This has been a very eventful week in Chicago Blackhawks history. Some of the biggest names and greatest players to ever wear the uniform set multiple personal milestones. In addition to a slew of birthdays, this week included some coaching feats and the only forfeit. So, let’s hope aboard the CHGO time machine and enjoy our weekly trip through the decades.
March 9
1911 – Eddie Ouellette was born in Ottawa, ON. The centerman signed with the Blackhawks on Oct. 27, 1935. He played the only 43 games of his NHL career during the 1935-36 season and scored three goals and five points.
1964 – Phil Housley was born in St. Paul, MN. The Hall of Fame defenseman was claimed from the Calgary Flames in the 2001 Waiver Draft. He played 137 games for the Blackhawks over two seasons and scored 21 goals and 68 points. On March 11, 2003, he was traded to the Toronto Maple Leafs for a fourth and ninth-round draft pick, which turned into Karel Hromas and Chris Porter. Housley retired in 2004 with 1,232 points, the third-most by an American-born player in NHL history.
1986 – Bryan Bickell was born in Bowmanville, ON. He was drafted in the second round (41st overall) of the 2004 NHL Entry Draft. He was part of all three Stanley Cup championships in the 2010s and scored the first goal in the infamous “17 Seconds” sequence in Game 6 of the 2013 Stanley Cup Final. He had 65 goals and 135 points in 384 games for the Blackhawks. Bickell was traded with Teuvo Teravainen to the Carolina Hurricanes for a second and third-round pick on June 15, 2016. The second-round pick was used to select Artur Kayumov, while the third-rounder was traded to the Detroit Red Wings for Tomas Jurco.
1998 – Riley Stillman was born in Peterborough, ON. The defenseman was acquired from the Florida Panthers with Henrik Borgström, Brett Connolly, and a seventh-round draft pick for Lucas Carlsson and Lucas Wallmark. Stillman had three goals and 13 points in 65 games before he was dealt to the Vancouver Canucks for Jason Dickinson and a 2024 second-round pick on Oct. 7, 2022. In case you’re wondering, the seventh-round pick received from the Panthers was used to take Jalen Luypen.
2021 – Patrick Kane became the youngest player in franchise history to play 1,000 games, passing Brent Seabrook. He was the seventh Blackhawk to play in 1,000 games for the team. Kane was held off the scoresheet in a 6-1 loss to the Dallas Stars.
March 10
1958 – Doug Lecuyer was born in Wainwright, AB. The left wing was taken in the second round (29th overall) of the 1978 NHL Amateur Draft. He played 69 games over three seasons and scored four goals and 14 points. On Dec. 1, 1980, he was traded with Tim Trimper to the Winnipeg Jets for Peter Marsh.
1984 – Tim Brent was born in Cambridge, ON. He was acquired from the Pittsburgh Penguins for Danny Richmond on July 17, 2008. During the 2008-09 season, he had no points in two games for the Blackhawks but had 20 goals and 62 points in 64 AHL games for the Rockford IceHogs. Brent signed with the Maple Leafs the following summer.
1990 – Shawn Lalonde was born in Ottawa, ON. The defenseman was drafted in the third round (68th overall) of the 2008 NHL Entry Draft. His only NHL game came during the 2012-13 season. He signed in Germany in 2013.
1991 – Ed Belfour tied Tony Esposito’s team record with his 38th win of the season by beating the New York Rangers 5-2. Steve Larmer picked up his 92nd point, tying the single-season team record for points by a right wing.
1995 – Tyler Motte was born in St. Clair, MI. He was a fourth-round pick (121st overall) in the 2013 NHL Entry Draft. He had four goals and seven points in 33 games during the 2016-17 season. On June 23, 2017, he was traded with Artemi Panarin and a sixth-round pick to the Columbus Blue Jackets for Brandon Sadd, Anton Forsberg, and a fifth-round pick.
2018 – Joel Quenneville coached his 1,608th game, a 7-4 loss at the Boston Bruins, passing Al Arbour on the all-time NHL games-coached list.
March 11
1907 – Earl Robinson was born in Montreal, QC. The Montreal Maroons traded him to Chicago with Russ Blinco and Baldy Northcott for cash on Sept. 15, 1938. He had nine goals and 15 points in 48 games before he was traded to the Montreal Canadiens for cash on Oct. 11, 1939.
1977 – Michal Handzus was born in Banska Bystrica, Czechoslovakia. The center’s first stint with the Blackhawks began on Aug. 4, 2006, when he was acquired from the Philadelphia Flyers for Kyle Calder. He had three goals and eight points in eight games before suffering a season-ending knee injury. He signed with the Los Angeles Kings the following offseason. The San Jose Sharks traded Handzus back to Chicago on April 2, 2013, for a fourth-round draft pick. He had a goal and six points in 11 regular-season games and three goals and 11 points during the postseason run to the Stanley Cup. He returned for a 15th and final NHL season in 2013-14, scoring four goals and 16 points in 59 games.
1987 – Denis Savard became the sixth player in franchise history to score 250 goals during a 3-2 loss to the visiting St. Louis Blues.
1990 – Savard became the 26th player in NHL history to score 1,000 career points, with an assist in a 6-4 loss to the Blues.
1994 – The Blackhawks acquired Gary Suter, Randy Cunneyworth, and a future draft pick from the Hartford Whalers for Frantisek Kucera and Jocelyn Lemieux. This trade came one day after Suter was traded to Hartford by the Flames. The defenseman played 301 games over five seasons in Chicago, mostly paired with Chris Chelios, and scored 53 goals and 179 points.
1995 – Jeff Hackett made 40 saves in a 0-0 draw with the Maple Leafs. Appropriately enough, before the game, Toronto honored goaltending greats Johnny Bower and Turk Broda
1996 – Savard scored two goals and added an assist to become the 15th player to accumulate 1,300 NHL points as the Blackhawks beat the Panthers 8-4.
2000 – Bob Probert scored a goal and became the sixth NHL player to earn over 3,000 career penalty minutes during a 5-3 win over the Panthers. Alexei Zhamnov picked up his 300th NHL assist in the victory.
2020 – Kane had two goals, and Alex DeBrincat picked up three assists as the Blackhawks beat the Sharks 6-2. The following day, the NHL suspended the season indefinitely due to the COVID-19 pandemic. This was goaltender Corey Crawford’s final game at the United Center.
March 12
1908 – Russ Blinco was born in Grand’Mere, QC. The 1934 Calder Trophy winner was acquired in the 1938 trade with the Maroons, which also landed Robinson. The centerman had three goals and 15 points in 48 games during his lone season with the Blackhawks. Blinco was the first player in NHL history to wear glasses while playing.
1930 – Bronco Horvath was born in Port Colborne, ON. The Blackhawks claimed him from the Bruins in the Intra-League Draft on June 13, 1961. He had 17 goals and 46 points in 68 games before the Rangers claimed him in the following year’s Intra-League Draft. He is best remembered for being part of the “Uke Line” in Boston with Johnny Bucyk and Vic Stasiuk.
1961 – Bobby Hull scored his 100th career goal during a 6-2 loss to the Canadiens. He was the third-fasted player to hit the 100-goal milestone in league history after Montreal legends Maurice Richard and Jean Beliveau.
1966 – Hull became the first player to score 51 goals in a season, breaking the single-season record shared by Richard and Bernie Geoffrion. His 51st goal helped the Blackhawks beat the Rangers 4-2.
1967 – Hull scored his 49th goal of the season and added an assist, while Glenn Hall earned his 68th career shutout. in a 5-0 win over the Maple Leafs. The victory clinched a first-place finish for the regular season for the first time, as the Blackhawks Chicago became the last “Original 6” team to win the Prince of Wales Trophy, which was given to the regular-season champion.
1969 – Hull scored a goal in a franchise record 10th straight game as the Blackhawks lost 4-1 to the visiting Oakland Seals.
1976 – Deron Quint was born in Durham, NH. The blueliner signed with the Blackhawks on Aug. 5, 2003. He had four goals and 11 points in 51 games before playing in Europe for two seasons. He returned to the NHL with the New York Islanders for the 2006-07 season, then returned to Europe, where he played professionally until 2016.
March 13
1966 – Hall became the second goaltender in NHL to have six 30-win seasons by making 29 saves in a 5-1 victory over the Maple Leafs.
1976 – Billy Reay won his 501st game with a 4-1 victory at the Minnesota North Stars, making him the winningest head coach with one team in NHL history. He passed Toe Blake, who won 500 games with the Canadiens.
March 14
1933 – The Blackhawks forfeited a game for the only time in their franchise history when they refused to return to the ice after head coach Tom Gorman was ejected. The Bruins were leading 3-2 at the time and were ultimately awarded a 1-0 victory.
1991 – Belfour set a team record with his 39th win of the season by beating the Kings 6-3. Larmer scored two goals to give him 94 points, the most by any right wing in franchise history.
1992 – Erik Gustafsson was born in Nynashamn, Sweden. Originally a fourth-round pick by the Edmonton Oilers in 2012, the defenseman signed with the Blackhawks in 2015. He had 28 goals and 116 points in 216 games, including 17 goals and 60 points during the 2018-19 season. He was traded to the Flames for a third-round pick on Feb. 24, 2020, which was used to take Wyatt Kaiser. Gustafsson returned to Chicago as a free agent just before the 2021-22 season started. He scored three goals and 18 points in 59 games.
1993 – Belfour became the sixth goaltender in Blackhawks history to win 100 games by beating the Oilers 5-4.
March 15
1909 – Joe Matte was born in Bourget, ON. The defenseman had two assists in 12 games for the Blackhawks during the 1942-43 season. He went 12 years between NHL appearances, last playing for the Detroit Cougars in 1930.
1950 – Goaltender Frank Brimsek recorded his 40th and final career shutout in the Blackhawks’ 4-0 win over the Maple Leafs. His 40 shutouts remained the NHL record for U.S.-born goaltenders until Jonathan Quick broke it in 2016.
1959 – Ted Lindsay broke Richard’s league record for games played by appearing in his 928th career contest. The milestone came in a 4-1 loss to the Red Wings, the team Lindsay played the first 793 games of his career.
1969 – Peter White was born in Montreal, QC. The veteran center signed with the Blackhawks on Sept. 10, 2001. He had three goals and seven points in 54 games before being traded to the Flyers for unknown compensation on March 11, 2003.
1975 – Esposito became the second goaltender in league history to record six straight 30-win seasons by beating the North Stars 5-2.
1990 – Larmer passed Andy Hebenton for fourth place on NHL’s career ironman list when he played in his 632nd straight game, a 6-3 victory over the Quebec Nordiques.
2001 – Kane recorded his 1,064th NHL point in the Blackhawks’ 6-3 loss to the Panthers. He moved ahead of Joe Mullen for fifth place in scoring among American-born players. Mike Modano still holds the record with 1,374 points.
