gold star for USAHOF

Cliff Koroll is one of the players in Chicago Blackhawks history to have played over 800 Games with the franchise (814 to be exact) and it was in the Windy City where his entire NHL career was spent.  Koroll was a very good two way player and he would have four 50 Point seasons with 462 in total.  He would also finish in the top ten in Game-Winning Goals three times.

One of the most versatile players in hockey history, Doug Mohns played both Left Wing and Defense when needed and as such earned a reputation as a solid two-way player.  Mohns arrived to Chicago via trade from the Boston Bruins where he had already been a multi-time All Star and he would play more of an offensive role with the Blackhawks.  On a line with Stan Mikita, Mohns would have a 60 Point season (1966-67), which was good enough for tenth that season.  He would score 279 Points with Chicago.

Prior to his arrival to the Windy City, Jim Pappin helped the Toronto Maple Leafs win the 1967 Stanley Cup where he was leading scorer in the playoffs, but it was in Chicago where he put up his best individual numbers.

A Second Team All-Star with the Winnipeg Jets prior to his arrival in Chicago, Alex Zhamnov had a good run for the Chicago Blackhawks albeit while playing for them when they were not particularly that good.  An All-Star in 2012, the Russian Centre would have four 60 Point seasons with 424 in total for the Blackhawks averaging a solid .80 PPG.  Sadly for Zhamnov, he is dead last of this of 50 in terms of Playoff Games for the Blackhawks as he only played in five of them.

43. Eric Daze

A Chicago Blackhawk for all 601 of his NHL Games, Eric Daze was a good scorer who would put the puck in the net 226 times.  Daze was an All Star in 2002, which would be the same season where he finished seventh in Goals.  Daze was not always a fan favorite in Chicago as he did not check much despite his 6’6” frame but he was a good goal scorer in an era where Chicago did not have many of them.

Chico Maki played all fourteen of his NHL seasons with the Chicago Blackhawks yet since he suited up in Games 1 and 2 of the 1961 Stanley Cup Finals (he didn’t play in them) he actually had his name etched on the Cup before he began any of those fourteen campaigns.

Harold “Mush” Marsh played his entire career with the Chicago Blackhawks and he wasn’t just a hockey player with a colorful name.  The Right Wing would play 761 Games in the NHL all of which were with Chicago where he scored 384 Points.  Marsh’s best season was in 1935/36 where he finished eighth in Goals and seventh in Assists and he would help the Blackhawks win the Stanley Cup in both 1934 and 1938.
A more than solid Defenseman throughout his NHL career, Keith Brown was the seventh overall Draft Pick in 1979 and he would go on to play 876 Games in the league, 812 of them Chicago.  Brown was a good two way blueliner who would have two 40 Point seasons and had 465 Points total for Chicago.

Roy Conacher was already a two time Stanley Cup Champion (with Boston) and a World War II veteran before he arrived to the Blackhawks in his early 30’s and while it would have been a good assumption for most fans and pundits to think that his best seasons were behind him.  That wasn’t the case as he would still be a productive player and would put forth his best season in the 1948/49 campaign where he was a First Team All Star, the Art Ross Trophy winner and the leader in Power Play and Game-Winning Goals.  He would follow that up with two more 50 Point seasons.

There is no doubt that the NHL career of Bill Gadsby was more productive as a New York Ranger but to discount what he accomplished as a Chicago Blackhawk would be many levels of inappropriate.  As a Chicago Blackhawk, Bill Gadsby would be a two time All Star as well as a two time Second Team All Star.  He would score 186 Points for Chicago.

A two-time NCAA Champion at the University of Denver, Keith Magnuson would play his entire NHL career with the Chicago Blackhawks.  Magnuson was not a scorer but he was stay-at-home blueliner who used his physical presence to protect his side of the ice by any means necessary.  A two time leader in Penalty Minutes, Magnuson would be an All Star in 1971 & 1972 and he was the leader in Defensive Point Shares in his rookie year. 

Doug Jarrett didn’t get a lot of attention or press when he played professional hockey but in the 721 Games he suited up for Chicago he provided very solid defense and was the NHL leader in Defensive Point Shares in the 1966/67 Season. 

Patrick Sharp played the bulk of his career with the Chicago Blackhawks where he was a major part of their success in winning three Stanley Cups (2010, 2013 & 2015).  Sharp was a solid goal scorer for Chicago finishing 8th (2011) and 9th (2014) and he was regarded as a decent two way player who would earn votes for the Selke Award.  The Left Winger was excellent on the penalty kill and would lead the NHL in Short-Handed Goals in the 2007-08 season. 

Tony Amonte is one of the best American born scorers in hockey history and the Chicago Blackhawk were fortunate to have him when he was at his best.  Amonte went to all five of his All Star Games when he played in Chicago where he would score 541 Points for the team and he would have three 40 Goal seasons, two of which were good enough for a second and third place finish in the NHL.

Depending on who you believe, Ed Litzenberger was traded from the Montreal Canadiens for Cash in the hope that it would help what was a struggling franchise.  If that is the case, it was a huge gift as the talented forward would be named the Calder Trophy winner in a year he was traded.  He was not a one season wonder as he would be named to three All Star teams as a Chicago Blackhawk and would finish in the top five three times in Goals.  His best season was in the 1956-57 season where he was fifth in Points and the NHL leader in Even Strength Goals with 30.

The owner of arguably the best name in Chicago Blackhawks history, Elmer “Moose” Vasko stood at 6’ 3” and was a full 200 pounder, a fairly large player for his day.  Shoulder issues in his early seasons prevented him from reaching his full potential but once that subsided he would become a vital member of the Blackhawks’ blueline and one of the better players.  His toughness had few equals and his play was good enough to warrant him two Second Team All Star nods (1962-63 & 1963-64) and he was in the top four both of those years in Norris Trophy voting.

As of this writing, Eric Nesterenko is one of six former Chicago Blackhawks to play 1,000 Games for the franchise and in the case of the former Right Winger he suited up for 1,013 Games in the Windy City, which is the fifth most ever.

Dennis Hull would always be in the shadow of his older brother and longtime teammate, Bobby Hull, but Dennis was one hell of a player in his own right.

By the time Marian Hossa arrived in Chicago he already accomplished quite a lot in the NHL 

As an Ottawa Senator, he was a two-time All-Star who had two straight 70 Point seasons.

Bill White got his start late in the National Hockey League like so many in the late 1960’s as he was one of the many who when the 1967 expanded from six to twelve teams would receive an opportunity and at age 28 he debuted for the Los Angeles Kings where he showed off an intelligent defensive game, but it was when he was traded to Chicago that his game reached the next level.