella teams that year. Led by second-year Denis Savard's 32 goals and 119 points and Doug Wilson's 39 goals, the Hawks stunned the Minnesota North Stars and Blues in the playoffs before losing to another surprise team, the Vancouver Canucks, who made the Stanley Cup Finals. Chicago proved they were no fluke the next season, also making the third round before losing to the eventual runner-up Edmonton Oilers. After an off-year in 1984, the Hawks again faced a now fresh-off-a-ring Edmonton offensive juggernaut of a team and lost in the third round in 1985.

During the 1985 playoff series against Edmonton Oilers, the Black Hawks and their fans started a tradition of cheering during the singing of "The Star-Spangled Banner".^[4] The cheering at the United Center has been known to reach up to 122 Decibels while during the anthem.^[5] While this action is not without controversy as some people consider it disrespectful, the tradition continues to the present day.^[6] Many people have sung the Star-Spangled Banner for the Blackhawks since the tradition of cheering began, but the current full-time anthem singer is Jim Cornelison.^[4]

Also, prior to the 1986-87 season, while going through the team's records, someone discovered the team's original NHL contract, and found that the name "Blackhawks" was printed as a compound word as opposed to two separate words ("Black Hawks") which was the way most sources had been printing it for 60 years and as the team had always officially listed it. The name officially became "Chicago Blackhawks" from that point on.

In the late 1980s, Chicago still made the playoffs on an annual basis, but made early-round exits each time.

In 1988–89, after three straight first-round defeats, and despite a fourth-place finish in their division in the regular season, Chicago made it to the Conference Final in the rookie seasons of both goalie Ed Belfour and center Jeremy Roenick. Once again though, they would fail to make the Stanley Cup Final, losing to the eventual champion Calgary Flames.

The following season the Hawks did prove they were late-round playoff material, running away with the Norris Division title, but, yet again, the third round continued to stymie them, this time against the Oilers, despite 1970s Soviet star goaltender Vladislav Tretiak coming to Chicago to become the Blackhawks' goaltender coach.

In 1990–91, Chicago was poised to fare even better in the playoffs, winning the Presidents' Trophy for best regular-season record, but the Cinderella Minnesota North Stars stunned them in six games in the first-round en route to an improbable Stanley Cup Final appearance.

The United Center in 2006.

In 1991–92 the Blackhawks - with Roenick scoring 53 goals, Steve Larmer scoring 29 goals, Chris Chelios (acquired from Montreal two years previously) on defense, and Belfour in goal - finally reached the Final after 19 years out of such status. The Blackhawks won 11 consecutive playoff games that year, which set an NHL record. However, they were swept four games to none by the Mario Lemieux-led defending Stanley Cup champion Pittsburgh Penguins (who, in sweeping the Blackhawks, tied the record Chicago had set only days before). Although the 4–0 sweep indicates Pittsburgh's dominance in won games, it was actually a close series that could have gone either way. Game 1 saw the Blackhawks squander leads of 3–0 and 4–1, and would eventually be beaten 5–4 after a Lemieux power-play goal with 9 seconds remaining in regulation. The Blackhawks most lackluster game was Game 2, losing 3–1. A frustrating loss of 1–0 followed in game 3, and a natural hat trick from Dirk Graham and stellar play from Dominik Hasek (who showed indications of the goaltender he would later become) could not secure a win in game 4, which ended in 6–5 final in favor of Pittsburgh. The defending NBA champion Chicago Bulls were in their finals in 1992, but won their championship in 6, defeating the Portland Trail Blazers. Although this was the only year that both the Bulls and the Blackhawks reached their respective league's finals in the same year, Blackhawks Coach Mike Keenan would see this again in New York when he coached the Rangers to their first Stanley Cup in 54 years two years later.

Belfour posted a 40-win season in 1992–93 as the Hawks looked to go deep yet again, and Chelios accumulated career-high penalty time with 282 minutes in the box, but St. Louis stunned Chicago with a first-round sweep to continue Chicago's playoff losing streak.

Although they finished near-.500 season in 1994, the Blackhawks again qualified for the playoffs. They were eliminated by eventual Western Conference finalist Toronto, but broke their playoff losing streak at 10 games with a Game 3 win. It wasn't enough, however, and the Blackhawks fell in six games. The 1993-94 season also marked the Blackhawks' last at the old Chicago Stadium, and the team moved into the new United Center in the lockout-shortened 1995 season. Bernie Nicholls and Joe Murphy both scored 20 goals over 48 games, and Chicago once again made it to the Western Conference Final, losing to the rival Detroit Red Wings. Also in 1994, management fired Wayne Messmer, popular singer of the Star Spangled Banner.

Roenick, Belfour, and Chelios were all traded away as the Blackhawks faltered through the late 1990s until they missed the playoffs in 1998 for the first time in 29 years, one season short of tying the Boston Bruins' record for the longest such streak in North American professional sports history.

The 21st century

The millennium started with disappointment for the Blackhawks. Eric Daze, Alexei Zhamnov and Tony Amonte emerged as some of the team's leading stars by this time. However, aside from a quick first-round exit in 2002, the 'Hawks were consistently out of the playoffs until the 2008-09 season, in most years finishing well out of contention. Amonte left for the Phoenix Coyotes in the summer of 2002.

A somber note was struck in February 2004, when ESPN named the Blackhawks the worst franchise in professional sports.^[7] Indeed, the Blackhawks were viewed with much indifference by Chicagoans for much of the 1990s and early 2000s, due to anger over several policies instituted by late owner Bill Wirtz (derisively known as "Dollar Bill"). For example, Wirtz raised ticket prices to an average of $50, and did not allow home games to be televised in the Chicago area. Many hockey fans in Chicago began supporting the American Hockey League's Chicago Wolves. For a time, the Wolves took a jab at the Hawks with the slogan, "We Play Hockey The Old-Fashioned Way: We Actually Win." The club under Wirtz was then subject of a highly critical book, Career Misconduct, sold outside games until Wirtz had its author and publisher arrested.

Following the lockout of the 2004–05 season, new GM Dale Tallon set about restructuring the team in the hopes of making a playoff run. Tallon made several moves in the summer of 2005, most notably the signing of Tampa Bay Lightning Stanley Cup–winning goalie Nikolai Khabibulin and All-Star defenseman Adrian Aucoin. However, injuries plagued Khabibulin and Aucoin (among others), and the Blackhawks again finished well out of the playoffs with a 26–43–13 record — next-to-last in the Western Conference and the second-worst in the league.

The Blackhawks reached another low point on May 16, 2006, when they announced that popular TV/radio play-by-play announcer Pat Foley was not going to be brought back after 25 years with the team, a move unpopular amongst most Blackhawks fans. Foley then became the television/radio voice of the Wolves.

With the third overall pick in the 2006 NHL Entry Draft, the team selected Jonathan Toews, who led the University of North Dakota Fighting Sioux hockey team to the 2006 NCAA Frozen Four.

The Blackhawks were eager to make a splash in the free-agent market, and offered big money to many of the top free agents. They were, however, denied, only being able to acquire two backup goalies in Patrick Lalime and Sebastien Caron. Chicago was one of the biggest buyers in the trade market, though, acquiring a future franchise player in left-winger Martin Havlat, as well as center Bryan Smolinski from the Ottawa Senators in a three-way deal that also involved the San Jose Sharks. The 'Hawks dealt mean forward Mark Bell to the Sharks, Michal Barinka and a 2008 second-round draft pick to the Senators, while Ottawa also received defenseman Tom Preissing and center Josh Hennessy from San Jose. Havlat gave the Blackhawks the talented, first-line caliber gamebreaker they so desperately needed. The Havlat trade was soon followed by another major trade — winger and key Blackhawk player, another left wing, Kyle Calder, was traded to the Philadelphia Flyers in exchange for grinding defensive center Michal Handzus. The move caused a stir in Chicago. Calder had won an increase in his contract through arbitration, which was accepted by the Hawks, but rather than ink their leading scorer, the Blackhawks decided to address their need for a proven center by acquiring Handzus. Injuries to both Havlat and Handzus hurt the Blackhawks, and Smolinski was eventually traded at the trade deadline to the Vancouver Canucks. On November 26, 2006, Blackhawks GM Dale Tallon fired Head Coach Trent Yawney and appointed assistant coach Denis Savard as head coach. Savard had been the assistant coach of the Blackhawks since 1997, the year after he retired as one of the most popular and successful Blackhawks of all time. The Blackhawks continued to struggle, and finished last in the Central Division, 12 points out of the playoffs.

They finished with the fourth worst record in the league, and in the Draft Lottery, won the opportunity to select first overall in the draft, whereas the team had never had a draft pick higher than third overall. They used the pick to draft right wing Patrick Kane from the London Knights of the Ontario Hockey League.

The Rocky Wirtz era

Rebuilding

On September 26, 2007, Bill Wirtz, the long time owner of the Blackhawks, died after a brief battle with cancer.^[8] He was succeeded by his son, Rocky, who drastically altered his father's long-standing policies.^[9]

Jonathan Toews, at age 20, became the third youngest captain in history in 2008.

Midway into the 2007–08 NHL season, the franchise experimented with a partnership with Comcast SportsNet Chicago and WGN-TV by airing selected Blackhawks home games on television.^[10] During the next season, Comcast and WGN began airing all of the team's regular season games.^[10] Rocky also named John McDonough, formerly the president of the Chicago Cubs, as the franchise's new president.^[11] Since taking over the position, McDonough has been an instrumental figure in the Blackhawks current marketing success, including establishing links between the Blackhawks and the very strong Cubs fan base in a number of ways.^[12] In April 2008 the Blackhawks announced a partnership with the Chicago White Sox. In this partnership the Blackhawks have a Zamboni race featuring Kane, Toews, and Keith on the jumbotron at every White Sox Home Game. Wirtz was also able to bring back former Blackhawks greats Tony Esposito, Stan Mikita and Bobby Hull, as the franchise's “hockey ambassadors.”^[13]

In addition to the changes in the team's policies and front office, the Blackhawks roster was bolstered by the addition of two young players, Jonathan Toews and Patrick Kane. Toews, the third overall selection in the 2006 NHL Entry Draft led all rookies in goals scored, while Kane, the first overall selection in the 2007 NHL Entry Draft, led all rookies in total points.^[14] Both players were finalists for the Calder Memorial Trophy, which is awarded to the NHL's best rookie. Kane ultimately beat his teammate for the award.^[15] Kane finished the 2007-2008 season with 21 goals and 51 assists in 82 games. The Blackhawks finished with a record of 40-34-8, missing the playoffs by three points. The 2007-2008 season marked the first time in six years that the team finished above .500.^[16]

The 2009 Winter Classic at Wrigley Field.

The Blackhawks made several major roster changes before the 2008-09 NHL season. The team traded Tuomo Ruutu, their longest tenured player, to the Carolina Hurricanes for forward Andrew Ladd on February 26, 2008.^[17] Later that day, the Blackhawks traded captain Martin Lapointe to the Ottawa Senators for a sixth round draft pick in the 2008 NHL Entry Draft.^[17] On the first day of free agency, July 1, the team signed goaltender Cristobal Huet to a four year $22.5 million dollar contract, and later signed defenseman Brian Campbell to an eight year, $56.8 million dollar contact.^[18] The team also added former coaches Joel Quenneville and Scotty Bowman to their organization.^[19][20][21]

On February 13, 2008, the Blackhawks announced they would hold their first fan convention. On July 16, 2008, the team announced that they would host the 2009 NHL Winter Classic on a temporary ice rink at Wrigley Field on New Years Day against fellow "Original Six" member Detroit Red Wings.^[22] The Detroit Red Wings defeated Chicago, 6-4. On June 16, Pat Foley was hired to replace Dan Kelly as the Blackhawks TV play-by-play man. Foley called Blackhawk games from 1981-2006. He then spent the next two years broadcasting for the Chicago Wolves. He has now returned with partner Eddie Olczyk to broadcast all of the Hawks games.^[23][24] The Blackhawks relieved Denis Savard of his head coaching duties, and replaced him with Joel Quenneville on October 16, 2008.^[25] Savard has since been brought back to the organization as an ambassador.

The Blackhawks finished the 2008-2009 regular season in second place in their division, with a record of 46-24-12, putting them in fourth place in the Western Conference with 104 points. The Blackhawks clinched a playoff berth for the first time since the 2001-02 season with a 3-1 win over Nashville on April 3. On April 8, with a shootout loss to the Columbus Blue Jackets, the Blackhawks clinched their first 100-point season in 17 years. The Blackhawks beat the fifth-seeded Calgary Flames in six games to advance to the Western Conference Semifinals for the first time since 1996.^[26] The team proceeded to defeat the third-seeded Vancouver Canucks in six games.^[27] The Blackhawks played the then Stanley Cup champions, the Detroit Red Wings, for the Western Conference Championship. They lost the series to the Red Wings in five games.^[28]

Prior to the 2008-09 season opener, the Blackhawks named Toews, at 20 years and 79 days, as the new captain, succeeding the traded Lapointe and making him the third-youngest captain at the time of appointment. During the 2008-09 season, the team led the League in home attendance with a total of 912,155, averaging 22,247 fans per game.^[29] This figure includes the 40,818 fans from the Winter Classic at Wrigley Field. Therefore, the total attendance for games hosted at the United Center is 871,337, good for an average of 21,783 which still leads the league over Montreal's 21,273 average. The Blackhawks welcomed their one millionth fan of the season at the United Center before game six of the Western Conference semi-finals on May 11, 2009.^[30]

2009–10: The Stanley Cup returns to Chicago

Chicago skyline with the CNA Center showing the Blackhawks logo, the Smurfit-Stone Building saying Go Hawks and the Blue Cross Blue Shield Tower saying Hawks win the night after the 2009–10 Chicago Blackhawks won the 2010 Stanley Cup Finals, viewed from the Petrillo Music Shell lawn in Grant Park

Prior to the 2009-10 NHL season, the Blackhawks made another major free agent purchase, signing Marian Hossa to a 12-year contract worth 62.8 million dollars.^[31] In addition to Hossa, the team also acquired Tomas Kopecky, John Madden, and Richard Petiot.^[31][32] In early July, general manager Dale Tallon and the Blackhawks management came under fire when the National Hockey League Players' Association (NHLPA) claimed the team did not submit offers to their restricted free agents before the deadline.^[33] In the worst case scenario, the team's unsigned restricted free agents at the time, including Calder Memorial Trophy finalist Kris Versteeg, would have become unrestricted free agents.^[33] Despite the ordeal, the Blackhawks were able to sign Versteeg and all of their restricted free agents before the NHLPA could take further actions.^[33] On July 14, 2009, The Blackhawks demoted Tallon to the position of Senior Adviser. Stan Bowman, son of Scotty Bowman, was promoted to general manager.^[34] The Blackhawks continued to sellout games, with the best average attendance of 21,356 over Montreal's 21,273 in the NHL, and had a total of 854,267 excluding the playoffs. The Blackhawks reached the one million mark in Game 3 of the Western Conference Finals against the San Jose Sharks.

Patrick Kane hoisting the Stanley Cup and Jonathan Toews holding the Conn Smythe Playoff MVP Trophy, during the Blackhawks Parade and Rally.

President Barack Obama talks with members of the Stanley Cup Champion Chicago Blackhawks following a ceremony to honor the team’s 2009-10 championship season on the South Lawn of the White House, March 11, 2011.

The Blackhawks re-signed Patrick Kane and Jonathan Toews to contract extensions worth $31.5 million over 5 years, and Duncan Keith to a 13 year extension worth $72 million on December 1, 2009. On April 6, 2010, the Hawks won their 50th game of the 2009-10 season against the Dallas Stars, setting a new franchise record for wins in a season. The very next night, April 7,the Hawks notched their 109th point of the season against the St. Louis Blues, setting another franchise record.

The Blackhawks made the playoffs for the second consecutive season with a regular season record of 52-22-8. They defeated the Nashville Predators in six games in the first round, before defeating the third seeded Canucks for the second straight year, again in six games. The Blackhawks then played the top-seeded San Jose Sharks in the Western Conference Finals and won the series in four games. The Blackhawks advanced to the Stanley Cup Finals for the first time since 1992. They faced the Philadelphia Flyers, and won the series in six games, with the overtime goal scored by Patrick Kane. It was the Blackhawks' first Cup win since 1961.

2010–present

After losing the final game of the 2010-11 regular season at home to the Red Wings, the Blackhawks needed the Dallas Stars to either lose to the Minnesota Wild later that evening or at least have the game go into a shootout to qualify for the Stanley Cup Playoffs. Dallas lost 5-3, and the Blackhawks clinched the eighth and final seed in the Western Conference.

In the first round of the 2011 playoffs, the Blackhawks faced the top-seeded Vancouver Canucks. It was the third consecutive post-season the two teams faced each other. The Canucks built a 3-0 lead in the best-of-seven series before the Blackhawks were able to win three games in a row, becoming just the sixth (the feat was repeated in the second round that year by the Detroit Red Wings) team in NHL history to force a seventh game in a best-of-seven series after facing a 0-3 deficit. The Canucks won the seventh game in overtime, 2-1, to advance to the Western Conference Semifinal round. In the 2011 draft, they traded Troy Brouwer to the Washington Capitals for the 2011 26th overall pick and Brian Campbell to the Florida Panthers in exchange for Rostislav Olesz. Their first round picks were Mark McNeill (18th overall) and Phillip Danault (26th overall, via Washington).

Team information

Jerseys

The Blackhawks donned Camouflage practice jerseys to show support for servicemen in 2009 and 2010.

Like all NHL teams for the 2007–08 NHL season, the Chicago Blackhawks unveiled the Rbk EDGE jerseys from Reebok. Unlike other clubs, Chicago did not deviate much from previous jerseys with small exceptions:

• new collar with NHL logo
• a "baseball-style" cut along the bottom

The Blackhawks have brought back their black third jerseys for several games in 2008-09 after a one-year absence. For the 2009 Winter Classic, the Blackhawks wore jerseys based on the design worn in the 1936-37 season. The jersey is predominantly black with a large beige stripe across the chest (also on the sleeves), with a red border, and an old-style circular Black Hawks logo.^[35] The Blackhawks now use this Winter Classic design as their third jersey for the 2009-10 season, with the only change being tomahawks on the shoulders. The Blackhawks' uniform was voted one of the 25 best in professional sports by Paul Lukas of GQ in November 2004. The Hockey News voted the team's jersey as the best in the NHL.^[36] In 2009, The Blackhawks wore special camouflage jerseys on Veterans Day during their pregame warm-ups. The jerseys were later sold in auctions to raise money for the USO of Illinois.^[37] The Winter Classic third jerseys were retired after the 2010-2011 season.^[38]

Logo

This vintage logo was brought back in 2008

McLaughlin's wife, Irene Castle, designed the original version of the team's logo which featured a crudely drawn black and white Native head in a circle. This design went through several significant changes between 1926 and 1955. During this period seven distinct versions of the primary logo were worn on their uniforms. At the beginning of the 1955-56 season the outer circle was removed and the head began to resemble the team's current primary logo. This crest and uniform went through subtle changes until the 1964-65 season. The basic logo and jersey design have remained constant since then.

In 2008 The Hockey News' staff voted the team's main logo to be the best in the NHL. [1]

Mascot

The Blackhawks mascot is Tommy Hawk, a hawk who wears the Blackhawks' four feathers on his head, along with a Blackhawks jersey and hockey pants. Tommy Hawk often participates in the T-shirt toss and puck chuck at the United Center. He walks around the concourse greeting fans before and during the game. The Hawks introduced Tommy in the 2001–02 season. His oversized jersey has "WWW" William Wadsworth Wirtz and American flag patch on it. The Hawks have had two giveaways featuring Tommy Hawk items. The first was a bobble-head doll and the second was a Mountain Dew sponsored Tommy Hawk water bottle.

Fight song

"Here Come the Hawks!" is the official fight song and introduction of the Chicago Blackhawks. The song was written by J. Swayzee, an avid Blackhawks fan, and produced by the Dick Marx Orchestra and Choir in 1968 and is heard quite often both in vocal and organ renditions during Blackhawks home games. In late 2007 the song "Keys to the City" was released by Ministry & Co Conspirators as a gift to the Blackhawks organization. "Chelsea Dagger" by The Fratellis is played after a home-team goal and after a home-team win.

National anthem

It is a tradition for Blackhawks fans to applaud and cheer loudly during the singing of the national anthems. This tradition originated during a 1985 Campbell Conference playoff game at Chicago Stadium versus the Edmonton Oilers.^[39]

Cup drought

Before their 2010 Stanley Cup victory, the team had not won the Cup since 1961. At 49 years, it was the second longest Stanley Cup drought in NHL history, behind the New York Rangers, which ended in 1994 after 54 years [2]. On June 9, 2010, the Blackhawks won the 2010 Stanley Cup Championship in 6 games, beating the Philadelphia Flyers 4-3 in sudden death overtime with a goal by Patrick Kane.

Media and announcers

Main article: List of Chicago Blackhawks broadcasters

For the first time in team history, all 82 games plus playoffs were broadcast in high definition on television during the 2008–09 season. At least 20 of which were on WGN-TV (Channel 9) (not available in its superstation channel on WGN America), the first time the Blackhawks have been seen on local over-the-air television in 30 years. On February 15, 2011 on WGN Morning News, Blackhawks President John McDonough and former Blackhawks player/coach Denis Savard announced that the team renewed their contract with WGN-TV for the next five years starting in the 2011-12 NHL season. The others aired on Comcast SportsNet Chicago. For the last 8 seasons, the teams radio affiliate was WSCR (670). On April 30, 2008, the team signed a three year deal with WGN Radio (720), with games airing alternately instead on WIND (560) in scheduling conflict situations during the baseball season due to the Cubs having contractual preference to air on WGN. During the 2010 Stanley Cup Finals the Cubs agreed to allow the Blackhawks games to be broadcast on WGN and have the Cubs revert to WIND when there was a conflict. This allowed the Finals games to be heard over a larger area due to WGN's clear-channel signal. All Blackhawk games also air via online streaming on wgnradio.com, regardless of whether the games are on WGN or WIND.

• Pat Foley - TV play-by-play
• Eddie Olczyk - Lead TV analyst for NBC & Versus, TV analyst for Blackhawks
• John Wiedeman - Radio play-by-play
• Troy Murray - Radio analyst
• Gene Honda - Public address
• Steve Konroyd - Co-Host of Intermission, pre-game & post-game reports, Back-up TV analyst
• Chris Boden - Host of Intermission, pre-game & post-game reports for games on CSN Chicago
• Dan Roan - Host of Intermission, pre-game & post-game reports for games on WGN
• Denis Savard - Back-up Co-Host of Intermission, pre-game & post-game reports for games on CSN Chicago
• Brianne Dillman - Locker Room enternainer for home games
• Judd Sirott - Host of Intermission, pre-game & post-game reports for games on WGN Radio

Season-by-season record

This is a partial list of the last five seasons completed by the Blackhawks. For the full season-by-season history, see List of Chicago Blackhawks seasons

Note: GP = Games played, W = Wins, L = Losses, T = Ties, OTL = Overtime losses, Pts = Points, GF = Goals for, GA = Goals against

Season	GP	W	L	OTL	Pts	GF	GA	Finish	Playoffs
2006–07	82	31	42	9	71	201	258	5th, Central	Did not qualify
2007–08	82	40	34	8	88	239	235	3rd, Central	Did not qualify
2008–09	82	46	24	12	104	264	216	2nd, Central	Lost in Conference Finals, 1-4 (Red Wings)
2009–10	82	52	22	8	112	271	209	1st, Central	Stanley Cup Champions, 4-2 (Flyers)
2010–11	82	44	29	9	97	258	225	3rd, Central	Lost in Conference Quarterfinals, 3-4 (Canucks)

Players

Main article: List of Chicago Blackhawks players

For more details on this topic, see List of Chicago Blackhawks statistics and records.

Current roster

view · talk · edit

Updated November 17, 2011.^[40]

#	Nat	Player	Pos	S/G	Age	Acquired	Birthplace
29	Canada !	Bickell, BryanBryan Bickell	6.0 !LW	L	25	2004	Bowmanville, Ontario
36	Canada !	Bolland, DaveDave Bolland	4.0 !C	R	25	2004	Etobicoke, Ontario
15	Canada !	Brunette, AndrewAndrew Brunette	6.0 !LW	L	38	2011	Sudbury, Ontario
13	Canada !	Carcillo, DanielDaniel Carcillo	6.0 !LW	L	26	2011	King City, Ontario
50	Canada !	Crawford, CoreyCorey Crawford	1.0 !G	L	26	2003	Châteauguay, Quebec
30	Canada !	Emery, RayRay Emery	1.0 !G	L	29	2011	Hamilton, Ontario
67	Czech Republic !	Frolik, MichaelMichael Frolik	4.0 !C	L	23	2011	Kladno, Czechoslovakia
4	Sweden !	Hjalmarsson, NiklasNiklas Hjalmarsson	2.0 !D	L	24	2005	Eksjö, Sweden
81	Slovakia !	Hossa, MarianMarian Hossa	7.0 !RW	L	32	2009	Stará Ľubovňa, Czechoslovakia
88	United States !	Kane, PatrickPatrick Kane	7.0 !RW	L	23	2007	Buffalo, New York
2	Canada !	Keith, DuncanDuncan Keith (A)	2.0 !D	L	28	2002	Winnipeg, Manitoba
16	Sweden !	Kruger, MarcusMarcus Kruger	4.0 !C	L	21	2009	Stockholm, Sweden
8	United States !	Leddy, NickNick Leddy	2.0 !D	L	20	2010	Eden Prairie, Minnesota
20	Finland !	Lepisto, SamiSami Lepisto	2.0 !D	L	27	2011	Espoo, Finland
22	Canada !	Mayers, JamalJamal Mayers	4.0 !C	R	37	2011	Toronto, Ontario
5	Canada !	Montador, SteveSteve Montador	2.0 !D	L	31	2011	Vancouver, British Columbia
6	Canada !	O'Donnell, SeanSean O'Donnell	2.0 !D	L	40	2011	Ottawa, Ontario
32	Canada !	Scott, JohnJohn Scott	2.0 !D	L	29	2010	St. Catharines, Ontario
7	Canada !	Seabrook, BrentBrent Seabrook	2.0 !D	R	26	2003	Richmond, British Columbia
10	Canada !	Sharp, PatrickPatrick Sharp (A)	4.0 !C	R	29	2005	Winnipeg, Manitoba
28	United States !	Smith, BenBen Smith	7.0 !RW	R	23	2008	Winston-Salem, North Carolina
25	Sweden !	Stalberg, ViktorViktor Stalberg	6.0 !LW	L	25	2010	Gothenburg, Sweden
19	Canada !	Toews, JonathanJonathan Toews (C)	4.0 !C	L	23	2006	Winnipeg, Manitoba

Honored members

Retired numbers:

• 1: Glenn Hall, G, 1957–67, number retired November 20, 1988
• 3: Keith Magnuson, D, 1969–80, number retired November 12, 2008
• 3: Pierre Pilote, D, 1955–68, number retired November 12, 2008
• 9: Bobby Hull, LW, 1957–72, number retired December 18, 1983
• 18: Denis Savard, C, 1980-90 & 1995-97, number retired March 19, 1998
• 21: Stan Mikita, C, 1958–80, number retired October 19, 1980
• 35: Tony Esposito, G, 1969–84, number retired November 20, 1988
• 99: Wayne Gretzky, C, number retired league-wide by NHL

Team captains

• Dick Irvin, 1926–29
• Duke Dukowski, 1929–30
• Ty Arbour, 1930–31
• Cy Wentworth, 1931–32
• Helge Bostrom, 1932–33
• Charlie Gardiner, 1933–34
• No captain, 1934–35
• Johnny Gottselig, 1935–40
• Earl Seibert, 1940–42
• Doug Bentley, 1942–44
• Clint Smith, 1944–45
• John Mariucci, 1945–46
• Red Hamill, 1946–47
• John Mariucci, 1947–48
• Gaye Stewart, 1948–49
• Doug Bentley, 1949–50
• Jack Stewart, 1950–52
• Bill Gadsby, 1952–54
• Gus Mortson, 1954–57
• No captain, 1957–58
• Ed Litzenberger, 1958–61
• Pierre Pilote, 1961–68

• No captain, 1968–69
• Pat Stapleton, 1969–70
• No captain, 1970–75
• Pit Martin, 1975–76
• Pit Martin; Stan Mikita; Keith Magnuson, 1976–77
• Keith Magnuson, 1977–79
• Terry Ruskowski, 1979–82
• Darryl Sutter, 1982–87
• Bob Murray, 1985–86
• No captain, 1987–88
• Denis Savard, 1988–89
• Dirk Graham, 1989–95
• Chris Chelios, 1995–99
• Doug Gilmour, 1999–2000
• Tony Amonte, 2000–02
• Alexei Zhamnov, 2002–04
• No captain, 2004–05 (Lockout)
• Adrian Aucoin, 2005–07
• Martin Lapointe, 2006
• No captain, 2007–08
• Jonathan Toews, 2008– present

Franchise scoring leaders

These are the top-ten point-scorers in franchise history. Figures are updated after each completed NHL regular season.

Note: Pos = Position; GP = Games played; G = Goals; A = Assists; Pts = Points; P/G = Points per game; * = current Blackhawks player

Points	Goals	Assists
Player Pos GP G A Pts P/G Stan Mikita C 1394 541 926 1467 1.05 Bobby Hull LW 1036 604 549 1153 1.11 Denis Savard C 881 377 719 1096 1.24 Steve Larmer RW 891 406 517 923 1.04 Doug Wilson D 938 225 554 779 .83 Dennis Hull LW 904 298 342 640 .71 Pit Martin C 740 243 384 627 .85 Jeremy Roenick C 524 267 329 596 1.14 Tony Amonte RW 627 268 273 541 .86 Bill Mosienko RW 711 258 282 540 .76	Player Pos G Bobby Hull LW 604 Stan Mikita C 541 Steve Larmer RW 406 Denis Savard C 377 Dennis Hull LW 298 Tony Amonte RW 268 Jeremy Roenick C 267 Bill Mosienko RW 258 Ken Wharram RW 252 Pit Martin C 243	Player Pos A Stan Mikita C 926 Denis Savard C 719 Doug Wilson D 554 Bobby Hull LW 549 Steve Larmer RW 517 Pierre Pilote D 400 Chris Chelios D 395 Pit Martin C 384 Bob Murray D 382 Dennis Hull LW 342

NHL awards and trophies

See also: List of Chicago Blackhawks award winners

References

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2. ^ ^{a b c} "The McLaughlin Years". United Center. http://blackhawks.nhl.com/club/page.htm?id=46778. Retrieved 2010-06-21. 
3. ^ Diamond, Dan (1991). The Official National Hockey League 75th anniversary commemorative book. Toronto: McClelland & Stewart. pp. 291. ISBN 0771067275
4. ^ ^{a b} Mike G. Morreale (2010-05-29). "Anthem in Chicago a tradition like no other". Chicago Blackhawks. http://blackhawks.nhl.com/club/news.htm?id=530513. Retrieved 2011-01-29. 
5. ^ "How loud is it? Game 2 decibel readings". Chicago Blackhawks. 2010-06-01. http://blackhawks.nhl.com/club/news.htm?id=530627. Retrieved 2011-01-29. 
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16. ^ Kuc, Chris (2008-03-12). "Hawks shut out—and likely shut out of playoffs". Chicago Tribune. http://www.chicagotribune.com/sports/cs-080312-blackhawks-hurricanes,0,3893374.story. Retrieved 2009-02-28. 
17. ^ ^{a b} "'Hawks get Ladd from 'Canes for Ruutu". Sporting News. 2008-02-26. http://www.sportingnews.com/yourturn/viewtopic.php?t=361354. Retrieved 2009-05-07. 
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20. ^ Dreger, Darren (2008-09-26). "Dreger: Quenneville Finds Spot with Hawks". The Sports Network. http://www.tsn.ca/story/?id=250762. Retrieved 2008-11-02. 
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24. ^ http://blackhawks.nhl.com/club/page.htm?id=46636
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External links

• Official website of the Chicago Blackhawks
• Early home movie of the Blackhawks thought to be from 1929