The best players to wear every jersey number in Blackhawks history ·

23 Jun 2024, 00:00

The Boston Bruins have retired 11 numbers. The Toronto Maple Leafs have retired 13. The Montreal Canadiens have raised 15 to the rafters.

The Blackhawks? They have retired seven numbers. They’ve always been a little more guarded about sending numbers to the rafters even when fans have pleaded for more over the years.

The question in the coming years is how many numbers will be retired from the Blackhawks’ three most recent Stanley Cup teams. Three? Four? Five?

Those possibilities and many others made our list of the best players to wear every jersey number in Blackhawks history.

1: Glenn Hall

Hall won two of his three Vezina trophies with the Blackhawks and finished seven times in the top six in Hart Trophy voting. The Blackhawks retired his number in 1988.

Notable: Charlie Gardiner should probably have his No. 1 retired, too. He won two Vezinas and was part of the 1934 Stanley Cup team. He died at 29 after the 1933-34 season due to infection complications.

2: Duncan Keith

It’s only a matter of time before No. 2 is retired. Keith has won two Norris trophies and was the defensive anchor for three Stanley Cups.

3: Pierre Pilote

Pilote was the premier defenseman of the 1960s. He won the Norris Trophy three times and was the runner-up another three times. The Blackhawks retired his number in 2008.

Notable: The Blackhawks also retired No. 3 for defenseman Keith Magnuson in 2008.

4: Niklas Hjalmarsson

A key member of three Stanley Cups, Hjalmarsson will go down as one of the best defensive defensemen in Blackhawks history.

Notable: Bobby Orr wore No. 4 with the Blackhawks at the end of his career.

5: Max Bentley

Bentley produced 109 goals and 256 points in 235 games over six seasons with the Blackhawks. He won the Hart Trophy in 1946 and was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1966.

Notable: Howard “Mush” March played 17 seasons with the Blackhawks. He’d be much further up the games-played list if they had played 82-game schedules back in his day.

6: Paul Thompson

Thompson led the Blackhawks in goals and points during their Stanley Cup championship seasons of 1933-34 and 1937-38.

Denis Savard and Chris Chelios are now both ambassadors for the Blackhawks. (Bill Smith / NHLI via Getty Images)

7: Chris Chelios

Many top players have worn this number for the Blackhawks. Chelios won two Norris trophies. Doug Bentley, Johnny Gottselig and Brent Seabrook are in the discussion, too.

8: Bill Mosienko

Mosienko produced 540 points in 711 games over 14 seasons with the Blackhawks. He was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1965.

Notable: Hall of Famer Roy Conacher scored at least 20 goals in all four of his full seasons in Chicago, and won the scoring title in 1948-49.

9: Bobby Hull

Hull owns the franchise record with 604 career goals and accumulated 1,153 points in 1,036 career games with the Blackhawks. He won two Hart trophies and finished in the top three in voting for the award eight times.

10: Tony Amonte

Amonte played during some lean years in the late-1990s, making just one playoff appearance in his last five seasons in Chicago, but he was an offensive juggernaut, with three 40-goal seasons and three more 30-goal seasons in seven full seasons. He edges out Dennis Hull (298 goals in 904 games) and Patrick Sharp (219 goals in 619 games).

11: Bill Hay

Hay produced 386 points over 506 games with the Blackhawks. It was him, not Hull or Stan Mikita, who led the team in points during their 1960-61 Stanley Cup season.

12: Ed Litzenberger

From 1956-59, Litzenberger scored 32, 32 and 33 goals. He won the Calder Trophy for the 1944-45 season during which he was traded from Montreal to Chicago.

Notable: Peter Bondra scored his 500th goal during his 37-game, career-closing stint with the Blackhawks.

13: Alex Zhamnov

One of just four players to wear lucky No. 13 (Daniel Carcillo, Tomas Jurco, Nick Wasnie), Zhamnov scored at least 20 goals in five of his seven seasons in Chicago.

14: Ab McDonald

McDonald scored what proved to be the Stanley Cup-winning goal in 1961. It was his fourth championship his four seasons, having started his career with the Montreal Canadiens. McDonald had 180 points over four seasons with the Blackhawks

Notable: Ken Hodge wore No. 14 for the Blackhawks before blossoming in Boston. Theo Fleury wore it for a year during his one season (his last NHL season) in Chicago.

15: Eric Nesterenko

Recently passed by Brent Seabrook and Duncan Keith, Nesterenko is fifth all-time with 1,013 games in a Blackhawks uniform. The two-time All-Star was on the 1961 Stanley Cup squad.

Notable: Carl Dahlstrom (no, not that one; this one was a center who went by Cully) won the Stanley Cup in 1938 and had 206 points in 342 games.

Eddie Olczyk is one of a few Chicago-area products on this list. (Robert Laberge / Allsport)

16: Eddie Olczyk

Olczyk’s hometown credentials and legacy as a TV analyst give him the edge over Chico Maki and Michel Goulet. The third-overall pick in 1984 started and ended his career in Chicago, with 209 points over parts of five seasons.

Notable: Bobby Hull wore No. 16 during his first three seasons.

17: Kenny Wharram

Wharram spent his entire 14-year career in a Blackhawks sweater, winning the Stanley Cup in 1961 and the Lady Byng in 1964, when he had 39 goals and 71 points in 70 games. He scored 30 goals in his 14th and final season.

Notable: Earl Seibert patrolled the Blackhawks’ blue line for a decade and was a member of the 1938 Stanley Cup champions.

18: Denis Savard

Savard won his lone Stanley Cup in Montreal, but he bleeds Blackhawks red. In 13 seasons with the Blackhawks, split over the beginning and end of his career, Savard racked up 1,096 points in 881 games, including a career-high 131-point season in 1987-88. Fourteen of his 15 career hat tricks came with the Blackhawks. He added 145 points in 131 playoff games.

19: Jonathan Toews

Named captain at age 20, Toews has been the face of the franchise for 13 years, leading the team to three Stanley Cups as one of the league’s premier two-way forwards. The four-time All-Star won the Conn Smythe in 2010 and the Selke in 2013.

Notable: Current radio analyst Troy Murray and former TV analyst (and general manager) Dale Tallon each wore No. 19 for the Blackhawks.

20: Al Secord

The only player in NHL history to score more than 40 goals and take more than 300 penalty minutes in one season (he had 44 goals and 303 PIMs in 1981-82), Secord was one of a kind. The following season, he had 54 goals while cutting back to 180 PIMs. He added one more 40-goal season in 1985-86.

Notable: Cliff Koroll had five straight 20-goal seasons in the mid-1970s.

21: Stan Mikita

The greatest Blackhawk of them all, Mikita is first all-time in points (1,467) and games (1,396) and second in goals (541). He won back-to-back Hart trophies from 1966-68. A consummate pro and beloved human, Mikita had a string of 14 straight seasons with at least 24 goals. He won four scoring titles despite never cracking 100 points in a season.

22: Grant Mulvey

A two-time 30-goal scorer, Mulvey is the only player in Blackhawks history to score five goals in a game, on Feb. 3, 1982 against the Blues. He had 281 points over nine seasons in Chicago.

Notable: Marcus Kruger briefly wore No. 22 when Andrew Ladd was reacquired for the 2016 stretch run.

23: J.P. Bordeleau

The most prestigious number in Chicago sports (Michael Jordan, Ryne Sandberg, Devin Hester) has a less impressive history with the Blackhawks. But Bordeleau scored exactly 15 goals four times and was a steady performer over his nine-year career (all with Chicago). He gets the edge over Kris Versteeg, who wore No. 23 during his first stint in Chicago before switching to 32.

24: Doug Wilson

One of the more egregious omissions of the Hockey Hall of Fame, Wilson posted 779 points in 938 games as a defenseman with the Blackhawks before finishing his career with two half-seasons in San Jose, where he’s now the general manager. The seven-time All-Star won the Norris Trophy for the 1981-82 season, during which he scored 39 goals.

Notable: Bob Probert got into 96 fights while wearing No. 24 for the Blackhawks, according to hockeyfights.com.

25: Viktor Stalberg

The speedy winger never could match his 22-goal season in his second full campaign, but he’s the best of the bunch here with 90 points in 203 games with the Blackhawks.

Notable: Dave Christian, a member of the 1980 U.S. Olympic team, wore No. 25 for the final 69 games of his career with the Blackhawks.

26: Steve Sullivan

In his five seasons in Chicago, Sullivan had 118 goals and 303 points in 370 games. A two-way standout, he scored a league-high eight shorthanded goals during the 2000-01 season. Later in his career, with Nashville, he won the Masterton Trophy after missing nearly two years with a back injury.

27: Jeremy Roenick

Only Denis Savard (1.24) averaged more points per game in a Blackhawks jersey than Roenick (1.14), who racked up 596 points in 524 games over eight seasons. In a four-season span from 1990-94, Roenick scored 190 goals, including two 50-goal seasons and three straight 100-point seasons.

Notable: Johnny Oduya won two Stanley Cups in a No. 27 Blackhawks jersey, beating a Kings team coached by Darryl Sutter — who also wore No. 27 for Chicago — along the way in 2013.

Many fans would like the Blackhawks to retire Steve Larmer’s number. (AP Photo / Matt Marton)

28: Steve Larmer

A number that belongs in the United Center rafters, Larmer averaged more than a point per game over 11 full seasons in Chicago, including five 40-goal campaigns. He won the Calder Trophy for his 43-goal rookie campaign in 1982-83. He never missed a game in his Blackhawks career.

29: Bryan Bickell

Bickell’s postseason heroics (he had nine goals and eight assists in the 2013 Cup run, then added seven more goals the following spring) give him the edge here over Ted Bulley, who had a couple of 20-goal seasons in the late-1970s. Bickell had 135 points in 384 games with the Blackhawks before health issues derailed his career and he was traded to Carolina.

Notable: No. 29 is one of six different numbers worn by forward Steve Dubinsky during parts of eight seasons with the Blackhawks.

30: Ed Belfour

Twenty goalies have worn No. 30 for the Blackhawks (no skater ever has), but none can touch The Eagle, who won 201 games over eight seasons in Chicago. His save percentage with the Blackhawks was just .903, but it was obviously a different era. In his second season in 1990-91, Belfour led the league with a .910 percentage.

Fun fact: Belfour racked up 240 penalty minutes as a Blackhawks goaltender. Glenn Hall is second with just 62.

31: Antti Niemi

Niemi only played one full season in Chicago, but he made the most of it, backstopping a Stanley Cup run. The rookie had a .910 save percentage and 2.63 GAA during those playoffs. That trumps the steadiness of Jeff Hackett, the superior stats of Antti Raanta, the hometown cred of Craig Anderson, and the oh-what-might-have-been rookie season of Dominik Hasek.

32: Steve Thomas

The all-time leading scorer among English-born players (he and Ken Hodge are pretty much the list, and both were raised in Canada), Thomas spiked a 40-goal season in the 1989-90 season. He also was an unstoppable juggernaut in the early EA Sports days.

Notable: Bruce Boudreau wore No. 32 for seven games during the 1985-86 season.

33: Dirk Graham

The 1991 Selke winner and two-way standout scored 152 goals over six full and two half-seasons with the Blackhawks. He’s ninth on the all-time NHL list with 35 shorthanded goals (if you’re wondering, Wayne Gretzky is first with 73).

Notable: Dustin Byfuglien switched to No. 33 for the 2009-10 season.

34: Bill Gardner

Gardner had a nice three-year run from 1982-85 in which he scored 59 goals. He went on to be a TV analyst for the Blackhawks and now works on the Chicago Wolves broadcast team.

Notable: Tim Erixon and Jiri Sekac wore No. 34 in recent seasons. Hey! Remember Tim Erixon and Jiri Sekac?

Tony Esposito is still a fixture around the Blackhawks organization. (Chase Agnello-Dean / NHLI via Getty Images)

35: Tony Esposito

The only No. 35 in Blackhawks history and the only one there ever will be, as it’s been hanging from the rafters since 1988. Aside from five games with Montreal at the start of his career, Tony O spent his whole career in Chicago, racking up 418 career victories — 142 more than Glenn Hall, his nearest competitor. The six-time All-Star won three Vezinas and the Calder.

36: Dave Bolland

The man who scored the second-most famous goal in franchise history (in Boston in 2013) was a key figure on two championship teams, the quintessential agitator who could draw penalties and drive opponents batty while shutting down top lines and chipping in some goals, too. He scored 19 goals twice in his seven seasons in Chicago.

37: Adam Burish

Burish didn’t see a ton of ice time on those star-laden teams of the late-2000s, but he played a key role off the ice. Marian Hossa frequently credited Burish for keeping things light, particularly during the tensest days of the 2010 Cup run. And who are we to argue with Marian Hossa?

38: Ryan Hartman

Only a handful of Blackhawks ever wore No. 38, and Hartman’s the clear class of the bunch. Once considered a key member of the Blackhawks’ future, and a West Dundee native, the irascible Hartman spiked a 19-goal rookie season before being traded to Nashville for the first-round pick that became Nicolas Beaudin at the 2018 deadline.

39: Nikolai Khabibulin

The Bulin Wall had four decent seasons in Chicago. In the last of those, 2008-09, he had a .919 save percentage before backstopping the Blackhawks to the Western Conference final. He returned to Chicago to back up Corey Crawford for the 2013-14 season, but played four games, suffered a mysterious injury and was never heard from again.

40: Darren Pang

Only three skaters have worn No. 40 for the Blackhawks, with John Hayden the most prominent among them. That leaves us to choose between Pang and Robin Lehner. Lehner made quite an impact in his brief time here, but Pang lasted two seasons — his entire NHL career — in Chicago, finishing third in the Calder race as a rookie. He’s now a well-known TV analyst based out of St. Louis.

41: Jocelyn Thibault

Of his 586 career NHL games, Thibault spent his most time with the Blackhawks. He had a .905 save percentage over 321 games with them. He was selected to the All-Star Game in 2003. He’s faced the 57th most shots in an NHL career.

42: Jon Klemm

Klemm was the Blackhawks’ No. 1 defenseman for a short stretch. He averaged 22:47 of ice time for 171 games with the Blackhawks in the early 2000s.

Notable: Joakim Nordstrom is the best No. 42 rapper the Blackhawks have ever had.

43: James Wisniewski

Wisniewski began and ended his North American hockey career in Chicago. He was first with the Blackhawks and later with the Chicago Wolves. He had a solid career for being a fifth-round pick by the Blackhawks in 2002.

44: Patrick Poulin

Poulin bounced around in his career and ended up with the Blackhawks for a few seasons. He had 70 points in 141 career games with them in the 1990s

45: Bryan Muir

Muir didn’t spend a lot of time with the Blackhawks. He was acquired in a trade in November 1998 and traded away in November 1999, but he played more games than anyone else with No. 45 with the organization.

46: Colin Fraser

Fraser did what was needed for the Blackhawks in his fourth-line role during the Blackhawks’ 2010 Stanley Cup season.

47: Martin St. Pierre

St. Pierre has the most impressive resume of the 47s with one goal and three assists in 21 career games for the Blackhawks.

48: Vinnie Hinostroza

Hinostroza was hopeful of spending a lifetime with his hometown team, but he was shipped out shortly after signing a contract.

49: Michael Leighton

Leighton won No. 49 in each of his stints with the Blackhawks. Of course, he is remembered most by Blackhawks fans for being on an opposing team.

Corey Crawford and Erik Gustafsson both made this list. (Kamil Krzaczynski / USA Today)

50: Corey Crawford

Crawford has been the Blackhawks’ No. 1 goalie for the past decade and was in net for two Stanley Cup championships. The appreciation for what he has accomplished has grown in recent years.

51: Brian Campbell

Campbell was one of the organization’s most significant signings in the years leading up to the 2010 Stanley Cup. He averaged nearly 23 minutes of ice time in his first stint with the Blackhawks.

52: Dustin Byfuglien

Byfuglien wore a few different numbers with the Blackhawks. He’s probably more remembered for No. 33, but he wore No. 52 early on and tops this list.

Notable: Never forget Radek Smolenak!

53: Brett McLean

McLean’s 31 points in 78 games with the Blackhawks puts him atop the short list of No. 53s.

54: Brian Felsner

Remember Felsner? Maybe not, but he’s the most notable No. 54. He played in 12 games during the 1997-98 season, and that’s four more than Dave Chyzowski, the other 54.

55: Eric Daze

Daze could light up the net. He scored 30 goals as a rookie and kept on scoring until his career was cut short due to injuries. He finished with 226 goals in 601 games.

56: Erik Gustafsson

Gustafsson played more games with the Blackhawks than anyone who wore No. 56. His 60-point season as a defenseman gives him the edge, too.

57: Trevor van Riemsdyk

TvR missed most of the 2014-15 season, but he came back in the playoffs and appeared in four Stanley Cup final games.

58: Ivan Droppa

Droppa played just 19 games for the Blackhawks, but that beats out P.A. Parenteau’s five games. You don’t see many Droppa jerseys around the United Center.

59: Travis Moen

Moen was the only of three players to wear the number for more than a handful of games. He accumulated 142 penalty minutes in 82 games as a rookie for the Blackhawks in the 2003-04 season.

60: Collin Delia

Delia has been the only No. 60. He could earn this spot in the coming years.

62: Luke Johnson

Johnson has been the only No. 62. He played in 15 games for the Blackhawks.

63: Carl Dahlstrom

The other Carl Dahlstrom has been the only No. 63. He played in 49 games for the Blackhawks before the Winnipeg Jets claimed him on waivers while he was in Prague prior to this season’s opener.

64: David Kampf

Kampf and Tyler Motte are the only Blackhawks to ever wear No. 64. Kampf already has 179 NHL games under his belt.

Whether or not we’ve seen the last of Andrew Shaw on the ice, he’s left a mark with the Blackhawks. (Bill Smith / NHLI via Getty Images)

65: Andrew Shaw

Shaw and his playing style are unique, so it makes sense for only him to ever wear this abnormal hockey number.

67: Michael Frolik

Frolik stands out among the three players to wear No. 67. He was the ultimate role player and was part of the 2013 Stanley Cup team.

68: Slater Koekkoek

Koekkoek is one of two players to wear the number. Stephen Tepper, the other, played just one game.

70: Dennis Rasmussen

Rasmussen is the lone No. 70 in team history. He will go down as one of team’s nicest people.

72: Artemi Panarin

Panarin is one of two players to wear the number. He had a pretty lasting impact in his two seasons with the Blackhawks, and people will always wonder what he and Patrick Kane could have created over more time.

74: Nicolas Beaudin

Beaudin has been the only No. 74. He gained this spot by making his NHL debut in the Blackhawks’ last game before the season was suspended.

77: Kirby Dach

Dach beats out Paul Coffey for No. 77 only because Coffey played just 10 games for the Blackhawks near the end of his career.

80: Antoine Vermette

Vermette has been the only No. 80. He was a rental in 2015 and contributed in the Stanley Cup run.

81: Marian Hossa

Hossa has been the only No. 81 for the Blackhawks. Will anyone ever wear this number again? Hossa is arguably the biggest free-agent signing of any Chicago franchise. He lifted the Blackhawks over the hump in 2010 and helped them to two more Stanley Cups after that.

82: Tomas Kopecky

Kopecky wasn’t as influential as the other Slovakian player (see No. 81) who arrived from the Detroit Red Wings in 2009, but he still played a role in the 2010 Stanley Cup.

84: Alexandre Fortin

Fortin has been the lone No. 84 for the Blackhawks. He was the hot prospect for a minute, but he’s been in the AHL mostly the last few years.

85: Rostislav Olesz

Olesz is the only No. 85 in team history. He played in six games for the Blackhawks and was bought out in 2013.

86: Teuvo Teravainen

Teravainen is the only No. 86 in team history — sort of fitting for a player fans still pine for.

88: Patrick Kane

Kane will be the only Blackhawk to ever wear No. 88. He’s arguably the greatest American hockey player. He continues to climb an assortment of Blackhawks career lists and may unseat Stan Mikita in a few franchise categories if he plays with the Blackhawks for long enough.

Scott Foster played the least amount of ice time to get on this list. (Daniel Bartel / Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)

90: Scott Foster

He earned his place on the list with 14-plus minutes of emergency goalie work. And, yes, he is the only player to ever wear No. 90 for the Blackhawks.

91: Brad Richards

Richards’ stay with the Blackhawks was short and sweet while contributing one season in their 2015 Stanley Cup run.

92: Bernie Nicholls

Nicholls was in his 30s when he arrived to the Blackhawks in 1994, but he still had it. He produced 111 points in 107 games in two seasons with them.

Notable: Michael Nylander and his son Alex Nylander have both worn No. 92 with the Blackhawks.

93: Doug Gilmour

Gilmour is the only player to wear 93. He did have 56 points in 72 games and averaged 22:29 of ice time in his one full Blackhawks season (1998-99).

94: Yanic Perreault

Perreault played his final NHL season (2007-08) with the Blackhawks. The reason the Blackhawks now ask him to help their players with faceoffs is he won 64.5 in that one season in Chicago.

95: Dylan Sikura

Sikura has been the only No. 95. He’s proven to be a quality AHL player. We’ll see if he can eventually do it in the NHL.

(Photo: Bruce Kluckhohn / NHLI via Getty Images)

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