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Nearly 60 different goaltenders have guarded the net for the Blackhawks during their 71 years of existence. Amazingly, only 4 of those goalies account for nearly 50% of the games played and over 50% of the wins. These same 4 netminders have also tallied over 60% of the team's shutouts. What made this quartet so special? Let's take a look at each of these masked (and sometimes unmasked) marvels and see. Charlie Gardiner was the first great goaltender in the history of the Blackhawks organization. He joined the Hawks in their second year of existence, the 1927-28 season. Gardiner's style of play was to come out of the net to cut down the angle of the shooter. He was also known for his sense of humor, once playing with a derby on his head that somebody had thrown to the ice. Gardiner led the Blackhawks to their first Stanley Cup in 1934. Sadly, he died two months later of a brain tumor. Charlie Gardiner was with the Blackhawks from 1927 to 1934. GP W L T SO MINS GA GAA A PIM 316 112 152 52 42 19687 664 2.02 0 2 GP W L T SO MINS GA GAA A PIM 21 12 6 3 5 1472 35 1.42 0 0 Glenn Hall was the undisputed ironman of NHL goaltenders. His amazing record of 502 straight regular season games in goal is one that will likely never be broken. Add to that the fact that he did it in an era when goalies didn't wear masks and it becomes even more unbelievable. He is largely credited with inventing the "butterfly style" of goaltending. Hall led the league in shutouts for six straight seasons. He helped the Hawks capture the Stanley Cup in 1961. Glenn Hall was with the Blackhawks from 1957 to 1967. GP W L T SO MINS GA GAA A PIM 618 275 230 108 51 36601 1599 2.62 6 52 GP W L T SO MINS GA GAA A PIM 69 31 38 - 5 4152 198 2.86 0 2 Tony Esposito was a mainstay in goal for the Blackhawks during the 1970's. Esposito was known for his wild style of goaltending that often sent him sprawling to the ice. Although unorthodox, the style worked well for him as he set the modern day record for shutouts in a season with 15 in 1969-70. Esposito never got a chance to hoist the Stanley Cup with the Blackhawks, but he did win it as a member of the Montreal Canadiens as a rookie in 1969. Tony Esposito was with the Blackhawks from 1969 to 1984. GP W L T SO MINS GA GAA A PIM 873 418 303 147 74 51839 2529 2.92 25 31 GP W L T SO MINS GA GAA A PIM 99 45 53 - 6 6018 308 3.07 0 0 Another Blackhawk goaltender known for his unorthodox style was Ed Belfour. He came out of virtually nowhere when he went undrafted and was signed as a free agent in 1987. In 1990, Belfour won the starting goaltender job over 7 other players in camp. That year, with a record of 43-19-7, he swept the Vezina, Calder and Jennings trophies. He also led the Blackhawks to the Stanley Cup finals that season before losing to Pittsburgh. The Blackhawks weren't able to capture the Stanley Cup while he was with them, but Belfour later won it as a member of the 1998-99 Dallas Stars. Ed Belfour was with the Blackhawks from 1988 to 1997. GP W L T SO MINS GA GAA A PIM 415 201 138 56 30 23679 1047 2.65 17 242 GP W L T SO MINS GA GAA A PIM 68 35 29 - 3 3942 164 2.50 0 20 GOALIE GP WINS SO MINS Charlie Gardiner 6.42% 5.71% 12.80% 6.83% Glenn Hall 12.56% 14.02% 15.55% 12.70% Tony Esposito 17.75% 21.30% 22.56% 17.99% Ed Belfour 8.44% 10.24% 9.15% 8.22% Site hosted by GeoCities |