Fast Forward 25 Years: Steve Larmer's Legacy Alive and Well In Chicago

In 1980, the Chicago Blackhawks drafted a right wing that would go on to play every game between game one of the 1982-83 season and the day he left to join the New York Rangers a decade later.

Steve Larmer would play next to Hall of Famer Denis Savard and Al Secord on what may have been the fastest line in the NHL during the 1980s. Larmer was lightning quick with a one-timer and had to be –the passes exchanged between Secord, Savard and he were as crisp as there was in the game.

Larmer defined the wing position, indeed the offense, of the Blackhawks until he moved on to New York. Then came the days of Roenick, Amonte and others that would try to catch up with Larmer's records.

Larmer was the Rookie of the Year in 1983, a two-time All-Star, and continues to be the iron man in Hawks history. He would play in 884 consecutive games in his 10-plus seasons in Chicago, scoring 923 points and leaving the franchise with a career +/- of +182.

In every season he was a Blackhawk, Larmer scored at least 28 goals. The high point for Larmer was 1990-91, when he tallied 101 points on 44 goals and 57 assists. Beyond the numbers, though, Larmer was a class act as well.

Last night, Number 28 was honored at the United Center that was left incomplete; Larmer's number should be in the rafters with his line mate Savard. But the spirit of Larmer was apparent on the ice, as the Hawks scored three third period goals to beat an Anaheim team that had shut them out less than two weeks ago.

Steve Larmer came to the Hawks and helped to begin a rebirth of hockey in Chicago. He was a fast-skating forward in the tradition of Mikita who scored like Hull. When he brought the Calder to Chicago, it was becoming apparent that the Blackhawks were back on the map in the NHL.

Fast forward to December of 2008. Patrick Kane joined Larmer last year in an elite group of Blackhawks to win the NHL's top rookie honor, and Kris Versteeg might very well make it back-to-back years the Calder resides on the West Side.

The Blackhawks, 25 years after Larmer joined Secord and Savard, once again have some of the fastest skaters in the league. Brian Campbell and Duncan Keith are regarded as arguably the two fastest defenders in the game, while Kane, Patrick Sharp and Jonathan Toews have shown flashes of perhaps duplicating the magic Hawks fans remember from the glory days of the 1980s.

It was appropriate, on Steve Larmer Heritage Night, that the Hawks would play fast on their feet and with their hands to come back and win a game against a quality opponent. It was appropriate that Versteeg would have two points and Toews would score a crucial goal. It was appropriate that the Indian was well represented by a good, fast, young team.

Last night, the Blackhawks truly honored the legacy of Steve Larmer.

On a personal note, last night was special for me as a fan of the Blackhawks. When I was six years old, I had no idea what hockey was. My father worked in public relations for a hospital in the suburbs of Chicago, and that winter (1986) Larmer would attend a charity event at the hospital.

Behind the scenes I met Steve Larmer that day, and he was cool. He shook my hand, signed me an autograph, and asked me what I had going on at the age of six. Before meeting the masses that day, Steve Larmer took a few minutes to make a six year old a life long Blackhawks fan.

When I bought my first Indian head sweater as an adult, there as no question what name and number would go on the back. Last night, a nostalgic 28 year old stood in line to get Steve Larmer's autograph again, this time on a jersey bearing his name and number.

I now own season Blackhawks tickets, and will continue to cheer whole- heartedly for the Hawks. It was an honor, 22 years later, to meet a true class act again. Hopefully some day his number will be retired and the legend of the Larmer-Secord-Savard line will live forever in the rafters.