Division 3rd American Home record 12–8–2 Goals for 115 | 1926–27 record 19–22–3 Road record 7–14–1 Goals against 116 | |
The 1926–27 Chicago Black Hawks season was the team's first season. Chicago was awarded an NHL franchise. The Hawks were founded by coffee tycoon Frederic McLaughlin, and most of the teams players came from the Portland Rosebuds of the Western Canada Hockey League, which had folded the previous season.
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McLaughlin had been a commander with the 333rd Machine Gun Battalion of the 86th Infantry Division during World War I. This division was nicknamed the "Black Hawk Division", after a Native American of the Sauk nation, Chief Black Hawk, who was a prominent figure in the history of Illinois. McLaughlin evidently named the team in honor of the military unit, and his wife, Irene Castle, designed the teams logo.
Regular season
The Hawks would play their first ever game on November 17, 1926, at the Chicago Coliseum, defeating the Toronto St. Pats by a 4–1 score. The Black Hawks would lead the league in goals scored with 115, however they would also allow a league high 116 goals, en route to a 19–22–3 record, good for 3rd place in the American Division.
Babe Dye would lead the team with 25 goals, while Dick Irvin would have a club best 36 points, and finish 2nd in the NHL scoring race by a single point to Bill Cook of the New York Rangers. Percy Traub would lead the Black Hawks with 93 penalty minutes.
Note: GP = Games Played, W = Wins, L = Losses, T = Ties, Pts = Points, GF = Goals For, GA = Goals Against
Teams that qualified for the playoffs are highlighted in bold.
Playoffs
Chicago would earn a spot in the playoffs and face the Boston Bruins in a 2-game total goal series. The Bruins would win the opening game by a 6–1 score, while the teams would play to a 4–4 draw in the 2nd game, giving the Bruins the series win with a 10–5 total score, and ending the Black Hawks first season.
Regular season
Playoffs
Note: GP = Games played; G = Goals; A = Assists; Pts = Points; +/- = Plus/Minus; PIM = Penalty Minutes; PPG=Power-play goals; SHG=Short-handed goals; GWG=Game-winning goals
MIN=Minutes played; W = Wins; L = Losses; T = Ties; GA = Goals Against; GAA = Goals Against Average; SO = Shutouts;