Glenn Hall is one of the greatest Goaltenders of all time, and it was in the Windy City where he proved himself to be among the elite not only of his era but forever.

This was really hard for us.

While there should be absolutely no doubt that Patrick Kane should be among the top ten of the Chicago Blackhawks, are we incorrect in putting him at #3?

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, was the Chicago Blackhawks.  The Defenceman would be named to two All-Star Games, where he would average roughly a half-point per game as an NHL Player. 

If you asked hockey scouts when they saw Ed Belfour at the age of 18, none of them would have pegged Ed Belfour as a future Hall of Famer.  That may very well have been the case for his next four years.  Belfour went undrafted and committed to the University of North Dakota, where he led the University to a Frozen Four win. During that time, he was signed by the Blackhawks, although it's unlikely that even they knew what was to come.

The Chicago Blackhawks likely did not expect to see Denis Savard fall to them when they drafted third in 1980, and how happy that must have been for years after that he did!  Savard tore it up in the Quebec Juniors, and with Chicago, he continued to show off elite playmaking skills.  While in terms of scoring, he would, in the league, be in the shadow of Wayne Gretzky; however, Savard would gain his fair share of attention.  He would have 119 Points in his sophomore season, and in his third season (1982-83), he scored 121 Points with a third-place finish in Hart Trophy balloting with a Second Team All-Star Selection. 

This was not easy. 

Do you go with Stan Mikita or Bobby Hull?

Honestly, we don’t think you can go wrong regardless of which way you go, but we chose Stan and his importance due to his longevity with the franchise. However, if you think we should have gone with Hull, we understand your perspective.

From the hockey-rich city of Winnipeg, Jonathan Toews was the third overall pick in the 2006 NHL Draft, and he proceeded to finish third in Calder Trophy voting, where he lost to his teammate Patrick Kane, which certainly gave notice to the city of Chicago that they had a special team ahead of them.

Granted, this list is intended to focus solely on accomplishments with the Chicago Blackhawks, but when discussing an incredible talent and career like Chris Chelios, certain other aspects need to be mentioned.

While we made the decision to go with Stan Mikita as the greatest Chicago Blackhawk of all-time, we don’t actually think that he was the most dynamic player, and dare we say, necessarily the best.

In their respective primes, we would argue that the “Golden Jet” was actually the better player, and certainly the most dynamic, but Mikita’s longevity with the organization would make him more synonymous with the Blackhawks; Hull was the bigger star.

Pit Martin is remembered by many for being at the wrong end of a lopsided trade that sent Phil Esposito, Ken Hodge, and Fred Stanfield to the Boston Bruins and created a Stanley Cup Championship team, but Martin was a very highly regarded player in his own right.  Martin would represent the Chicago Blackhawks in the All-Star Game four times, and he secured six 60 Point seasons.  Overall, he would score 809 Points in the National Hockey League.

The NHL expansion sure was a friend to Bill White, as at the age of 28, he found a spot with the Los Angeles Kings and would emerge as their top blueliner.  White’s skills would increase into his 30s, and a trade to the Chicago Blackhawks would see him make three consecutive Second Team All-Stars while also being voted third in Norris Trophy voting each time.  He also went to six All-Star Games. 

It could be argued that Pat Stapleton is one of the better players who seem to have been forgotten in the National Hockey League.  He shouldn’t be just a footnote, as he would develop into an excellent point man on the blue line and the owner of an accurate and rapid slap shot. 

It was announced today that Hockey Hall of Famer Pierre Pilote passed away at the age of 85.

Pilote was one of the most accomplished Defenceman in the National Hockey League throughout the 1960’s and he was named the Norris Trophy winner three seasons in a row (1963-63). A member of the Chicago Blackhawks for 12 of his 13 seasons, Pilote was named a First Team All Star five times, a Second Team All Star three times and the native of Kenogami, Quebec was an integral reason why Chicago won the Stanley Cup in 1961.

The blueliner would serve as the team captain from 1961 to 1977 and he would score 418 Points over a 890 Game career.

Pilote’s #3 was retired by the Blackhawks in 2008 (along with Keith Magnusson who wore the same number) and he was inducted in to the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1975.

We here at Notinhalloffame.com would like to extend our condolences to the friends and family of Pierre Pilote at this time.

Typically, if you are considered the best hockey player in your family, it isn’t much of an accolade.  This was not the case for Brent Sutter, who may have been the most talented of what could be the most storied set of siblings in professional hockey.  The Sutters were known for their work ethic, and Brent was no exception. Brent Sutter was known for doing all the small intangibles that made a team successful, and yet he still achieved over 800 points in his career. He likely won’t get in, but should he slip in, it might be a celebration of the Sutter family as a whole.

During the 1980s and early ’90s, Steve Larmer was a vital cog in the Chicago Blackhawks organization. He won the Calder Trophy in 1983 and, as a ten-year member of the Blackhawks, was a model of consistency and durability. While averaging a point a game, Larmer went on a streak of playing in 884 consecutive games and could have had a shot at breaking the all-time record held by Doug Jarvis had a contract dispute not gotten in the way. Steve Larmer was not someone you would get an exciting sound bite on, so when he did have criticisms to say, people took notice. It wasn’t often that the man known for his class sought the spotlight, but when he did, it was usually due to a firm conviction on his part. He retired when he felt he could no longer be the consistent player he once was, and he easily could have padded more statistics had he chosen to keep playing a few more years.

Gary Suter started off with a bang, winning the Calder Trophy with the Calgary Flames. Suter continued to rack up points for the Flames, and the star was able to hoist the Stanley Cup in 1989. Year after year, Gary Suter was among the league leaders in points by a defenseman. With a career garnering 844 points, he is among the elite and is in the conversation when discussing the best American-born defenseman ever. Had he ever won a Norris trophy, he would have likely seen his chances increase by a wide margin.

Possibly one of the most versatile players in NHL history, Doug Mohns spent the first half of his career as a defenseman with the Boston Bruins. In Beantown, Mohns had a flair for offense and was able to help his team at that side of the ice. Later, Mohns was traded to Chicago where he was converted forward and placed on a line with the legendary Stan Mikita. Naturally, his scoring totals increased and with his knowledge of the defensive game, Doug Mohns was one of the more complete players in NHL history. Hopefully is known more for his skills than the bad toupee he wore at the end of his career.

A star for the Chicago Blackhawks and the United States National Team, Tony Amonte enjoyed a solid career. His career zenith was as a Blackhawk, where the consistent American Right Winger enjoyed a five-year stretch without missing a game and was among the best players in the Windy City. A five-time All-Star, Amonte was one of the better American-born hockey players of All Time, but without that magical 1,000 points NHL plateau or a dominant season, he may have to settle for the American Hall of Fame instead.