Chicago Blackhawks Greatest 100- #15 Tony Amonte

The Top 100 Countdown is down to the Final 15, and tonight we talk about a player that saw the good and the really bad in Chicago Blackhawks history. 

Tony Amonte was drafted by the New York Rangers, and when he arrived in the Big Apple he couldn’t get along with the new coach Mike Keenan.  I know, what a shocker! Not too many young players ever did get along with Keenan throughout the years.

Amonte arrived in Chicago at the 1994 trade deadline which sent

Brian Noonan

and

Stephane Matteau

to the Rangers, and well Matteau did score a pretty famous goal for the Rangers in their run to the Stanley Cup.

But enough about that, Amonte had a scoring touch and when he arrived in Chicago was teamed up with Jeremy Roenick who were old high school buddies, and Amonte’s offensive skills started to shine in the Windy City.

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The two had instant chemistry, and they ended up scoring and assisting on the last goal in Chicago Stadium history during the 94 Stanley Cup playoffs against the Toronto Maple Leafs.

Amonte had the scoring touch and he could do it at full strength, powerplay, or even shorthanded. When he left the Chicago Blackhawks in 2001 he was 2nd all-time in shorthanded goals trailing only Dirk Graham.

Amonte scored 40 or more goals 3 times during his Blackhawks career that lasted 9 seasons.  He ended up scoring 268 goals in a Chicago Blackhawks jersey, and he’s just recently been passed in the record books by Patrick Kane and Jonathan Toews.

Amonte was also named Captain of the Blackhawks during the dark ages which really began after the Hawks made it to the Conference Finals in 1995.  By the time he left the Hawks were in the middle of a 12 year run that would produce only 1 playoff appearance which ended up being a sweep.

This year on Twitter, I asked what was your first favorite player or the player you grew up liking as a kid, and to my surprise Tony Amonte was mentioned more than even Roenick which shows what kind of impact he had on the city when he played here.

Next: Possible 2nd Line Combo

Only 15 more days left until the seasons begins!! Can’t wait!