The Chicago Blackhawks likely did not expect to see Denis Savard fall to them when they drafted third in 1980 and how happy that must of have been for years after that he did!  Savard tore it up in the Quebec Juniors and with Chicago he continued to show off elite playmaking skills.  While in terms of scoring he would in terms of the league be in the shadow of Wayne Gretzky, Savard would gain his fair share of attention.  He would have 119 Points in his sophomore season and in his third season (1982-83) he scored 121 Points with a third place finish in Hart Trophy balloting with a Second Team All Star Selection. 

This was not easy. 

Do you go with Stan Mikita or Bobby Hull?

Honestly, we don’t think that you can go wrong regardless which way you go, but we went Mikita due to his longevity and his importance to the franchise, though if you think we should have went with Hull we get it.

From the hockey rich city of Winnipeg, Jonathan Toews was the third overall pick in the 2006 NHL Draft and he proceeded to finish third in Calder Trophy voting, where he lost to his teammate Patrick Kane, which certainly gave notice to the city of Chicago that they had a special team ahead of them.

Granted, this list is supposed to focus only on accomplishments with the Chicago Blackhawks but when you are discussing an incredible talent and career like Chris Chelios some other components need to be mentioned.

Pit Martin is remembered by many for being at the wrong end of a lopsided trade that sent Phil Esposito, Ken Hodge and Fred Stanfield to the Boston Bruins and created a Stanley Cup Championship team, but Martin was a very highly regarded player in his own right.  Martin would represent the Chicago Blackhawks in the All Star Game four times and he secured six 60 Point seasons.  Overall, he would score 809 Points in the National Hockey League.

The NHL expansion sure was a friend to Bill White as at the age of 28 he found a spot with the Los Angeles Kings and would emerge as their top blueliner.  White’s skills would increase into his 30’s and a trade to the Chicago Blackhawks would see him make three consecutive Second Team All-Stars while also being voted third in Norris Trophy voting each time.  He also went to six All-Star Games. 

It could be argued that Pat Stapleton is one of the better players who seem to have been forgotten in the National Hockey League.  He shouldn’t be just a footnote, as he would develop into an excellent point man on the blue line with and the owner of an accurate and rapid slap shot. 

It was announced today that Hockey Hall of Famer Pierre Pilote passed away at the age of 85.

Pilote was one of the most accomplished Defenceman in the National Hockey League throughout the 1960’s and he was named the Norris Trophy winner three seasons in a row (1963-63). A member of the Chicago Blackhawks for 12 of his 13 seasons, Pilote was named a First Team All Star five times, a Second Team All Star three times and the native of Kenogami, Quebec was an integral reason why Chicago won the Stanley Cup in 1961.

The blueliner would serve as the team captain from 1961 to 1977 and he would score 418 Points over a 890 Game career.

Pilote’s #3 was retired by the Blackhawks in 2008 (along with Keith Magnusson who wore the same number) and he was inducted in to the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1975.

We here at Notinhalloffame.com would like to extend our condolences to the friends and family of Pierre Pilote at this time.

Normally if you are considered the best hockey player in your family it isn’t much of an accolade.  This was not the case for Brent Sutter who may have been the most talented of what could be the most storied siblings of professional hockey.  The Sutters were known for their work ethic and Brent was no exception. Brent Sutter was known for doing all the small intangibles to make a team successful, and yet he was still able to achieve over 800 points in his career. He likely won’t get in, but should he slip in it might be a celebration of the Sutter family as a whole.

During the 1980s and early ’90s, Steve Larmer was a vital cog in the Chicago Black Hawks organization. He won the Calder trophy in 1983 and as a ten-year member of the Black Hawks was a model of consistency and durability. While averaging a point a game, Larmer went on a streak of playing in 884 straight games and could have had a shot to break the all-time record held by Doug Jarvis had a contract dispute not gotten in the way. Steve Larmer was not someone you would get an exciting sound bite on, so when he did have criticisms to say people took notice. It wasn’t often that the man known for his class to seek the spotlight but when he did it was usually due to a strong conviction on his part. He retired when he felt he could no longer be the consistent player he once was and he easily could have padded more statistics had he chose to keep playing a few more years.

Gary Suter started off with a bang winning the Calder Trophy with the Calgary Flames. Suter continued to rack up points for the Flames and the star was able to hoist the Stanley Cup in 1989. Year after year, Gary Suter was among the league leaders in point by a defenseman. With a career garnering 844 points, he is among the elite and is in the conversation when discussing the best American born defenseman ever. Had he ever won a Norris trophy, he would have likely seen his chances increase by a wide margin.

A star for the Chicago Black Hawks and the United States National Team, Tony Amonte enjoyed a solid career. His career zenith was as a Black Hawk where the consistent American Right Winger enjoyed a five-year stretch where he did not miss a game and was among the best players in the Windy City. A five-time All-Star, Amonte was one of the better American born hockey players of All Time, but without that magical 1,000 points NHL plateau or a dominant season, he may have to settle for the American Hall of Fame instead.

Possibly one of the most versatile players in NHL history, Doug Mohns spent the first half of his career as a defenseman with the Boston Bruins. In Beantown, Mohns had a flair for offense and was able to help his team at that side of the ice. Later, Mohns was traded to Chicago where he was converted forward and placed on a line with the legendary Stan Mikita. Naturally, his scoring totals increased and with his knowledge of the defensive game, Doug Mohns was one of the more complete players in NHL history. Hopefully is known more for his skills than the bad toupee he wore at the end of his career.