This has been a very eventful week in the history of the Chicago Blackhawks. Two of the team’s greatest players had multiple milestones. One of these legendary players already has a statue on Madison St., while the other will undoubtedly get one in the future. The CHGO time machine is warmed up and ready to take back through the decades, so let’s hop on the ride!
Feb. 16
1967 – Goaltender Denis DeJordy extended his franchise-record undefeated streak to 12 games (9-0-3). The 5-1 victory at the Detroit Red Wings also pushed the Blackhawks’ unbeaten streak to 15 games (12-0-3).
1975 – The Montreal Canadiens extended their NHL-record road undefeated streak to 18 games (11-0-7) with a 6-3 win at Chicago Stadium.
1982 – Mikhail Yakibov was born in Barnual, USSR. The Blackhawks took the center with the 10th overall pick of the 2000 NHL Entry Draft. He appeared in 40 games over two seasons, scoring two goals and 11 points. The Florida Panthers selected him off waivers on Jan. 26, 2006. Yakibov played in just 13 more NHL games before returning to Russia, where he played in the KHL until 2013.
1983 – Tuomo Ruutu was born in Vantta, Finland. He was the Blackhawks’ ninth overall pick of the 2001 NHL Entry Draft. The forward played 228 games in Chicago and scored 48 goals and 108 points. On Feb. 26, 2008, he was traded to the Carolina Hurricanes for Andrew Ladd. Ruutu is currently an assistant coach for the Panthers.
1992 – Michel Goulet became the 17th player in NHL history to score 500 career goals in the Blackhawks’ 5-5 tie with the Calgary Flames. The first 456 goals of his career were scored with the Quebec Nordiques.
2012 – The Blackhawks scored four times in the first 10 minutes as they ended their nine-game losing streak with a 4-2 win over the New York Rangers. Despite the nine-game skid in the middle of the season, they still finished the season with 101 points.
Feb. 17
1963 – Bobby Hull scored his ninth career hat trick to provide all the offense in a 3-1 win over the visiting Boston Bruins.
1964 – Darren Pang was born in Meaford, ON. The netminder appeared in 81 games over three seasons for the Blackhawks. He went 27-35-7 with a 4.05 goals-against average (GAA) and a .882 save percentage (SV%). He suffered a career-ending knee injury in May of 1989. During a practice session before Game 6 of the Campbell Conference Finals against the Calgary Flames, Wayne Van Dorp accidentally fell on the knee during a drill. He immediately joined the Blackhawks radio broadcast team upon announcing his retirement the following fall and embarked on a long and successful career that has him currently serving as an analyst on TNT.
1968 – Chico Maki scored his first career hat trick and added an assist in a 7-4 road win in Detroit. Hull had another big game with four assists.
1987 – Bob Murray appeared in his 860th NHL game. This set a record for most games played by a defenseman in franchise history. However, his milestone was spoiled by a 5-4 loss to the Hartford Whalers. Murray finished with 1,008 games, the eighth most in Blackhawks’ history. Duncan Keith (1,192) and Brent Seabrook (1,114) are the only defensemen to play more games than Murray in Chicago.
1988 – Michael Frolik was born in Klando, Czechoslovakia. He was initially the 10th overall pick of the 2006 NHL Entry Draft by the Panthers. He was traded to Chicago with Alexander Salak for Hugh Jessiman, David Pacan, and Jack Skille on Feb. 9, 2011. He had 11 goals and 34 points in 136 games over three seasons. During the 2013 run to the Stanley Cup, Folik had three goals and 10 points in 23 games while playing top-notch defense and killing penalties. On June 30, 2013, he was traded to the Winnipeg Jets for a third and fifth-round pick, which turned into John Hayden and Luke Johnson.
1997 – Defenseman Gary Suter had an assist during a 4-2 loss to the St. Louis Blues to give him 700 in his career.
2013 – The Blackhawks beat the Los Angeles Kings 3-2 to extend their season-opening point streak to 15 games (12-0-3). This tied them with the 1984-85 Oilers for the second-longest such streak, one game behind the Ducks, who started the 2006-07 season with points in 16 straight games.
2018 – Patrick Kane picked up his 500th career assist as the Blackhawks ended an eight-game losing streak by beating the Washington Capitals 7-1. He became the fifth player in team history to score 300 goals and have 500 assists. The win spoiled Caps’ head coach Barry Trotz’s big night, as he was just the fifth NHL head coach behind the bench for 1,500 games.
Feb 18
1934 – Bob Wilson was born in Sudbury, ON. The defenseman played in one NHL game for the Blackhawks during the 1953-54 season and did not have a point.
1936 – Ab McDonald was born in Winnipeg, MB. He was acquired from the Montreal Canadiens on June 7, 1960, as part of an eight-player trade after winning three straight Stanley Cups. He won a fourth consecutive championship in his first season with the Blackhawks. McDonald scored 73 goals and 180 points in 265 games before he was traded with Reggie Fleming to the Bruins for Doug Mohns on June 8, 1964. He eventually went on to serve as the first captain in the franchise history of the Pittsburgh Penguins and Jets. He scored the first Jets goal in the World Hockey Association (WHA).
1946 – Jim Wiste was born in Moose Jaw, SK. He signed with the Blackhawks out of the University of Denver in 1968, along with teammates Keith Magnuson and Cliff Koroll. He had eight assists in 28 games before he was selected by the Vancouver Canucks in the 1970 NHL Expansion Draft.
1966 – Kris King was born in Bracebridge, ON. He signed with the Blackhawks as a free agent on Oct. 9, 2000. The rugged winger played the final 13 games of his 14-season NHL career in Chicago and had one goal and eight of his career 2030 penalty minutes. King is now the Senior Vice President of Hockey Operations for the NHL.
1994 – Slater Koekkoek was born in Winchester, ON. The former 10th overall pick was acquired for Jan Rutta in a swap of defensemen with the Tampa Bay Lightning on Jan. 11, 2019. He had a goal and 10 points in 42 games before signing with the Edmonton Oilers the following offseason.
1998 – Taylor Raddysh was born in Caledon, ON. He was acquired from the Lightning with Boris Katchouk, and two first-round draft picks for Brandon Hagel, and two fourth-round picks on March 18, 2022. He has 20 goals and 34 points in his first 75 games with the Blackhawks.
2019 – Alex DeBrincat had two goals and three assists in an 8-7 win against the Ottawa Senators at United Center. Kane added a goal and two assists, extending his point streak to 18 games.
Feb. 19
1981 – Jeff Taffe was born in Hastings, MN. The Blackhawks acquired him from the Panthers on July 22, 2010, for Marty Reasoner. Outside of one NHL game, he spent the 2010-11 season with the Rockford IceHogs and had 30 goals and 67 points in 74 AHL games. Taffe signed with the Minnesota Wild the following summer.
2019 – Kane scored his 20th goal of the season to lead the Blackhawks to a 5-1 win in his hometown of Buffalo. This made him the first U.S.-born player to score at least 20 goals in each of his first 10 NHL seasons.
Feb. 20
1916 – Bill Dickie was born in Campbellton, NB. The goaltender made one career NHL appearance replacing Sam LoPresti in a 4–3 victory over the Canadiens on Feb. 5, 1942.
1942 – Phil Esposito was born in Sault Ste. Marie, ON. He spent the first four seasons of his Hall of Fame career with the Blackhawks, scoring 74 goals and 174 points in 235 games. He was involved in one of the worst trades in franchise history on May 15, 1967, when he, Ken Hodge, and Fred Stanfield were dealt to the Bruins for Gilles Marotte, Pit Martin, and Jack Norris. Esposito went on to be one of the greatest goal-scorers in league history, finishing with 717. He won two Stanley Cups, two Hart Trophies, and five Art Ross Trophies with Boston.
1944 – Bill Orban was born in Regina, SK. He scored seven goals and 15 points in 84 games before he and Tom Reid were traded to the Minnesota North Stars for Andre Boudrias and Mike McMahon. Orban was brought back into the organization when he was claimed from the Kings in the 1972 NHL Intra-League Draft but did not play in the NHL again.
1944 – The Blackhawks and Maple Leafs played the NHL’s first-ever “perfect game,” as the rivals skated to a scoreless tie with no penalties called.
1964 – Christian Ruuttu was born in Lappeenranta, Finland. The Jets traded him to Chicago for Stephane Beauregard on Aug. 10, 1992. The centerman played 158 games over three seasons, scoring 28 goals and 90 points. On March 10, 1995, he was traded to the Canucks for Murray Craven. Ruuttu jumped into the scouting ranks after his playing career and currently serves as the Director of European Scouting for the Kings.
1992 – Jarred Tinordi was born in Burnsville, MN. The son of longtime NHL defenseman Mark Tinordi was claimed off waiver from the Rangers on Oct. 10, 2022. Injuries have limited Tinordi to 27 games this season, and he has two goals, five points, and 96 hits.
Feb. 21
1960 – Hull scored four goals and added an assist to lead the Blackhawks to a 7-5 win over the visiting Maple Leafs. This was the first four-goal game and the fourth hat trick of his Hall of Fame career.
1962 – Jerry Dupont was born in Ottawa, ON. He was taken in the first round (15th overall) of the 1980 NHL Entry Draft. The blueliner had seven goals and 36 points in 201 games over five seasons with the Blackhawks. On Sept. 6, 1986, he was traded to Toronto with Ken Yaremchuk and a fourth-round pick as compensation for signing free agent Gary Nylund.
1965 – Mark LaVarre was born in Evanston, IL. The Blackhawks took the right winger in the sixth round (119th overall) of the 1983 NHL Entry Draft. He had nine goals and 25 points in 78 games over three seasons. He was traded to the Whalers for unknown compensation on Oct. 6, 1988.
1970 – Hull became just the third player to score 500 career goals when he scored twice during a 4-2 victory over the Rangers. The Golden Jet beat Hall of Fame goaltender Ed Giacomin twice to join Maurice Richard and Gordie Howe as the charter members of the NHL’s 500-goal club.
1971 – It was another big night for Hull as he scored three goals and had two assists in a 7-5 win over the Kings. This was his 27th career hat trick, breaking Richard’s NHL record for the most in league history.
1980 – Jim Vandermeer was born in Caroline, AB. He was acquired from the Flyers with Colin Fraser and a second-round pick for Alex Zhamnov on Feb. 19, 2004. That draft pick was used to take Bryan Bickell. The blueliner had 11 goals and 52 points in 171 games before he was traded back to the Flyers for Ben Eager on Dec. 18, 2007. Vandermeer was involved in two trades that landed the Blackhawks three role players on the 2010 Stanley Cup team.
1984 – James Wisniewski born in Canton, MI. He was selected in the fifth round (156th overall) of the 2002 NHL Entry Draft. The defenseman played the first 168 games of his 11-season NHL career with the Blackhawks, scoring 13 goals and 56 points. On March 4, 2009, he was traded to the Anaheim Ducks with Petri Kontiola for Samuel Pahlsson and Logan Stephenson.
2018 – Joel Quenneville became just the third head coach in NHL history to take coach 1,600 regular-season games. He celebrated his milestone with a 3-2 shootout win over the Ottawa Senators.
Feb. 22
1914 – Des Smith was born in Ottawa, ON. He was traded by the Canadiens to the Blackhawks for cash on May 15, 1939. The blueliner had a goal and five points in 26 games before he was traded to Boston for Jack Portland on Jan. 27, 1940. He traded in his player skates for a striped shirt and served as a referee for several years in the AHL.
1918 – Sid Abel was born in Melville, SK. After 12 seasons and three Stanley Cups with the Red Wings, he was traded to the Blackhawks for cash on July 22, 1952. The forward played the final 42 games of his Hall of Fame career over two seasons in Chicago, scoring five goals and nine points. He pulled double duty during his time with the Blackhawks as he also served as head coach, the last player-coach in NHL history. Abel later returned to Detroit and coached the Red Wings for 12 seasons until 1970.
1965 – Joe Reekie was born in Victoria, BC. The veteran defenseman was acquired from the Capitals for a fourth-round pick on Jan. 17, 2002. He played the final 17 games of his 17-season NHL career with the Blackhawks and picked up two assists.
1979 – Ty Jones was born in Richland, WA. The right wing was drafted 14th overall in the 1997 NHL Entry Draft with the pick acquired from the Phoenix Coyotes in the Jeremy Roenick trade. He made his NHL debut during the 1998-99 season and was inexplicitly given No. 27. He had no points in his eight games that season and never appeared with the team again. On March 2, 2004, he was traded to the Panthers for unknown compensation. He only played six scoreless games with Florida.
1980 – The United States men’s hockey team pulled off one of the biggest upsets in the history of sports by beating the Soviet Union 4-3 in the medal round of the Winter Olympics. The Soviet Union, made up of professionals, had won the gold medal in five of the previous six Winter Olympics and was the heavy favorite in 1980. Team USA was a scrappy group of mostly college players who lost to the Soviets 10-3 in an exhibition game just before the start of the Winter Games. Captain Mike Eruzione broke a 3-3 tie with 10 minutes to play. The Americans held on for the final half period leading Al Michaels to give his famous “Do you believe in miracles?” call. Defenseman Jack O’Callahan, who played limited minutes in this game because of a knee injury suffered in that exhibition game against the USSR, was a draft pick of the Blackhawks in 1977. He made his NHL debut in 1982 and had 15 goals and 79 points in 303 games over five seasons in Chicago.
1993 – Mark McNeill was born in Langley, BC. He was the Blackhawks’ first-round pick (18th overall) of the 2011 NHL Entry Draft. The right wing appeared in just one game during the 2015-16 and did not find the scoresheet. He was traded with a fourth-round pick to the Dallas Stars for Johnny Oduya on Feb. 28, 2017.
2019 – Kane scored a goal during a 5-3 loss to the Colorado Avalanche to extend his point streak to 20 games. This made him just the seventh player to have more than one point streak of at least 20 games in his career. He and five others did it twice, while Wayne Gretzky had seven such streaks.
