1940–41 Chicago Black Hawks season

The 1940–41 Chicago Black Hawks season was the team's 15th season in the NHL. The Black Hawks finished in 5th place and lost in the Semi-finals to the Detroit Red Wings 2 games to 0.
==Regular Season==
For the first time in their history, Chicago added a second jersey for use when playing teams wearing dark jerseys. The second jersey was white, with black numbers on both the front and back, much like the Boston Bruins added in the 1935-36 season. Red shoulder yolks, thin stripes on the arms and a small Indian head on the left arm completed the jersey. With some slights changes, the Black Hawks would use these second jerseys until 1950-51 when their white jerseys adopted the logo on the front.
Max Bentley joined his brother Doug on the team and with Bill Thoms formed the "Pony Line" one of the NHL's most dominate lines of the 1940's.
The Black Hawks had a rough regular season in 1940–41, slipping to a 16–25–7 record, good for 39 points and 5th place in the NHL, and a 2nd straight playoff berth. The Hawks would score 112 goals, the 2nd fewest in the 7 team league, and they would allow 139 goals, which was the 3rd most.
Bill Thoms led the club in scoring with 32 points, while George Allen would get a team high 14 goals, and Doug Bentley would lead the club with 20 assists. Team captain Earl Siebert anchored the blueline, earning 20 points and a Second Team All-Star berth. Fellow defenceman Joe Cooper had a club high 66 penalty minutes.
In goal, Paul Goodman started the season, however, after a 7–10–4 start and a 2.50 GAA, he was replaced by Sam LoPresti. LoPresti would go on to record a 9–15–3 record and a GAA of 3.02.
NHL history was made on December 1, 1940 in a game between the New York Rangers and Chicago Black Hawks as four sets of brothers played. Mac and Neil Colville, Lynn and Muzz Patrick, Max and Doug Bentley, Bill and Bob Carse all played as Chicago won 4-1. Max Bentley scored his first NHL goal and Doug Bentley picked up an assist, while Bill Carse also scored.
===Final Standings===
===Game Log===
# 	Date 	Visitor 	Score	Home 	Record 	Pts
1 	November 7 	New York Americans 	1–0 	Chicago Black Hawks	0–1–0 	0
2 	November 10	Chicago Black Hawks	3–1 	Montreal Canadiens 	1–1–0 	2
3 	November 12	Chicago Black Hawks	6–5 	Boston Bruins 	2–1–0 	4
4 	November 14	Chicago Black Hawks	2–2 	New York Americans 	2–1–1 	5
5 	November 17	Montreal Canadiens 	4–4 	Chicago Black Hawks	2–1–2 	6
6 	November 21	Boston Bruins 	2–0 	Chicago Black Hawks	2–2–2 	6
7 	November 23	Chicago Black Hawks	1–0 	Toronto Maple Leafs	3–2–2 	8
8 	November 24	Toronto Maple Leafs	4–2 	Chicago Black Hawks	3–3–2 	8
9 	November 29	Chicago Black Hawks	1–3 	Detroit Red Wings 	3–4–2 	8
10	December 1 	New York Rangers 	1–4 	Chicago Black Hawks	4–4–2 	10
11	December 5 	Detroit Red Wings 	5–1 	Chicago Black Hawks	4–5–2 	10
12	December 8 	Boston Bruins 	2–3 	Chicago Black Hawks	5–5–2 	12
13	December 12	Chicago Black Hawks	2–2 	New York Americans 	5–5–3 	13
14	December 14	Chicago Black Hawks	1–2 	Toronto Maple Leafs	5–6–3 	13
15	December 15	Toronto Maple Leafs	4–1 	Chicago Black Hawks	5–7–3 	13
16	December 19	Montreal Canadiens 	0–2 	Chicago Black Hawks	6–7–3 	15
17	December 22	New York Rangers 	1–3 	Chicago Black Hawks	7–7–3 	17
18	December 25	Chicago Black Hawks	3–3 	New York Rangers 	7–7–4 	18
19	December 26	Chicago Black Hawks	5–7 	Montreal Canadiens 	7–8–4 	18
20	December 29	Chicago Black Hawks	1–2 	Detroit Red Wings 	7–9–4 	18
21	January 1 	Detroit Red Wings 	4–1 	Chicago Black Hawks	7–10–4 	18
22	January 5 	Chicago Black Hawks	2–2 	Boston Bruins 	7–10–5 	19
23	January 7 	Chicago Black Hawks	3–2 	New York Rangers 	8–10–5 	21
24	January 9 	Montreal Canadiens 	1–3 	Chicago Black Hawks	9–10–5 	23
25	January 12 	Detroit Red Wings 	1–2 	Chicago Black Hawks	10–10–5	25
26	January 16 	Chicago Black Hawks	1–5 	Montreal Canadiens 	10–11–5	25
27	January 19 	Boston Bruins 	4–4 	Chicago Black Hawks	10–11–6	26
28	January 23 	New York Americans 	1–3 	Chicago Black Hawks	11–11–6	28
29	January 26 	New York Rangers 	1–4 	Chicago Black Hawks	12–11–6	30
30	January 28 	Chicago Black Hawks	2–3 	Boston Bruins 	12–12–6	30
31	January 30 	Chicago Black Hawks	4–5 	New York Americans 	12–13–6	30
32	February 1 	Chicago Black Hawks	1–3 	Toronto Maple Leafs	12–14–6	30
33	February 2 	Toronto Maple Leafs	1–4 	Chicago Black Hawks	13–14–6	32
34	February 6 	Chicago Black Hawks	2–6 	New York Rangers 	13–15–6	32
35	February 9 	New York Rangers 	2–1 	Chicago Black Hawks	13–16–6	32
36	February 13	Montreal Canadiens 	6–5 	Chicago Black Hawks	13–17–6	32
37	February 14	Chicago Black Hawks	1–2 	Detroit Red Wings 	13–18–6	32
38	February 16	New York Americans 	4–5 	Chicago Black Hawks	14–18–6	34
39	February 20	Chicago Black Hawks	4–2 	New York Americans 	15–18–6	36
40	February 22	Chicago Black Hawks	3–7 	Montreal Canadiens 	15–19–6	36
41	February 23	Chicago Black Hawks	1–4 	New York Rangers 	15–20–6	36
42	February 27	Detroit Red Wings 	0–1 	Chicago Black Hawks	16–20–6	38
43	March 2 	Boston Bruins 	4–3 	Chicago Black Hawks	16–21–6	38
44	March 4 	Chicago Black Hawks	2–3 	Boston Bruins 	16–22–6	38
45	March 9 	New York Americans 	2–2 	Chicago Black Hawks	16–22–7	39
46	March 13 	Chicago Black Hawks	2–3 	Detroit Red Wings 	16–23–7	39
47	March 15 	Chicago Black Hawks	1–7 	Toronto Maple Leafs	16–24–7	39
48	March 16 	Toronto Maple Leafs	3–0 	Chicago Black Hawks	16–25–7	39
==Playoffs==
Chicago would play the 6th place team, the Montreal Canadiens in a best of 3 series in the 1st round of the playoffs, and in a close fought series, with all 3 games being decided by a goal, the Black Hawks would defeat the Canadiens and earn a Semi-finals matchup against the Detroit Red Wings. The Red Wings, who finished 14 points ahead of Chicago, would sweep the Black Hawks in 2 games with Gus Giesebrecht scoring the series winning goal in overtime in Game 2.
=== Chicago Black Hawks 2, Montreal Canadiens 1 ===
#	Date 	Visitor 	Score 	Home 	Record
1	March 20	Montreal Canadiens 	1–2 	Chicago Black Hawks	1–0
2	March 22	Chicago Black Hawks	3–4 (OT)	Montreal Canadiens 	1–1
3	March 25	Montreal Canadiens 	2–3 	Chicago Black Hawks	2–1
=== Detroit Red Wings 2, Chicago Black Hawks 0 ===
#	Date 	Visitor 	Score 	Home 	Record
1	March 27	Chicago Black Hawks	1–3 	Detroit Red Wings 	0–1
2	March 30	Detroit Red Wings 	2–1 (OT)	Chicago Black Hawks	0–2
==Player Stats==
===Scoring Leaders===
# 	Player 	GP	G 	A 	Pts	PIM
12	Bill Thoms 	47	13	19	32 	8
6 	George Allen 	44	14	17	31 	22
14	Doug Bentley 	46	8 	20	28 	12
15	Cully Dahlstrom 	40	11	14	25 	6
19	John Chad 	44	7 	18	25 	16
10	Phil Hergesheimer	47	8 	16	24 	9
9 	Bill Carse 	30	5 	15	20 	12
17	Earl Seibert 	44	3 	17	20 	52
16	Bob Carse 	42	9 	9 	18 	9
5 	Mush March 	43	8 	9 	17 	16
18	Max Bentley 	36	7 	10	17 	6
8 	Joe Cooper 	40	5 	5 	10 	66
3 	Pep Kelly 	21	5 	3 	8 	7
===Goaltending===
Player 	GP	TOI 	W	L 	T	GA	SO	GAA
Paul Goodman	21	1320	7	10	4	55	2 	2.50
Sam LoPresti	27	1670	9	15	3	84	1 	3.02
==Playoff Stats==
===Scoring Leaders===
Player 	GP	G	A	Pts	PIM
Cully Dahlstrom	5 	3	3	6 	2
Mush March 	4 	2	3	5 	0
George Allen 	5 	2	2	4 	10
Max Bentley 	4 	1	3	4 	2
Doug Bentley 	5 	1	1	2 	4
===Goaltending===
Player 	GP	TOI	W	L	GA	SO	GAA
Sam LoPresti	5 	343	2	3	12	0 	2.10
==Awards and Records==
*Earl Seibert, Defense, NHL Second Team All-Star
==Gallery==
1940-Nov11-Hollett-Hawks.jpg|Joe Cooper ties up Flash Hollett, November 12, 1940.
1941-Jan-NYR-Hawks fight.jpg|Goalies Sam LoPresti and Dave Kerr watch several fights, January 1941.
1941-Feb9-D Bentley-Kerr.jpg|Dave Kerr foils #14 Doug Bentley, February 9, 1941.
12Nov1940-Hollett-Cooper-Goodman-Portland.jpg|Hawks #11 Jack Portland, goalie Paul Goodman and #8 Joe Cooper defend against the Bruins in the 1940-41 season.
==See Also==
*1940–41 NHL season
==References==
* SHRP Sports
* The Internet Hockey Database
* National Hockey League Guide & Record Book 2007
Category:Chicago Blackhawks seasons
Category:1940 in hockey
Category:1941 in hockey