Best Blackhawk From Each of the Past 6 Decades

Over the last week or so, a game called 84-0 has gone viral on X. The premise of the game is that the website 84-0.com gives you six lineup slots: center, right winger, left winger, two defensemen and a goalie. Then, they will generate an era and a team; you then have to pick a player from that team from that decade.

As I played it and saw the names of great players throughout history, I began to think about who the best Chicago Blackhawk was in each of the last few decades.

As a member of the Original Six, the Blackhawks have a rich history, with numerous great players having spent time in the Windy City. Here are my best Blackhawks in each of the last six decades.

2020s: Patrick Kane

The 2020s have been rough for the Blackhawks, which goes without saying. The list isn’t very long, with the great players of the 2010s moving on to other teams or just retiring altogether.

Connor Bedard seems like he’s reaching the heights we all expected, but that hasn’t been as much of an immediate impact as we thought it would have been. With all that being said, my selection is Patrick Kane.

Kane moved on from the Blackhawks during the 2022-23 season when he was traded to the New York Rangers. Before being moved to the Rangers, Kane was able to record a 92-point 2021-22 season, which is the third-highest point total of his career.

He was also sensational in the 2020 Playoffs, recording nine points in nine games while upsetting the Edmonton Oilers 3-1 in a best-of-five play-in series. They then lost in five games to the Vegas Golden Knights in the first round of the playoffs.

Although I think Bedard will eventually take this slot, Kane is a no-doubter for me in a low point in Blackhawks history.

2010s: Patrick Kane

To me, the 2010 selection came down to three options. When I first started this, I was trying to decide between selecting Jonathan Toews, Kane or Duncan Keith.

It was extremely difficult for me, with Duncan Keith winning two Norris Trophies during the 2009-10 and 2013-14 seasons, as well as a Conn Smythe during the 2015 Stanley Cup final.

Toews was outstanding in his own right, being probably the second-best two-way center of his generation behind just Patrice Bergeron. Toews won the Conn Smythe Trophy during the 2010 Stanley Cup Final as well as a Selke Trophy in 2012-13.

Both Keith and Toews have very valid cases, but to me, it again falls to Kane, who had his most productive seasons during the 2010s.

Kane had just two seasons in which he was below a point per game during this time frame and collected three Stanley Cups, a Conn Smythe Trophy in 2012-13, and the Art Ross Trophy, Hart Trophy, and Ted Lindsay Award during the 2015-16 season.

He was sensational in the playoffs, posting 109 points in 111 games throughout the 2010s. This decade cemented Kane as the greatest American-born player in the history of the sport and inspired a generation of hockey players to come.

2000s: Jonathan Toews

The early and mid 2000s weren’t filled with the success Blackhawks fans would come to experience during the 2010s, but that changed when the core of guys who would carry the modern-day dynasty emerged.

One of the biggest parts of turning the franchise around was when Toews broke through and became captain of the team at just 20 years old.

Although Kane beat Toews in the Calder race during the 2007-08 season, I give Toews the spot because of the added responsibility of becoming captain at such a young age.

Toews being so good in the defensive zone enabled Kane to play his highly skilled offensive game. On top of the elite defensive game, Toews posted a stellar 34 goals during the 2008-09 season and followed it up with 13 points in 17 games during his first taste of playoff hockey.

1990s: Ed Belfour

Ed Belfour not only won the Calder Trophy in the 1990s for the Blackhawks, but he also won two Vezina Trophies and two Jennings Trophies.

He had multiple deep runs with the Blackhawks, including a Stanley Cup Final appearance where they were unfortunately swept at the hands of the 1992 Pittsburgh Penguins.

Belfour posted just one season with under a .900 save percentage (SV%) after playing seven seasons in the 90s with the Blackhawks.

The 1990s were a fairly successful era for the Blackhawks, headlined by players like Chris Chelios and Steve Larmer. Belfour had the stats, as well as the hardware, during the 1990s, which is why I selected him.

One of my favorite facts about those Blackhawks teams in the 1990s is that they had Dominik Hasek sitting on the bench from 1990 to 1992.

1980s: Denis Savard

Denis Savard is littered throughout the history books in Chicago, starting his career during the 1980-81 season and was traded to the Montreal Canadiens for Chelios after the 1989-90 season.

Savard finished his Blackhawks career with the fifth most goals, third most assists, fourth most points, and the best goals and assists per game in Blackhawks history.

Although he won his Cup with the Canadiens, he never missed the playoffs as a Blackhawk and set the franchise’s single-season point record during the 1987-88 season with 131 points.

He was never able to win any individual awards throughout his career, and only made one All-Star Game, but he was still inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame. Savard feels like somewhat of an underrated player in the history of the game.

1970s: Tony Esposito

The 1970s were difficult for me because I was going back and forth between taking Tony Esposito or Bobby Hull. Ultimately, I decided to take Esposito.

In the 70s Hull ended up leaving for the Winnipeg Jets when they were in the WHA, only playing two seasons for the Blackhawks during that decade. Esposito played through the whole decade for the Blackhawks and was rock solid every season.

He collected the Calder and Vezina Trophies during the 1969-70 season, as well as two more Vezina Trophies during the 1971-72 and 1973-74 seasons.

Much like Savard, Esposito is littered throughout Blackhawks history books ranking seventh in SV%, first in shutouts, first in goals saved above average (GSAA), and first in saves. What makes the first in saves even more impressive is that in second place is Glenn Hall. Hall sits 7,146 saves back of Esposito.

It feels odd leaving guys like Hull, Keith, Chelios and even Doug Wilson, who won a Norris Trophy in the 1980s, off this list. At the end of the day, it’s a reflection of how rich the history of one of the oldest franchises in hockey is.