This Week in Chicago Blackhawks History: The "Hossa Game," Tony Esposito's birthday & more

This has been an extremely busy week in Chicago Blackhawks franchise history. Multiple playoff series ended, while one of the most memorable postseason games was played. Two of the greatest goaltenders to ever wear a Blackhawks uniform were born this week too. We’ve got the CHGO time machine fueled up and ready to take us back through the decades, so let’s hope on the ride!

April 20

1968 – The Montreal Canadiens beat the Blackhawks 4-1 in Game 2 of the Stanley Cup Final as the legendary Jean Beliveau scored his first and only postseason hat trick.

1969 – Blair Atcheynum was born in Estevan, SK. The right wing signed with the Blackhawks on Sept. 30, 1999. He had six goals and 15 points in 66 games over two seasons in Chicago.

1971 –Tony Esposito earned his first postseason shutout by beating the New York Rangers 3-0 in Game 2 of the Stanley Cup Semifinals.

1980 – The 1979-80 season ended after the Buffalo Sabres completed a sweep of the Blackhawks with a 3-2 victory in Game 4 of the NHL Quarterfinals. The Blackhawks built a 2-0 lead midway through the game thanks to goals from Bob Murray and Tom Lysiak but couldn’t make it stick. Hall of Famer Gilbert Perreault scored the series-clinching goal with three minutes to play.

1983 – The Blackhawks advanced to the Campbell Conference Finals after a 5-2 win over the Minnesota North Stars in Game 5 of the Norris Division Finals. Five different Blackhawks scored, with Denis Savard, Doug Wilson, Rick Paterson, Darryl Sutter, and Curt Fraser all finding the back of the net.

1985 – Brent Seabrook was born in Richmond, BC. The Blackhawks selected him with the 14th overall pick of the 2003 NHL Entry Draft. The defenseman played all 1,114 games of his NHL career in Chicago, scoring 103 goals and 464 points while finishing as a plus-111. Seabrook and Duncan Keith formed one of the greatest defensive pairings in franchise history and was one of the leaders on three Stanley Cup championship teams.

1993 – Kurtis Gabriel was born in Newmarket, ON. The right wing was acquired from the Toronto Maple Leafs for Chad Krys on Dec. 9, 2021. He spent most of his time with the organization playing for the Rockford IceHogs in the AHL but had two scoreless games for the Blackhawks. Gabriel retired from professional hockey in September of 2022.

2017 – The Blackhawks lost 4-1 to the Nashville Predators in Game 4 of the Western Conference First Round. This completed the first postseason sweep in the Predators’ team history. The Blackhawks were the top seed in the Western Conference after finishing the regular season with 109 but were shut down by Predators goalie Pekka Rinne, who stopped 123 of 126 shots he faced in the series.

April 21

1911 – Thomas Coulter was born in Winnipeg, MB. The defenseman played two games during the 1933-34 season and did not register a point.

1928 – Jack Evans was born in Morriston, England. He was claimed from the Rangers during the 1958 NHL Intra-League Draft. The blueliner played five seasons with the Blackhawks and was part of the 1961 Stanley Cup team. In 346 games, Evans had four goals and 46 points.

1960 – Michel Goulet was born in Peribonka, QC. The future Hall of Famer was acquired from the Quebec Nordiques with Greg Millen and a sixth-round pick for  Mario Doyon, Everett Sanipass, and Dan Vincelette on March 5, 1990. Goulet had 92 goals and 207 points in his 276 games with the Blackhawks before retiring in 1994.

1965 – Ed Belfour was born in Carman, MB. The Hall of Fame netminder was signed after his college career ended with the University of North Dakota. He played the first 415 games of his career in Chicago and went 201-138-56 with a .903 save percentage (SV%), 2.65 goals-against average (GAA), and 30 shutouts. He won the 1991 Calder Trophy for being the league’s top rookie and took home the Vezina Trophy for being voted the best goaltender in NHL. He won a second Vezina Trophy in 1993. On Jan. 25, 1997, he was traded to the San Jose Sharks for Ulf Dahlén, Michal Sýkora, and Chris Terreri.

1974: Johnny Bucyk of the Boston Bruins tied a postseason record with three power-play goals during an 8-6 win over in Game 2 of the Stanley Cup Semifinals.

1976 – Roman Vopat was born in Litvinov, Czechoslovakia. The centerman was acquired from the Colorado Avalanche for Cam Russell on Nov. 10, 1998. He played three games for the Blackhawks before he was moved to the Philadelphia Flyers for Mike Maneluk a week later.

1979 – Carl Corazzini was born in Framingham, MA. He signed with the Blackhawks on July 17, 2006. The center had one assist in seven games during the 2006-07 season before signing with the Detroit Red Wings the following summer.

2015 – One minute into triple overtime, Seabrook scored his third career postseason overtime goal to beat the Predators 3-2 in Game 4 of their first-round series. Antoine Vermette scored his first playoff goal for the Blackhawks in the first period. Brandon Saad’s second tally of the series tied the game with nine minutes left in regulation. Future Blackhawk Seth Jones had an assist on the game’s opening goal by Colin Wilson.

2021 – Brandon Hagel became the second rookie in team history to score multiple overtime goals in a season when he netted the winner in a 5-4 victory over the Predators. He scored his first overtime goal nine days earlier to beat the Columbus Blue Jackets. Seabrook was the first rookie to accomplish this feat in the 2005-06 season.

April 22

1909 – Bert Connelly was born in Montreal, QC. He signed with the Blackhawks on Feb. 7, 1938. The left wing had a goal and three points in 15 regular-season games and appeared in a playoff game, a postseason run that ended with a Stanley Cup victory.

1934 – Ed Kachur was born in Fort William, ON. The Canadiens traded the right wing to Chicago with Forbes Kennedy for cash on May 24, 1956. He had 10 goals and 24 points in 96 games over two seasons before he was traded to the Los Angeles Blades of the WHL for cash in 1964.

1944 – Doug Jarrett was born in London, ON. The blueliner played 721 games for the Blackhawks over 11 seasons and scored 38 goals and 216 points. On Oct. 28, 1975, he was traded to the Rangers for Gilles Villemure.

1953 – Tom Lysiak was born in High Prairie, AB. Originally the second overall pick of the 1973 NHL Amateur Draft by the Atlanta Flames, the centerman was traded to Chicago with Greg Fox, Harold Phillipoff, Pat Ribble, and Miles Zaharko for Ivan Boldirev, Darcy Rota, and Phil Russell. Lysiak led the Blackhawks in scoring with 76 points during the 1980-81 seasons. He scored a career-high 32 goals and 82 points the following seasons. On Oct. 30, 1983, during a game against the Hartford Whalers, he tripped linesman Ron Foyt and received a 20-game suspension. He played eight seasons with the Blackhawks and scored 137 goals and 412 points in 474 games.

1961 – Bob Mason was born in International Falls, MN. The goaltender signed with the Blackhawks on June 12, 1987. He went 13-18-8 during the 1987-88 seasons with a .890 SV% and 3.25 GAA. He was traded to the Nordiques for Mike Eagles on July 5, 1988.

1962 – The Maple Leafs beat the Blackhawks 2-1 in Game 6 of the Stanley Cup Final to win the first of three straight championships, ending Chicago’s reign as Stanley Cup champs. Bobby Hull had the lone goal for the Blackhawks.

1975 – The Blackhawks lost 3-1 to the Sabres in Game 7 of their Quarterfinals series. Pit Martin scored late in the first period before Buffalo scored three unanswered goals, clinching the first playoff series win in franchise history.

1979 – The New York Islanders completed their sweep of the Blackhawks with a 3-1 win in Game 4 of their Quarterfinals series. Mike Walton had Chicago’s only tally as New York got goals from Hall of Famers Denis Potvin and Mike Bossy, with Ed Westfall scoring the eventual game-winner.

1995 – Madison Bowey was born in Winnipeg, MB. The defenseman signed with the Blackhawks on Jan. 28, 2021. He had one assist in two NHL games. On April 12, 2021, he was traded to the Vancouver Canucks for a fourth-round pick that turned into top defensive prospect Ethan Del Mastro.

April 23

1943 – Tony Esposito was born in Sault Ste. Marie, ON. The Blackhawks claimed one of the greatest goaltenders in franchise history by claiming him from the Canadiens in the 1969 NHL Intra-League Draft. He earned the nickname “Tony  O” by earning 15 shutouts during the 19769-70 season, a rookie record that may never get broken. He won the Calder Trophy and his first of three Vezina Trophies for his terrific first full season. Esposito retired in 1984 with a 418-302-148 record, .906 SV%, 2.93 GAA, and 74 shutouts. He remains the franchise leader in games played, wins, and shutouts.

1961 – Alain Chevier was born in Cornwall, ON. He was acquired from the Winnipeg Jets for a fourth-round draft pick on Jan. 19, 1989. The netminder went 29-25-5 with a .863 SV% and 3.88 GAA before he was traded to the Pittsburgh Penguins for unknown compensation on March 6, 1990.

1966 – Greg Smyth was born in Oakville, ON. The blueliner was claimed off waivers from the Maple Leafs on Jan. 8, 1994. He had three assists in 60 games before re-signing with Toronto in 1996.

1972 – The Rangers beat the Blackhawks 6-2 in Game 4 of the Stanley Cup Semifinals to complete the series sweep. Bobby Hull and Pat Stapleton scored in the losing effort.

1973 – Patrick Poulin was born in Vanier, QC. He was acquired from the Whalers with Eric Weinrich for Steve Larmer and Bryan Marchment on Nov. 2, 1993. He had 34 goals and 70 points in 141 games over three seasons. On March 20, 1996, he was traded with Igor Ulanov, a second-round pick to the Tampa Bay Lightning for Erico Ciccone, and a second-round pick.

1975 – Vladimir Chebaturkin was born in Tyumen, USSR. The Blackhawks signed the defenseman on Sept. 5, 2001. He had two assists in 13 games during the 2001-02 season before signing with the Rangers the following summer.

1978 – The Bruins swept the Blackhawks out of the Stanley Cup Quarterfinals after a 5-2 win in Game 4. Stan Mikita and Ted Bulley scored for Chicago, but Brad Park and Peter McNab each had two goals for Boston.

1982 – The Blackhawks advanced to the Campbell Conference Finals by beating the St. Louis Blues 2-0 in Game 6 of the Norris Division Finals. Denis Savard and Rich Preston scored in the second period, while Esposito stopped all 31 shots he faced for his sixth and final postseason shutout.

1994: Tony Amonte became the second Blackhawk to score four goals in a Stanley Cup Playoff game as he led the way in a 5-4 win over the Maple Leafs in Game 3 of the Western Conference Quarterfinals.

1996 – The Blackhawks ended the Calgary Flames’ season with a 2-1 3OT win in Game 4 of the Western Conference Quarterfinals. Jeremy Roenick tied the game with nine seconds left in regulation before Joe Murphy scored the series-clinching goal at the 10:02 mark of the third overtime.

2012 – The Phoenix Coyotes completed their upset of the Blackhawks with a 4-0 win in Game 6 of the Western Conference Quarterfinals. This was the only contest of the six-game series that didn’t go to overtime.

April 24

1923 – Gus Bodnar was born in Fort William, ON. He was acquired from the Maple Leafs on Nov. 2, 1947, in a seven-player trade that included Hall of Famer Max Bentley going to Toronto. The centerman had 87 goals and 229 points in 399 games. On March 23, 1952, he set an NHL record for earning three assists in 21 seconds, all coming on Bill Mosienko goals, who set the record for the fastest hat trick in league history. Bodnar was to the Bruins for Jerry Toppazzini on Feb. 16, 1954,

1965 – Jeff Jackson was born in Dresden, ON. He signed with the Blackhawks on Feb. 19, 1992, and played just one NHL game that season. The rest of his time with the organization was spent with the Indianapolis Ice in the IHL.

1973 – The Blackhawks advanced to the Stanley Cup Final after beating the Rangers 4-1 in Game 5 of the Stanley Cup Semifinals. Mikita scored twice, while Dennis Hull and Cliff Koroll added tallies.

1994 – Defenseman Gary Suter scored a hat trick before Roenick, who had assists on all of Suter’s goals, scored in overtime in a 4-3 win over the Maple Leafs in Game 4 of the Western Conference Quarterfinals. This was the last Blackhawks victory at the old Chicago Stadium.

1997 – Valeri Kamensky scored three power-play goals as the Avalanche beat the Blackhawks 7-0 in Game 5 of the Western Conference Quarterfinals. The win was the 89^th for Colorado goaltender Patrick Roy, passing Billy Smith for the most in NHL postseason history.

2010 – The Blackhawks beat the Predators 4-3 in Game 5 of the Western Conference Quarterfinals in one of the most memorable games in team history. Down a goal, Marian Hossa was given a five-minute major for boarding with just over a minute to play in regulation. Patrick Kane got the game to overtime by scoring a shorthanded goal with 14 seconds left on the clock. Moments after being released from the penalty box, Hossa went straight to the net and scored the game-winning goal. The Blackhawks also got goals from Andrew Ladd, Niklas Hjalmarsson, and Tomas Kopecky.

2011 – Ben Smith scored in overtime to beat the Canucks 4-3 in Game 6 of the Western Conference Quarterfinals. The victory forced a seventh and final game back in Vancouver after the Canucks jumped out to a 3-1 series lead. Michael Frolik tied the game on a third-period penalty shot. Bryan Bickell and Dave Bolland had the other Blackhawks goals.

April 25

1925 – John Harms was born in Saskatoon, SK. After playing one game in 1944, he had five goals and 10 points in 44 games for the Blackhawks during the 1944-45 season. These were his only NHL games, but he played professionally until 1961.

1993 – Despite finishing first in the Norris Division, the Blues dispatched the Blackhawks in just four games. St. Louis finished the job with a 4-3 overtime win in Game 4 of the Norris Division Semifinals. Brent Sutter scored the Blackhawks’ first goal since game one in the second period, followed by a strike from Jocelyn Lemieux. Roenick tied the game with less than three minutes to play before Craig Janney ended the series midway through the extra time.

2002 – The Blues ended another Blackhawks season with a 5-3 win in Game 5 of the Western Conference Quarterfinals. Steve Thomas, Kyle Calder, and Steve Sullivan scored in the second period to give Chicago a 3-1 lead before St. Louis scored four unanswered goals. Future Blackhawk Jamal Mayers scored the game-winner early in the third period. This was the Blackhawks’ last playoff game until 2009.

2015: The Blackhawks finished off the Predators with a 4-3 win in Game 6 of the Western Conference First Round. Corey Crawford relieved Scott Darling in net after Nashville built a 3-1 lead in the first period and stopped all 13 shots he faced. Jonathan Toews and Kane drew the Blackhawks even before Keith scored the series-clinching goal with less than four minutes remaining in regulation.

2016 – The Blackhawks’ reign as Stanley Cup champions ended when former friend Troy Brouwer scored in overtime to give the Blues a 3-2 victory in Game 7 of the Western Conference First Round. Brouwer, a member of the 2010 Stanley Cup-winning team, ended a 24-game playoff goal drought to get St. Louis past the first round for the first time since 2012. Hossa and Andrew Shaw had the two Blackhawks goals in regulation.

April 26

1924 – Red Almas was born in Saskatoon, SK. The goaltender was acquired from the Red Wings as part of a seven-player trade on Sept. 9, 1948. Almas played one game during the 1950-51 season and lost 5-4 to the Bruins. On Sept. 23, 1952, he was traded back to Detroit for cash.

1954 – Pat Ribble was born in Leamington, ON. He was acquired from the Flames in the same 1979 trade that sent Lysiak to Chicago. The blueliner had two goals and seven points in 35 games before he was traded to the Maple Leafs for Dave Hutchinson on Jan. 10, 1980.

1957 – Jean Savard was born in Verdun, QC. The centerman, and Denis Savard’s cousin, was a second-round pick (19^th overall) of the Blackhawks in 1977. He scored seven goals and 19 points in 42 games over two seasons before the Whalers took him in the 1979 NHL Expansion Draft.

1970 – The Bruins completed their sweep of the Blackhawks with a 5-4 win in Game 4 of the Stanley Cup Semifinals. Dennis Hull led the offense with two goals and an assist. Defenseman Keith Magnuson added a goal and an assist. This series featured the Esposito brothers, Phil and Tony, on opposite sides. Phil got the best of his goaltending brother with five goals and nine points during the four-game series as Tony and the Blackhawks were outscored 20-10.

1977 – Craig Adams was born in Seria, Brunei Darussalam. The veteran forward was acquired from the Carolina Hurricanes for unknown compensation on Jan. 17, 2008. He had four goals and 12 points in 71 games before the Penguins claimed him off waivers on March 4, 2009.

1982 – Jonas Norqvist was born in Leksand, Sweden. The Blackhawks took the center in the second round (49^th overall) of the 2000 NHL Entry Draft. He had two assists in his only three NHL games during the 2006-07 season while putting up 15 goals and 41 points for the Norfolk Admirals in the AHL. Norqvist returned to play in Sweden the following season and never returned to North America.

1989 – The Blackhawks moved on to the Campbell Conference Finals after beating the Blues 4-2 in Game 5 of the Norris Division Finals. Murray, Wayne Presley, and Roenick scored in the second period before Thomas added an insurance goal in the final frame. Chevrier made 19 saves in the series-clinching win.

1992 – The Blackhawks took a 3-2 series lead over the Blues with a 6-4 win in Game 5 of the Norris Division Semifinals. Steve Larmer’s first-period goal gave the Blackhawks 1,000 playoff goals in franchise history, joining the Canadiens and Bruins as the only teams to achieve this feat.

1997 – The Avalanche beat the Blackhawks 6-3 in Game 6 of the Western Conference Quarterfinals to advance to the next round. Keith Carney, Suter, and Amonte all scored to give the Blackhawks a 3-0 lead in the first period before the wheels came off. Kamensky and Joe Sakic scored twice as Colorado scored the game’s final six goals. The Blackhawks didn’t return to the postseason until 2002.

2010 – The Blackhawks ended their series with the Predators with a 5-3 win in Game 6 of the Western Conference Quarterfinals. Seven of the eight goals were scored during a crazy first period, with Keith, Kane, Patrick Sharp, and Toews lighting the lamp for the Blackhawks. Things settled down after as John Madden’s empty-net goal with eight seconds left was the only other scoring on the night.

2011 – The Canucks beat the Blackhawks 2-1 in overtime of Game 7 of the Western Conference Quarterfinals. The Blackhawks’ dream of a huge comeback and back-to-back championships ended when Alexandre Burrows scored his second goal of the night in extra time. The Blackhawks were down 3-1 in the series before forcing a seventh and final game. Toews tied the game with a shorthanded goal with 1:56 left to play. A Chris Campoli turnover in overtime led directly to the season-ending goal by Burrows.