In 1926 NHL hockey came to the United States. Three teams were added from the States, the Detroit Cougars, the New York Rangers, and the Chicago Blackhawks. The Blackhawks, along with the Cougars (later the Red Wings), Rangers, Montreal Canadiens, Toronto Maple Leafs, and Boston Bruins became known as the “Original Six”. Blackhawks tickets quickly became popular, as the team named after the owner’s (Frederic McLaughlin) military unit in World War I tried to succeed with the unheard of strategy of putting an all American team on the ice.
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The very early years were a time of struggle. Confounded by a supposed curse on the team, the Blackhawks would not finish in first place for 40 years. Still the team managed to win three Stanley Cups in the franchise’s first 39 years. The first came in the Blackhawks eighth season with a victory over the Red Wings. The second came four years later in 1938 with a won over the Maple Leafs. Blackhawk tickets gained popularity as Chicago’s passion for hockey began to grow.
The death of McLaughlin would prove an ill-turn for the franchise. Team President Bill Tobin took over the team, but proved nothing more than a puppet for the Red Wings owner James Norris, who was also the owner of the Blackhawk’s home, Chicago Stadium. Fan unlucky enough to buy Blackhawk tickets from 1945 to 1958 watched the Red Wings raid Chicago’s roster.
James E. Norris’s eventually passed away, leaving control of the Blackhawks to his son James D. Norris and Red Wings minority owner Arthur Wirtz. Blackhawks tickets had a new zeal as the team began to strive for financial stability and for an actual chance to compete. That movement began in the late ‘50s with the addition of young talent like Bobby Hull, Stan Mikita, and Pierre Pilote.
The infusion of the young players, along with former Red Wings stars goaltender Glenn Hall and forward Ted Lindsey, led to the franchises last Stanley Cup win in 1961, ironically, over the Red Wings. The team would be competitive for years with four future Hockey Hall of Fame players (Hull, Mikita, Pilote, and Hall).
Chicago hockey fans would have little time to celebrate. In 1967, the Blackhawks traded away Ken Hodge, Phil Esposito, and Fred Stanfield to the Bruins for Pit Martin and two players who would do little for the Blackhawks. The departed players made Boston a powerhouse, while the Blackhawks would have to wait for a move to the weak Western Division before getting a chance to be a powerhouse. The Blackhawks were always in contention out West, but never truly threatened to be one of the best teams in the NHL, thanks to the loss of Hull to the World Hockey League.
The Blackhawks remained competitive with Dennis Savard in the ‘80s, but had to wait until they drafted goalie Ed Belfour and center Jeremy Roenick in the late ‘80s and traded for defenseman Chris Chelios to really threaten for another Stanley Cup. The team lost in 1992 to the Pittsburgh Penguins.
Chicago hockey has been trying to make a comeback since the team traded away Chelios, Roenick, and Belfour in the late ‘90s, ending in the first non-appearance in the NHL playoffs in 29 years in 1998. Chicago Blackhawks tickets have had a renewed sense of hope since new team owner Rocky Wirtz took over for his father, who passed away after battling cancer.
