Chicago Blackhawks Tickets

The Blackhawks are one of the NHL’s Original Six teams, though the team struggled more than the other teams of the Original Six era. After winning two Stanley Cups in the 1930s, the Blackhawks entered a long period of futility, only making the playoffs twice between 1945 and 1958. When the Blackhawks were able to make the playoffs, it seemed like they would always run into the Montreal Canadiens, who dominated the early NHL.

The Blackhawks’ fortunes started to turn around in the late 1950s and early 60s. They assembled a team that included future Hall of Famers such as Bobby Hull, Stan Mikita, and Pierre Pilote. They also acquired star goalie Glenn Hall from the Detroit Red Wings. In 1960-61, the Hawks finally got the better of the Canadiens, defeating Montreal in the semifinals of the Stanley Cup Playoffs. They went on to defeat the Red Wings in the Final and to win the Stanley Cup.

Unfortunately, that 1961 Stanley Cup would be Chicago’s last for a long time. The Hawks continued to be a good team—they made the playoffs in every season during the 70s and 80s—but were not able to make it back to the championship round. Finally, in 1992, the Blackhawks made their long-awaited return to the Stanley Cup Final. They were led by a young Jeremy Roenick, who scored 50 goals during the regular season. In the Final, however, the Blackhawks were overmatched against a star-studded Pittsburgh Penguins team that featured Mario Lemieux and Jaromir Jagr, and Chicago did not win a game in the series.

The Blackhawks struggled through the late 90s and early 2000s. Things started to change for the better when they drafted Jonathan Toews with the 3rd overall pick in the 2000 draft. The next year, the Hawks won the draft lottery and chose Patrick Kane with the 1st overall pick. Toews quickly became the team’s captain, and Kane developed into one of the league’s top scoring threats. In 2010, the Blackhawks reached the Stanley Cup Final again. Patrick Kane scored in overtime of Game 6 against the Philadelphia Flyers to end Chicago’s then NHL-record-long Stanley Cup drought. With Kane and Toews as their centerpieces, the Blackhawks won the Stanley Cup again in 2013 and in 2015.