This Week in Chicago Blackhawks History: Hall of Famer traded, franchise icon passes away

August is not known for being a busy month in the world of hockey, but the Chicago Blackhawks have plenty of memories this upcoming week. They completed an upset in the playoff bubble, traded away a future Hall of Famer, and had to say goodbye to a franchise icon. Let’s take our weekly trip back in time to relive all the memorable moments in Blackhawks’ history.

August 5

1926 – Cy Thomas was born in Dowlais, Wales. The winger had a goal in six games during the 1947-48 season before he was traded with Hall of Famer Max Bentley to the Toronto Maple Leafs for Gus Bodnar, Ernie Dickens, Bob Goldham, Bud Poile, and Gaye Stewart.

1942 – Goaltender Jack Norris was born in Saskatoon, SK. The Blackhawks acquired him in 1967 in part of the worst trade in franchise history. He came over from the Boston Bruins with Gilles Marotte and Pit Martin for Phil Esposito, Ken Hodge, and Fred Stanfield. He went 3-3-0 in 10 appearances over the next two seasons, posting a .862 save percentage (SV%) and 4.42 goals-against average (GAA). He was selected by the Montreal Canadiens in the 1969 NHL Intra-League Draft.

1980 – Mark Bell was born in St. Pauls, ON. The center was selected eighth overall by the Blackhawks at the 1998 NHL Entry Draft. He made his NHL debut during the 2000-01 season and eventually became part of the “ABC Line” with Tyler Arnason and Kyle Calder. Bell had 79 goals and 151 points in 339 games in Chicago. In 2006, he was traded to the San Jose Sharks for Josh Hennessy and Tom Preissing. Shortly after the trade, he was involved in a hit-and-run accident where he was arrested for driving under the influence. Bell has been sober ever since this incident. He also had stints with the Maple Leafs and Anaheim Ducks and played in Switzerland and Germany before retiring in 2013.

1988 – Dale Weise was born in Winnipeg, MB. The Blackhawks acquired him and Thomas Fleischmann in a stinker of a trade with the Canadiens in 2016 that cost a second-round pick and Phillip Danault. He had just one assist in 15 regular-season games and a goal in four postseason contests. He signed with the Philadelphia Flyers the following summer. He called the trade to Chicago a “disaster” and blamed head coach Joel Quenneville for his lack of production. We agree that acquiring Weise was a disaster, but not for the same reasons he does.

2020 – Blackhawks took a 2-1 lead in the best-of-five Qualifying Round series versus the Edmonton Oilers with a 4-3 victory in Game 3. Olli Maatta and Jonathan Toews scored in the first period, but they trailed 3-2, heading into the final frame thanks to two goals by Leon Draisaitl and one by Connor McDavid. Matthew Highmore’s first career playoff goal tied the game late in the third period before Toews’s second tally of the game put the Blackhawks ahead with 1:16 left in regulation. Corey Crawford made 25 saves in the win.

August 6

1925 – Gerry Couture was born in Saskatoon, SK. He played the final 110 games of his NHL career with the Blackhawks after he was acquired from the Canadiens for cash in 1952. He had 25 goals and 48 points in his two seasons with the team.

1986 – Erik Condra was born in Trenton, MI. He had 40 goals and 99 points in 372 career games with the Ottawa Senators, Tampa Bay Lightning, and Dallas Stars. He has been a player development coach for the Blackhawks since 2020.

1994 – Andreas Athanasiou was born in Woodbridge, ON. The speedy forward signed a one-year contract with the Blackhawks last month. He has 105 goals and 196 points in 378 games with the Detroit Red Wings, Oilers, and Los Angeles Kings. His best season came with the Red Wings in 2018-19, when he scored 30 goals and 54 points.

1997 – Henrik Borgstrom was born in Helsinki, Finland. He was acquired from the Florida Panthers in 2021 with Brett Connolly, Riley Stillman, and a seventh-round draft pick for Lucas Carlsson and Lucas Wallmark. That pick was used on Jalen Luypen, who signed his entry-level contract earlier this week.

Everyone say hello to Jalen 👋 pic.twitter.com/LtFExThTBE

— Chicago Blackhawks (@NHLBlackhawks) August 2, 2022

2000 – Alec Regula was born in West Bloomfield, MI. The Red Wings drafted the defenseman in the third round (67^th overall) of the 2018 NHL Entry Draft. He was traded to the Blackhawks in 2019 for forward Brendan Perlini and made his NHL debut during the 2020-21 season. He has one goal in 18 career games heading into this season.

August 7

1992 – The Blackhawks traded goaltender Dominik Hasek to the Buffalo Sabres for goaltender Stephane Beauregard and a fourth-round pick in the 1993 NHL Entry Draft. The deal was made because Eddie Belfour had established himself as the starter during the team’s run to the Stanley Cup Final. Hasek eventually became one of the best goaltenders of his generation, winning five Vezina Trophies and two Stanley Cups at the tail end of his career with the Red Wings. Belfour eventually won a Stanley Cup with the Stars in 1999, ironically beating Hasek and the Sabres. That third-round pick in 1993 was used to take Eric Daze, who scored 226 goals and 398 points in 601 games for the Blackhawks.

2018 – Stan Mikita died at 78 after a long battle with Lewy body dementia. His career was known for both longevity and innovation. He debuted for the Blackhawks during the 1958-59 season and remained a fixture in their lineup until 1980. He is the franchise leader with 926 assists, 1,467 points, and 1,396 points. His 541 goals are second only to Bobby Hull (604).

"Stan Mikita will be always remembered as a champion, an innovator and a master of the game. He embodied the Chicago Blackhawks." #ForeverABlackhawk pic.twitter.com/K2fLgNHf4z

— Chicago Blackhawks (@NHLBlackhawks) August 7, 2018

2020 – The Blackhawks completed their upset of the Oilers in the Qualifying Round with a 3-2 win in Game 4. Brandon Saad and Highmore scored in the first period, shortly after Josh Archibald gave Edmonton an early first-period lead. The game heading into the third period tied at two after Ryan Nugent-Hopkins tied the game in the middle frame. Dominik Kubalik’s third goal of the series with 11:30 left in regulation proved to be the game-winning goal as the Blackhawks moved on to face the Vegas Golden Knights.

August 8

1927 – Defenseman Bill Gadsby was born in Calgary, AB. The Hall of Famer played the first 468 games of his career with the Blackhawks, scoring 54 goals and 186 points. In 1954, he was traded with Pete Conacher to the New York Rangers for Rich Lamoureux, Nick Mickoski, and Allan Stanley. The seven-time All-Star retired in 1966 after 20 NHL seasons and 1,248 games.

1981 – Tony Salmelainen was born in Espoo, Finland. The former second-round draft pick of the Oilers was traded to Chicago for Jaroslav Spacek. The left wing had six goals and 17 points during the 2006-07 season. He was traded with Jassen Cullimore to the Canadiens for Sergei Samsonov, but he never played in the NHL again.

1987 – Cody Franson was born in Sicamous, BC. He signed as a free agent in 2017 and split his final North American professional season between the Blackhawks and Rockford IceHogs. He had a goal and seven points in 23 NHL games. The veteran defenseman signed in Russia following the season.

August 9

1979 – The NHL Entry Draft was held in Montreal. The Colorado Rockies used the first overall pick to take defenseman Rob Ramage. Some other big names taken in the first round included Mike Foligno, Mike Gartner, Ray Bourque, and Michel Goulet. The Blackhawks took defenseman Keith Brown with the seventh overall pick, one pick ahead of Bourque going to the Bruins. Brown played 812 games in Chicago over 14 seasons, scoring 64 goals and 330 points. Other notable members of this draft class included Billy Gardner (49^th overall) and Doug Crossman (112^th overall).

August 10

1968 – Alexander Andrievski was born in Moscow, Russia. The Blackhawks selected the right wing in the 10th round (220th overall) of the 1991 NHL Entry Draft. He played in one NHL game during the 1992-93 season and was held off the scoresheet. After two seasons with the Indianapolis Ice in the IHL, Andrievski returned to Europe, where he played professionally until 2005.

2005 – The Blackhawks traded goaltender Jocelyn Thibault to the Pittsburgh Penguins for a fourth-round draft pick. He appeared in 321 games in Chicago and went 137-142-27 with a .905 SV% and 2.62 GAA. He spent two seasons with the Penguins and went 8-17-5 with a .894 SV% and 3.52 GAA. The pick acquired from the Penguins was used to take defenseman Ben Shutron, who never played in the NHL.