The Chicago Blackhawks made their debut at the Chicago Coliseum, in front of 9,000 cheering fans. The year was 1926 and the Blackhawks beat the Toronto St. Patricks 4-1. In the many decades since then, the Blackhawks have won three Stanley Cups and become a Chicago institution. The Blackhawks have always had many great players who created unforgettable moments in history.
The Chicago Blackhawks are a professional ice hockey team. They are based in Chicago, Illinois and are members of the NHL (National Hockey League) Western Conference Central Division. Along with the three Stanley Cups, the Blackhawks have also won fourteen division titles. The Blackhawks are part of the Original Six NHL teams. The other teams include the Montreal Canadiens, Boston Bruins, Toronto Maple Leafs, Detroit Red Wings, and New York Rangers.
The NHL expanded to the United States in 1926 and the Blackhawks joined them as part of the first wave. Detroit Cougars (now Detroit Red Wings) and New York Rangers were the other two teams that were that year. Most of the Blackhawks players came from the WHL’s Portland Rosebuds.
Frederic McLaughlin, the coffee magnate, was the first owner of the Blackhawks. He was a commander during World War I. His division was called the Blackhawk Division, and McLaughlin named his hockey team after the military unit. The previous version of the name was spelled as two separate words, Black Hawks. In the summer of 1986, the club officially decided to go with a one-word version of the Blackhawks.
McLaughlin didn’t know much about hockey, however, he played a very active role in managing the team. He served as the team’s general manager and took a keen interest in promoting American hockey players. It was weird at the time. Under McLaughlin’s leadership, the Blackhawks became the first NHL team with an all-American lineup.
The Blackhawks played their first game against the Toronto St. Patricks. They won the game and finished the season in third place. They lost the first round of the 1927 playoff series to the Boston Bruins. McLaughlin fired head coach Pete Muldoon after this. McLaughlin and Muldoon had a disagreement over whether the Blackhawks were good enough. McLaughlin felt his team was good enough to finish first and the coach disagreed.
Frederic McLaughlin died in 1944. His estate later sold the Blackhawks to a syndicate headed by Bill Tobin. Tobin was just a puppet for Red Wings owner James Norris. Norris had owned the Blackhawks since he bought the stadium in Chicago in 1936.
The Blackhawks were consistently out of the playoffs from 2001 through the 2008-09 season. For most years they finished well out of contention.
Nonetheless, the team has won the hearts of American hockey fans by making strong comebacks after temporary setbacks.
For confirmed Chicago Blackhawks tickets, you need to prepare well in advance and go to a reliable ticketing agent. Any hockey fan worth their salt should watch at least one Blackhawks game. Get your Blackhawks tickets as soon as they are available.