Blackhawks Number History, 16-20

As we’ve hit the slow part of the National Hockey League’s offseason, with most rosters being set and very little business left to take care of, it’s a good time for history lessons. The Chicago Blackhawks have a century’s worth of history lessons to teach, so we’re only going to scratch the surface over the next few weeks.

Our Blackhawks Number History series will look at every number ever worn over the 100 seasons of hockey. We’ll feature the best player to wear each number, as well as give you some fun history nuggets and tidbits. If you missed the first two posts, be sure to check numbers 1-5, numbers 6-10, and numbers 11-15.

I wanted to give a special shoutout to Sean Sullivan (@sulli26), who supplied me with all the numbers from 1926-50. If you’re a lover of Blackhawks history, be sure to check out his Chicago Game Worn Jersey Expo on Saturday, Nov. 21 in Skokie.

No. 16 – Chico Maki

Number of players to wear No. 16: 49
First to wear No. 16: Hugh Lehman
Last to wear No. 16: Anton Frondell
The rest of the No. 16s: Bobby Burns, Stew Adams, Helge Bostrum, Louis Trudel, Roger Jenkins, Bob Gracie, Ab Demarco, Bob Carse, Gordie Buttrey, George Gigor, Russ Brayshaw, Wingy Johnson, Bill Gadsby, Bep Guidolin, Guyle Fielder, Carl Gardner, Larry Wilson, Ray Timgren, Dave Creighton, Johnny Wilson, Bobby Hull, Chico Maki, Kirk Bowman, Mike Walton, Rich Preston, Eddie Olczyk, Duane Sutter, Mike Stapleton, Michel Goulet, Dan Vincelette, Kevin Miller, Martin Gendron, Jarrod Skalde, Steve Dubinsky, Kris King, Matt Henderson, Peter White, Matt Ellison, Radim Vrbata, Andrew Ladd, Martin St. Pierre, Marcus Kruger, Ryan Potulny, Marcus Kruger, Nikita Zadorov, Jujhar Khaira, Jason Dickinson.
Fun Fact: Bobby switched from No. 16 to 9 when it became available in 1961 to honor his childhood idol and rival, Gordie Howe.

Chico Maki is one of those fun names from the past who had one heck of a career with the Blackhawks. He spent his entire 14-season NHL career in Chicago. He scored 143 goals and 436 points in 841 games. He made his NHL debut in Game 1 of the 1961 NHL Final, which was the only game he appeared in. He played in 117 playoff games and played in three more Stanley Cup Finals in 1965, 1971, and 1973.

Maki became one of the league's best penalty killers, scoring 12 career shorthanded goals. He played in back-to-back All-Star Games in 1971 and 1972. The 1970-71 season saw him score a career-high 22 goals, his only 20-goal season in 14 seasons.

No. 17 – Kenny Wharram

Number of players to wear No. 17: 50
First to wear No. 17: Percy Traub
Last to wear No. 17: Nick Foligno
The rest of the No. 17s: Helge Bostrum, Doc Romnes, Frank Ingram, Art Coulter, Earl Seibert, Cully Simon, Harry Dick, Ralph Nattrass, Metro Prystai, Steve Black, John Michaluk, Vic Stasiuk, George Gee, John McCormack, Hec Lalande, Billy Dea, Kenny Wharram, Brian McDonald, Ray McKay, Darryl Maggs, Dave Kryskow, Alain Daigle, Peter Marsh, Wayne Presley, Dan Vincelette, Rod Buskas, Joey Murphy, Sergei Klimovich, Basil McRae, Ethan Moreau, Kevin Miller, Petri Varis, J.P. Dumont, Wendel Clark, Reto Van Arx, Mike Peluso, Chris Simon, Stephane Robidas, Michael Holmqvist, Kevyn Adams, Ryan Johnson, Brendan Morrison, Sheldon Brookbank, Jimmy Hayes, Lance Bouma, Dylan Strome, Jason Dickinson.
Fun Fact: It took over two seasons for a player wearing No. 17 to score a goal. Defenseman Percy Traub had no goals during the 1926-27 season. Hegle Bostrum, another blueliner, had no goals in 20 games during the 1929-30 season. He finally lit the lamp for a No. 17 on Dec. 4, 1930, against the New York Americans.

Kenny Wharram is one of the players from the 1960s who was overshadowed by greats like Bobby Hull and Stan Mikita, but consistently put up good numbers. He scored 252 goals and 533 points in 766 NHL games, all with the Blackhawks. He scored a career-high 39 goals in 1963-64, 31 in 1966-67, and scored 30 in his final season, 1968-69, at 35 years old.

Wharram was part of the Scooter line, where he and Mikita meshed into a great partnership. The first version of this line featured Hall of Famer Ted Lindsay. After he retired, Ab McDonald was the third member, and this line played a huge role in the 1961 Stanley Cup championship. After McDonald was traded to the Boston Bruins, Doug Mohns joined Wharram and Mikita. He was forced into retirement after being diagnosed with myocarditis during the 1969 training camp. He ended his career with seven straight seasons of at least 20 goals.

No. 18 – Denis Savard

Number of players to wear No. 18: 41
First to wear No. 18: Lolo Couture
Last to wear No. 18: Denis Savard
The rest of the No. 18s: Vic Dejardins, Roger Jenkins, Virgil Johnson, Bert Connelly, Bob Gracie, Joffre Destilets, Max Bentley, Vic Heyliger, Pete Horeck, Adam Brown, Vic Stasiuk, Edward Leier, Pat Lundy, Ray Powell, Jim McFadden, Jim McBurney, Paul Masnick, Norm Corcoran, Ken Mosell, Howie Glover, Phil Maloney, Norm Johnson, Wayne Hillman, Chico Maki, Wayne Hicks, Len Lunde, Murray Hall, John McKenzie, Fred Stanfield, Billy Dea, Paul Terbenchi, Andre Boudrais, Jim Wiste, Gerry Pinder, Andre Lacroix, Moe L’Abbe, Brian Ogilvie, Darcy Rota, Greg Fox
Fun Fact: Savard has the most points in NHL history for a player who wore No. 18.

What can be said about Denis Savard that hasn’t already been said? He’s one of the greatest Blackhawks of all time, with his No. 18 hanging in the rafters of the United Center. He had his best years in Chicago, scoring 377 goals and 1,096 points in 881 games over two stints with the Blackhawks. He debuted shortly after being the third overall pick of the 1980 NHL Entry Draft and scored 28 goals and points in his rookie season.

Savard was undersized, at 5’10 and 170 pounds, but he used his speed and skill to become one of the best players in the land of giants. He had at least 20 goals in each of his first 12 seasons. He had five seasons of over 100 points and owns the four greatest offensive seasons in franchise history: 131 (1987-88), 121 (1982-83), 119 (1981-82) and 116 (1985-86). He’s fifth in franchise history with 377 goals, third with 719 assists, and fourth with 1,096 points. Savard was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 2000.

No. 19 – Jonathan Toews

Number of players to wear No. 19: 47
First to wear No. 19: Helge Bostrum
Last to wear No. 19: Jonathan Toews
The rest of the No. 19s: Doc Romnes, Joffre Destilets, John Chad, Reg Bentley, Virgil Johnson, Butch McDonald, Jack Jackson, Henry Blade, Bud Poile, Bert Olmstead, Joe Conn, Pete Conacher, Steve Hrymnak, Jack Price, Rags Raglan, Lou Jankowski, Hec Lalande, Jerry Toppazzini, Frank Martin, Eddie Mazur, Doug Barkley, Dollard St. Laurent, Al MacNeil, Ron Ingram, Wally Boyer, Bobby Schmautz, Doug Shelton, Howie Menard, Gene Ubriaco, Dan Maloney, Len Frig, Dale Tallon, Harold Phillipoff, Red Sedbauer, Troy Murray, Florent Roibdoux, Karl Dykhuis, Dean McCammon, Randy Cunneyworth, Brent Grieve, Danton Cole, Ethan Moreau, Ryan Vandenbusse, Kyle Calder, Denis Arkhipov
Fun Fact: Before becoming the first head coach of the Chicago Wolves, Gene Ubriaco was hired as the Pittsburgh Penguins’ head coach by then general manager Tony Esposito.

Jonathan Toews is the greatest captain in Blackhawks history, so, of course, he’s the greatest No. 19. I don’t think we need to talk too much about how great he was, as it’s been written about on this website numerous times. In his 15 seasons with the Blackhawks, he scored 372 goals and 883 points in 1,067 games. He captained three Stanley Cup championship teams, won the Conn Smythe and Selke Trophies, the Mark Messier Leadership Award, and was named to the NHL’s 100th Anniversary Team. Now that he is officially retired, he will take his place in the Hockey Hall of Fame in three years. It’s only a matter of time before his No. 19 is retired and a statue is placed outside of the United Center.

No. 20 – Al Secord

Number of players to wear No. 20: 43
First to wear No. 20: Joe Stark
Last to wear No. 20: Ryan Greene
The rest of the No. 20s: John Mariucci, Mike Buckna, Red Mitchell, Emile Francis, Art Michaluk, Lee Fogolin, Max Quackenbush, Sid Abel, Murray Costello, Dick Gamble, Frank Martin, Hank Ciesla, Bob Bailey, Bill Dineen, Earl Balfour, Merv Kuryluk, Murray Hall, Wayne Hillman, Aut Erikson, Doug Jarret, Cliff Koroll, Al Secord, Jim Playfair, Dan Vincelette, Mike Hudson, Gary Suter, Darin Kimble, Mark Janssens, Tom Fitzgerlad, Casey Hankinson, Mike Eastwood, Eric Nickulas, Ville Nieminen, Brandon Bochenski, Andy Hibert, Robert Land, Jack Skille, Sami Lepisto, Brandon Saad, Brett Connolly, Rem Pitlick
Fun Fact: Cliff Koroll (1971 & 1973) and Brandon Saad (2013 & 2015)

This was a tough call and came down between Cliff Koroll and Al Secord. Do you take the guy with the long, consistent career, or the guy who provided the big numbers? The latter won out as Secord gets the nod as the best No. 20 in Blackhawks history. He arrived in Chicago after being acquired from the Boston Bruins in 1980 for Mike O’Connell. He made an immediate impact by scoring 44 goals in his first full season with the Blackhawks. He was the first player in NHL history to have 40 goals and 300 penalty minutes in the same season. The following season, in 1982-83, he became the only player besides Bobby Hull to have a 50-goal season. His 54 goals are the second-highest season total in team history.

The two-time NHL All-Star became a fan favorite for scoring goals while being a legitimate tough guy. If you dared take a run at Savard during this time, you’d have to answer to Secord. Unfortunately, his playing style took a toll as he dealt with numerous injuries, causing him to miss a lot of time. He played 466 games in his two stints with the Blackhawks, scoring 213 goals and 373 points.

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