This Week in Chicago Blackhawks History: Denis Savard, Stan Mikita & Bobby Hull hit major milestones

Early January has been an eventful time of year in the history of the Chicago Blackhawks. Many of the all-time greats set personal milestones for the team. Even a few legendary players added to their Hall of Fame resumes against the Blackhawks. Plus, the greatest free-agent acquisition in all of Chicago sports is among those celebrating a birthday this week. The CHGO time machine is fired up, so let’s hop aboard for our weekly trip back through the decades.

Jan. 12

1913 – Jack Shill was born in Toronto, ON. The Blackhawks acquired from the New York Americans for cash on Jan. 26, 1938. He had six goals and 13 points in 48 games before being traded to the Providence Reds of the AHL on Oct. 24, 1939.

1958 – Curt Fraser was born in Cincinnati, OH. The Vancouver Canucks traded the right wing to Chicago for Tony Tanti on Jan. 6, 1983. He had 94 goals, 214 points, and 537 penalty minutes in 303 games for the Blackhawks. On Jan. 4, 1988, he was traded to the Minnesota North Stars for future captain Dirk Graham.

1969 – Cam Russell was born in Halifax, NS. The Blackhawks drafted the defenseman in the third round (50th overall) of the 1987 NHL Entry Draft. He had eight goals, 27 points, and 788 penalty minutes in 361 games over 10 seasons. Russell was traded to the Colorado Avalanche for Roman Vopat and a sixth-round pick on Nov. 10, 1998.

1969 – Jay More was born in Souris, MB. The Blackhawks acquired the blue liner from the Phoenix Coyotes with Chad Kilger for Keith Carney and Jim Cummings on March 4, 1998. He had two assists in 17 games before signing with the Nashville Predators the following offseason.

1975 – Jocelyn Thibault was born in Montreal, QC. The Montreal Canadiens traded the goaltender with Brad Brown and Dave Manson for Jeff Hackett, Alain Nasreddine, Eric Weinrich, and a fourth-round pick. Thibault spent six seasons with the Blackhawks and went 137-142-37 with a 2.65 goals-against average (GAA), .905 save percentage (SV%), and 28 shutouts. On Aug. 10, 2005, he was to the Pittsburgh Penguins for a fourth-round pick used to take Ben Shutrion.

1975 – Stan Mikita scored the 450th career goal as the Blackhawks beat the New York Rangers 4-2.

1979 – Marian Hossa was born in Stara Lubovna, Czechoslovakia. He joined the Blackhawks on July 1, 2009, and is referred to as the greatest free agent signing in Chicago sports history. In eight seasons, Hossa had 186 goals and 415 points in 534 games and was a huge part of three Stanley Cup championships. He stopped by the CHGO studios in November before the Blackhawks retired his No. 81.

1983 – Tom Lysiak accounted for all the offense in the Blackhawks’ 10-3 loss to the Edmonton Oilers. He scored the third and final hat trick of his career, which included his 250th NHL goal.

1986 – Denis Savard scored four seconds into the third period of the Blackhawks’ 4-2 victory over the Hartford Whalers. This tied the NHL record for the fastest goal to start a period, set by Claude Provost of the Canadiens on Nov. 9, 1957. James van Riemsdyk matched this feat with the Toronto Maple Leafs on March 28, 2014.

1994 – Ed Belfour recorded his 19th career shutout, and Jeremy Roenick scored a power-play goal in the first period to lead the Blackhawks to a 1-0 win over the visiting Tampa Bay Lightning.

1995 – David Kämpf was born in Chomutov, Czechia. He signed with the Blackhawks in 2017 and played four seasons with the team. In 235 games, he scored 17 goals and 58 points. Kämpf signed with the Maple Leafs in the summer of 2021.

Jan. 13

1973 – Nikolai Khabibulin was born in Sverdlovsk, USSR. The goaltender began his first stint with the Blackhawks win he signed on Aug. 5, 2005, a year removed from winning the Stanley Cup with the Lightning. He signed with the Oilers in 2009 after four seasons in Chicago. He returned as a free agent in 2013 and appeared in four games during the 2013-14 season before calling in a career. In 206 games with the Blackhawks, Khabibulin went 91-80-25 with a .902 SV%, 2.84 GAA, and six shutouts.

1987 – Jack Johnson was born in Indianapolis, IN. The veteran of over 1,000 NHL games signed with the Blackhawks after winning the Stanley Cup with the Colorado Avalanche last season. He has four assists in 40 games this season.

Jan. 14

1914 – Aud Tuten was born in Enterprise, AL. The defenseman played 39 games during the 1941-42 and 1942-43 seasons and scored four goals and 12 points.

1919 – Dave MacKay was born in Edmonton, AB. The blueliner had three goals in 27 games during the 1940-41 season.

1933 – The Blackhawks named Tommy Gorman as their new head coach, replacing Emil Iverson. He was already the team’s 10th different head coach in their short seven-year history. The team missed the playoffs in 1933, but Gorman led them to their first Stanley Cup championship the following year. He resigned 10 days after the Cup win due to a dispute with ownership. He moved on to the Montreal Maroons, leading them to the Cup in 1935.

1979 – Nick Boynton was born in Nobleton, ON. The Blackhawks acquired the defenseman from the Anaheim Ducks for unknown compensation on March 2, 2010. He had an assist in seven games and appeared in three playoff games during the memorable run to the 2010 Stanley Cup. Boyton had a goal and eight points in 41 games during the 2010-11 season before he was claimed off waivers by the Philadelphia Flyers on Feb. 26, 2011.

2016 – The Blackhawks beat the Canadiens 2-1 to give Joel Quenneville his 783^rd regular-season win. This moved him ahead of legendary New York Islanders head coach Al Arbour into second-place on the NHL’s all-time wins list.

Jan. 15

1931 – Chuck Gardiner earned a team-record fourth straight shutout and 20th of his career with a 2-0 win over the Boston Bruins.

1934 – Hillary Menard was born in Timmins, ON. The left wing appeared in one career NHL game with the Blackhawks during the 1953-54 season and did not register a point.

1936 – The Blackhawks acquired Earl Seibert from the Rangers in exchange for Art Coulter in a swap of future Hall of Fame defensemen. Seibert played the next 10 seasons in Chicago and helped them win the 1938 Stanley Cup. Coulter spent his final seven seasons in New York and was part of their 1940 championship team.

1953 – Randy Holt was born in Pembroke, ON. He was drafted by the Blackhawks in the third round (45^th overall) of the 1973 NHL Amateur Draft. He had four assists in 42 games over four seasons with the team. On Nov. 23, 1977, Holt was traded to the Cleveland Barons for Reg Kerr.

1967 – Netminder Denis DeJordy recorded his fourth career shutout, and Phil Esposito picked up three assists in a 4-0 win over the visiting Maple Leafs.

1972 – Bobby Hull became the first player to appear in 1,000 games as a member of the Blackhawks in a 4-2 loss to the Bruins in Boston.

1984 – The Blackhawks beat the Penguins 2-0 at Chicago Stadium. Tony Esposito stopped all 35 shots he faced to earn his 76^th shutout and 423^rd and final victory of his Hall of Fame career.

2016 – Patrick Kane scored three goals in a 4-1 win at the Maple Leafs. The win was the Blackhawks’ 10th in-a-row, and Kane took over the league lead in points with 67. Surprisingly, this was his first regular-season hat-trick in 623 games. His two previous hat-tricks came during Stanley Cup Playoffs in 2009 and 2013.

Jan. 16

1938 – Lou Angotti was born in Toronto, ON. The Blackhawks first acquired the forward from the Rangers for cash on Jan. 7, 1966. He had 10 goals and 32 points in 93 games before the Flyers took him in the 1967 NHL Expansion Draft. He returned to Chicago when the Blackhawks claimed him from the St. Louis Blues in the 1969 Intra-League Draft. Angotti had 41 goals and 115 points in 277 before the Blues returned the favor and selected him in the 1973 Intra-League Draft. After one season with the Blues, he finished his pro career with the Chicago Cougars of the World Hockey Association (WHA). He had two goals and seven points in 26 games during the 1974-75 season.

1960 – Gordie Howe became the NHL’s all-time leading scorer in the Detroit Red Wings’ 3-1 win over the Blackhawks. His goal and assist gave him 947 career points, putting him ahead of Canadiens’ legend Maurice Richard. He remained the league’s greatest scorer until Wayne Gretzky broke his mark of 1,850 points in 1989.

1966 – The Blackhawks lost 6-5 to the Rangers despite Hull picking up his second four-goal game of the season. His 17th career hat-trick made him the first player in franchise history to score 300 goals.

1974 – Bruins legend Johnny Bucyk became the eighth player in NHL history to score 450 career goals in a 5-5 tie with the Blackhawks.

1989 – Savard picked up his 600th career assist in a 2-2 draw with the visiting Oilers. He joined Stan Mikita as the only player in franchise history to record 600 helpers with the team.

1993 – Steve Larmer scored a third-period shorthanded goal in a 5-3 win over the Maple Leafs. This made him the third player to score 400 goals in a Blackhawks uniform.

Jan. 17

1914 – Pep Kelly was born in North Bay, ON. The right wing had two stints with the Blackhawks during his eight-season career. His first stint began on Dec. 29, 1936, when he was loaned by the Maple Leafs for the loan of Bill Kendall. He had 13 goals and 17 points in the final 29 games of the season before heading back to Toronto. On May 23, 1940, the Maple Leafs traded Kelly to the Blackhawks for cash. He had five goals and eight points in 22 games during the 1940-41 season. He was traded to the Buffalo Bison of the AHL for cash in October of 1941.   

1918 – Russ Brayshaw was born in Saskatoon, SK. He had five goals and 14 points in 43 games for the Blackhawks during the 1944-45 season.

1962 – Glenn Hall was honored for playing in his 500th straight game, regular season, and playoffs combined. The visiting Canadiens didn’t have much time for the milestone as they beat the Blackhawks 7-3.

1970 – Jeremy Roenick was born in Boston, MA. The Blackhawks drafted him with the eighth-overall pick of the 1988 NHL Entry Draft. He made his NHL debut the following season and quickly became the most popular player in town. He had four straight seasons of at least 41 goals. In 1991-92, he scored 53 goals, becoming just the third player in team history to have a 50-goal season. Roenick followed that up with another 50 the next season. Instead of paying him fair market value, Bill Wirtz ultimately traded his star player. On Aug. 16, 1996, he was dealt to the Coyotes for Alex Zhamnov, Craig Mills, and a first-round pick. That pick was used to select Ty Jones, a right wing who played eight scoreless games for the Blackhawks while wearing No. 27. Roenick scored 267 goals and 596 points in 524 games over his eight seasons in Chicago.

1970 – Tony Esposito recorded the 10th shutout of his rookie season in a 1-0 road victory at the Bruins. He set an NHL rookie record with 15 shutouts during the 1969-70 season.

1979 – Tony Esposito became the first netminder to win 300 games for the Blackhawks with a 2-1 victory over the Colorado Rockies.

1971 – Derek Plante was born in Cloquet, MN. He was traded to the Blackhawks by the Dallas Stars with Kevin Dean and a second-round pick for Sylvain Cote and Dave Manson. He had one goal and two points in 17 games before signing with the Flyers the following offseason. Ironically, both Plante and Dean serve as assistant coaches under Luke Richardson.

1982 – Scott Foster was born in Sarina, ON. He became the most famous emergency goaltender in Blackhawks history on March 29, 2018. Anton Forsberg was supposed to start the game against the Winnipeg Jets but was a late scratch due to an injury. Collin Delia made his NHL debut in Forsberg’s place but had to leave with 14:01 left to play with an injury of his own. Foster came in and stopped all seven shots he faced as the Blackhawks beat the Jets 6-2. Tomas Jurco led the offense with two goals.

1986 – Viktor Stalberg was born in Gothenburg, Sweden. The left wing was acquired days after the 2010 Stanley Cup parade. On June 30, 2010, he was traded by the Maple Leafs with Chris Didomenico and Philippe Paradis for Kris Versteeg and Bill Sweatt. He had 43 goals and 90 points in 203 games for the Blackhawks and was part of the 2013 Stanley Cup team. Stalberg signed with the Nashville Predators on July 5, 2013.

1988 – Denis Savard scored his 10^th career hat-trick to lead the Blackhawks to a 5-4 win over the Washington Capitals at Chicago Stadium.

1993 – Michel Goulet scored his 16th and final career hat-trick in a 5-3 defeat of the Maple Leafs. This was the Blackhawks’ 12th straight victory over Toronto on home ice.

2019 – Rangers’ goaltender Henrik Lundqvist tied Terry Sawchuk for sixth on the NHL’s all-time victory with a 4-3 win over the Blackhawks at Madison Square Garden. He stopped 24 shots for his 445th NHL victory. Brandon Saad, Alex DeBrincat, and Dominik Kahun had the goals for Chicago.

Jan. 18

1975 – Radim Bicanek was born in Uherske Hradiste, Czechoslovakia. The Blackhawks acquired the defenseman from the Ottawa Senators for a sixth-round pick on March 12, 1999. He had three assists in 18 games before the Columbus Blue Jackets took him in the 2000 NHL Expansion Draft.

1991 – Ryan Carpenter was born in Oviedo, FL. The rugged center signed with the Blackhawks on July 1, 2019. He had 10 goals and 31 points in 168 games before he was traded to the Calgary Flames for a 2024 fifth-round pick on March 21, 2022.

1999 – Ian Mitchell was born in St. Albert, AB. The Blackhawks took the defenseman in the second round (57^th overall) of the 2017 NHL Entry Draft. He has 58 games of NHL experience, including 11 this season, and has three goals and 11 points.

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