The NHL revealed its list of the top 100 players in the history of the league on Friday night, and as could be reasonably expected, a slew of players from the Chicago Blackhawks made that list.
In total, there were 10 players chosen whose primary success in their careers came with the Blackhawks, and most of them are household names for many fans to this day. Legends like Stan Mikita, Tony Esposito, Bobby Hull, and Glenn Hall were among those honored, and three of the team’s biggest stars of today were also named, with Patrick Kane, Duncan Keith, and Jonathan Toews all making the cut.
The list is part of the league’s celebration of its centennial, and it coincided with the opening festivities at the NHL All-Star Game in Los Angeles. Plenty of stars were in attendance for the historic night, including greats like Wayne Gretzky and Bobby Orr, and celebrities from Jon Hamm to Alex Trebek helped to reveal the lucky 100 players that were honored by the league.
Here is the full list of Blackhawks players that were featured:
Max Bentley
In six seasons with the Blackhawks, Bentley won the Hart Trophy as league MVP, won the Lady Byng Trophy, and scored 109 goals and dished out 147 assists in 235 games between 1940 and 1948.
Chris Chelios
Local
Although Chelios did not spend the majority of his career in Chicago, his nine seasons with the team were incredibly productive, as he scored 92 goals and dished out 395 assists. Two of the three Norris Trophies he won in his career also came with the Blackhawks.
Tony Esposito
After spending his first season with the Canadiens, Esposito would spend the next 15 years with the Blackhawks, racking up 418 wins, three Vezina Trophies, and a sterling 2.93 goals against average in one of the best offensive eras in NHL history. A member of the Hockey Hall of Fame, Esposito’s number 35 hangs from the rafters at the United Center.
Glenn Hall
A three-time Vezina winner, Hall also won the Calder Trophy as the league’s best rookie and the Conn Smythe Trophy as playoff MVP during an illustrious career. He also started a mind-boggling 500 games in a row, an NHL record for a goaltender, and he had his number 1 jersey retired by the Blackhawks after his playing days were over.
Bobby Hull
In a 15-year career with the Blackhawks, Hull did it all, winning a Stanley Cup in 1961, three Art Ross Trophies as the league’s top scorer, two Hart Trophies, and scored 604 goals in 1036 games in the Windy City. His number 9 jersey was retired by the Blackhawks. [[410725375, C]]
Patrick Kane
Kane has done a lot in his nine NHL seasons, winning the Calder, Conn Smythe, and Hart Trophies, and he has also been a part of a squad that won three Stanley Cups in six seasons. He has scored 266 career goals and has averaged over a point per game in his NHL career.
Duncan Keith
The winner of two Norris Trophies and a Conn Smythe Trophy, Keith is considered by many to be one of the top defensemen of his era. He’s won three Stanley Cups during his time in Chicago, and he has scored 88 goals and racked up 403 assists in 884 career games, all with the Blackhawks.
Stan Mikita
Mikita spent parts of 22 seasons with the Blackhawks, and he did everything you could possibly do in a career. He won the Lady Byng twice, the Art Ross four times, and the Hart twice. He won a Stanley Cup in 1961. He scored 541 career goals and racked up a staggering 926 assists. He is widely considered to be the best all-around player in Blackhawks history, and his number 21 jersey will forever hang from the rafters of the United Center.
Denis Savard
During a lengthy career, Savard spent 13 seasons with the Blackhawks, scoring 377 goals and dishing out 719 assists in 881 career games. He also was the team’s head coach briefly during the early years of the Kane/Toews era before being replaced by Joel Quenneville.
Jonathan Toews
Considered to be one of the best two-way players of his generation, Toews has a Conn Smythe Trophy and a Selke Trophy on his mantel to go along with three Stanley Cup rings. In nine NHL seasons, Toews has scored 260 goals and racked up 332 assists.
