This Week in Chicago Blackhawks History: Patrick Kane, Dennis Hull, Tony Esposito & more

It’s hard to believe that we are heading into the holiday season with less than a week until Thanksgiving. As the current Chicago Blackhawks try to establish a new culture, we will look back at some of the biggest moments of years past. Once again, let’s hop aboard the CHGO time machine and relive the week that was in franchise history.

Nov. 17

1926 – The Blackhawks franchise made its NHL debut by defeating the Toronto St. Patricks 4-1 in a game played before a packed house at the Chicago Coliseum. George Hay scored the first goal in team history, followed up with a Dick Irvin tally one minute later.  Hall of Fame goaltender Hugh Lehman picked up the first-ever Blackhawks victory.

From the archives: On Nov. 17, 1926, the Blackhawks played their first game. They beat the Toronto St. Patricks 4-1. https://t.co/ruCVr7DtOE pic.twitter.com/ZbKUbCd81x

— Chicago Tribune (@chicagotribune) November 17, 2017

1965 – Stan Mikita scored a pair of goals and assisted on two others in a 5-3 road win at the New York Rangers 5-3 at Madison Square Garden. The victory made the Blackhawks just the second team in NHL history to win each of their first five road games of the season.

Nov. 18

1911 – Roger Jenkins was born in Appleton, WI. He played 156 games in three stints with the Blackhawks, scoring seven goals and 29 points. He was part of the 1934 and 1938 Stanley Cup Championship teams.

1967 – Jocelyn Lemieux was born Mont-Laurier, QC. The Blackhawks acquired the brother of long-time NHLer Claude Lemieux from the Montreal Canadiens for a third-round draft pick on Jan. 5, 1990. He spent five seasons with the team, scoring 44 goals and 101 points in 331 games. On March 11, 1994, he was traded with Frantisek Kucera to the Hartford Whalers for Gary Suter, Randy Cunneyworth, and a third-round pick.

1967 – Defenseman Tim Horton became the first player to skate in 1,000 games for the Toronto Maple Leafs when he skated in a 2-2 tie with the Blackhawks.

1987 – Doug Wilson became the first defenseman in Blackhawks history to score 600 career points in a 5-2 win over the visiting Minnesota North Stars. Duncan Keith is the only other defenseman in team history to be a member of the 600-point club.

Nov. 19

1927 – James Bedard was born in Admiral, SK. The defenseman played 22 games for the Blackhawks over two seasons and scored one goal and two points.

1944 – Dennis Hull was born in Point Anne, ON. “The Silver Jet” played 904 games for the Blackhawks over 13 seasons, the 10^th-most in team history. He is seventh all-time on goals (298) and eighth in points (640). Hull made his debut and 1964 and stayed with the team until he was traded to the Detroit Red Wings for a fourth-round pick on Dec. 2, 1977. He played one season in the Motor City before retiring and becoming a broadcaster in Canada.  

1985 – Jeff Glass was born in Calgary, AB. The netminder appeared in 15 games during the 2017-18 season and went 3-7-3 with a 3.36 goals-against average and .898 save percentage (SV%).

1988 – Patrick Kane was born in Buffalo, NY. The Blackhawks took the future Hall of Famer with the first overall pick of the 2007 NHL Entry Draft. He won the 2008 Calder Trophy after scoring 21 goals and 72 points in his rookie season. He won the 2013 Conn Smythe Trophy for being the most valuable player of the postseason.

Kane won the 2016 Hart Trophy for being the NHL’s top player after scoring 46 goals and 106 points. He is currently third in team history in games played (1,123), third in goals (432), second in assists (761), and second in points (1,193).

Nov. 20

1900 – Billy Burch was born in Yonkers, NY. The Hall of Fame forward was acquired from the Boston Bruins for Vic Ripley on Jan. 17, 1933. He played the final 22 games of his NHL career with the Blackhawks and scored two goals.

1955 – With all the Original Six teams in action on a Sunday night, each game ended in a 1-1 tie, including the Red Wing at the Blackhawks. Each game was the second of a home-and-home series when the visiting teams Sunday had won at home Saturday. None of the three games had a goal scored in the third period.

1988: The Blackhawks retired the numbers of two of the greatest netminders to ever play in the NHL as they sent the No. 1 of Glenn Hall and No. 35 of Tony Esposito up to the rafters of the Chicago Stadium. Hall is second in franchise history with 618 games played, 276 wins, and 51 shutouts. He was the mainstay in Chicago’s net for 10 seasons, playing in an NHL record 502 straight games, and won the Stanley Cup in 1961. Esposito still leads the franchise in most goaltending categories, including games played (873), wins (418), and shutouts (74). He set an NHL rookie record with 15 shutouts during the 1969-70 season.

Nov. 21

1916 – Butch McDonald was born in Moose Jaw, SK. On Jan. 2, 1945, he was traded to the Blackhawks by the Red Wings with Don Grosso and Cully Simon for Fido Purpur and Earl Seibert. McDonald had six goals and 19 points in 26 games during the 1944-45 season.

1930 – Guyle Fielder was born in Potlatch, ID. The center played three scoreless games for the Blackhawks during the 1950-51 season. He was traded with Red Almas and Steve Hyrmnak to Detroit for cash on Sept. 23, 1952.

1964- Terry Sawchuk outdueled Hall as he led the Maple Leafs to a 1-0 win over the Blackhawks. He became the first netminder in NHL history to record at least one shutout in 16 consecutive seasons. Sawchuk extended this streak to 19 seasons before failing to earn a shutout during the 1968-69 season with the Red Wings

1979 – Esposito recorded his 70th career shutout in a 4-0 win over the Washington Capitals. He is one of only 13 netminders to have at least 70 career shutouts. Defenseman and former Anaheim Ducks general manager Bob Murray had three assists in the first period to lead the offense.

1989 – Jimmy Hayes was born in Dorchester, MA. The Blackhawks acquired him from the Maple Leafs for a second-round pick on June 25, 2010. The right wing had six goals and 13 points in 43 games over three seasons. He was traded with Dylan Olsen to the Florida Panthers for Kris Versteeg and Philippe Lefebvre on Nov. 14, 2013.

1992 – Wilson played his 1,000th NHL game in the San Jose Sharks 2-1 loss to the Blackhawks. It was very appropriate that Chicago was in town on this night because Wilson played the first 938 games of his career with them. He was a three-time All-Star with the Blackhawks and won the Norris Trophy for being voted the best defenseman in the league during the 1981-82 season.

Nov. 22

1922 – Harry Dick was born in Port Colborne, ON. The defenseman played 12 games for the Blackhawks during the 1946-47 season and picked up one assist.

1947 – The Red Wings beat the Blackhawks 8-5 thanks to Gordie Howe’s game-winning goal, the first of his 121 regular-season game-winning goals. He held the NHL record until it was broken by Jaromir Jagr, who scored 135 game-winning goals in his career.

1962 – Red Kelly of the Maple Leafs became the third player in NHL history to play in 1,000 games. Game No. 1,000 was a 1-0 loss to the Blackhawks at Chicago Stadium.

1967 – Bobby Hull scored the 21st hat trick of his career to help beat the Rangers 7-1 at Madison Square Garden. Eric Nesterenko scored the 199^th and 200^th goals of his career while also adding an assist.

1968 – Darin Kimble was born in Lucky Lake, SK. He was traded to Chicago by the Panthers for Keith Brown on Sept. 30, 1993. The right wing had four goals and six points in 42 games before being traded to the New Jersey Devils for Bill Armstrong and Michael Vukonich.

1970 –  In another big game for “The Golden Jet,” Bobby Hull scored three goals for his 25th NHL hat trick, helping the Blackhawks defeat the Oakland Seals 9-0. Esposito made 32 saves for his 20th NHL shutout

1989- Hall of Famer Larry Robinson became just the second NHL defenseman to record 700 career assists, helping the Los Angeles Kings to a 6-3 win over the Blackhawks. On the losing end, Wilson became the first blueliner in Blackhawks’ history to score 200 goals.

Nov. 23

1962 – Darrel Anholt was born in Hardisty, AB. The Blackhawks selected the blueliner in the third round (54^th overall) of the 1981 NHL Entry Draft. He appeared in just one NHL game for the Blackhawks during the 1983-84 season.