When the 2026-27 season begins, it will mark the 100th season for the Chicago Blackawks. Unbelievable moments spread throughout, not to mention great players and trophies galore. An original six team, Chicago has gone through plenty of ups and downs since the 1925-26 season. We look back at the past, look at the present, and look at the future.
The early days of the Blackhawks
The Blackhawks were an Original Six team along with the Toronto Maple Leafs, Montreal Canadiens, Detroit Red Wings, Boston Bruins, and New York Rangers. The team was founded by Frederic McLaughlin. He purchased the Portland RoseBuds, a defunct franchise, to form the Blackhawks. Chicago would become the NHL's inaugural team with a starting lineup of all American-born players.
The team was named after the U.S. Army's 86th "Blackhawk" division, one in which McLaughlin served in World War I.
George Hay would score the first goal in franchise history on November 17, 1926. He scored against Toronto St. Pats goaltender John Ross Roche 3 minutes and 20 seconds into period one. Chicago went on to win their first NHL game 4-1 in front of a crowd of more than 7,000. The Blackhawks would finish the season in third place in the American Division with a 19-22-3 record for 41 points in 44 games.
Chicago has won six Stanley Cups and has made the playoffs 63 times in its history with a 268-275 playoff record. Entering the 2026-27 season, they have an all-time record of 2,943-2,990-814-223 for 6,923 points. Their all-time points leader is Stan Mikita with 1,467 points, and the all-time wins leader is Tony Esposito with 418 wins. The Blackhawks currently have eight retired numbers, including Glenn Hall (#1), Pierre Pilote and Keith Magnuson (#3), Bobby Hull (#9), Mikita (#21), Esposito (#'s25, 35), and Marian Hossa (#81). Chicago also has Mikita, Hull, Esposito, Chris Chelios, Hossa, Duncan Keith, and Denis Savard in the Hockey Hall of Fame.
The present and future
The Blackhawks have gone through some growing pains over the years. Missed playoffs, off-the-ice issues, and management and coaching turnover. Nothing seemed to be going right. However, they are taking strides and slowly becoming a solid team. They still have a ways to go before they become a dangerous team again, but they have some solid pieces in place. Their turnaround started the moment they drafted Connor Bedard with the first pick in 2023. He immediately took this team on his back, something unheard of for such a young player. Bedard is easily a top-10 player in the league and is the most dangerous offensive weapon Chicago has. The more consistent he is, the better Chicago is. However, he may have company, as the young core is already contributing.
The future of the Blackhawks is here, and Bedard will take Chicago as far as he can take them. Needless to say, he now has company. Goaltender Spencer Knight showed last season that he can carry this team to wins. The forward group received an energy boost last season as Frank Nazar, Oliver Moore, and Ryan Greene came up huge in secondary roles. The defense looks promising with Sam Rinzel, Artyom Levshunov, and Louis Crevier standing tall on the backend. That's a solid foundation to build around Bedard with. Not to mention Anton Frondell will take a big step forward, and Roman Kantserov, who is expected to do some huge things on NHL ice.
The Blackhawks are not where they once were, but they are building a potentially Cup-contending team. Overall, a solid roster that is getting younger and better every season, which may get even better this offseason with rumors spreading about two players who are on Chicago's radar. Plenty of excitement ahead for the Chicago faithful, and they have been waiting to see Blackhawks playoff hockey for a while.
