One of the most underappreciated Chicago Blackhawks of all time had a huge moment on the international stage. The Hockey Hall of Fame opened its doors to
more players who wore the Blackhawks sweater. Plus, the greatest head coach in
NHL history is among those celebrating birthdays this week. So, let’s fire up
the CHGO Time Machine and take a trip back through the decades.
Sept. 15
1948 – Gerry Pinder was born in Saskatoon, SK. The left wing played the
first two seasons of his career with the Blackhawks, scoring 32 goals and 70
points in 149 games. On Sept. 9, 1971, he was traded with Kerry Bond and Gerry
Desjardins to the California Golden Seals for goaltender Gary Smith.
1948 – Defenseman Jerry Korab was born in Sault Ste. Marie, ON. He began his
15-season NHL career in Chicago, scoring 25 goals and 59 points in 196 games.
On May 14, 1974, he was traded with the previously mentioned Smith to the
Vancouver Canucks for Dale Tallon.
1976 – Former Blackhawks great Bobby Hull had an assist as Team Canada beat
Czechoslovakia 5-4 in Montreal to win the Canada Cup. He finished the
tournament with five goals and eight points in seven games. Defenseman Bobby
Orr, who signed with the Blackhawks the previous June, was named the
tournament’s Most Valuable Player after putting up two goals and nine points.
1981 – The Hockey Hall of Fame opened its doors for four new members: Frank
Mahovlich, Allan Stanley, John Bucyk, and former NHL referee John Ashley.
Stanley played 111 of 1,244 career games with the Blackhawks. The defenseman
was acquired from the New York Rangers on Nov. 23, 1954, with Rich Lamoureux
and Nick Mickoski for Pete Conacher and Bill Gadsby. He had 14 goals and 42
points before being traded to the Boston Bruins for cash on Oct. 8, 1956.
Sept. 16
1919 – John Chad was born in Provost, AB. The right wing played in 80 games
for the Blackhawks between 1940 and 1946, scoring 15 goals and 37 points.
1925 – Center Jack Miller was born in Delisle, SK. He had no points in his
17 career NHL games, all with the Blackhawks during the 1949-50 and 1950-51
seasons.
1934 – Gerry Melnyk was born in Edmonton, AB. The forward was acquired with
Brian Smith on June 12, 1961, from the Detroit Red Wings for Ed Litzenberger. Melnyk
had five goals and 21 points during the 1961-62 season. He spent the next four
seasons in the American Hockey League (AHL) before being selected by the St.
Louis Blues in the 1967 NHL Expansion Draft.
1945 – Defenseman Paul Terbenche was born in Port Hope, ON. He played 68
games for the Blackhawks during the 1967-68 season and scored three goals and
10 points. The Buffalo Sabres drafted him in the 1970 NHL Expansion Draft.
1961 – Rick Lanz was born in Karlovy Vary, Czechoslovakia. The blueliner was
the seventh overall pick of the 1980 NHL Entry Draft by the Vancouver Canucks.
He signed with the Blackhawks in 1990 and played in one game, his last in the
NHL, before being traded to the Los Angeles Kings for cash on Nov. 29, 1991.
1979 – Matt Underhill was born in Merritt, BC. The goaltender signed with
the Blackhawks in 2004 and appeared in his only NHL game on March 7, 2004, a
4-3 overtime loss to the Edmonton Oilers.
1991 – Canada beat the United States 4-2 to win the Canada Cup. Steve
Larmer’s shorthanded goal with less than eight minutes to play broke a 2-2 tie.
Dirk Graham added an empty-net goal in the closing seconds to clinch Canada’s
fourth championship in five tournaments. Chris Chelios and Jeremy Roenick were
named to the all-tournament for their performances with Team USA.
1998 – Former Blackhawks Michel Goulet and Roy Conacher were elected to the Hockey Hall of Fame with Peter Stastny, Goulet’s teammate with the Quebec Nordiques.
Goulet was acquired from the Nordiques on March 5, 1990, with a sixth-round draft pick and Greg Millen for Mario Doyon, Everett Sanipass, and Dan Vincelette. He played five seasons in Chicago and scored 92 goals and 207 points in 276 games.
The Red Wings traded Conacher to the Blackhawks for cash on Nov. 1, 1947. The left wing played 264 games and scored 102 goals and 227 points before retiring in 1952. Roy was the third of three Conacher brothers to get inducted into the Hall of Fame, joining Charlie and Lionel.
Sept. 17
1907 – Frank Ingram was born in Craven, SK. He played 99 games for the Blackhawks between 1929 and 1932, scoring 24 goals and 40 points. He was traded to the Bruins for cash on Oct. 17, 1932, but never played in the NHL again. He bounced around the minor leagues until 1940.
1956 – Grant Mulvey was born in Sudbury, ON. The Blackhawks selected the right wing in the first round (16th overall) of the 1974 NHL Amateur Draft. He became the youngest player since the 1967 expansion to score in the NHL when he lit the lamp for the first time at 18 years, 32 days old. On Feb. 3, 1982, he set the franchise record for the most goals in a game with five against the St. Louis Blues. Mulvey scored 148 goals and 281 points in 574 games before being claimed off waivers by the Pittsburgh Penguins in 1983. He is still active in the community and serves on the board of the Blackhawk Alumni Association.
1968 – Valeri Zelepukin was born in Voskresensk, USSR. The left wing played the final 36 games of his 10-season NHL career with the Blackhawks. He signed with the team in 2000 and scored three goals and seven points.
Sept. 18
1932 – Bill Dineen was born in Arvida, QC. The two-time Stanley Cup winner was acquired from the Red Wings on Dec. 17, 1957, as part of an eight-player trade. He had four goals and 13 points in 41 games to finish the 1957-58 season. He played professionally until 1971 but never again in the NHL. He spent seven seasons as a head coach in the World Hockey Association (WHA); six for the Houston Aeros and one for the New England Whalers. Dineen spent a season and a half in the early 90s as the head coach of the Flyers. His son Kevin had a long NHL career and spent time with the Blackhawks as an assistant coach under Joel Quenneville.
1933 – Speaking of head coaches, Scotty Bowman, the greatest of them all, was born in Montreal, QC. He won a league-record 1,244 games and nine Stanley Cups as head coach of the Blues, Montreal Canadiens, Sabres, Penguins, and Red Wings. In 2008, he was hired by the Blackhawks as senior advisor of hockey operations to work with his son Stan, who was the general manager. Before stepping down this past July, he got his name on three more Stanley Cups.
1937 – Ralph Backstrom was born in Kirkland Lake, ON. His career spanned 21 seasons between the NHL and WHA. He was part of six Stanley Cup championships with the Canadiens. The Kings traded the veteran center to the Blackhawks on Feb. 26, 1976, for Dan Maloney. He played the final 16 games of his NHL career in the Windy City and scored six goals and nine points. He remained in Chicago by signing with the Cougars in 1973 and played in the WHA until 1977.
1946 – Defenseman Roger Wilson was born in Sudbury, ON. He had two assists in his only seven games at the NHL level for the Blackhawks during the 1974-75 season.
1981 – Lasse Kukkonen was born in Oulu, Finland. The Blackhawks drafted the blueliner in the fifth round (151st overall) of the 2003 NHL Entry Draft. He had five goals and 15 points in 64 games before he was traded to the Flyers on Feb. 26, 2007, for Kyle Calder. He returned to Europe in 2009 and played professionally until 2013.
Sept. 19
1943 – Andre Boudrias was born in Montreal, QC. The Blackhawks acquired the left wing on Feb. 14, 1969, with Mike McMahon from the Minnesota North Stars for Bill Orban, Tom Reid, and Doug Shelton. Boudrias had four goals and 14 points in 20 games for the Blackhawks before being claimed by the Blues in the 1969 NHL Intra-League Draft.
Sept. 20
1988 – Brandon Mashinter was born in Bradford, ON. He was acquired on Dec. 6, 2013, from the Rangers for Kyle Beach. He spent two seasons with the Rockford IceHogs in the AHL, scoring 31 goals and 60 points in 116 games. He played 41 games for the Blackhawks during the 2015-16 season and scored four goals and five points.
1991 – The Blackhawks traded forward Wayne Presley to the San Jose Sharks for a third-round pick in the 1993 NHL Entry Draft. The draft pick was used to select Bogdan Savenko, who never made it to the NHL.
1994 – Ryan Hartman was born in Hilton Head Island, SC. The Blackhawks drafted the winger in the first round (30th overall) of the 2013 NHL Entry Draft. He had 27 goals and 57 points in 141 games over four seasons in Chicago. On Feb. 26, 2018, he was traded to the Nashville Predators with a fifth-round pick for Victor Ejdsell, a first-round and fourth-round pick. The first-rounder was used to select defenseman Nicolas Beaudin, and Philipp Kurashev was taken with the pick in the fourth round.
Sept. 21
1902 – Howie Morenz was born in Mitchell, ON. He became one of the NHL’s earliest superstars during his 11 seasons with the Canadiens. On Oct. 3, 1934, he was traded to the Blackhawks with Marty Burke and Lorne Chabot for Lionel Conacher, Leroy Goldsworthy. and Roger Jenkins. Morenz had 12 goals and 48 points in 72 games with Chicago. On Jan. 26, 1936, he was traded Rangers for Glenn Brydson. He found his way back to the Canadiens the following season.
Tragedy struck in a game versus the Blackhawks on Jan. 28. 1937. Morenz was hit by defenseman Earl Seibert, and both fell into the boards, with the impact breaking his leg in four places. While recovering in the hospital, he collapsed on March 8, 1937, and died from a coronary embolism caused by blood clots in his leg. He was 34. An estimated 50,000 fans paid their respects to Morenz while his casket was placed at center ice of the Montreal Forum. The Canadiens retired his No. 7, and he was elected to the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1945.
Get Chicago's Best Sports Content In Your Inbox!Become a smarter Chicago sports fan with the latest game recaps, analysis and exclusive content from CHGO’s writers and podcasters!
