Top 10 Greatest Players in Blackhawks History, Part II

In the previous edition of this list, we profiled the 10th through seventh greatest players in Blackhawks history. No. 10 was Keith Magnunson, No. 9 was Bill Mosienko, No. 8 was Doug Bentley, and No. 7 was Denis Savard. With these names as the backdrop, we will continue with the list.

6. Pierre Pilote D

Pilote played 14 NHL seasons, 13 of which were with the Chicago Blackhawks. He scored 80 goals in his career and added 418 assists. He was also the captain of the team from 1961-1968.

One of his most notable career accomplishments was his consecutive games played streak. He played in 376 consecutive games with the 'Hawks and during his streak he played some of the best defense the league has ever seen.

He won the Norris Trophy in three consecutive seasons. He also was a member of the last Blackhawks team to win a Stanley Cup in 1961.

He was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1975. He was also named the No. 59 player on the Hockey News’ All-Time Greatest Players. His No. 3 will be retired by the Blackhawks in a ceremony on Nov. 12 at the United Center.

5. Tommy Ivan, Coach/GM

Tommy Ivan is widely regarded as the greatest executive in the history of the franchise. He was with the team for 24 seasons, winning a Stanley Cup and bringing the club back to respectability after several years of wretchedness in the late '40s and early '50s. He joined the Hawks in 1954 after many successful years with the hated Detroit Red Wings.

He was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1974, and he received the Lester Patrick Trophy in 1975 for “outstanding service to hockey in the United States.” In Stan Fischler’s book Hockey’s 100 he was named one of the top 10 executives and coaches in NHL history.

He was the Chairman of the organizing committee for the 1979-1980 United States Olympic Hockey Festival. The team that was chosen from this festival ended up winning the 1980 Olympic Gold Medal at Lake Placid, a feat widely recognized as the greatest feat in the history of sports.

4. Glenn Hall G

Hall played for 10 seasons with the Blackhawks. During this time, he played in an NHL record 502 straight games in goal, all of them without the benefit of a mask or a helmet.

He won the Calder Trophy with Detroit, the Vezina Trophy three times, and the Conn Smythe Trophy. In addition to his awards, he was one of the first users of the now common “butterfly-style” of goaltending.

During his career in the NHL, he never had a season in which he had a GAA of higher than 2.97. He won 34 games in 1963-64, with a save percentage of 93 percent and had seven shutouts that season. He also set a career high in assists that year (two) and was on the last Blackhawks team to win a Stanley Cup in 1961.

According to his Wikipedia entry, Hall threw up before each game then drank a glass of orange juice.

His No. 1 jersey was retired by the club, and he was elected to the Hall of Fame in 1975. He was also ranked No. 16 on The Hockey News’ list of the 100 Greatest Hockey Players.

Look for the conclusion of the 10 Greatest Blackhawks in the next edition of the Four Feathers Blog. For the previous entries, please click on the link below:

http://bleacherreport.com/articles/76793-ten-greatest-players-in-chicago-blackhawks-history-part-one