# 1962–63 Chicago Black Hawks season

The 1962–63 Chicago Black Hawks season was the Hawks' 37th season in the NHL, and the club was coming off a third-place finish for the fourth consecutive season in 1961–62, as Chicago won a team record 31 games and tied a club record with 75 points. The Hawks would go on and upset the heavily favored Montreal Canadiens in the NHL semi-finals for the second straight season, however, the Black Hawks would lose to the Toronto Maple Leafs in the 1962 Stanley Cup Finals.
During the off-season, the Black Hawks and Toronto Maple Leafs reportedly came to agreement which would see the Hawks acquire Frank Mahovlich from Toronto for $1 million, however, the deal was nixed when Maple Leafs general manager Punch Imlach, on the advice from Conn Smythe, refused the deal, stating that $1 million does not score goals.
Chicago started the year off hovering around the .500 level through their first 12 games, as they had a record of 5–4–3. Goaltender Glenn Hall, who had played an NHL record 502 consecutive games, injured his back early in November and suffered a pinch nerve, and was relieved by backup Denis DeJordy in a game against the Boston Bruins. Hall would miss the next game against the Montreal Canadiens, ending his streak, however, the Hawks won the game by a 3–1 score. Hall would rebound from his injury, and the team would play very good hockey for the remainder of the season, winning a team record 32 games, and also setting a club record with 81 points, and finishing in second place in the NHL standings for the first time since they finished second in the American Division back in 1935.
Offensively, the Hawks were led by Stan Mikita, who led the team with 45 assists and 76 points, and tied Bobby Hull for the team lead in goals, with 31. Hull added 31 assists to his goal total to finish second in team scoring with 62 points, while Ab McDonald set a career high with 61 points, as he scored 20 goals and added 41 assists. On defense, Pierre Pilote led the way, scoring 8 goals and 26 points, along with superb defensive play, as he won the Norris Trophy. Eric Nesterenko provided the team toughness, as he had a team high 103 penalty minutes.
In goal, Glenn Hall played the majority of the games, winning 30 of them, while posting an NHL best GAA of 2.47, and earning 5 shutouts. Hall would win the Vezina Trophy, as Chicago had the fewest goals against during the season.
The Hawks would face the Detroit Red Wings in the NHL semi-finals, as Detroit finished fourth in the NHL with a record of 32–25–13, earning 77 points, and only 4 behind Chicago. The series opened up at Chicago Stadium for the opening two games, and the Black Hawks took advantage, taking a 2–0 series lead a close 5–4 victory in the series opener, followed by a 5–2 win in the second game. The series shifted to the Detroit Olympia for the next two games, and the Red Wings responded, defeating the Black Hawks 4–2 and 4–1 to even the series up. Detroit continued their good play in the fifth game in Chicago, doubling the Hawks 4–2 to take a 3–2 series lead. The sixth game was played back in Detroit, and the Red Wings had no problems closing the series out, easily beating the Black Hawks 7–4, as Chicago was eliminated in the NHL semi-finals for the first time since 1960.

## Season standings

National Hockey League vte :
| | | GP | W | L | T | GF | GA | DIFF | Pts |
| 1 | Toronto Maple Leafs | 70 | 35 | 23 | 12 | 221 | 180 | +41 | 82 |
| 2 | Chicago Black Hawks | 70 | 32 | 21 | 17 | 194 | 178 | +16 | 81 |
| 3 | Montreal Canadiens | 70 | 28 | 19 | 23 | 225 | 183 | +42 | 79 |
| 4 | Detroit Red Wings | 70 | 32 | 25 | 13 | 200 | 194 | +6 | 77 |
| 5 | New York Rangers | 70 | 22 | 36 | 12 | 211 | 233 | −22 | 56 |
| 6 | Boston Bruins | 70 | 14 | 39 | 17 | 198 | 281 | −83 | 45 |

### Record vs. opponents

1962–63 NHL Records :
| Team | BOS | CHI | DET | MTL | NYR | TOR |
| Boston | — | 2–10–2 | 2–7–5 | 2–7–5 | 4–7–3 | 4–8–2 |
| Chicago | 10–2–2 | — | 5–6–3 | 3–7–4 | 10–2–2 | 4–7–3 |
| Detroit | 7–2–5 | 6–5–3 | — | 3–9–2 | 9–3–2 | 7–6–1 |
| Montreal | 7–2–5 | 7–3–4 | 9–3–2 | — | 5–5–4 | 3–6–5 |
| New York | 7–4–3 | 2–10–2 | 3–9–2 | 5–5–4 | — | 5–8–1 |
| Toronto | 8–4–2 | 7–4–3 | 6–7–1 | 6–3–5 | 8–5–1 | — |

## Game log
### Regular season

| # | Date | Visitor | Score | Home | Record | Pts |
| 1 | October 10 | Toronto Maple Leafs | 3–1 | Chicago Black Hawks | 0–1–0 | 0 |
| 2 | October 13 | Detroit Red Wings | 0–0 | Chicago Black Hawks | 0–1–1 | 1 |
| 3 | October 14 | Chicago Black Hawks | 2–2 | Boston Bruins | 0–1–2 | 2 |
| 4 | October 17 | Chicago Black Hawks | 5–1 | New York Rangers | 1–1–2 | 4 |
| 5 | October 20 | Chicago Black Hawks | 1–3 | Toronto Maple Leafs | 1–2–2 | 4 |
| 6 | October 21 | Chicago Black Hawks | 1–3 | Detroit Red Wings | 1–3–2 | 4 |
| 7 | October 23 | Montreal Canadiens | 4–4 | Chicago Black Hawks | 1–3–3 | 5 |
| 8 | October 27 | Chicago Black Hawks | 3–2 | Montreal Canadiens | 2–3–3 | 7 |
| 9 | October 28 | Chicago Black Hawks | 5–3 | New York Rangers | 3–3–3 | 9 |
| 10 | October 30 | New York Rangers | 3–5 | Chicago Black Hawks | 4–3–3 | 11 |
| 11 | November 1 | Chicago Black Hawks | 4–2 | Boston Bruins | 5–3–3 | 13 |
| 12 | November 4 | Chicago Black Hawks | 1–3 | Detroit Red Wings | 5–4–3 | 13 |
| 13 | November 7 | Boston Bruins | 3–3 | Chicago Black Hawks | 5–4–4 | 14 |
| 14 | November 10 | Chicago Black Hawks | 3–1 | Montreal Canadiens | 6–4–4 | 16 |
| 15 | November 11 | Toronto Maple Leafs | 5–3 | Chicago Black Hawks | 6–5–4 | 16 |
| 16 | November 14 | Detroit Red Wings | 2–4 | Chicago Black Hawks | 7–5–4 | 18 |
| 17 | November 17 | Chicago Black Hawks | 4–3 | New York Rangers | 8–5–4 | 20 |
| 18 | November 18 | Montreal Canadiens | 1–1 | Chicago Black Hawks | 8–5–5 | 21 |
| 19 | November 22 | Toronto Maple Leafs | 0–1 | Chicago Black Hawks | 9–5–5 | 23 |
| 20 | November 24 | Detroit Red Wings | 1–1 | Chicago Black Hawks | 9–5–6 | 24 |
| 21 | November 25 | Chicago Black Hawks | 2–3 | Detroit Red Wings | 9–6–6 | 24 |
| 22 | November 29 | Chicago Black Hawks | 5–0 | Boston Bruins | 10–6–6 | 26 |
| 23 | December 1 | Chicago Black Hawks | 1–2 | Montreal Canadiens | 10–7–6 | 26 |
| 24 | December 2 | New York Rangers | 1–5 | Chicago Black Hawks | 11–7–6 | 28 |
| 25 | December 5 | Boston Bruins | 4–5 | Chicago Black Hawks | 12–7–6 | 30 |
| 26 | December 8 | Chicago Black Hawks | 1–1 | Toronto Maple Leafs | 12–7–7 | 31 |
| 27 | December 9 | Montreal Canadiens | 1–2 | Chicago Black Hawks | 13–7–7 | 33 |
| 28 | December 12 | New York Rangers | 3–4 | Chicago Black Hawks | 14–7–7 | 35 |
| 29 | December 15 | Chicago Black Hawks | 1–3 | Detroit Red Wings | 14–8–7 | 35 |
| 30 | December 16 | Toronto Maple Leafs | 6–2 | Chicago Black Hawks | 14–9–7 | 35 |
| 31 | December 19 | Boston Bruins | 2–3 | Chicago Black Hawks | 15–9–7 | 37 |
| 32 | December 22 | Chicago Black Hawks | 1–1 | Montreal Canadiens | 15–9–8 | 38 |
| 33 | December 23 | Chicago Black Hawks | 3–1 | New York Rangers | 16–9–8 | 40 |
| 34 | December 25 | Montreal Canadiens | 6–0 | Chicago Black Hawks | 16–10–8 | 40 |
| 35 | December 29 | Chicago Black Hawks | 1–1 | Toronto Maple Leafs | 16–10–9 | 41 |
| 36 | December 30 | Boston Bruins | 2–4 | Chicago Black Hawks | 17–10–9 | 43 |
| 37 | January 1 | Detroit Red Wings | 2–4 | Chicago Black Hawks | 18–10–9 | 45 |
| 38 | January 6 | Toronto Maple Leafs | 5–1 | Chicago Black Hawks | 18–11–9 | 45 |
| 39 | January 9 | Chicago Black Hawks | 3–1 | Toronto Maple Leafs | 19–11–9 | 47 |
| 40 | January 10 | Chicago Black Hawks | 4–5 | Boston Bruins | 19–12–9 | 47 |
| 41 | January 12 | New York Rangers | 1–3 | Chicago Black Hawks | 20–12–9 | 49 |
| 42 | January 13 | Montreal Canadiens | 2–2 | Chicago Black Hawks | 20–12–10 | 50 |
| 43 | January 16 | Boston Bruins | 5–4 | Chicago Black Hawks | 20–13–10 | 50 |
| 44 | January 19 | Chicago Black Hawks | 4–1 | Toronto Maple Leafs | 21–13–10 | 52 |
| 45 | January 20 | New York Rangers | 2–6 | Chicago Black Hawks | 22–13–10 | 54 |
| 46 | January 23 | Chicago Black Hawks | 3–3 | New York Rangers | 22–13–11 | 55 |
| 47 | January 26 | Chicago Black Hawks | 3–0 | Detroit Red Wings | 23–13–11 | 57 |
| 48 | January 27 | Montreal Canadiens | 3–1 | Chicago Black Hawks | 23–14–11 | 57 |
| 49 | January 31 | Chicago Black Hawks | 9–2 | Boston Bruins | 24–14–11 | 59 |
| 50 | February 2 | Chicago Black Hawks | 3–3 | Montreal Canadiens | 24–14–12 | 60 |
| 51 | February 3 | Toronto Maple Leafs | 1–3 | Chicago Black Hawks | 25–14–12 | 62 |
| 52 | February 6 | Detroit Red Wings | 3–3 | Chicago Black Hawks | 25–14–13 | 63 |
| 53 | February 9 | Chicago Black Hawks | 3–3 | New York Rangers | 25–14–14 | 64 |
| 54 | February 10 | New York Rangers | 2–4 | Chicago Black Hawks | 26–14–14 | 66 |
| 55 | February 16 | Chicago Black Hawks | 2–4 | Montreal Canadiens | 26–15–14 | 66 |
| 56 | February 17 | Boston Bruins | 1–3 | Chicago Black Hawks | 27–15–14 | 68 |
| 57 | February 21 | Chicago Black Hawks | 5–3 | Detroit Red Wings | 28–15–14 | 70 |
| 58 | February 23 | Detroit Red Wings | 2–3 | Chicago Black Hawks | 29–15–14 | 72 |
| 59 | February 24 | Boston Bruins | 3–4 | Chicago Black Hawks | 30–15–14 | 74 |
| 60 | February 27 | Chicago Black Hawks | 3–6 | Toronto Maple Leafs | 30–16–14 | 74 |
| 61 | February 28 | New York Rangers | 6–1 | Chicago Black Hawks | 30–17–14 | 74 |
| 62 | March 3 | Montreal Canadiens | 2–2 | Chicago Black Hawks | 30–17–15 | 75 |
| 63 | March 6 | Chicago Black Hawks | 2–5 | New York Rangers | 30–18–15 | 75 |
| 64 | March 10 | Toronto Maple Leafs | 1–1 | Chicago Black Hawks | 30–18–16 | 76 |
| 65 | March 14 | Chicago Black Hawks | 2–0 | Boston Bruins | 31–18–16 | 78 |
| 66 | March 16 | Chicago Black Hawks | 0–3 | Toronto Maple Leafs | 31–19–16 | 78 |
| 67 | March 17 | Chicago Black Hawks | 2–4 | Detroit Red Wings | 31–20–16 | 78 |
| 68 | March 19 | Detroit Red Wings | 5–1 | Chicago Black Hawks | 31–21–16 | 78 |
| 69 | March 23 | Chicago Black Hawks | 4–4 | Montreal Canadiens | 31–21–17 | 79 |
| 70 | March 24 | Chicago Black Hawks | 4–3 | Boston Bruins | 32–21–17 | 81 |

### Detroit Red Wings 4, Chicago Black Hawks 2

| # | Date | Visitor | Score | Home | Record |
| 1 | March 26 | Detroit Red Wings | 4–5 | Chicago Black Hawks | 1–0 |
| 2 | March 28 | Detroit Red Wings | 2–5 | Chicago Black Hawks | 2–0 |
| 3 | March 31 | Chicago Black Hawks | 2–4 | Detroit Red Wings | 2–1 |
| 4 | April 2 | Chicago Black Hawks | 1–4 | Detroit Red Wings | 2–2 |
| 5 | April 4 | Detroit Red Wings | 4–2 | Chicago Black Hawks | 2–3 |
| 6 | April 7 | Chicago Black Hawks | 4–7 | Detroit Red Wings | 2–4 |

## Season stats
### Scoring leaders

| Player | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM |
| Stan Mikita | 65 | 31 | 45 | 76 | 69 |
| Bobby Hull | 65 | 31 | 31 | 62 | 27 |
| Ab McDonald | 69 | 20 | 41 | 61 | 12 |
| Bill Hay | 64 | 12 | 33 | 45 | 36 |
| Kenny Wharram | 55 | 20 | 18 | 38 | 17 |

### Goaltending

| Player | GP | TOI | W | L | T | GA | SO | GAA |
| Glenn Hall | 66 | 3910 | 30 | 20 | 15 | 161 | 5 | 2.47 |
| Denis DeJordy | 5 | 290 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 12 | 0 | 2.48 |

## Playoff stats
### Scoring leaders

| Player | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM |
| Bobby Hull | 5 | 8 | 2 | 10 | 4 |
| Pierre Pilote | 6 | 0 | 8 | 8 | 8 |
| Kenny Wharram | 6 | 1 | 5 | 6 | 0 |
| Bill Hay | 6 | 3 | 2 | 5 | 6 |
| Stan Mikita | 6 | 3 | 2 | 5 | 2 |

### Goaltending

| Player | GP | TOI | W | L | GA | SO | GAA |
| Glenn Hall | 6 | 360 | 2 | 4 | 25 | 0 | 4.17 |