Chicago Blackhawks Greatest 100- #75 Mike Karakas

It’s seems like we just started our countdown to opening night, and here we are one quarter of the way through the countdown to #1.  Today we look at another Stanley Cup Champion. 

It’s easy to make this list and put tons of Stanley Cup champions on it because of the recent success of the Chicago Blackhawks, but today’s entry makes it on the list for winning the Cup a long time ago.

The Blackhawks list of great goalies always starts with Tony Esposito, but although he won over 400 games, he never hoisted the Stanley Cup while wearing a Chicago Blackhawks jersey.

That being said Mike Karakas had a 114-165-52 career record, but he found the magic in the 1938 Stanley Cup playoffs and won the Stanley Cup for the Chicago Blackhawks.

The 1938 team is only one of two teams to ever win the Stanley Cup with a losing record which makes this team a real Cinderella story.

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• Best Blackhawks Goalie of All-Time: Esposito, Hall, or Crawford?
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Of course there are always neat little stories inside of bigger stories, and such is the story of Karakas in the 38 playoffs.

Karakas played with a broken foot during the Stanley Cup Final and wore a steel boot to protect it which is a pretty wild story that probably never would happen these days.

Karakas of course asked for a raise ($500) the year after winning the Stanley Cup, and Frederic McLaughlin said thanks but not thanks and told Karakas he was no longer needed in Chicago. Of course the Hawks wouldn’t win another Stanley Cup until 1961.

Karakas would come back and backstop the Blackhawks during World War II, but he never was able to guide them to another Cup.

Karakas was inducted to the United States Hockey Hall of Fame. Karakas is a Stanley Cup Champion and #75 on our countdown.

Next: The History OF Blackhawks Players Returning

Only 75 days left until the Chicago Blackhawks host the Pittsburgh Penguins on October 5th.