gold star for USAHOF

Top 50 Chicago Blackhawks

An Original Six team, the Chicago Blackhawks first came to fruition in 1926, and in 1934 they would win the Stanley Cup for the first time.  They would repeat that effort in 1938 but following the death of the original owner and founder, Frederic McLaughlin in 1944, Chicago would suffer under poor ownership (they were owned by a “puppet” of Detroit’s owner, James E. Norris) and was horrible for years.  When his father died, James D. Norris and minority owner, Arthur Wirtz took over, and in the late 1950’s they reinvested in the team and would acquire bright young prospects (Stan Mikita & Bobby Hull) and would finally win their third Stanley Cup in 1961.

Chicago was loaded with talent throughout the 1960s and would return to the Stanley Cup Finals twice that decade (1962 & 1965) but they would not win in both attempts.  They would into another decade-long drought in terms of championships although they had some very good teams through this era, including the 1990/91 season where they led the league in Points.  It turned around with young talent like Patrick Kane and Jonathan Toews and in 2010 the Cup would return to the Windy City.  That decade remained strong with Chicago as they would win their fifth and sixth Stanley Cup in 2013 and 2015 respectively.


This list is up to the end of the 2022/23 season.

Note: Hockey lists are based on an amalgamation of tenure, traditional statistics, advanced statistics, playoff statistics, and post-season accolades.


Bob Murray is one of the few players who played all of his 1,000 plus Games in the National Hockey League with one team, which obviously for this list were the Chicago Blackhawks.  The Defenceman would be named to two All Star Games where he would average roughly a half-point…
Paul Thompson would win a Stanley Cup with the New York Rangers in 1928 but he after he was traded to Chicago prior to the 1931-32 Season he would go on the best run of his playing career.
Kenny Wharram was with the Chicago Blackhawks for his entire NHL career, which would last 14 seasons and 766 Games.  Early, he would assist Chicago win the 1961 Stanley cup but realistically he blossomed a little later in his career and his first really good season in the NHL took…
Before he was a Chicago Blackhawk, Pat Stapleton was a Toronto Maple Leaf for all of one day as he was left unprotected after being traded from the Boston Bruins.  Had the Bruins knew what Stapleton was going to accomplish in Chi-Town they likely never would have traded him and…
While Pit Martin was on the other side of what would be a lopsided trade (against Chicago) that saw Phil Esposito and Ken Hodge go to Boston, this should not demean what he did accomplish in the Windy City.
Corey Crawford was drafted by the Chicago Blackhawks in 2003 (52nd Overall) but it was not until the 2010-11 Season where he saw significant playing time for the parent club. Crawford became Chicago’s top Goalie, where he had the task of helping them defend their Stanley Cup Title.  The Blackhawks did not…
Dennis Hull would always be in the shadow of his older brother and longtime teammate, Bobby Hull, but Dennis was one hell of a player in his own right.
As of this writing, Eric Nesterenko is one of six former Chicago Blackhawks to play 1,000 Games for the franchise and in the case of the former Right Winger he suited up for 1,013 Games in the Windy City, which is the fifth most ever.
Bill White got his start late in the National Hockey League like so many in the late 1960’s as he was one of the many who when the 1967 expanded from six to twelve teams would receive an opportunity and at age 28 he debuted for the Los Angeles Kings…
The owner of arguably the best name in Chicago Blackhawks history, Elmer “Moose” Vasko stood at 6’ 3” and was a full 200 pounder, a fairly large player for his day.  Shoulder issues in his early seasons prevented him from reaching his full potential but once that subsided he would…
Depending on who you believe, Ed Litzenberger was traded from the Montreal Canadiens for Cash in the hope that it would help what was a struggling franchise.  If that is the case, it was a huge gift as the talented forward would be named the Calder Trophy winner in a…
Tony Amonte is one of the best American born scorers in hockey history and the Chicago Blackhawk were fortunate to have him when he was at his best.  Amonte went to all five of his All Star Games when he played in Chicago where he would score 541 Points for…
Patrick Sharp played the bulk of his career with the Chicago Blackhawks where he was a major part of their success in winning three Stanley Cups (2010, 2013 & 2015).  Sharp was a solid goal scorer for Chicago finishing 8th (2011) and 9th (2014) and he was regarded as a…
By the time Marian Hossa arrived in Chicago he already accomplished quite a lot in the NHL  As an Ottawa Senator, he was a two-time All-Star who had two straight 70 Point seasons.
Doug Jarrett didn’t get a lot of attention or press when he played professional hockey but in the 721 Games he suited up for Chicago he provided very solid defense and was the NHL leader in Defensive Point Shares in the 1966/67 Season. 
A two-time NCAA Champion at the University of Denver, Keith Magnuson would play his entire NHL career with the Chicago Blackhawks.  Magnuson was not a scorer but he was stay-at-home blueliner who used his physical presence to protect his side of the ice by any means necessary.  A two time…
There is no doubt that the NHL career of Bill Gadsby was more productive as a New York Ranger but to discount what he accomplished as a Chicago Blackhawk would be many levels of inappropriate.  As a Chicago Blackhawk, Bill Gadsby would be a two time All Star as well…
Roy Conacher was already a two time Stanley Cup Champion (with Boston) and a World War II veteran before he arrived to the Blackhawks in his early 30’s and while it would have been a good assumption for most fans and pundits to think that his best seasons were behind…
A more than solid Defenseman throughout his NHL career, Keith Brown was the seventh overall Draft Pick in 1979 and he would go on to play 876 Games in the league, 812 of them Chicago.  Brown was a good two way blueliner who would have two 40 Point seasons and…
Harold “Mush” Marsh played his entire career with the Chicago Blackhawks and he wasn’t just a hockey player with a colorful name.  The Right Wing would play 761 Games in the NHL all of which were with Chicago where he scored 384 Points.  Marsh’s best season was in 1935/36 where…