1987–88 Chicago Blackhawks season
| 1987–88 Chicago Blackhawks | |
|---|---|
| Division | 3rd Norris |
| 1987–88 record | 30–41–9 |
| Goals for | 284 |
| Goals against | 328 |
| Team information | |
| General Manager | Bob Pulford |
| Coach | Bob Murdoch |
| Captain | Vacant |
| Alternate captains |
Keith Brown Steve Larmer Troy Murray Denis Savard |
The 1987–88 Chicago Black Hawks were coming off a year in which they finished third in the Norris Division and were swept in the first round of the playoffs by the Detroit Red Wings. The Hawks made several moves in the offseason with GM Bob Pulford replacing himself as coach with Bob Murdoch and trading young star Eddie Olczyk and old star Al Secord to the Toronto Maple Leafs for wingers Rick Vaive and Steve Thomas and defenseman Bob McGill. Goaltender Bob Mason was the summer's big free agent signing. Though relatively untested at the NHL level, Mason was in demand after an impressive performance in the 1987 playoffs. In addition to Mason, the team signed Ed Belfour, who had just backstopped the University of North Dakota to the NCAA championship, and used their number one pick in the June draft to select Jimmy Waite from the Quebec major junior league. The Blackhawks regular goaltenders from the previous season, veterans Murray Bannerman and Bob Sauve, never played another regular season game for Chicago. The Blackhawks also acquired Duane Sutter from the New York Islanders in exchange for a 1988 2nd round pick.
The Blackhawks were a streaky team - winning five in row in October, followed by 7 straight without a win, then won five of the next seven, then lost eight straight. The up and down season ended on the down with the Hawks going winless in their last eight games of the season. The team's fortunes were greatly hampered by injuries, with regulars Doug Wilson, Keith Brown, Steve Thomas, Wayne Presley, Duane Sutter, Bob Murray and Behn Wilson all missing considerable playing time. They would finish the season 30-41-9 (69 Points) - good for 3rd Place in the Norris Division.
Offensively, the Blackhawks were again led by Denis Savard, who had an outstanding season leading the team in scoring for the seventh year in a row with team highs of 44 goals, 87 assists and 131 points (which ranked third in the league behind Lemieux and Gretzky). Steve Larmer was again second in points with 41 goals and 48 assists. Offseason acquisition Rick Vaive was second in goals with 43, and mid-season addition, Dirk Graham had 37 points in his half-season with the Hawks. On defense, Doug Wilson again led the club with 32 points (in just 27 games), with Keith Brown leading in the club in plus/minus with +5. Gary Nylund led the team in penalty minutes with 208.
In goal, rookie Darren Pang took over in the net with a 3.48 GAA and a 17-23-1 record in 45 games. Bob Mason was relegated to the bench more and more as the season wore on and finished with a 4.15 GAA and 13-18-8 record in 41 games.
Note: GP = Games played, W = Wins, L = Losses, T = Ties, Pts = Points, GF = Goals for, GA = Goals against
Note: Teams that qualified for the playoffs are highlighted in bold.
The Hawks faced Brett Hull and the St. Louis Blues, who finished second in the Norris. After the Blackhawks had been swept two years in a row in the first round, they opened the series in St Louis by getting swept by scores of 4-1 and 3-2. The series moved to the Chicago Stadium where the Hawks would break their playoff losing streak with a 6-3 victory. The winning ways did not last though, as the Hawks would drop the next two games - 6-5 and 5-3.
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