This Week in Chicago Blackhawks History: Ed Belfour, Tony Amonte, Bob Murray & More

As we enjoy the extended Thanksgiving weekend, we can spend some extra time looking back at the biggest moments in Chicago Blackhawks team history. Among the numerous birthdays are some milestones by two of the franchise’s greatest netminders, and the team hit a huge victory mark back in the 90s. So, let’s serve up another slice of pumpkin pie and jump into the CHGO time machine for our weekly trip through the decades.

Nov. 24

1926 – The Detroit Cougars (later renamed the Red Wings) get the first win in their history by defeating the Blackhawks 1-0 in Chicago.

1934 – Hec Lalande was born in North Bay, ON. He played 140 games for the Blackhawks over four seasons and scored 21 goals and 58 points. On Dec. 17, 1957, he was traded to the Red Wings with Bob Bailey, Jack McIntyre, and Nick Mickoski for Billy Dea, Bill Dineen, Lorne Ferguson, and Dutch Reibel. After his playing career, he returned to North Bay and organized and coached a sled hockey league for disabled athletes.

1940 – Murray Hall was born in Kirkland Lake, ON. He had two goals in his 25 games for the Blackhawks. The Red Wings claimed him in the 1964 Intra-League Draft. He was traded back to Chicago on Dec. 20, 1966, but did not suit up for the team. The Minnesota North Stars selected Hall in the 1967 NHL Expansion Draft. Hall was an elite scorer in juniors and the minors; he even outscored Phil Esposito during the 1962-63 EPHL season, but he never found that kind of success in the NHL.

1976 – Christian Laflamme was born in St. Charles, QC. The Blackhawks drafted him in the second round (45^th overall) of the 1995 NHL Entry Draft. The blueliner had two goals and 25 points in 138 games. He was traded with Dan Cleary, Chad Kilger, and Ethan Moreau to the Edmonton Oilers for Jonas Elofsson, Dean McAmmond, and Boris Mironov on March 20, 1999.

Nov. 25

1951 – Blackhawks assistant trainer Moe Roberts was called into duty when he replaced injured goaltender Harry Lumley after the second period. He did not allow a goal in a 5-2 home loss to Detroit. It was the first NHL game for Roberts since playing for the 1933-34 New York Americans. At just three weeks shy of his 46^th birthday, he is still the oldest man in NHL history to play goal.

1954 – Bill Mosienko became the first player in Blackhawks’ history and the sixth in NHL history to score 250 goals. His milestone came during a 3-2 loss to the visiting Montreal Canadiens.

1955 – Mike O’Connell was born in Chicago, IL. The Blackhawks drafted him in the third round (43^rd overall) of the 1975 NHL Amateur Draft. In the first 166 games of his NHL career, O’Connell had 18 goals and 79 points. On Dec. 18, 1980, he was traded to the Boston Bruins for Al Secord. He eventually became the Bruins’ general manager, but his tenure is best remembered for trading away Joe Thornton.

Nov. 26

1910 – Milt Brink was born in Hibbing, MN. The center had no points in his five career NHL games with the Blackhawks during the 1936-37 season.

1917 – The NHL was officially founded just a few weeks after the National Hockey Association suspended play. The charter members of the new league were the Canadiens, Montreal Maroons, Ottawa Senators, Toronto Arenas, and Quebec Bulldogs. Frank Calder was elected the NHL’s first president. The Blackhawks did not join the league until 1926.

1954 – Bob Murray was born in Kingston, ON. He spent his entire playing career in Chicago after being selected in the third round (52^nd overall) of the 1974 NHL Amateur Draft. The defenseman played 1,008 games over 15 seasons, scoring 132 goals and 514 points while racking up 873 penalty minutes.

1961 – The Red Wings beat the Chicago Blackhawks 4-1 at the old Chicago Stadium. Gordie Howe made history by becoming the first player in NHL history to play in 1,000 career regular-season games. He was held off the scoresheet in his milestone game.

1967 – Stan Mikita assisted on both of Doug Mohns’ goals in the Blackhawks’ 2-1 victory over the visiting North Stars. This started a 14-game assist streak for Mikita, breaking the NHL record of 11 games set by Canadiens’ legend Jean Beliveau during the 1962-63 season.

Nov. 27

1932 – Norm Johnson was born in Moose Jaw, SK. The Blackhawks claimed him off waivers from the Bruins on Jan. 7, 1959. He had one goal in seven games during the 1958-59 season. Six weeks after being acquired, Johnson was traded to the Canadiens for Dollard St. Laurent.

1967 – Garry Valk was born in Edmonton, AB. The veteran of over 700 NHL games signed with the Blackhawks in 2002. He played the 16 games of his career in Chicago and picked up one assist.

1976 – Chad Kilger was born in Cornwall, ON. The winger was acquired with Jay More from the Phoenix Coyotes for Keith Carney and Jim Cummings on March 4, 1998. Kilger had 17 goals and 36 points in 86 games before he was included in that 1999 trade with Edmonton mentioned earlier.

1992 – Anton Forsberg was born in Haronsand, Sweden. The goaltender was acquired with Brandon Saad and a fifth-round pick from the Columbus Blue Jackets for Artemi Panarin, Tyler Motte, and a sixth-round pick on June 23, 2017. In his two seasons with the Blackhawks, Forsberg went 10-16-4 with a 2.97 goals-against average (GAA) and .908 save percentage (SV%). On June 24, 2019, he was traded with Gustav Forsling to the Carolina Hurricanes for Calvin de Haan and Aleksi Saarela.

1992 – Steve Larmer, playing in his 824th consecutive game, scored two goals and added four assists to lead the way in an 8-1 win over the Oilers. Jeremy Roenick also had four assists, while defenseman Chris Chelios scored his 100th career goal.

Nov. 28

1912 – Joe Bretto was born in Hibbing, MN. The defenseman played three games for the Blackhawks during the 1944-45 season and never scored an NHL point.

1963 – Glenn Hall earned his 54th career shutout and picked up an assist in a 2-0 victory over the Toronto Maple Leafs. The win was the Blackhawks’ 11^th in a row on home ice.

1984 – Marc-Andre Fleury was born in Sorel, QC. The Blackhawks acquired the future Hall of Fame netminder from the Vegas Golden Knights for Mikael Hakkarainen in a surprising move on July 27, 2021. He went 19-21-5 with a 2.95 GAA, .908 SV%, and four shutouts. On March 21, 2022, he was traded to the Minnesota Wild for a second-round pick used to take Ryan Greene.

1985 – Mike Kostka was born in Etobicoke, ON. He signed with the Blackhawks in the summer of 2013. The defenseman had two goals and three points in nine games before he was claimed off waivers by the Tampa Bay Lightning on Feb. 23, 2014.

Nov. 29

1919 – Alex Kaleta was born in Canmore, AB. He played 206 games for the Blackhawks over four seasons and scored 60 goals and 144 points. On Oct. 7, 1948, Kaleta was traded with Emile Francis to the New York Rangers for Jim Henry.

1933 – Ian Cushenan was born in Hamilton, ON. The defenseman had two goals and 10 points in 72 games for the Blackhawks. He was traded to the Canadiens for cash before the 1958-59 season.

1998 – The Blackhawks beat the Oilers 3-2 in Edmonton for the 2,000th all-time win since entering the league in 1926. Tony Amonte’s second-period goal proved to be the game-winner after defensemen Chris Chelios and Dave Manson scored in the opening frame.

Nov. 30

1927 – Tod Sloan was born in Pontiac, QC. After a decade with the Maple Leafs, he was traded to the Blackhawks for cash on June 6, 1958. The forward had 58 goals and 136 points in 195 games, and he capped off his career with a Stanley Cup championship in 1961.

1954 – The Blackhawks and the Canadiens skated to a 3-3 tie in a game played in Omaha, NE. The Blackhawks played six “home” games in different cities during the 1954-55 season, with two in Omaha, St. Louis, and St. Paul, MN.

1965 – Darin Sceviour was born in Lacombe, AB. The right wing played one game for the Blackhawks during the 1986-87 season. He played professionally in Germany until 1991 before calling it a career.

1994 – Marko Dano was born in Eisenstadt, Austria. The Blue Jackets originally drafted the center in the first round (27^th overall) of the 2013 NHL Entry Draft. He was traded to Chicago with Artem Anisimov, Jeremy Morin, Corey Tropp, and a fourth-round pick for Alex Broadhurst, Michael Paliotta, and Brandon Saad on June 30, 2015. He played just 13 games for the Blackhawks, scoring one goal and two points, before being traded with a first-round pick to the Winnipeg Jets for Matt Fraser, Jay Harrison, and Andrew Ladd on Feb. 25, 2016.

1996 – Ed Belfour became the third goaltender in Blackhawks team history to win 200 games with a 5-3 victory at the Los Angeles Kings. Amonte was the difference-maker on offense with the third hat trick of his career.