This Week in Chicago Blackhawks History: 2 Stanley Cups, a killer draft class & more

This is a memorable week in Chicago Blackhawks history with two Stanley Cups won. There was also one of the greatest draft classes in franchise history, Hall of Fame elections, coaching changes, and birthdays galore.

June 9

1965 – The Blackhawks selected defenseman Pat Stapleton from the Toronto Maple Leafs in the NHL Intra-League Draft. He scored 41 goals and 327 points in 545 career games in Chicago. His 286 assists are still seventh-most among defensemen in team history.

1984 – The Blackhawks pulled off a meaningful trade when they sent goaltender Bob Janecyk and their first, third, and fourth-round picks in the 1984 NHL Entry Draft to the Los Angeles Kings in exchange for the third overall pick and a fourth-rounder. The Blackhawks used that first-round selection to draft Eddie Olczyk.

Los Angeles used that fourth-round pick to select future Hall of Fame Major League pitcher Tom Glavine. He scored 47 goals and 94 points in 23 games during his senior year at Billerica Memorial High School in Massachusetts.

1988 – Head coach Bob Murdoch was relieved of his duties after just one season. He was replaced with Mike Keenan, who the Philadelphia Flyers had recently fired. Keenan led the Blackhawks to the Stanley Cup Final three years later.

2010 – The Blackhawks’ 49-year championship drought ended with a 4-3 overtime win over the Flyers in Game 6 of the Stanley Cup Final. Dustin Byfuglien and Scott Hartnell traded power-play goals late in the opening frame. After Daniel Briere gave Philadelphia a 2-1 lead eight minutes into the middle period, Patrick Sharp and Andrew Ladd scored to put the Blackhawks ahead at the second intermission. Hartnell tied the game with just 3:59 left in regulation as the Flyers tried to force a seventh game back in Chicago.

Just over four minutes into the extra frame, Patrick Kane scored one of the most memorable overtime goals in NHL history.

"HE SAW NO LIGHT! HE SAW NO SIGNAL. WHAT CHAOS!"

Where were you when the Blackhawks won the 2010 Cup? pic.twitter.com/vF39uF6mC8

— CHGO Sports (@CHGO_Sports) June 9, 2022

For a few moments, Kane was the only person in the entire arena who knew that his shot from just above the goal line beat goaltender Michael Leighton. While the officials discussed the play, he skated down the rink to celebrate with Antti Niemi.

Captain Jonathan Toews was awarded the Conn Smythe Trophy after scoring seven goals and 29 points during the Blackhawks’ 22-game run to their first Stanley Cup since 1961.

June 10

1962 – Brent Sutter was born in Viking, AB. He was acquired by the Blackhawks in 1991, with Brad Lauder, from the New York Islanders for Adam Creighton and Steve Thomas. He played the final 417 games of his NHL career over seven seasons with the Blackhawks, scoring 76 goals and 219 points.

1969 – Center Kip Miller was born in Lansing, MI. He had one goal and five points in 10 games during the 1995-96 season in Chicago.

1992 – Jiri Sekac was born in Kladno, Czechoslovakia. He was traded to the Blackhawks by the Anaheim Ducks on Jan. 21, 2016, for Ryan Garbutt. He had just one assist in six games before he was claimed off waivers by the Arizona Coyotes on Feb. 27, 2016.

2015 – The Blackhawks beat the Tampa Bay Lightning 2-1 in Game 4 of the Stanley Cup Final to even the series at two wins apiece. After a scoreless first period, Toews and Alex Killorn traded goals in the middle frame. Brandon Saad scored his eighth goal of the postseason 6:22 into the third period, which proved to be the game-winner. Corey Crawford made 24 saves to earn the victory.

June 11

1969 -The annual Intra-League Draft was held, and the Blackhawks made a franchise-altering pick. They paid $25,000 to claim rookie goaltender Tony Esposito from the Montreal Canadiens. He won a career-high 38 games, set an NHL record with 15 shutouts, and won both the Calder and Vezina Trophies in the 1969-70 season. He still leads the franchise with 873 games played, 418 wins, and 74 shutouts.

1980 – The NHL Entry Draft was held in Montreal. The Blackhawks used the third overall pick to take Denis Savard. The hits kept coming as they took Troy Murray in the third round (57^th overall) and Steve Larmer in the sixth round (120^th overall). This trio combined for 870 goals and 2,507 points in 2,460 games for the Blackhawks.

1988 – Montreal hosted another NHL Entry Draft. The Blackhawks selected Jeremy Roenick with the eighth overall pick. He played eight seasons in Chicago and became an instant fan favorite. He scored 267 goals and 596 points in 524 games before being traded to the Coyotes in 1996.

1992 – Darryl Sutter was named the 29th head coach in team history, replacing Keenan.

1995 – The Blackhawks’ playoff run came to an end in a 2-1 double-overtime loss to the Detroit Red Wings in Game 5 of the Western Conference Finals. Vyacheslav Kozlov scored at 2:25 of the second overtime to send the Red Wings to the Stanley Cup Final for the first time since 1966. It was his eighth goal of the playoffs and fourth game-winner.

June 12

1969 – Bobby Orr became the youngest player to be selected for induction into the Hockey Hall of Fame. The mandatory three-year waiting period was waived for the 31-year-old, who retired in November of 1978. He played the final 26 games of his legendary career with the Blackhawks, scoring six goals and 27 points.

1984 – Michal Barinka was born in Vyskov, Czechoslovakia. The Blackhawks drafted the defenseman in the second round (59^th overall) of the 2003 NHL Entry Draft. He played in 34 games, racking up two assists. He was part of the 2006 trade with the Ottawa Senators that landed Martin Havlat but never played for them.

1996 – Gustav Forsling was born in Linkoping, Sweden. Originally a fifth-round pick by the Vancouver Canucks, he was traded to the Blackhawks in 2015 for fellow defenseman Adam Clendening. After 122 games, he was traded to Carolina Hurricanes in 2019 with Anton Forsberg for Calvin de Haan and Aleski Saarela.

2013 – The Blackhawks and Boston Bruins kicked off the Stanley Cup Final with a triple-overtime marathon. The Bruins blew leads of 2-0 and 3-1 after Saad, Dave Bolland, and Johnny Oduya scored in regulation. At 12:08 of the third overtime, defenseman Michal Rozsival’s shot hit off the stick of Bolland and then the leg of Andres Shaw on its way past goaltender Tuukka Rask. The legend of the shin pads was born! This was the fifth-longest game in Stanley Cup Final history.

Jaromir Jagr made NHL history this night by taking the ice for Boston. This was his first appearance in the Final since 1992, also against the Blackhawks as a member of the Pittsburgh Penguins, which was the longest gap between two trips by any player. He was also the first player to ever play in the Final as both a teenager and a 40-year-old.

June 13

1948 – J.P. Bordeleau was born in Noranda, QC. The Blackhawks selected the right wing with the 13^th overall pick of the 1969 NHL Amateur Draft. He played his entire 519-game NHL career with Chicago, finishing with 97 goals and 223 points.

1960 – Defenseman Doug Crossman was born in Peterborough, ON. He played the first 159 games of his 14-season NHL career with the Blackhawks, scoring 25 goals and 95 points. He was traded to the Flyers in 1983 with a second-round pick for Behn Wilson.

1966 – Ted Lindsay, Max Bentley, Frank Brimsek, Ted Kennedy, Toe Blake, Elmer Lach, Ken Reardon, Butch Bouchard, Babe Pratt, and NHL President Clarence Campbell were announced as the Hockey Hall of Fame’s newest class. Lindsay spent three seasons in Chicago after a legendary run with the Red Wings. In 206 games, he scored 44 goals and 123 points.

1974 – Tommy Ivan, Dickie Moore, Art Coulter, Billy Burch, Tommy Dunderdale, Charles Hay, and former NHL referee-in-chief Carl Voss joined the Hockey Hall of Fame. Ivan served as the Blackhawks’ general manager from 1954 to 1977, winning a Stanley Cup in 1961. He finished with an overall record of 288–174–111.

Coulter, a defenseman, played 170 games in Chicago before moving on to the New York Rangers. Burch’s final 22 NHL games were spent in a Blackhawks uniform in the 1932-33 season.

1981 – Radim Vrbata was born in Mlada Boleslav, Czechoslovakia. The right wing was acquired from the Hurricanes in 2005 for a fourth-round draft pick. He scored 27 goals and 75 points in 122 games for the Blackhawks. He was traded to the Coyotes in 2007 for current Buffalo Sabres general manager Kevyn Adams.

1988 – Esposito was elected to the Hockey Hall of Fame. He was part of an amazing class that included Brad Park, Guy Lafleur, Buddy O’Connor, builder Ed Snider, and official George Hayes.

1990 – Andreas Martinsen was born in Baerum, Norway. The Blackhawks acquired the rugged left wing for the Canadiens in 2017 for Kyle Baun. Over the next two seasons, he scored two goals and five points in 33 games before signing with the Ducks in 2019.

2015 – The Blackhawks beat the Lightning 2-1 in Game 5 of the Stanley Cup Final. Sharp gave Chicago a 1-0 lead early in the first period before Valterri Filppula evened things up midway through the contest. Antoine Vermette scored the game-winning goal off a rebound early in the third period to give Chicago a 3-2 series lead. It was his fourth goal of the playoffs and third game-winner.

June 14

1929 – Four-time Stanley Cup winner Johnny Wilson was born in Kincardine, ON. He arrived in Chicago in 1955 as part of an eight-player trade with the Red Wings. He scored 42 goals in 81 points in 140 games. In 1957, he was traded back to Detroit with Bill Preston, Hank Bassen, and Forbes Kennedy for Glenn Hall and Lindsay. Not too shabby!

1945 – Geoff Powis was born in Winnipeg, MB. He played in two games for the Blackhawks during the 1967-68 season.

1950 – Ebbie Goodfellow was named the Blackhawks’ new head coach, replacing Charlie Conacher. He won just 30 games in his two seasons behind the bench.

1976 – Center Ryan Johnson was born in Thunder Bay, ON. He played the final 34 games of his 13-season NHL career with the Blackhawks during the 2010-11 season, scoring one goal and six points.

1977 – The NHL Amateur Draft was held in Montreal. The Blackhawks selected Hall of Fame defenseman Doug Wilson with the sixth overall pick. They also selected defenseman Jack O’Callahan in the sixth round. He was part of the 1980 “Miracle on Ice” U.S. Olympic team before playing 303 games for the Blackhawks.

June 15

1945 – Danny O’Shea was born in Toronto, ON. He was traded to Chicago in 1971 by the Minnesota North Stars for Terry Caffery and Doug Mohn. The center scored 10 goals and 26 points in 66 games before being traded to the St. Louis Blues in 1972.

1966 – Defenseman Al MacNeil had a crazy day. He woke up in the morning as a member of the Blackhawks but ended the day having been part of half of the teams in the league. He was selected by the Canadiens during the NHL Intra-League Draft. Shortly after that, he was then claimed by the Rangers, with who he played the 1966-67 season.

1973 – Dean McAmmond was born in Grand Cache, AB. The Blackhawks drafted the center in the first round (22^nd overall) of the 1991 NHL Entry Draft. He played five games during the 1991-92 season before being traded to the Edmonton Oilers in 1993 with Igor Kravchuk for Joe Murphy. He returned to Chicago in 1999 when he was traded back with Jonas Elofsson and Boris Mironov for Dan Cleary, Chad Kilger, Christian Laflamme, and Ethan Moreau. He scored 25 goals and 65 points in 149 games before being dealt to the Flyers in 2001 for a third-round pick.

1978 – The NHL Entry Draft was held, once again, in Montreal. The most notable pick the Blackhawks made was their final one in selecting Darryl Sutter in the 11^th round. He played 406 games for the Blackhawks, scoring 161 goals and 279 points while also serving as captain for the 1986-87 season. Of course, he returned to the team as head coach in 1992, as mentioned above.

1999 – Jakub Galvas was born in Ostrava, Czech Republic. The 2017 fifth-round draft pick made his NHL debut this past season and appeared in six games.

2013 – The Blackhawks and the Bruins needed more than 60 minutes to decide Game 2 of the Stanley Cup Final. Sharp had the lone goal of the first period despite the Blackhawks putting up 19 shots on Rask. Chris Kelly’s first goal of the playoffs tied the game late in the second period, setting up Daniel Paillie’s game-winning tally at 13:48 of overtime.

2015 – The Blackhawks won their third championship in six seasons by beating the Lightning 2-0 in Game 6 of the Stanley Cup Final. Keith scored the series-winning goal late in the second period before Kane scored an insurance goal with just over five minutes to play. Crawford stopped all 25 shots he faced to become just the fifth netminder since 1976 to earn a shutout in a Cup-clinching victory. This was the first championship won on home ice in Chicago since 1938.

Keith joined his teammates Toews and Kane as Conn Smythe Trophy winners. He scored three goals and tied with Ryan Getzlaf for the most assists in the playoffs with 18. He finished the postseason with a plus-16 rating, averaging over 31 minutes per game.