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Every Blackhawks fan is talking about Connor Bedard right now, who was selected first overall and has the potential to turn things around for Chicago. If Bedard turns out to be the guy we need him to be, the future is bright. Since the team has changed over the years, I’ll go back in time and rank my top ten favorite Chicago Blackhawks players that I was excited to watch.
#10: Forward, Brandon Saad. Saad played 499 games with the Hawks and won the cup with them in 2013 and 2015. Saad was a gritty forward who was always in the right spot. He’s scored 114 goals and had 127 assists. Saad would always score the game’s first goal, which helped the Hawks buzz.
#9 Defenseman, Niklas Hjalmarsson. Hjalmarsson played from 2007-2017. He played 623 games and had a +106. He also won the cup three times with the Hawks and was a lockdown defenseman willing to put his body on the line to block a shot.
#8 Forward, Andrew Shaw. Shaw played angry; there were multiple occasions when he got his face cut open and would leave the ice to get stitches. Shaw would come back with the same mentality he played with before. He scored 75 goals with 76 assists and 339 penalty minutes in his time with the Blackhawks. Shaw got in a lot of fights, had his teammates back, and always kept the energy flowing.
#7 Defenseman, Brent Seabrook. Seabrook spent his whole career with the Hawks, with 1,114 games played and 464 points. Standing 6’3 and weighing 220, Seabrook was a terrifying leader. He was gritty in the corners and in front of our net. He had a +111 goal differential, Seabrook proved his tier. He was especially clutch in the playoffs which helped Chicago win their Stanley Cups.
#6 Forward, Marian Hossa. Hossa was an offensive weapon. He made sweet passes and had a quick release. In 534 games, Hossa scored 186 goals and tallied 229 assists. Hossa was great offensively and was a superstar but he fell just short of the top 5.
#5 Goalie Corey Crawford. Crawford spent his whole career with the Hawks and had both great and poor seasons. Playing in 488 games with 260 wins, Crawford’s save percentage was 918% out of 1000%. When the team needed him, Crawford made unbelievable saves. He was a vocal leader and always displayed his desire to win.
#4 Forward, Patrick Sharp. Playing 749 games with the Hawks and recording 249 goals and 283 assists, Sharp was an important part of both our offense as well as our defense. Sharp wore the “A” for the assistant captain and fit the role well. He won 3 cups with the Hawks and showed his hockey intelligence. Sharp was a consistent player and could flash his skill and grit effortlessly.
#3 Forward, Patrick Kane. Kane was the definition of clutch and pure talent. Given the nickname Showtime, he played in 1,161 games with 446 goals and 779 assists. In 2015, Kane went off winning the Art Ross trophy, the Hart Memorial Trophy, and the Ted Lindsay Award. Kane earlier in his career won the Calder Memorial Trophy in 2007 and the Conn Smythe Trophy in 2013. Kane’s hands were majestic. He was clutch. One example is the cup winner in 2010. I think he lacked defensively, but he made up for it on offense.
#2 Forward and captain, Jonathan Toews. Toews played all 1067 games with the Hawks and had 372 goals and 511 assists. Toews wore the “C” for captain and was nicknamed Captain Serious. He was super effective on breakaways and was pretty physical. Toews would always have his teammate’s back and would drop the gloves when needed.
#1 We have defenseman, Duncan Keith. Keith played in 1192 games recording 105 goals and 520 assists. In 2010 he was the league’s top defenseman and won the Noris trophy. What I liked the most about Keith was his stamina. His season-low time on ice average was 19 minutes and 43 seconds. While in his prime he was averaging 26 minutes on the ice a game. Keith was an elite lockdown defenseman who could read the ice better than any other defenseman. He played physically but also was great with his stick. He released heaters of a clap bomb and was highly educated. They need to retire his number.
Honorable mentions include Brian Bickell, Marcus Kruger, and Johnny Oduya.
