Throwback Thursday: Pierre Pilote

2 of 2

Chicago Blackhawks alumni Pierre Pilote wit Norris Trophy (Photo courtesy of blackhawks.nhl.com)

In the previous season (1960-61) Pierre Pilote had the honors of winning a Stanley Cup alongside Bobby Hull & Stan Mikita. Many probably did not know that following that Championship it wasn’t Hull or Mikita that was crowned as the Captain of the team, instead the iron man Piolte was given the C to wear on his sweater. He earned it though, through his excellent play on both ends of the ice. On one end he would be laying out to block shots (w/o a helmet era) and then on the other end he would skillfully possess the puck with precision handling and score if he wanted to.

The hard-nosed defensive play earned him the JamesNorris Memorial Trophy during 3 consecutive seasons in 1963, 1964, and 1965. What is even more astonishing is that he was so close to making it 6 consecutive Norris Trophy’s but he finished 2^nd in voting during 1962, 1966, and 1967 . On May 23, 1968 due to the circumstances of the business and an aging Pierre Pilote, he was traded to the Toronto Maple Leafs for Jim Pappin. He ended up only playing for 1 season with the team before retiring the following year. In 1975 he was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame. The Chicago Blackhawks organization officially retired the #3 jersey in honor of both Pierre Pilote & Keith Magnuson on November 12, 2008.

Notable achievements:

Selected to First or Second All-Star Team every year from 1960 to 1967
Played in eight consecutive All-Star games 1960 to 1967

Any Pierre Pilote fans out there on Throwback Thursday? Let me know what your thoughts are or any specific memories you may have in the comments below!

Don’t forget to check out the other writer’s articles for more great info and opinions. For more updates and conversation, follow us on Twitter @Blackhawk_Up and friend us on Facebook at Blackhawk Up.