The best and worst teams in Blackhawks history

The Chicago Blackhawks organization has seen everything through the course of its centennial history. The Original Six franchise has iced some of the greatest teams the NHL has ever seen, especially in modern times during the Patrick Kane/Jonathan Toews era.

They have also put together some of the least-inspiring units the league has witnessed, particularly through its many rebuilding phases. Let's look at the three best/worst teams in Chicago's 100-year stint.

The best teams in Blackhawks history

1. 2012-2013

Of the Blackhawks six Stanley Cup teams, the 2012-2013 group was the most impressive of the lot. The team dropped an insane 36-7-5 record in a 48 game lockout-shortened season, including going their first 24 games without a loss in regulation. Their 77 points in the standings led the league, giving them the President's trophy. The team posted an .802 win percentage, by far the highest in franchise history.

Chicago carried that strong play into the postseason, going 16-7 in their championship run. They defeated the Boston Bruins in game six of the Cup final on the backs of two goals in 17 seconds by Bryan Bickell and Dave Bolland. Patrick Kane took home the Conn Smythe Trophy as playoff MVP with nine goals and ten assists in 23 games. Not only is it the best team in Blackhawks history, this is one of the top teams in the history of the NHL. Of note, no Presidents' Trophy-winning team has won the Cup since.

2. 2009-2010

No Blackhawks team has amassed more wins or points than the 2009-2010 squad. Chicago registered a 52-22-12 record with 112 points in the standings. This placed them second in the west behind the San Jose Sharks, who they would go on to sweep in the conference finals.

Kane scored his famous overtime winner in game six of the Stanley Cup final versus the Philadelphia Flyers. This ended the team's 49-year championship drought, the second-longest in the league's history at the time. Captain Jonathan Toews was awarded the Conn Smythe Trophy as he led the way for the team with seven goals and 22 assists in 22 games.

3. 2014-2015

It should not be a surprise that the Blackhawks three best teams in history are the 2010-2015 squads. Of these teams, the 2014-2015 group had the least impressive regular season. They posted a 48-28-8 record with 104 points in the standings. With that said, this team went on arguably the most impressive playoff run of the lot. They had the most difficult path to the Cup, having to go through a gauntlet that included the pesky Nashville Predators, Minnesota Wild, rival Anaheim Ducks and the emerging Tampa Bay Lightning.

Duncan Keith and Patrick Kane propelled the club to a Game 6 Stanley Cup victory on home ice, the first championship secured at Chicago since 1938. Keith brought home the Conn Smythe with three goals and 18 assists in 23 games. This sealed a modern-day dynasty as the Blackhawks won three Cups in six years.

The worst teams in Blackhawks history

1. 1953-1954

The Original Six era generally did not treat the Blackhawks kindly, as the team tended to finish as the worst of the six teams. The 1953-1954 team was the worst of the bunch, posting a 12-51-7 record for 31 points in the standings. This gave the team a .221 win percentage, the second worst in franchise history.

The gap between Chicago and the next-worst team, the New York Rangers, was 37 points. Their leading scorer was Larry Wilson. Who? Exactly. Somehow, starting goaltender Al Rollins was awarded the Hart Trophy that season as the league's MVP. The NHL must have felt bad for what he had to go through that year. Fair enough.

2. 2003-2004

The 2003-2004 season was the peak of Chicago's pre-dynasty dark days. This was the last season before the 2005 lockout, when fortune's started to look up with the arrivals of Keith and Brent Seabrook. Therefore, there were few players of note on this team. Interest in the team reflected that as the United Center would be lucky to be half full on most nights.

The team's home games were also not televised locally, which was probably for the best based on the on-ice product that was being displayed to the few people who decided to show up. The team posted a 20-43-19 record for 59 points in the standings. They actually didn't finish as the league's worst, although, that was only because of all the extra points on the table. Statistically, there are worse teams in Blackhawks history.

Although it is hard to find a worse roster than this one.

3. 2023-2024

Perhaps, recency-bias is in play with this selection. With that said, the 2023-2024 Blackhawks were a hard team to watch. They posted a 23-53-6 record for 52 points in the standings. Once again, this was surprisingly not the worst team in the league. However, this lineup was an absolute eye-sore. Outside of Connor Bedard, there was no player worth watching on this team.

Bedard missed 14 games that year with a broken jaw; those Bedard-less games paved the way for some of the worst hockey that has been seen at the NHL level. It is a scary thought to imagine how much worse this team would have been without Bedard. The team lost 22 road games in a row at one point, the worst mark in franchise history.

Unfortunately, the Blackhawks had used up their lottery luck at that point, as the San Jose Sharks were rewarded with Macklin Celebrini. Blackhawks fans are left to wonder what a Bedard-Celebrini connection could have looked like.

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