# 1965–66 Chicago Black Hawks season

The 1965–66 Chicago Black Hawks season was the Hawks' 40th season in the NHL, and the club was coming off a third-place finish in 1964–65, as Chicago had a record of 34–28–8, earning 76 points, which was their lowest point total since 1961–62. The Hawks then upset the first place Detroit Red Wings in the NHL semi-finals, before losing to the Montreal Canadiens in seven games in the 1965 Stanley Cup Finals.
Chicago began the season very strong, going unbeaten in their first seven games, with a 6–0–1 record, before recording their first loss of the year. The Hawks continued to play very strong hockey all season long, only once did they have a losing streak of more than three games, as the club set a team record for wins with 37, and their 82 points earned was a six-point improvement over the previous season, as the Black Hawks finished second in the NHL, and earned a playoff spot for the eighth consecutive season.
On February 26, 1966, team owner James D. Norris died due to a heart attack. Norris was 59 years old.
Offensively, the Hawks were led by Bobby Hull, who had a record breaking season, as he scored an NHL record 54 goals, while earning an NHL record 97 points, as he won the Art Ross Trophy and Hart Memorial Trophy for his efforts. Stan Mikita recorded a team high 48 assists and finished second with 78 points in NHL scoring. Phil Esposito had a strong season, scoring 27 goals and 53 points, while Bill Hay had 20 goals and 51 points. Kenny Wharram and Doug Mohns each scored over 20 goals, earning 26 and 22 respectively. On the blueline, Pierre Pilote led the way, earning 36 points, while fellow defenseman Pat Stapleton earned 34 points. Matt Ravlich led the club with 78 penalty minutes.
In goal, Glenn Hall earned the majority of playing time, tying the club record with 34 victories, while posting a team best 2.63 GAA, along with 4 shutouts.
The Hawks would face the Detroit Red Wings in the NHL semi-finals for the fourth consecutive season, as the Wings finished fourth in the NHL standings with a record of 31–27–12, recording 74 points, which was eight fewer than the Black Hawks. The series opened with two games at Chicago Stadium, and the Black Hawks took a 1–0 series lead, as they defeated Detroit 2–1, however, the Red Wings evened the series up, as Detroit stunned Chicago with a 7–0 win in the second game. The series shifted to the Detroit Olympia for the next two games, however, in the third game, the Hawks took the series lead, with a 2–1 victory, but once again, the Red Wings evened the series, easily defeating Chicago 5–1 to tie the series up at two. The fifth game was played in Chicago, but it was Detroit winning the game 5–3, and taking the series lead, and the underdog Red Wings completed the upset in the sixth game held back in Detroit, as they defeated the Black Hawks 3–2 to end the series.

## Season standings

| Pos | Team v t e | Pld | W | L | T | GF | GA | GD | Pts |
| 1 | Montreal Canadiens | 70 | 41 | 21 | 8 | 239 | 173 | +66 | 90 |
| 2 | Chicago Black Hawks | 70 | 37 | 25 | 8 | 240 | 187 | +53 | 82 |
| 3 | Toronto Maple Leafs | 70 | 34 | 25 | 11 | 208 | 187 | +21 | 79 |
| 4 | Detroit Red Wings | 70 | 31 | 27 | 12 | 221 | 194 | +27 | 74 |
| 5 | Boston Bruins | 70 | 21 | 43 | 6 | 174 | 275 | −101 | 48 |
| 6 | New York Rangers | 70 | 18 | 41 | 11 | 195 | 261 | −66 | 47 |

### Record vs. opponents

1965–66 NHL Records :
| Team | BOS | CHI | DET | MTL | NYR | TOR |
| Boston | — | 4–8–2 | 2–11–1 | 4–9–1 | 8–5–1 | 4–9–1 |
| Chicago | 8–4–2 | — | 11–1–2 | 4–8–2 | 9–4–1 | 5–8–1 |
| Detroit | 11–2–1 | 1–11–2 | — | 4–8–2 | 7–3–4 | 8–4–2 |
| Montreal | 9–4–1 | 8–4–2 | 8–4–2 | — | 12–2 | 5–7–2 |
| New York | 5–8–1 | 4–9–1 | 3–7–4 | 2–12 | — | 3–6–5 |
| Toronto | 9–4–1 | 8–5–1 | 4–8–2 | 7–5–2 | 6–3–5 | — |

## Game log
### Regular season

| # | Date | Visitor | Score | Home | Record | Pts |
| 1 | October 23 | Chicago Black Hawks | 4–0 | Toronto Maple Leafs | 1–0–0 | 2 |
| 2 | October 24 | Chicago Black Hawks | 6–2 | Boston Bruins | 2–0–0 | 4 |
| 3 | October 28 | Chicago Black Hawks | 5–1 | Detroit Red Wings | 3–0–0 | 6 |
| 4 | October 30 | Chicago Black Hawks | 6–4 | Montreal Canadiens | 4–0–0 | 8 |
| 5 | November 3 | Boston Bruins | 2–2 | Chicago Black Hawks | 4–0–1 | 9 |
| 6 | November 7 | Toronto Maple Leafs | 0–9 | Chicago Black Hawks | 5–0–1 | 11 |
| 7 | November 10 | Detroit Red Wings | 2–5 | Chicago Black Hawks | 6–0–1 | 13 |
| 8 | November 13 | Montreal Canadiens | 5–2 | Chicago Black Hawks | 6–1–1 | 13 |
| 9 | November 14 | New York Rangers | 4–2 | Chicago Black Hawks | 6–2–1 | 13 |
| 10 | November 17 | Chicago Black Hawks | 5–3 | New York Rangers | 7–2–1 | 15 |
| 11 | November 20 | Chicago Black Hawks | 1–3 | Toronto Maple Leafs | 7–3–1 | 15 |
| 12 | November 21 | Toronto Maple Leafs | 7–3 | Chicago Black Hawks | 7–4–1 | 15 |
| 13 | November 23 | Chicago Black Hawks | 3–2 | Detroit Red Wings | 8–4–1 | 17 |
| 14 | November 25 | Detroit Red Wings | 1–3 | Chicago Black Hawks | 9–4–1 | 19 |
| 15 | November 27 | Chicago Black Hawks | 1–0 | New York Rangers | 10–4–1 | 21 |
| 16 | November 28 | Montreal Canadiens | 2–1 | Chicago Black Hawks | 10–5–1 | 21 |
| 17 | December 1 | Boston Bruins | 2–4 | Chicago Black Hawks | 11–5–1 | 23 |
| 18 | December 4 | Chicago Black Hawks | 10–1 | Boston Bruins | 12–5–1 | 25 |
| 19 | December 5 | Chicago Black Hawks | 6–2 | New York Rangers | 13–5–1 | 27 |
| 20 | December 8 | New York Rangers | 2–2 | Chicago Black Hawks | 13–5–2 | 28 |
| 21 | December 11 | Chicago Black Hawks | 1–2 | Montreal Canadiens | 13–6–2 | 28 |
| 22 | December 12 | Montreal Canadiens | 5–3 | Chicago Black Hawks | 13–7–2 | 28 |
| 23 | December 15 | Boston Bruins | 4–8 | Chicago Black Hawks | 14–7–2 | 30 |
| 24 | December 18 | Chicago Black Hawks | 1–3 | Detroit Red Wings | 14–8–2 | 30 |
| 25 | December 19 | Detroit Red Wings | 4–5 | Chicago Black Hawks | 15–8–2 | 32 |
| 26 | December 22 | New York Rangers | 3–4 | Chicago Black Hawks | 16–8–2 | 34 |
| 27 | December 25 | Chicago Black Hawks | 3–5 | Toronto Maple Leafs | 16–9–2 | 34 |
| 28 | December 26 | Toronto Maple Leafs | 1–1 | Chicago Black Hawks | 16–9–3 | 35 |
| 29 | December 29 | Chicago Black Hawks | 3–0 | New York Rangers | 17–9–3 | 37 |
| 30 | December 31 | Chicago Black Hawks | 4–1 | Detroit Red Wings | 18–9–3 | 39 |
| 31 | January 2 | Boston Bruins | 1–3 | Chicago Black Hawks | 19–9–3 | 41 |
| 32 | January 5 | Chicago Black Hawks | 4–2 | Montreal Canadiens | 20–9–3 | 43 |
| 33 | January 8 | Chicago Black Hawks | 4–6 | New York Rangers | 20–10–3 | 43 |
| 34 | January 9 | Toronto Maple Leafs | 3–5 | Chicago Black Hawks | 21–10–3 | 45 |
| 35 | January 13 | Chicago Black Hawks | 1–1 | Boston Bruins | 21–10–4 | 46 |
| 36 | January 15 | Chicago Black Hawks | 4–6 | Montreal Canadiens | 21–11–4 | 46 |
| 37 | January 16 | New York Rangers | 6–5 | Chicago Black Hawks | 21–12–4 | 46 |
| 38 | January 20 | Chicago Black Hawks | 3–4 | Boston Bruins | 21–13–4 | 46 |
| 39 | January 22 | Chicago Black Hawks | 0–4 | Toronto Maple Leafs | 21–14–4 | 46 |
| 40 | January 23 | Montreal Canadiens | 3–3 | Chicago Black Hawks | 21–14–5 | 47 |
| 41 | January 26 | Chicago Black Hawks | 4–2 | Montreal Canadiens | 22–14–5 | 49 |
| 42 | January 27 | Chicago Black Hawks | 3–5 | Boston Bruins | 22–15–5 | 49 |
| 43 | January 29 | Detroit Red Wings | 4–4 | Chicago Black Hawks | 22–15–6 | 50 |
| 44 | January 30 | Chicago Black Hawks | 5–1 | Detroit Red Wings | 23–15–6 | 52 |
| 45 | February 2 | New York Rangers | 3–4 | Chicago Black Hawks | 24–15–6 | 54 |
| 46 | February 5 | Chicago Black Hawks | 2–5 | Toronto Maple Leafs | 24–16–6 | 54 |
| 47 | February 6 | Toronto Maple Leafs | 2–3 | Chicago Black Hawks | 25–16–6 | 56 |
| 48 | February 9 | Detroit Red Wings | 1–2 | Chicago Black Hawks | 26–16–6 | 58 |
| 49 | February 12 | Montreal Canadiens | 2–2 | Chicago Black Hawks | 26–16–7 | 59 |
| 50 | February 13 | New York Rangers | 1–6 | Chicago Black Hawks | 27–16–7 | 61 |
| 51 | February 16 | Chicago Black Hawks | 5–2 | New York Rangers | 28–16–7 | 63 |
| 52 | February 19 | Chicago Black Hawks | 2–5 | Montreal Canadiens | 28–17–7 | 63 |
| 53 | February 20 | Boston Bruins | 1–5 | Chicago Black Hawks | 29–17–7 | 65 |
| 54 | February 23 | Toronto Maple Leafs | 3–2 | Chicago Black Hawks | 29–18–7 | 65 |
| 55 | February 26 | Chicago Black Hawks | 4–1 | Detroit Red Wings | 30–18–7 | 67 |
| 56 | February 27 | Boston Bruins | 1–7 | Chicago Black Hawks | 31–18–7 | 69 |
| 57 | March 2 | Detroit Red Wings | 4–5 | Chicago Black Hawks | 32–18–7 | 71 |
| 58 | March 5 | Chicago Black Hawks | 0–5 | Toronto Maple Leafs | 32–19–7 | 71 |
| 59 | March 6 | Montreal Canadiens | 1–0 | Chicago Black Hawks | 32–20–7 | 71 |
| 60 | March 9 | Chicago Black Hawks | 0–1 | New York Rangers | 32–21–7 | 71 |
| 61 | March 12 | New York Rangers | 2–4 | Chicago Black Hawks | 33–21–7 | 73 |
| 62 | March 13 | Toronto Maple Leafs | 1–5 | Chicago Black Hawks | 34–21–7 | 75 |
| 63 | March 16 | Detroit Red Wings | 1–4 | Chicago Black Hawks | 35–21–7 | 77 |
| 64 | March 19 | Chicago Black Hawks | 2–4 | Toronto Maple Leafs | 35–22–7 | 77 |
| 65 | March 20 | Montreal Canadiens | 2–4 | Chicago Black Hawks | 36–22–7 | 79 |
| 66 | March 23 | Chicago Black Hawks | 1–3 | Boston Bruins | 36–23–7 | 79 |
| 67 | March 27 | Chicago Black Hawks | 1–1 | Detroit Red Wings | 36–23–8 | 80 |
| 68 | March 29 | Boston Bruins | 2–4 | Chicago Black Hawks | 37–23–8 | 82 |
| 69 | April 2 | Chicago Black Hawks | 3–8 | Montreal Canadiens | 37–24–8 | 82 |
| 70 | April 3 | Chicago Black Hawks | 2–4 | Boston Bruins | 37–25–8 | 82 |

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

| # | Date | Visitor | Score | Home | Record |
| 1 | April 7 | Detroit Red Wings | 1–2 | Chicago Black Hawks | 1–0 |
| 2 | April 10 | Detroit Red Wings | 7–0 | Chicago Black Hawks | 1–1 |
| 3 | April 12 | Chicago Black Hawks | 2–1 | Detroit Red Wings | 2–1 |
| 4 | April 14 | Chicago Black Hawks | 1–5 | Detroit Red Wings | 2–2 |
| 5 | April 17 | Detroit Red Wings | 5–3 | Chicago Black Hawks | 2–3 |
| 6 | April 19 | Chicago Black Hawks | 2–3 | Detroit Red Wings | 2–4 |

## Season stats
### Scoring leaders

| Player | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM |
| Bobby Hull | 65 | 54 | 43 | 97 | 70 |
| Stan Mikita | 68 | 30 | 48 | 78 | 58 |
| Phil Esposito | 69 | 27 | 26 | 53 | 49 |
| Bill Hay | 68 | 20 | 31 | 51 | 20 |
| Doug Mohns | 70 | 22 | 27 | 49 | 63 |

### Goaltending

| Player | GP | TOI | W | L | T | GA | SO | GAA |
| Glenn Hall | 64 | 3747 | 34 | 21 | 7 | 164 | 4 | 2.63 |
| Dave Dryden | 11 | 453 | 3 | 4 | 1 | 23 | 0 | 3.05 |

## Playoff stats
### Scoring leaders

| Player | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM |
| Pat Stapleton | 6 | 2 | 3 | 5 | 4 |
| Bobby Hull | 6 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 10 |
| Stan Mikita | 6 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 2 |
| Chico Maki | 3 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 0 |
| Phil Esposito | 6 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 2 |

### Goaltending

| Player | GP | TOI | W | L | GA | SO | GAA |
| Dave Dryden | 1 | 13 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.00 |
| Glenn Hall | 6 | 347 | 2 | 4 | 22 | 0 | 3.80 |

## Draft picks

Chicago's draft picks at the 1965 NHL Amateur Draft held at the Queen Elizabeth Hotel in Montreal, Quebec.
| Round | # | Player | Nationality | College/Junior/Club team (League) |
| 1 | 2 | Andy Culligan | Canada | St. Michael's Buzzers (MetJHL) |
| 2 | 7 | Brian McKenney | Canada | Smiths Falls Bears (CJAHL) |