1966–67 Chicago Black Hawks season



The 1966–67 Chicago Black Hawks season was the Hawks' 41st season in the NHL. The Hawks finished 1st place in the league and lost in the Semi-finals to the Toronto Maple Leafs 4 games to 2.

Regular Season
Chicago started the season very strong, leading the NHL with a record of 8-2-2 in their first 12 games, and continued their winning ways all season long. The Black Hawks finished the season with a club record in wins with 41, and points with 94, as Chicago finished in first place for the first time in team history. The Hawks were 17 points better than the second place Montreal Canadiens, and heavy favorites to win their second Stanley Cup of the decade.

Offensively, the Hawks were led by Stan Mikita, who led the NHL with 97 points, winning the Art Ross Trophy, Hart Memorial Trophy, and the Lady Byng Trophy. His 97 points tied the NHL record, set by teammate Bobby Hull in the 1965-66 season. Hull recorded his second straight 50+ goal season, as he scored 52 goals, and added 28 assists to finish second in the league with 80 points. Kenny Wharram finished fourth in league scoring, as he scored 31 goals and 65 points, while Phil Esposito and Doug Mohns were not far behind, earning 61 and 60 points respectively. Team captain Pierre Pilote anchored the blueline, scoring 6 goals and 52 points. Fellow defenseman Ed Van Impe led the team with 111 penalty minutes.

In goal, Denis DeJordy earned the majority of playing time, as he won a team high 22 games, while posting a 2.46 GAA and 4 shutouts. Glenn Hall had his playing time cut back, however, he had a very solid season, winning 19 games, while having a team best 2.38 GAA, and earning 2 shutouts. DeJordy and Hull earned the Vezina Trophy as the Hawks allowed the fewest goals against in the league.

Toronto Maple Leafs 4, Chicago Black Hawks 2
The Hawks would open the playoffs against the Toronto Maple Leafs. The Leafs finished the season in third place, as they had a record of 32-27-11, earning 75 points, which was 19 fewer than the Black Hawks. The series opened with two games at Chicago Stadium, and the Hawks had an easy time defeating Toronto in the series opener, with a 5-2 victory, however, the Leafs stormed back in the second game, beating Chicago 3-1 to even the series up. The series shifted to Maple Leaf Gardens for the next two games, and the teams once again split the games, as Toronto won the third game by a 3-1 score, and Chicago took the fourth game, holding off the Leafs for a 4-3 win. The fifth game returned to Chicago, however, it was Toronto who took a 3-2 series lead, beating Chicago 4-2. The sixth game was played in Toronto, and the Maple Leafs completed the upset, winning the game 3-1 to advance to the Stanley Cup finals, and end Chicago's season.

Awards and Records

 * Prince of Wales Trophy: Chicago Black Hawks
 * Hart Memorial Trophy: Stan Mikita
 * Art Ross Trophy: Stan Mikita
 * Lady Byng Memorial Trophy: Stan Mikita
 * Vezina Trophy: Glenn Hall & Denis DeJordy
 * James Norris Memorial Trophy: Pierre Pilote
 * Calder Memorial Trophy: Ed Van Impe, Runner-up
 * Stan Mikita, Center, NHL First Team All-Star
 * Bobby Hull, Left Wing, NHL First Team All-Star
 * Kenny Wharram, Right Wing, NHL First Team All-Star
 * Pierre Pilote, Defense, NHL First Team All-Star
 * Glenn Hall, Goalie, NHL Second Team All-Star

Draft Picks
Chicago's draft picks at the 1966 NHL Amateur Draft held at the Mount Royal Hotel in Montreal, Quebec.

Trivia

 * Black Hawks who recorded a Hat trick this season include:
 * Stan Mikita during the 5-4 win over the Boston Bruins on November 27, 1966.
 * Doug Mohns during the 4-2 win over Boston on January 19, 1967.

Video
Nearly 10 minutes of random clips from the 1966-67 season set to Mexican horn music. At 1:45, Boston's Wayne Connelly scores, assisted by Ron Schock, which tied the December 28, 1966 game versus the Montreal Canadiens at 1-1.