Meet the Blackhawks There are many ways to win a championship in the National Hockey League NHL Some teams depend on superstars perstars to carry them to victory Others overwhelm opponents with wave tthh wwaavvee after wave of hardworking skaters Then there are the unexpected xpected champions the teams that make fans scratch their heads and s and wonder How did they do that The Chicago Blackhawks have won all three ways They ey work wonders with the talent on their roster and find ways to succeed that other clubs often overlook Win or lose however the Hawks play as hard and as smart as any team in the NHL This book tells the story of the Blackhawks They have had some amazing players and have won some heart-stopping games The most famous Blackhawks are known for being excellent all-around stars The team is at its best when each player hopping over the boards is ready to do whatever it takes to win Jonathan Toews and Patrick Kane start the attack for the Blackhawks 5
Glory Days The 1920s are sometimes called the Golden Age of Sports Sports of all kinds became wildly popular with the public Athletes became as famous as explorers movie stars and military heroes Unfortunately professional hockey lagged behind other sports At the dawn of this exciting time the NHL was based in Canada American fans were hungry for hockey but there was no place in the United States to see the NHL teams play Many people wondered whether a league that belonged to Canada could expand south of the country’s border and still call itself national The NHL was eager to try It started placing teams in major American cities including Chicago Illinois The Blackhawks played their first season in 1926 27 along with the New York Rangers and Detroit Cougars who later became the Red Wings 6
The Blackhawks had some of the league’s top players including high-scoring Johnny Gottselig and a pesky right wing named Mush March Goalie Chuck Gardiner was one of the best in the business This trio led the Blackhawks to the Stanley Cup in 1934 Chicago won the championship again four years later Burly Earl Seibert was a dangerous scorer and played great defense Mike Karakas starred in goal The Blackhawks of the 1930s were unusual because of the number of Americans they had in uniform Most teams had only one or two players born in the U S if any at all The owner of the Blackhawks Frederic McLaughlin wanted to promote American hockey He signed every U S player he could find During the 1940s the Blackhawks were led by several players destined for the Hall of Fame including Bill Mosienko Clint Smith and the Bentley brothers Max and Doug During the LEFT Johnny Gottselig was one of Chicago’s first stars ABOVE Team owner Frederic McLaughlin made finding American players a top priority 7
