NHL Hockey Trivia: Chicago Blackhawks Retired Numbers

The Chicago Blackhawks have been a fixture in the National Hockey League since the 1926-27 season. Many great hockey players have worn the red, black and white of the Blackhawks. Only a select group of these hockey legends have had their numbers taken out of circulation by the team and raised to the rafters for eternity.

Test and expand your hockey trivia knowledge of the Chicago Blackhawks retired numbers with these four hockey trivia questions.

Q. Two goaltenders have had their numbers retired by the Chicago Blackhawks. What goalie is the number 35 retired for?

A. Tony Esposito played for Chicago from 1969-70 until 1983-84. With exception of 13 games played with the Montreal Canadiens in 1968-69, Esposito played his whole career in Chicago. Tony finished his career with 76 shutouts and a 2.92 goals against average in 886 regular season games. Esposito was enshrined in the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1988, four years after his brother Phil Esposito.

The other number retired by Chicago for a goaltender is number 1 in honour of Glenn Hall. Glenn played for Chicago from 1957-58 to 1966-67. He came to the Blackhawks from the Detroit Red Wing and ended his career with the St. Louis Blues. The three time Vezina Trophy winner was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1975.

Both Tony Esposito and Glenn Hall had their numbers retired by the Blackhawks on the same day, November 20, 1988.

Q. What number is retired by the Chicago Blackhawks for two different players?

A. The number 3 is retired in honour of two defensemen, Pierre Pilote and Keith Magnuson. Both were long time blue liners in Chicago. Pilote was a three time winner of the Norris Memorial Trophy as the league’s top defenseman.

Pilote played for Chicago from 1955-56 to 1967-68, spending one last year in the NHL with the Toronto Maple Leafs in 1968-69. Magnuson played his entire NHL career with Chicago from 1969-70 to 1979-80. Both Pilote and Magnuson had their number retired by the Blackhawks on the same night, November 12, 2008. For Magnuson, it was posthumously, having died in 2003.

Q. The number 21 is retired by the Chicago Blackhawks in honour of what long-time great?

A. Stan Mikita holds the all-time Blackhawks career records for points and assists. He is the only NHL player to win the Art Ross Trophy, Hart Memorial Trophy and the Lady Byng Trophy in the same year. He accomplished this in two consecutive seasons during the 1960’s.

Mikita played his entire NHL career with Chicago from 1958-59 to 1979-80. His number was retired on October 19, 1980 and he entered the Hockey Hall of Fame three years later in 1983.

Q. The Blackhawks retired number 9 for what Hockey Hall of Fame player?

A. Easy question. Bobby Hull wore number 9 for the Blackhawks from 1957 to 1972 before becoming the face of the fledgling World Hockey Association. In 1983, Bobby entered the HHOF along with long time line mate Stan Mikita. On December 18, 1983, his number was retired by Chicago.

 

NHL Hockey Trivia: Tony and Phil Esposito

Phil and Tony Esposito are two brothers that played in the National Hockey League in the 1960’s, 1970’s and 1980’s. Both are members of the Hockey Hall of Fame, both have their jersey numbers retired by an NHL club and both were members of Team Canada at the 1972 Summit Series against the Soviet Union.

One brother started his National Hockey League career with the same team the other ended up with. Read on and find out what team that was.

Test and expand your hockey trivia knowledge of the Esposito brothers with the following four trivia questions.

Q. What NHL team did Tony Esposito first play for?

A. All but thirteen of Tony’s NHL games were played with the Chicago Black Hawks. However, in 1968-69, he played those thirteen games with the Montreal Canadiens. At the time, both regular goalies were injured and Esposito was a call-up from the Houston Apollos of the Central Hockey League. Tony did not take part in the Stanley Cup playoffs that season when the Canadiens won the Cup.

1968-69 was before Ken Dryden came on the scene in Montreal. However, Tony still had Gump Worsley and Rogie Vachon to compete with. Worsley soon after entered the HHOF and Vachon should be there but has repeatedly been denied. The following year, 1969-70, Esposito walked into the number one spot in Chicago, appearing in 63 of 76 regular season games for the Blackhawks with Gerry Desjardins and Denis DeJordy seeing sparse action in backup roles.

Q. What NHL team did Phil Esposito first play for?

A. Phil was sponsored by the Chicago Black Hawks right from junior hockey with the St. Catherines TeePees of the Ontario Hockey Association. Esposito played four seasons with Chicago, in the shadow of Bobby Hull and Stan Mikita before being traded to the Boston Bruins where his career rocketed.

That trade is notorious for its one-sidedness. On May 15, 1967, going to Boston along with Phil were Ken Hodge and Fred Stanfield. Heading to Chicago were Gilles Marotte, Pit Martin and Jack Norris. Esposito was part of another blockbuster trade in November, 1975 that sent him to the Rangers. Phil and Carol Vadnais went to the Big Apple while Brad Park, Jean Ratelle and Joe Zanussi went to Bean Town. He ended his career with New York.

Q. Which Esposito’s rookie hockey card is worth the most, according to Beckett Hockey?

A. The Tony Esposito rookie card was part of the 1969-70 O-Pee-Chee series and has a book value of $150. However, the Phil Esposito rookie card from the 1965-66 Topps series tops that with a book value of $400. Both Esposito rookie cards show the brothers as members of the Chicago Blackhawks.

Q. Which Esposito brother entered the Hockey Hall of Fame first?

A. Phil Esposito was the first of the two brothers to enter, being inducted in 1984. Tony followed in 1988. Phil played his final games in the National Hockey League during the 1980-81 season with the New York Rangers. This meant that he entered the Hockey Hall of Fame after the minimum three year waiting period. At his side in 1984 were goaltender Bernie Parent and career Montreal Canadien Jacques Lemaire.

Tony appeared in 18 games with the Blackhawks in 1983-84, his last games in the NHL. Four years later, he entered the HHOF, along with Guy Lafleur and Brad Park. Buddy O’Connor was also posthumously inducted.