1958–59 Chicago Black Hawks season

The 1958–59 Chicago Black Hawks season was the team's 33rd season in the NHL. The Hawks qualified for the playoffs for only the second time in the past thirteen seasons, finishing 3rd in the league. They lost in the Semi-finals to the Montreal Canadiens 4 games to 2.
==Off-season==
It was a quiet off-season for the Black Hawks, who made no major moves. The team named Ed Litzenberger the new team captain, as the spot had been left vacant for the 1957–58 season.
==Regular Season==
Chicago would get off to a good start, going unbeaten in their first four games, before going on a six game winless streak to drop them under .500. The Black Hawks would hover around the .500 mark all season long, and as a result, the team set a club record with 28 victories, and tied the club record by earning 69 points, as the Black Hawks qualified for the post-season for the first time since 1952–53. Chicago finished in third place, which was their highest finish in the standings since finishing third in the 1945–46 season.
Offensively, Chicago was led by Ed Litzenberger, who led the club with 33 goals and 77 points. His 77 points tied a club record originally set by Max Bentley in 1943–44. Tod Sloan finished with 27 goals and 62 points, while Ted Lindsay rebounded from a poor 1957–58 season by scoring 22 goals and 58 points, while leading the NHL with 181 penalty minutes. Bobby Hull had a solid season, scoring 18 goals and 50 points. On the blueline, Pierre Pilote led the way, scoring 7 goals and 37 points, while Moose Vasko chipped in with 6 goals and 10 assists for 16 points.
In goal, Glenn Hall had all the playing time for the second straight season, as he won a club record 28 games and posted a 2.97 GAA, along with a shutout.
===Final Standings===
===Game Log===
# 	Date 	Visitor 	Score	Home 	Record 	Pts
1 	October 8 	New York Rangers 	1–1 	Chicago Black Hawks	0–0–1 	1
2 	October 11 	Chicago Black Hawks	3–1 	Toronto Maple Leafs	1–0–1 	3
3 	October 12 	Toronto Maple Leafs	2–5 	Chicago Black Hawks	2–0–1 	5
4 	October 16 	Chicago Black Hawks	7–2 	Detroit Red Wings 	3–0–1 	7
5 	October 18 	Detroit Red Wings 	3–1 	Chicago Black Hawks	3–1–1 	7
6 	October 19 	Boston Bruins 	4–1 	Chicago Black Hawks	3–2–1 	7
7 	October 23 	Chicago Black Hawks	1–9 	Montreal Canadiens 	3–3–1 	7
8 	October 25 	Chicago Black Hawks	2–6 	New York Rangers 	3–4–1 	7
9 	October 28 	Montreal Canadiens 	5–5 	Chicago Black Hawks	3–4–2 	8
10	October 30 	Chicago Black Hawks	2–5 	Boston Bruins 	3–5–2 	8
11	November 1 	Chicago Black Hawks	4–2 	Montreal Canadiens 	4–5–2 	10
12	November 4 	New York Rangers 	2–4 	Chicago Black Hawks	5–5–2 	12
13	November 8 	Chicago Black Hawks	4–3 	Detroit Red Wings 	6–5–2 	14
14	November 11	Boston Bruins 	8–4 	Chicago Black Hawks	6–6–2 	14
15	November 15	Montreal Canadiens 	3–1 	Chicago Black Hawks	6–7–2 	14
16	November 16	Detroit Red Wings 	2–3 	Chicago Black Hawks	7–7–2 	16
17	November 19	Boston Bruins 	2–3 	Chicago Black Hawks	8–7–2 	18
18	November 22	Chicago Black Hawks	1–5 	Montreal Canadiens 	8–8–2 	18
19	November 23	Toronto Maple Leafs	3–3 	Chicago Black Hawks	8–8–3 	19
20	November 27	Montreal Canadiens 	2–1 	Chicago Black Hawks	8–9–3 	19
21	November 29	Chicago Black Hawks	2–1 	Toronto Maple Leafs	9–9–3 	21
22	November 30	New York Rangers 	2–2 	Chicago Black Hawks	9–9–4 	22
23	December 3 	Chicago Black Hawks	2–4 	New York Rangers 	9–10–4 	22
24	December 6 	Detroit Red Wings 	4–3 	Chicago Black Hawks	9–11–4 	22
25	December 7 	Chicago Black Hawks	2–2 	Detroit Red Wings 	9–11–5 	23
26	December 10	Toronto Maple Leafs	2–2 	Chicago Black Hawks	9–11–6 	24
27	December 13	Chicago Black Hawks	2–4 	Boston Bruins 	9–12–6 	24
28	December 14	Chicago Black Hawks	3–3 	New York Rangers 	9–12–7 	25
29	December 17	Boston Bruins 	2–5 	Chicago Black Hawks	10–12–7 	27
30	December 20	Chicago Black Hawks	1–4 	Montreal Canadiens 	10–13–7 	27
31	December 21	Detroit Red Wings 	2–4 	Chicago Black Hawks	11–13–7 	29
32	December 25	Chicago Black Hawks	2–4 	Boston Bruins 	11–14–7 	29
33	December 27	Chicago Black Hawks	2–2 	Toronto Maple Leafs	11–14–8 	30
34	December 28	Toronto Maple Leafs	3–4 	Chicago Black Hawks	12–14–8 	32
35	December 31	Chicago Black Hawks	4–2 	Detroit Red Wings 	13–14–8 	34
36	January 1 	Montreal Canadiens 	2–2 	Chicago Black Hawks	13–14–9 	35
37	January 3 	Chicago Black Hawks	2–1 	Toronto Maple Leafs	14–14–9 	37
38	January 4 	Boston Bruins 	3–5 	Chicago Black Hawks	15–14–9 	39
39	January 7 	Chicago Black Hawks	4–0 	New York Rangers 	16–14–9 	41
40	January 8 	Chicago Black Hawks	4–2 	Boston Bruins 	17–14–9 	43
41	January 10 	Chicago Black Hawks	0–1 	Montreal Canadiens 	17–15–9 	43
42	January 11 	New York Rangers 	4–3 	Chicago Black Hawks	17–16–9 	43
43	January 17 	New York Rangers 	1–7 	Chicago Black Hawks	18–16–9 	45
44	January 18 	Montreal Canadiens 	1–1 	Chicago Black Hawks	18–16–10	46
45	January 21 	Detroit Red Wings 	3–2 	Chicago Black Hawks	18–17–10	46
46	January 24 	Chicago Black Hawks	0–2 	Detroit Red Wings 	18–18–10	46
47	January 25 	Toronto Maple Leafs	4–1 	Chicago Black Hawks	18–19–10	46
48	January 28 	Chicago Black Hawks	3–1 	New York Rangers 	19–19–10	48
49	January 31 	Chicago Black Hawks	3–3 	Montreal Canadiens 	19–19–11	49
50	February 1 	Montreal Canadiens 	3–3 	Chicago Black Hawks	19–19–12	50
51	February 5 	Chicago Black Hawks	2–1 	Boston Bruins 	20–19–12	52
52	February 7 	Chicago Black Hawks	6–3 	New York Rangers 	21–19–12	54
53	February 8 	Toronto Maple Leafs	2–7 	Chicago Black Hawks	22–19–12	56
54	February 12	Chicago Black Hawks	4–5 	Boston Bruins 	22–20–12	56
55	February 14	Chicago Black Hawks	1–5 	Toronto Maple Leafs	22–21–12	56
56	February 15	Boston Bruins 	3–3 	Chicago Black Hawks	22–21–13	57
57	February 18	New York Rangers 	2–4 	Chicago Black Hawks	23–21–13	59
58	February 21	Chicago Black Hawks	2–5 	Detroit Red Wings 	23–22–13	59
59	February 22	Toronto Maple Leafs	1–5 	Chicago Black Hawks	24–22–13	61
60	February 28	Boston Bruins 	2–5 	Chicago Black Hawks	25–22–13	63
61	March 1 	Detroit Red Wings 	1–3 	Chicago Black Hawks	26–22–13	65
62	March 4 	Chicago Black Hawks	2–5 	Toronto Maple Leafs	26–23–13	65
63	March 7 	New York Rangers 	6–1 	Chicago Black Hawks	26–24–13	65
64	March 8 	Montreal Canadiens 	2–1 	Chicago Black Hawks	26–25–13	65
65	March 11 	Chicago Black Hawks	5–3 	New York Rangers 	27–25–13	67
66	March 14 	Chicago Black Hawks	4–8 	Montreal Canadiens 	27–26–13	67
67	March 15 	Detroit Red Wings 	4–1 	Chicago Black Hawks	27–27–13	67
68	March 17 	Chicago Black Hawks	0–2 	Detroit Red Wings 	27–28–13	67
69	March 21 	Chicago Black Hawks	1–5 	Toronto Maple Leafs	27–29–13	67
70	March 22 	Chicago Black Hawks	4–1 	Boston Bruins 	28–29–13	69
==Playoffs==
===Montreal Canadiens 4, Chicago Black Hawks 2===
Chicago would face the Montreal Canadiens in the best of seven NHL Semi-final. The Canadiens finished the year on top of the NHL standings with 91 points, and had won the Stanley Cup three years in a row. The series opened at the Montreal Forum, and the Canadiens took control of the series, winning the opening two games by scores of 4–2 and 5–1 to take the 2–0 series lead. The series moved to Chicago Stadium for the next two games, and the Black Hawks responded, winning their first playoff games since 1953, as they defeated Montreal 4–2 and 3–2 to even the series up at two games a piece. The series returned to Montreal for the fifth game, and the heavily favored Canadiens put the Black Hawks on the brink of elimination with a 4–2 win to take a 3–2 series lead. Montreal ended the series in the sixth game in Chicago, hanging on for a 5–4 victory to win the series.
#	Date 	Visitor 	Score	Home 	Record
1	March 24	Chicago Black Hawks	2–4 	Montreal Canadiens 	0–1
2	March 26	Chicago Black Hawks	1–5 	Montreal Canadiens 	0–2
3	March 28	Montreal Canadiens 	2–4 	Chicago Black Hawks	1–2
4	March 31	Montreal Canadiens 	1–3 	Chicago Black Hawks	2–2
5	April 2 	Chicago Black Hawks	2–4 	Montreal Canadiens 	2–3
6	April 4 	Montreal Canadiens 	5–4 	Chicago Black Hawks	2–4
==Player Stats==
===Scoring Leaders===
Player 	GP	G 	A 	Pts	PIM
Ed Litzenberger	70	33	44	77 	37
Tod Sloan 	59	27	35	62 	79
Ted Lindsay 	70	22	36	58 	184
Bobby Hull 	70	18	32	50 	50
Ron Murphy 	59	17	30	47 	52
===Goaltending===
Player 	GP	TOI 	W 	L 	T 	GA 	SO	GAA
Glenn Hall	70	4200	28	29	13	208	1 	2.97
==Playoff Stats==
===Scoring Leaders===
Player 	GP	G	A	Pts	PIM
Ed Litzenberger	6 	3	5	8 	8
Tod Sloan 	6 	3	5	8 	0
Ted Lindsay 	6 	2	4	6 	13
Eric Nesterenko	6 	2	2	4 	8
Glen Skov 	6 	2	1	3 	4
===Goaltending===
Player 	GP	TOI	W	L	GA	SO	GAA
Glenn Hall	6 	360	2	4	21	0 	3.50
==Awards and Records==
*The Black Hawks did not win any awards this season.
==Farm Teams==
*Buffalo Bisons, American Hockey League
*St. Catharines TeePees, Ontario Hockey Association
==1959 Boston Bruins–New York Rangers European tour==
In 1959, the Boston Bruins and the New York Rangers went on a 23 game tour of Europe, visiting England, Switzerland, France, Belgium, West Germany and Austria. The Rangers line-up was supplemented by Bobby Hull, Ed Litzenberger, Eric Nesterenko and Pierre Pilote of the Chicago Black Hawks while Andy Bathgate of the Rangers didn't participate as his wife had given birth just before the tour.
It was the first time NHL teams played in Europe since the 1938 Detroit Red Wings–Montreal Canadiens European tour, a nine-game affair in Paris and London that the Canadiens won, 5-3-1.
During the tour, the teams experimented with an orange puck, designed by Clair Kenney. The players didn't like it and complained it looked like a blur on the ice.The Official NHL 75th Anniversary Commemorative Book, p.139.
Bobby Hull credits the series for his later success as he was allowed to play a freewheeling style instead of a checking role, which he had during his first two years with Chicago. The Rangers won the series with a record of 11–9–3.
==See Also==
*1958–59 NHL season
==Sources==
*Hockey-Reference
*National Hockey League Guide & Record Book 2007
Category:Chicago Blackhawks seasons
Chicago Black Hawks season, 1958–59
Chicago Black Hawks season, 1958–59