Chicago Blackhawks
About the Chicago Blackhawks
The Chicago Blackhawks were founded in 1926 and are one of the NHL's most historic franchises.
Chicago joined the league for the 1926-27 season alongside Detroit and the New York Rangers. The Blackhawks later became one of the NHL's “Original Six,” the six teams that made up the league from 1942-43 through 1966-67. The other five were the Boston Bruins, Detroit Red Wings, Montreal Canadiens, New York Rangers and Toronto Maple Leafs.
The franchise was originally known as the Chicago Black Hawks. The name was officially changed to the single-word “Blackhawks” in 1986.
Over the course of their history, the Blackhawks have experienced periods of both considerable success and lengthy rebuilding, highlighted by six Stanley Cup championships and a particularly successful run during the 2010s.
Division History
When Chicago entered the NHL in 1926, the Black Hawks were placed in the newly created American Division alongside Boston, Detroit, the New York Rangers and Pittsburgh Pirates.
The NHL later eliminated divisions before bringing them back when the league expanded in 1967. Chicago initially competed in the East Division following that expansion before moving to the West Division in 1970.
Further league reorganizations placed the Blackhawks in the Smythe Division from 1974 to 1981 and the Norris Division from 1981 to 1993.
When the NHL adopted its modern conference and division structure in 1993, Chicago became a member of the Central Division in the Western Conference.
The Blackhawks remain in the Central Division today alongside the Colorado Avalanche, Dallas Stars, Minnesota Wild, Nashville Predators, St. Louis Blues, Utah Mammoth and Winnipeg Jets.
Championship History
The Blackhawks have won the Stanley Cup six times.
Chicago captured its first championship in 1934, defeating the Detroit Red Wings in the Stanley Cup Final. The Black Hawks won another Cup in 1938 before capturing their third championship in 1961 behind a team that included stars such as Bobby Hull, Stan Mikita and Glenn Hall.
That 1961 championship was followed by a 49-year Stanley Cup drought.
The drought finally ended in 2010, when Patrick Kane scored the overtime winner against the Philadelphia Flyers in Game 6 of the Stanley Cup Final.
That championship marked the beginning of one of the most successful stretches in franchise history. Chicago won another Stanley Cup in 2013, defeating the Boston Bruins in six games, and added a third championship in six seasons by beating the Tampa Bay Lightning in the 2015 Final.
The Blackhawks have also won the Presidents' Trophy twice. Chicago finished with the NHL's best regular-season record in 1990-91 and again during the shortened 2012-13 season.
Home of the Blackhawks
The Blackhawks play their home games at the United Center in Chicago.
For most of the 20th century, the team played at Chicago Stadium, which opened in 1929 and became one of hockey's most famous arenas. The Blackhawks remained there for 65 seasons before leaving the building in 1994.
The United Center replaced Chicago Stadium as the home of both the Blackhawks and the NBA's Chicago Bulls. Because the start of the 1994-95 NHL season was delayed by a lockout, the Blackhawks played their first regular-season game at the United Center in January 1995.
The arena is located on West Madison Street on Chicago's Near West Side.
Notable Blackhawks
Stan Mikita remains the leading scorer in Blackhawks history and spent his entire NHL career with Chicago.
Mikita recorded 541 goals, 926 assists and 1,467 points during his career. He won four Art Ross Trophies as the NHL's leading scorer and twice won the Hart Trophy as league MVP.
He also achieved a unique feat in NHL history by winning the Art Ross, Hart and Lady Byng trophies in the same season in both 1966-67 and 1967-68.
Mikita helped Chicago win the 1961 Stanley Cup and became the first Blackhawks player to have his number retired when No. 21 was raised to the rafters in 1980.
Bobby Hull was another central figure during one of the greatest eras in franchise history. Known for his speed and powerful shot, Hull scored a Blackhawks-record 604 regular-season goals during his 15 seasons in Chicago.
Hull won three Art Ross Trophies and two Hart Trophies while with the Blackhawks and helped the franchise capture the Stanley Cup in 1961.
Denis Savard became one of Chicago's biggest stars during the 1980s. Selected third overall in the 1980 NHL Draft, Savard developed into one of the league's most creative offensive players.
He recorded 1,096 points during his time with the Blackhawks and produced five 100-point seasons during his first stint with the team. Savard later returned to Chicago late in his playing career and was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 2000.
Patrick Kane became one of the defining players of the Blackhawks' modern championship era after Chicago selected him with the first overall pick in the 2007 NHL Draft.
Kane helped the Blackhawks win the Stanley Cup in 2010, 2013 and 2015 and won the Conn Smythe Trophy as playoff MVP in 2013. During the 2015-16 season, he became the first U.S.-born player to win the Art Ross Trophy and also received the Hart Trophy and Ted Lindsay Award.
Chicago traded Kane to the New York Rangers in 2023. After later playing for the Detroit Red Wings, he returned to the Blackhawks in 2026.
Other prominent players in Blackhawks history include Glenn Hall, Tony Esposito, Pierre Pilote, Steve Larmer, Chris Chelios, Jonathan Toews, Duncan Keith, Brent Seabrook and Marian Hossa.