Ranking the Blackhawks' top 10 one-season wonders
There is a good chance your favorite Blackhawks team featured a household name or two: Patrick Kane. Jonathan Toews. Denis Savard. Bobby Hull.But some of those teams featured unsung heroes who, for a brief amount of time, did a spectacular amount of dirty work that you might have forgotten.One-season wonders, akin to the ‘one-hit wonders’ of the music world, carry a certain negative connotation. But are the players to blame? In many cases, not at all.An NHL ‘one-season wonder’ can set the world on fire for one team, only to be traded soon after. Or lost to free agency. Or lost to an injury.We’re taking a look at the greatest ‘one-season wonders’ in Chicago Blackhawks history. These players, in large part, gave NHL fans countless reasons to cheer over the years. But it was their one season of dominance on the West Side that made them stand out a bit more.Here is our list of the top 10:
Lehner gave the Hawks a serious jolt in December and January and it helped his club get into position for a playoff push. He had three separate personal three-game winning streaks during this time— one of them a dazzling 36 save performance (37 attempts) in a 4-1 win at Winnipeg back on Dec. 19. He also made a season-high 53 saves in a wild victory over the Maple Leafs back on Nov. 10. He came to the Hawks last season on a one-year, $5 million free agent contract. He was sent to Vegas in a last-minute trade deadline deal back in February.
Vaive was one of the integral players on the Maple Leafs’ teams of the 80s. He had career highs in goals (54) during the 1981-82 season and points (93) two seasons later. But he came to the Hawks in one of the more memorable trades in team history. He, along with Steve Thomas and Bob McGill, came to the Hawks for Al Secord and Eddie Olczyk before the 1987 season. In Vaive’s one full season with the Hawks, he netted 43 goals and 26 points. Not bad. But he was traded to Buffalo midway through the next season for another player you’ll soon meet on this list.
Madden spent 10 seasons in New Jersey, building up a strong resume as one of the best defensive forwards in the NHL. He helped the Devils to two Cups and won the Selke Trophy in 2001. He tallied 23 points (10 goals, 13 assists) during his one season in Chicago. But his veteran leadership helped pave the way to bring the Hawks their first title since 1961. A lot of what he did was away from the spotlight, such as leading the team in blocked shots both in the regular season and in the playoffs. He also helped kill penalties and mentor several of the young guns on the team.
It’s a little unfair, perhaps, to give Pappin the ‘one-season wonder’ tag, as his Blackhawks career was certainly more than sufficient. He eclipsed the 30-goal mark four times and topped the 70-point mark three more. But the ’72-’73 season was something to behold. He busted out for career highs in goals (41), assists (51) and points (92). Plus, he did it for a team that took first place in the NHL West division for coach Billy Reay and company. Pappin played very well in the playoffs that season, helping his team to the Stanley Cup Final. But they couldn’t get past the Canadiens, losing in six games.
Yes, it was Adam Creighton who came to the Blackhawks from Buffalo in the aforementioned Rick Vaive trade in December 1988. And the center came through the following season with his career year: 34 goals, 36 assists and 70 points for coach Mike Keenan’s Norris Division champs. His 34 goals were second only to Steve Thomas (40). Unfortunately, that was his one big season. The 1990-91 campaign (22 goals) was modest by comparison. He was traded to the Islanders along with Steve Thomas for Brent Sutter and Brad Lauer in October 1991.
The Hawks’ first round draft pick (ninth overall) from the 2001 NHL Draft had a decent rookie season— 23 goals, 21 assists (44 points) while playing in all 82 games. After the 2004-05 lockout, Ruutu set his sights on building off that solid first year. But various injuries, including one that required ankle surgery, diminished those hopes. After another season and a half of up-and-down play, he was traded to the Hurricanes at the 2008 trade deadline for Andrew Ladd. Ruutu established career highs in goals for Carolina in 2008-09 (26).
You look at Richards’ numbers in his lone season in a Hawks sweater and they’re rather pedestrian compared to his time with the Lightning, Stars or Rangers. He accounted for 37 points (12 goals, 25 assists). But his veteran leadership and knack for capitalizing on key moments made his tenure in Chicago all the more memorable. He scored three goals and racked up 11 assists in the playoffs this year, capped off with a sweet pass to Patrick Kane in Game 6 of the Stanley Cup Final against Tampa Bay. Kane’s goal gave the Hawks a 2-0 lead in the game. It helped seal the win and clinch another Cup.
We’re going to take a wild guess that no Blackhawks fans got to see Karakas in his rookie season. And that’s a shame. He became the first goalie in NHL history to win the Calder Trophy— a razor-thin 1.85 GAA and nine shutouts played a huge role in that. He played on and off for the Blackhawks in subsequent years— his last in 1945-46. He couldn’t recapture the statistical magic of that first season but he did help the Hawks to a Stanley Cup Championship in 1937-38. He became one of the original members of the Hockey Hall of Fame.
Havlat played three seasons in Chicago. His first one (’06-’07) was solid— 25 goals, 32 assists. Injuries limited his performance in ’07-’08. But his breakout campaign came the following season, as he went for 25 goals and career highs in both assists (48) and points (77). He helped guide the Blackhawks to their first playoff berth since 2002. Hawks fans remember his memorable playoff opener against Calgary, as he scored a game-tying goal in the third period and the winner just 12 seconds into overtime. Havlat would sign a long-term deal with the Wild later that summer.
Niemi’s value to the Hawks’ first Stanley Cup championship team since 1961 simply cannot be understated. Cristobal Huet was the primary starter for the first two months, but Niemi eventually grabbed the reins and never let go. He tallied 26 wins in 35 starts in the regular season. But he saved his best for the postseason. He shut out the Predators twice in the opening round. Then against the Sharks in the Western Conference Final, he made 44 saves in both games 1 and three (good for an overall .949 save percentage in the series). A few weeks later, he would become the first Finnish goalie to win the Stanley Cup.
