This Week in Chicago Blackhawks History: Mikita, Toews, Belfour & more

This upcoming week is full of great moments in Chicago Blackhawks team history. One of the franchise’s greatest players hit a big milestone and became the first to have his number retired, while some of the best goaltenders to wear the uniform had memorable nights. So, let’s hop onto the CHGO time machine and relive a week in the storied past of the Blackhawks.

Oct. 13

1918 – Jack Dyte was born in New Liskeard, ON. The defenseman had one goal in 27 games during the 1943-44 season, his lone one in the NHL.

1962 – Goaltending legends Terry Sawchuk and Glenn Hall outdueled each other as the Blackhawks, and Detroit Red Wings skated to a 0-0 tie. This was the 47^th career shutout for Hall.

1971 – Sean O’Donnell was born in Ottawa, ON. The blueliner signed with the Blackhawks on July 1, 2011. He played the last 51 games of his 17-season career in Chicago and picked up seven assists.

1971 – Tony Esposito recorded his 24th career shutout in the Blackhawks’ 1-0 win over the visiting St. Louis Blues.

1990 – The Blackhawks beat the North Stars 4-1 for the 1,700th victory in franchise history. Steve Larmer was the offensive hero by scoring the fifth hat trick of his career and assisting on the other goal.

Oct. 14

1918 – Harvey Fraser was born in Souris, MB. The center had five goals and nine points in 21 games during the 1944-45 season. He played professionally between 1939 and 1951, but this was his only stint in the NHL.

1964 – The Red Wings purchased the contract of Ted Lindsay from the Blackhawks. The Hall of Fame forward retired in 1960 but returned for one final year in Detroit, where he spent the first 14 seasons of his career. He scored 14 goals and 28 points in 69 games during the 1964-65 season.

Oct. 15

1934 – Hank Ciesla was born in St. Catharines, ON. He had 18 goals and 49 points in 140 games for the Blackhawks. Following the 1956-57 season, he was traded to the New York Rangers for Ron Murphy. Ciesla was reacquired from the Red Wings on Oct. 10, 1964, for Jerry Toppazzini but spent the entire season in the AHL.

1972 – Stan Mikita became the sixth NHL player to score 1,000 career points. The milestone came in the form of an assist on a goal by Cliff Koroll during a 3-1 loss to the Blues on home ice.

1983 – The Blackhawks and Maple Leafs combined to score five goals in a span of 1:24, setting an NHL record for the fastest five goals by two teams. Chicago scored three of the five goals during the record-setting second-period outburst, but Toronto won the game 10-8 at Maple Leaf Gardens. Denis Savard scored his first career hat trick in the losing effort.

Oct. 16

1904 – Stew Adams was born in Calgary, AB. The left wing played 85 games over three seasons for the Blackhawks and scored nine goals and 33 points. He was traded to the Maple Leafs for cash on Nov. 3, 1932.

1926 – The 10-team NHL realigned into two divisions. The Montreal Canadiens, Montreal Maroons, Maple Leafs, Ottawa Senators, and New York Americans were placed in the Canadian Division. The American Division included the Boston Bruins, Pittsburgh Pirates, and the league’s three newest franchises: the Rangers, Detroit Cougars (later the Red Wings), and Black Hawks (then two words).

1927 – Frank Ashworth was born in Moose Jaw, SK. He had five goals and nine points in 18 games during the 1946-47 season.

1957 – Reg Kerr was born in Oxbow, SK. He was acquired by the Blackhawks from the Cleveland Barons on Nov. 23, 1977, for Randy Holt. He scored 66 goals and 158 points in 253 games before signing with the Edmonton Oilers in 1983.

1963 – Mikita scored his fourth career hat trick to lead the Blackhawks to a 5-2 victory over the Bruins.

1967 – Joe Murphy was born in London, ON. He was the first overall pick of the 1986 NHL Entry Draft by the Red Wings. On Feb. 24, 1993, he was traded to Chicago by the Oilers for Igor Kravchuk and Dean McAmmond. He played in 210 games over the next four seasons and scored 83 goals and 179 before signing with the Blues in 1996.

1971 – Mikita scored two goals in a 3-2 win over the Minnesota North Stars. He joined his long-time teammate Bobby Hull as the only two players to score 350 goals in a Blackhawks uniform.

Oct. 17

1974 – The expansion Washington Capitals earned their first victory when they defeated the Blackhawks 4-3 at Capital Centre. The win gave the Capitals a record of 1-2-1 after four games; they won seven of their final 76 and finished 8-67-5.

1984 – Sami Lepisto was born in Espoo, FN. The defenseman signed with the Blackhawks in 2011. He had one goal and three points in 26 games during the 2011-12 season. These were his last games in NHL as he moved to the KHL and played in Russia for the next three years.

Oct. 18

1906 – Leroy Goldsworthy was born in Two Harbors, MN. He was acquired from the Red Wings as part of a three-team trade on Oct. 19, 1933. He had three goals and six points in 27 games during the 1933-34 championship season. On Oct. 3, 1934, he was traded with Lionel Conacher and Roger Jenkins to the Canadiens for Marty Burke, Lorne Chabot, and Howie Morenz.

1908 – Mush March was born in Silton, SK. In addition to having one of the best names in team history, the right wing played all 17 seasons of his NHL career with the Blackhawks. He finished with 153 goals and 384 points and won Stanley Cups in 1934 and 1938. He scored the championship-clinching goal in double overtime of Game 4 of the Stanley Cup Final. March also scored the first goal at Maple Leaf Gardens in 1931. He saved the puck and then dropped it on center ice before the final game at the legendary arena in 1999.

1981 – Darryl Sutter scored his first career hat trick to lead the Blackhawks to a 7-5 win over the Oilers. He scored a total of three hat tricks during his eight-season playing career.

1990 – Goaltender Ed Belfour recorded his first NHL shutout to lead the Blackhawks to a 3-0 win over the Maple Leafs. Jocelyn Lemieux, Troy Murray, and Jeremy Roenick took care of the offense.

2014 – Jonathan Toews scored a shorthanded overtime goal to give the Blackhawks a 2-1 victory against the Nashville Predators. He was the first player to do this in a regular-season game since Glen Wesley of the Carolina Hurricanes did so against the Philadelphia Flyers on Feb. 22, 2007.

Oct. 19

1935 – Don Ward was born in Sarnia, ON. The defenseman had no points in his three games for the Blackhawks during the 1957-58 season.

1950 – Dale Tallon was born in Noranda, QC. Before becoming a beloved color analyst and general manager for the Blackhawks, he played 642 NHL games as a defenseman. He was acquired from the Vancouver Canucks on May 14, 1973, for Jerry Korab and Gary Smith. After scoring 44 goals and 156 points in 325 games for the Blackhawks, he was traded to the Pittsburgh Penguins for a second-round pick on Oct. 9, 1978. The Blackhawks selected Ken Solheim with that pick, who never played in the NHL.

1950 – A record-breaking fall heat wave forced the postponement of a game between the Blackhawks and Red Wings because the ice at the Chicago Stadium would not stay frozen.

1957 – Maurice Richard of the Canadiens became the first 500-goal scorer in NHL history during a 3-1 win over the Blackhawks at the Forum.

1974 – Grant Mulvey became the youngest player since World War II to score a regular-season goal. He was 18 years, one month, and two days old when he scored 5:15 into the first period to help the Blackhawks to a 3-1 road victory at the Blues.

1978 – Bobby Orr picked up an assist in a 6-2 win over the Minnesota North Stars. This was the 645th and final assist of the legendary defenseman’s Hall of Fame career.

1980 – In a pregame ceremony, the Blackhawks retired Mikita’s No. 21, the first number retired in franchise history. Once the puck was dropped, Tom Lysiak scored his second career hat trick, first with Chicago, while adding two assists in the Blackhawks’ 8-4 win over the Capitals.