| 1973–74Chicago Black Hawks | |
|---|---|
| Division | 2ndWest |
| 1973–74 record | 41–14–23 |
| Home record | 20–6–13 |
| Road record | 21–8–10 |
| Goals for | 272 |
| Goals against | 164 |
| Team information | |
| General manager | Tommy Ivan |
| Coach | Billy Reay |
| Captain | Vacant |
| Alternate captains | Doug Jarrett Stan Mikita Bill White |
| Arena | Chicago Stadium |
| Team leaders | |
| Goals | Jim Pappin (32) |
| Assists | Stan Mikita (50) |
| Points | Stan Mikita (80) |
| Penalty minutes | Phil Russell (184) |
| Plus/minus | Bill White (+51) |
| Wins | Tony Esposito (34) |
| Goals against average | Tony Esposito (2.04) |
The1973–74Chicago Black Hawks season was the Hawks'48thseason in theNHL, and the club was coming off their fourth consecutive first-place finish in1972–73, as they finished on top of theWest Division with a 42–27–9 record, earning 93points. The Black Hawks defeated theLos Angeles Kings in the NHL quarter-finals, but lost to theBoston Bruins in the semi-finals.[1]
Chicago started the season slowly, as they had a 2–4–4 record in their first ten games; however, the club then went on a nine-game unbeaten streak to push themselves over the .500 mark. The Hawks battled with thePhiladelphia Flyers all season long for the top spot in the West Division, as Chicago finished with a record of 41–14–23, earning 105 points, which was their third-highest total in club history. It was not enough though, as the Flyers dethroned the Black Hawks for top spot in the West, as they finished with 112 points thus ending Chicago's streak of four consecutive division titles. The 14 losses by Chicago was the fewest by the team in one season, while the 23 ties they recorded was a new team record.[2]
Offensively, the Black Hawks were led byStan Mikita, who had a club-high 50 assists and 80 points, whileJim Pappin led the team in goals for the second consecutive season, as he scored 32 goals, and finished with 73 points.Pit Martin scored 30 goals and 77 points, whileDennis Hull had 29 goals and 68 points. On defense,Dick Redmond emerged as the offensive leader, scoring 17 goals and 59 points, whileBill White recorded 36 points, while having a team-high +51 rating.Phil Russell had 10 goals and 35 points, while having a team-high 184 penalty minutes.
In goal,Tony Esposito led the club with 34 victories and a 2.04 GAA, along with ten shutouts while appearing in 70 games.[3] Rookie goaltenderMike Veisor backed up Esposito, going 7–0–2 with a 2.23 GAA in 10 games.[4] Chicago tied thePhiladelphia Flyers with the fewest goals against in the league at 164, asTony Esposito and the FlyersBernie Parent shared theVezina Trophy for their achievements.
The Hawks opened the playoffs against theLos Angeles Kings, who had a record of 33–33–12, earning 78 points, while placing third in the West Division. The series opened with two games atChicago Stadium, and the Black Hawks used their home ice to their advantage, defeating the Kings 3–1 and 4–1 to take a 2–0 series lead. The series shifted toThe Forum in Los Angeles for the next two games, and the Hawks continued to shut down the Kings in the third game, shutting them out 1–0. Los Angeles avoided the sweep by easily handling the Black Hawks 5–1 to send the series back to Chicago. In the fifth game, the Hawks, led byTony Esposito, shut out Los Angeles by a score of 1–0 to eliminate the Kings from the playoffs.
Chicago's next opponent was theBoston Bruins, who had finished the season with a 52–17–9 record, earning 113 points, and a first-place finish in the East Division. The Bruins swept theToronto Maple Leafs in the first round. The series opened up with two games at theBoston Garden, but it was Chicago who struck first, doubling the Bruins 4–2 in the series opener. Boston responded in the second game, winning 8–6 to even the series. The next two games were played in Chicago, and the Black Hawks re-took the series lead, defeating Boston 4–3 in overtime; however, the Bruins rebounded, winning the fourth game 5–2 to even the series again. The fifth game was back in Boston, and the Bruins took their first series lead, dominating Chicago by a score of 6–2. Boston clinched the series in the sixth game, winning 4–2 on Chicago ice to eliminate the Black Hawks from the post-season.
| GP | W | L | T | GF | GA | DIFF | Pts | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Philadelphia Flyers | 78 | 50 | 16 | 12 | 273 | 164 | +109 | 112 |
| 2 | Chicago Black Hawks | 78 | 41 | 14 | 23 | 272 | 164 | +108 | 105 |
| 3 | Los Angeles Kings | 78 | 33 | 33 | 12 | 233 | 231 | +2 | 78 |
| 4 | Atlanta Flames | 78 | 30 | 34 | 14 | 214 | 238 | −24 | 74 |
| 5 | Pittsburgh Penguins | 78 | 28 | 41 | 9 | 242 | 273 | −31 | 65 |
| 6 | St. Louis Blues | 78 | 26 | 40 | 12 | 206 | 248 | −42 | 64 |
| 7 | Minnesota North Stars | 78 | 23 | 38 | 17 | 235 | 275 | −40 | 63 |
| 8 | California Golden Seals | 78 | 13 | 55 | 10 | 195 | 342 | −147 | 36 |
Vs. West Division[edit]
| Vs. East Division[edit]
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| 1973–74 regular season[2] | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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October
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November
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December
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January
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February
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March
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April
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Legend: Win (2 points) Loss (0 points) Tie (1 point) |
| 1974 Stanley Cup playoffs[2] | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Quarterfinals vs. (W3) Los Angeles Kings – Black Hawks win 4–1
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Semifinals vs. (E1) Boston Bruins – Bruins win 4–2
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Legend: Win Loss |
| Player | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Stan Mikita | 76 | 30 | 50 | 80 | 46 |
| Pit Martin | 78 | 30 | 47 | 77 | 43 |
| Jim Pappin | 78 | 32 | 41 | 73 | 76 |
| Dennis Hull | 74 | 29 | 39 | 68 | 15 |
| Dick Redmond | 76 | 17 | 42 | 59 | 69 |
| Player | GP | TOI | W | L | T | GA | SO | GAA |
| Tony Esposito | 70 | 4143 | 34 | 14 | 21 | 141 | 10 | 2.04 |
| Mike Veisor | 10 | 537 | 7 | 0 | 2 | 20 | 1 | 2.23 |
| Player | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Stan Mikita | 11 | 5 | 6 | 11 | 8 |
| Dennis Hull | 10 | 6 | 3 | 9 | 0 |
| Jim Pappin | 11 | 3 | 6 | 9 | 29 |
| Bill White | 11 | 1 | 7 | 8 | 14 |
| Dick Redmond | 11 | 1 | 7 | 8 | 8 |
| Player | GP | TOI | W | L | GA | SO | GAA |
| Tony Esposito | 10 | 584 | 6 | 4 | 28 | 2 | 2.88 |
| Mike Veisor | 2 | 65 | 0 | 1 | 5 | 0 | 3.75 |
Chicago's draft picks at the1973 NHL amateur draft held at theMount Royal Hotel inMontreal.
| Round | # | Player | Nationality | College/Junior/Club team (League) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 13 | Darcy Rota | Edmonton Oil Kings (WCHL) | |
| 2 | 29 | Reg Thomas | London Knights (OHA) | |
| 3 | 45 | Randy Holt | Sudbury Wolves (OHA) | |
| 4 | 61 | Dave Elliot | Winnipeg Jets (WCHL) | |
| 5 | 77 | Dan Hinton | Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds (OHA) | |
| 6 | 93 | Gary Doerksen | Winnipeg Jets (WCHL) | |
| 7 | 109 | Wayne Dye | New Westminster Bruins (WCHL) | |
| 8 | 125 | Jim Koleff | Hamilton Red Wings (OHA) | |
| 9 | 140 | Jack Johnson | University of Wisconsin (NCAA) | |
| 9 | 141 | Steve Alley | University of Wisconsin (NCAA) | |
| 10 | 156 | Rick Clubbe | University of North Dakota (NCAA) | |
| 11 | 165 | Gene Strate | Edmonton Oil Kings (WCHL) |