The Chicago Blackhawks are one of the Original Six teams in the National Hockey League and have a ton of great history. Their six Stanley Cup titles span their history from Bobby Hull to Patrick Kane. Which championship team is the greatest in Blackhawks history? And where do the other five slot in?
Greatest team in Blackhawks history: 2012-13
The title of Greatest Blackhawks team ever goes to the 2012-13 squad. The second championship in the Toews and Kane era came in a lockout-shortened season. With only 48 regular season games, the Blackhawks made no mistake in getting out to a quick start. They started the season 21-0-3 and finished with a .802 points percentage.
They went 16-7 in the playoffs, including coming back from a 3-1 deficit against the Detroit Red Wings in the second round. Chicago was led by Patrick Kane, who scored 55 points in the regular season and 19 in the playoffs. Kane won the Conn Smythe Trophy for playoff MVP. The 2012-13 Blackhawks went 52-12-7 in their 71 total games, earning them the top spot on this list.
#2: 2009-10
There is no dynasty without the first championship. The 2010 Blackhawks racked up 112 points in the regular season and took first place in the Central Division. They missed out on the President's Trophy by just one point, losing to the San Jose Sharks. They then embarked on one of the most dominating runs in playoff history, including a sweep of the Sharks in the conference final.
Patrick Kane led this team in scoring as well with 30 goals, 58 assists, and 88 points in 82 games. Jonathan Toews clipped him in the playoff scoring race by just one, 29 to 28, because of his 22 assists. Duncan Keith won the Norris Trophy for top defenseman and Kane and Keith were named first-team All-Stars. Toews won the Conn Smythe trophy in a Final most remembered for Kane's game and series winner in overtime.
#3: 2014-15
The third spot goes to the final Cup of the recent run. The 2015 Blackhawks finished just third in the Central Division and dealt with a myriad of injuries throughout the season. Kane missed 21 games, allowing Toews to take the top spot on the scoring list, and injuries had their defensive core whittled down to four players by the Cup Final.
They also dealt with the deaths of equipment manager Clint Reif and former Blackhawks player Steve Montador during the season. They played 11 series over 26 months and were physically exhausted as well. It is the most impressive and unlikely of the three championship teams.
#4: 1970-71
The first non-champion of the bunch, the 1970-71 Black Hawks ripped off 49 wins in 78 regular season games and lost in game seven of the Cup Final to the Montreal Canadiens. They were led by Bobby Hull, who scored 44 goals and 96 points in the regular season and 25 more points in the playoffs.
The team swept the Flyers in the first round, beat the Rangers in seven games in the semi-final, and lost to the Canadiens in the Final. They held a 3-2 series lead before losing both games six and seven, including game seven at home, to lose the Cup.
Just a note, the Black Hawks were referred to as such until 1986 when they switched to the Blackhawks. So, for pre-1986 teams we will go with Black Hawks as two words.
#5: 1960-61
The most recent champion before the Toews and Kane run, the 1961 team was not the most impressive in the regular season. The Black Hawks placed third in the six-team league with 75 points in 70 games. This was a defense-first unit, with Glen Hall starting all 70 games in net and putting up a .920 save percentage.
Bobby Hull was just 22 years old and Stan Mikita was just 20 but they were already making their impact on the league. They ranked second and third on the team scoring chart respectively, behind center Bill Hay who put up 59 points. A trivia question from this team is “When was Al Arbor's first Stanley Cup title?” The coach largely associated with the Islanders dynasty won his first of three rings as a player with this Black Hawks team.
#6: 1971-72
Another non-champion, the 1971-72 team is another great example of Bobby Hull and Stan Mikita's excellence in this era. Hull scored 50 goals at 33 years old and was named a first-team All-Star. Mikita was fourth on the team's scoring leaderboard with 65 points. While they were eliminated in the semi-final, this was a great regular-season team that deserves recognition.
The Black Hawks won the West Division in 1971-72 and swept the Pittsburgh Penguins in the first round. They were swept by the New York Rangers in the semi-final, but the truth is that no one was beating the Bruins that year. They had 119 points in the regular season and beat the Rangers in six games in the Cup Final.
#7: 1933-34
The fifth championship team on our list is the 1933-34 squad. The pre-Original Six era was not known for its offense and this team shows that. They had just four players score twenty points in the 48-game season. Compare that to the number one team on our list which had nine players reach that number. Paul Thompson led this team with 20 goals and 36 points
The Black Hawks won their first-round matchup against the Canadiens 1-0-1. A playoff tie! They moved on to sweep the Montreal Maroons 2-0 in the semi-final and beat the Red Wings 3-1 in the Final. This represents the first championship in franchise history.
#8: 1937-38
The final Black Hawks championship team on the list is the 1937-38 team. They hold the distinction of being the team with the lowest points percentage to make the playoffs in franchise history. Their .385 mark would put them at 63 points over an 82-game season, just slightly better than the 2023-24 team.
Paul Thompson is back with 44 points in 48 games to lead the regular season. He scored seven points in their 10 playoff games. The Black Hawks beat the Canadiens in the quarter-final, the New York Americans in the semi-final, and the Maple Leafs in the Cup Final. They are on this list because of their 7-3 playoff record and not their 14-25-9 regular season mark.
#9: 1964-65
Another Black Hawks team led by Mikitia and Hull, the 1964-65 team lost in the Final to the Montreal Canadiens. Mikita led the team with 59 assists and 87 points while Hull led once again with 39 goals. They split the big awards given out by the league then, with Mikita taking the top scorer award and Hull winning MVP.
This team makes the list because of their offensive prowess. They were the top offense in the regular season and used that firepower to beat the Red Wings in seven games in the semi-final. This Cup Final is notable because all seven games were won by the home team. The next time that would occur was in 2003.
#10: 2013-14
A final entry from the Toews and Kane bunch, 2013-14 felt like a season where the Blackhawks would go back-to-back. They lost in game seven of the conference final to the eventual winners, the Los Angeles Kings. Kane scored over one point per game in the playoffs despite missing parts of the regular season with injuries.
They almost pulled off a comeback from 3-1 down against the Kings, losing game seven in overtime after winning games five and six. Duncan Keith won another Norris Trophy this season and was named a first-team All-Star. It does not get remembered with the other three seasons, but 2014 was a great run for the Blackhawks.
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