# 1973–74 Chicago Black Hawks season

The 1973–74 Chicago Black Hawks season was the Hawks' 48th season in the NHL, and the club was coming off their fourth consecutive first-place finish in 1972–73, as they finished on top of the West Division with a 42–27–9 record, earning 93 points. The Black Hawks defeated the Los Angeles Kings in the NHL quarter-finals, but lost to the Boston Bruins in the semi-finals.
Chicago started the season slowly, as they had a 2–4–4 record in their first ten games; however, the club then went on a nine-game unbeaten streak to push themselves over the .500 mark. The Hawks battled with the Philadelphia Flyers all season long for the top spot in the West Division, as Chicago finished with a record of 41–14–23, earning 105 points, which was their third-highest total in club history. It was not enough though, as the Flyers dethroned the Black Hawks for top spot in the West, as they finished with 112 points thus ending Chicago's streak of four consecutive division titles. The 14 losses by Chicago was the fewest by the team in one season, while the 23 ties they recorded was a new team record.
Offensively, the Black Hawks were led by Stan Mikita, who had a club-high 50 assists and 80 points, while Jim Pappin led the team in goals for the second consecutive season, as he scored 32 goals, and finished with 73 points. Pit Martin scored 30 goals and 77 points, while Dennis Hull had 29 goals and 68 points. On defense, Dick Redmond emerged as the offensive leader, scoring 17 goals and 59 points, while Bill White recorded 36 points, while having a team-high +51 rating. Phil Russell had 10 goals and 35 points, while having a team-high 184 penalty minutes.
In goal, Tony Esposito led the club with 34 victories and a 2.04 GAA, along with ten shutouts while appearing in 70 games. Rookie goaltender Mike Veisor backed up Esposito, going 7–0–2 with a 2.23 GAA in 10 games. Chicago tied the Philadelphia Flyers with the fewest goals against in the league at 164, as Tony Esposito and the Flyers Bernie Parent shared the Vezina Trophy for their achievements.
The Hawks opened the playoffs against the Los Angeles Kings, who had a record of 33–33–12, earning 78 points, while placing third in the West Division. The series opened with two games at Chicago Stadium, and the Black Hawks used their home ice to their advantage, defeating the Kings 3–1 and 4–1 to take a 2–0 series lead. The series shifted to The Forum in Los Angeles for the next two games, and the Hawks continued to shut down the Kings in the third game, shutting them out 1–0. Los Angeles avoided the sweep by easily handling the Black Hawks 5–1 to send the series back to Chicago. In the fifth game, the Hawks, led by Tony Esposito, shut out Los Angeles by a score of 1–0 to eliminate the Kings from the playoffs.
Chicago's next opponent was the Boston Bruins, who had finished the season with a 52–17–9 record, earning 113 points, and a first-place finish in the East Division. The Bruins swept the Toronto Maple Leafs in the first round. The series opened up with two games at the Boston Garden, but it was Chicago who struck first, doubling the Bruins 4–2 in the series opener. Boston responded in the second game, winning 8–6 to even the series. The next two games were played in Chicago, and the Black Hawks re-took the series lead, defeating Boston 4–3 in overtime; however, the Bruins rebounded, winning the fourth game 5–2 to even the series again. The fifth game was back in Boston, and the Bruins took their first series lead, dominating Chicago by a score of 6–2. Boston clinched the series in the sixth game, winning 4–2 on Chicago ice to eliminate the Black Hawks from the post-season.

## Season standings

West Division vte :
| | | GP | W | L | T | GF | GA | DIFF | Pts |
| 1 | Philadelphia Flyers | 78 | 50 | 16 | 12 | 273 | 164 | +109 | 112 |
| 2 | Chicago Black Hawks | 78 | 41 | 14 | 23 | 272 | 164 | +108 | 105 |
| 3 | Los Angeles Kings | 78 | 33 | 33 | 12 | 233 | 231 | +2 | 78 |
| 4 | Atlanta Flames | 78 | 30 | 34 | 14 | 214 | 238 | −24 | 74 |
| 5 | Pittsburgh Penguins | 78 | 28 | 41 | 9 | 242 | 273 | −31 | 65 |
| 6 | St. Louis Blues | 78 | 26 | 40 | 12 | 206 | 248 | −42 | 64 |
| 7 | Minnesota North Stars | 78 | 23 | 38 | 17 | 235 | 275 | −40 | 63 |
| 8 | California Golden Seals | 78 | 13 | 55 | 10 | 195 | 342 | −147 | 36 |

### Record vs. opponents
## Game log
### Regular season

| # | Date | Visitor | Score | Home | Record | Pts |
| 1 | October 10 | Chicago Black Hawks | 3–0 | Los Angeles Kings | 1–0–0 | 2 |
| 2 | October 12 | Chicago Black Hawks | 2–3 | California Golden Seals | 1–1–0 | 2 |
| 3 | October 14 | Minnesota North Stars | 1–1 | Chicago Black Hawks | 1–1–1 | 3 |
| 4 | October 17 | Vancouver Canucks | 0–5 | Chicago Black Hawks | 2–1–1 | 5 |
| 5 | October 21 | New York Islanders | 3–3 | Chicago Black Hawks | 2–1–2 | 6 |
| 6 | October 24 | Chicago Black Hawks | 1–3 | Buffalo Sabres | 2–2–2 | 6 |
| 7 | October 27 | Chicago Black Hawks | 4–4 | St. Louis Blues | 2–2–3 | 7 |
| 8 | October 28 | Toronto Maple Leafs | 1–1 | Chicago Black Hawks | 2–2–4 | 8 |
| 9 | November 1 | Chicago Black Hawks | 0–1 | Philadelphia Flyers | 2–3–4 | 8 |
| 10 | November 3 | Chicago Black Hawks | 4–5 | Minnesota North Stars | 2–4–4 | 8 |
| 11 | November 4 | New York Rangers | 1–4 | Chicago Black Hawks | 3–4–4 | 10 |
| 12 | November 7 | Chicago Black Hawks | 1–1 | California Golden Seals | 3–4–5 | 11 |
| 13 | November 9 | Chicago Black Hawks | 4–0 | Vancouver Canucks | 4–4–5 | 13 |
| 14 | November 11 | Chicago Black Hawks | 3–0 | Los Angeles Kings | 5–4–5 | 15 |
| 15 | November 14 | Chicago Black Hawks | 4–4 | New York Rangers | 5–4–6 | 16 |
| 16 | November 16 | Chicago Black Hawks | 6–1 | Atlanta Flames | 6–4–6 | 18 |
| 17 | November 17 | Chicago Black Hawks | 4–1 | Pittsburgh Penguins | 7–4–6 | 20 |
| 18 | November 21 | St. Louis Blues | 1–4 | Chicago Black Hawks | 8–4–6 | 22 |
| 19 | November 24 | Chicago Black Hawks | 3–1 | Toronto Maple Leafs | 9–4–6 | 24 |
| 20 | November 25 | Montreal Canadiens | 6–4 | Chicago Black Hawks | 9–5–6 | 24 |
| 21 | November 28 | Boston Bruins | 3–3 | Chicago Black Hawks | 9–5–7 | 25 |
| 22 | December 1 | Chicago Black Hawks | 5–0 | Montreal Canadiens | 10–5–7 | 27 |
| 23 | December 2 | Pittsburgh Penguins | 1–2 | Chicago Black Hawks | 11–5–7 | 29 |
| 24 | December 5 | Chicago Black Hawks | 8–2 | Detroit Red Wings | 12–5–7 | 31 |
| 25 | December 9 | Minnesota North Stars | 3–5 | Chicago Black Hawks | 13–5–7 | 33 |
| 26 | December 12 | Philadelphia Flyers | 2–2 | Chicago Black Hawks | 13–5–8 | 34 |
| 27 | December 15 | Chicago Black Hawks | 3–3 | New York Islanders | 13–5–9 | 35 |
| 28 | December 16 | Chicago Black Hawks | 6–1 | New York Rangers | 14–5–9 | 37 |
| 29 | December 19 | Buffalo Sabres | 2–2 | Chicago Black Hawks | 14–5–10 | 38 |
| 30 | December 22 | Chicago Black Hawks | 2–4 | Philadelphia Flyers | 14–6–10 | 38 |
| 31 | December 23 | Vancouver Canucks | 2–6 | Chicago Black Hawks | 15–6–10 | 40 |
| 32 | December 26 | Los Angeles Kings | 3–3 | Chicago Black Hawks | 15–6–11 | 41 |
| 33 | December 29 | Chicago Black Hawks | 4–2 | Pittsburgh Penguins | 16–6–11 | 43 |
| 34 | December 30 | Toronto Maple Leafs | 4–3 | Chicago Black Hawks | 16–7–11 | 43 |
| 35 | January 2 | New York Islanders | 1–5 | Chicago Black Hawks | 17–7–11 | 45 |
| 36 | January 3 | Chicago Black Hawks | 2–3 | Atlanta Flames | 17–8–11 | 45 |
| 37 | January 6 | California Golden Seals | 4–9 | Chicago Black Hawks | 18–8–11 | 47 |
| 38 | January 9 | Los Angeles Kings | 4–4 | Chicago Black Hawks | 18–8–12 | 48 |
| 39 | January 10 | Chicago Black Hawks | 2–2 | Boston Bruins | 18–8–13 | 49 |
| 40 | January 13 | Detroit Red Wings | 1–4 | Chicago Black Hawks | 19–8–13 | 51 |
| 41 | January 16 | Boston Bruins | 5–5 | Chicago Black Hawks | 19–8–14 | 52 |
| 42 | January 19 | New York Rangers | 3–2 | Chicago Black Hawks | 19–9–14 | 52 |
| 43 | January 20 | Vancouver Canucks | 2–7 | Chicago Black Hawks | 20–9–14 | 54 |
| 44 | January 24 | Chicago Black Hawks | 2–1 | Boston Bruins | 21–9–14 | 56 |
| 45 | January 26 | Chicago Black Hawks | 1–4 | Montreal Canadiens | 21–10–14 | 56 |
| 46 | January 27 | New York Islanders | 4–2 | Chicago Black Hawks | 21–11–14 | 56 |
| 47 | January 31 | California Golden Seals | 1–2 | Chicago Black Hawks | 22–11–14 | 58 |
| 48 | February 2 | Chicago Black Hawks | 3–1 | Pittsburgh Penguins | 23–11–14 | 60 |
| 49 | February 3 | St. Louis Blues | 0–3 | Chicago Black Hawks | 24–11–14 | 62 |
| 50 | February 6 | Atlanta Flames | 1–1 | Chicago Black Hawks | 24–11–15 | 63 |
| 51 | February 8 | Chicago Black Hawks | 3–0 | Atlanta Flames | 25–11–15 | 65 |
| 52 | February 10 | Pittsburgh Penguins | 3–5 | Chicago Black Hawks | 26–11–15 | 67 |
| 53 | February 13 | Los Angeles Kings | 0–4 | Chicago Black Hawks | 27–11–15 | 69 |
| 54 | February 16 | Chicago Black Hawks | 4–0 | New York Islanders | 28–11–15 | 71 |
| 55 | February 17 | Toronto Maple Leafs | 1–4 | Chicago Black Hawks | 29–11–15 | 73 |
| 56 | February 20 | California Golden Seals | 0–3 | Chicago Black Hawks | 30–11–15 | 75 |
| 57 | February 23 | Philadelphia Flyers | 1–3 | Chicago Black Hawks | 31–11–15 | 77 |
| 58 | February 24 | Pittsburgh Penguins | 4–2 | Chicago Black Hawks | 31–12–15 | 77 |
| 59 | February 27 | Chicago Black Hawks | 3–1 | Minnesota North Stars | 32–12–15 | 79 |
| 60 | February 28 | Chicago Black Hawks | 2–2 | Buffalo Sabres | 32–12–16 | 80 |
| 61 | March 3 | Chicago Black Hawks | 6–6 | Detroit Red Wings | 32–12–17 | 81 |
| 62 | March 6 | Chicago Black Hawks | 3–3 | California Golden Seals | 32–12–18 | 82 |
| 63 | March 7 | Chicago Black Hawks | 2–3 | Los Angeles Kings | 32–13–18 | 82 |
| 64 | March 9 | Chicago Black Hawks | 4–4 | Vancouver Canucks | 32–13–19 | 83 |
| 65 | March 13 | Montreal Canadiens | 3–3 | Chicago Black Hawks | 32–13–20 | 84 |
| 66 | March 14 | Chicago Black Hawks | 5–2 | New York Rangers | 33–13–20 | 86 |
| 67 | March 16 | Chicago Black Hawks | 3–1 | Montreal Canadiens | 34–13–20 | 88 |
| 68 | March 17 | Atlanta Flames | 3–3 | Chicago Black Hawks | 34–13–21 | 89 |
| 69 | March 20 | Buffalo Sabres | 3–2 | Chicago Black Hawks | 34–14–21 | 89 |
| 70 | March 23 | Chicago Black Hawks | 3–1 | Philadelphia Flyers | 35–14–21 | 91 |
| 71 | March 24 | Minnesota North Stars | 0–6 | Chicago Black Hawks | 36–14–21 | 93 |
| 72 | March 27 | Chicago Black Hawks | 5–3 | Toronto Maple Leafs | 37–14–21 | 95 |
| 73 | March 28 | Chicago Black Hawks | 2–2 | Buffalo Sabres | 37–14–22 | 96 |
| 74 | March 30 | Chicago Black Hawks | 2–1 | Detroit Red Wings | 38–14–22 | 98 |
| 75 | March 31 | St. Louis Blues | 2–2 | Chicago Black Hawks | 38–14–23 | 99 |
| 76 | April 3 | Boston Bruins | 2–6 | Chicago Black Hawks | 39–14–23 | 101 |
| 77 | April 6 | Chicago Black Hawks | 6–3 | St. Louis Blues | 40–14–23 | 103 |
| 78 | April 7 | Detroit Red Wings | 4–7 | Chicago Black Hawks | 41–14–23 | 105 |

### Chicago Black Hawks 4, Los Angeles Kings 1

| # | Date | Visitor | Score | Home | Record |
| 1 | April 10 | Los Angeles Kings | 1–3 | Chicago Black Hawks | 1–0 |
| 2 | April 11 | Los Angeles Kings | 1–4 | Chicago Black Hawks | 2–0 |
| 3 | April 13 | Chicago Black Hawks | 1–0 | Los Angeles Kings | 3–0 |
| 4 | April 14 | Chicago Black Hawks | 1–5 | Los Angeles Kings | 3–1 |
| 5 | April 16 | Los Angeles Kings | 0–1 | Chicago Black Hawks | 4–1 |

### Boston Bruins 4, Chicago Black Hawks 2

| # | Date | Visitor | Score | Home | Record |
| 1 | April 18 | Chicago Black Hawks | 4–2 | Boston Bruins | 1–0 |
| 2 | April 21 | Chicago Black Hawks | 6–8 | Boston Bruins | 1–1 |
| 3 | April 23 | Boston Bruins | 3–4 | Chicago Black Hawks | 2–1 |
| 4 | April 25 | Boston Bruins | 5–2 | Chicago Black Hawks | 2–2 |
| 5 | April 28 | Chicago Black Hawks | 2–6 | Boston Bruins | 2–3 |
| 6 | April 30 | Boston Bruins | 4–2 | Chicago Black Hawks | 2–4 |

## Season stats
### Scoring leaders

| Player | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM |
| Stan Mikita | 76 | 30 | 50 | 80 | 46 |
| Pit Martin | 78 | 30 | 47 | 77 | 43 |
| Jim Pappin | 78 | 32 | 41 | 73 | 76 |
| Dennis Hull | 74 | 29 | 39 | 68 | 15 |
| Dick Redmond | 76 | 17 | 42 | 59 | 69 |

### Goaltending

| Player | GP | TOI | W | L | T | GA | SO | GAA |
| Tony Esposito | 70 | 4143 | 34 | 14 | 21 | 141 | 10 | 2.04 |
| Mike Veisor | 10 | 537 | 7 | 0 | 2 | 20 | 1 | 2.23 |

## Playoff stats
### Scoring leaders

| Player | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM |
| Stan Mikita | 11 | 5 | 6 | 11 | 8 |
| Dennis Hull | 10 | 6 | 3 | 9 | 0 |
| Jim Pappin | 11 | 3 | 6 | 9 | 29 |
| Bill White | 11 | 1 | 7 | 8 | 14 |
| Dick Redmond | 11 | 1 | 7 | 8 | 8 |

### Goaltending

| Player | GP | TOI | W | L | GA | SO | GAA |
| Tony Esposito | 10 | 584 | 6 | 4 | 28 | 2 | 2.88 |
| Mike Veisor | 2 | 65 | 0 | 1 | 5 | 0 | 3.75 |

## Draft picks

Chicago's draft picks at the 1973 NHL Amateur Draft held at the Mount Royal Hotel in Montreal.
| Round | # | Player | Nationality | College/Junior/Club team (League) |
| 1 | 13 | Darcy Rota | Canada | Edmonton Oil Kings (WCHL) |
| 2 | 29 | Reg Thomas | Canada | London Knights (OHA) |
| 3 | 45 | Randy Holt | Canada | Sudbury Wolves (OHA) |
| 4 | 61 | Dave Elliot | Canada | Winnipeg Jets (WCHL) |
| 5 | 77 | Dan Hinton | Canada | Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds (OHA) |
| 6 | 93 | Gary Doerksen | Canada | Winnipeg Jets (WCHL) |
| 7 | 109 | Wayne Dye | Canada | New Westminster Bruins (WCHL) |
| 8 | 125 | Jim Koleff | Canada | Hamilton Red Wings (OHA) |
| 9 | 140 | Jack Johnson | United States | University of Wisconsin (NCAA) |
| 9 | 141 | Steve Alley | United States | University of Wisconsin (NCAA) |
| 10 | 156 | Rick Clubbe | Canada | University of North Dakota (NCAA) |
| 11 | 165 | Gene Strate | Canada | Edmonton Oil Kings (WCHL) |