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Top 25 Blackhawks of All-Time: Nos. 6-10

The Chicago Blackhawks are celebrating their Centennial season this coming year, so we’re using the quiet hockey days of August looking back through Blackhawks history. This week, we’re spending time counting down our top 25 Blackhawks players of all-time. We’ve already discussed15 of our top 25.

Thus far we’ve ranked:

• Nos. 11-15
• Nos. 16-20
• Nos. 21-25 (+ Honorable Mention)

Now we’re into the top ten players in Blackhawks history. It became a lot harder to rank one defenseman higher than another, one goalie ahead of another. Let’s move up to the next five in our rankings.

6. Tony Esposito, G​

Hockey Hall of Fame inductee
Number 35 retired
3-time Vezina Trophy winner (1970, 1972, 1974)
6-time All-Star
Blackhawks career: 873 games, 418-302-148, .906 save pct, 2.93 goals against avg, 74 shutouts

“Tony O” holds most of the all-time records for Blackhawks goaltenders. He was arguably the greatest goaltender in the league during the 1970s; between the 1970-71 and 1979-80 seasons, Esposito led all NHL goaltenders with 304 wins (46 more than Ken Dryden, who ranked second). He also posted 10 more shutouts than any other goaltender in the NHL during that time period (Dryden had 46). Espo was also durable; he appeared in 89 more games than any other NHL netminder during that period (Rogie Vachon was second).

7. Glenn Hall, G​

Hockey Hall of Fame inductee
Number 1 retired
1961 Stanley Cup Champion
2-time Vezina Trophy winner (1963, 1967)
8-time All-Star
5-time All-NHL
5 top-five Hart Trophy finishes
Blackhawks career: 618 games, 276-229-107, .916 save pct, 2.60 goals against avg, 51 shutouts

How good was Esposito? How much did he mean to the Chicago Blackhawks? I have him ranked ahead of “Mr. Goalie” on our list. Hall was magnificent for the Blackhawks during his ten years with the franchise. Acquired from Detroit with Ted Lindsay in a six-player deal on July 23, 1957, Hall went on to dominate for a decade. Between the 1957-58 and 1966-67 seasons — his ten seasons with the Blackhawks — Hall appeared in 151 more games than any other goaltender in the NHL. His 276 wins are 45 more than Jacques Plante for the most in the NHL. And he led the entire NHL with 51 shutouts during that time period — 14 more than any other goalie.

8. Duncan Keith, LHD​

Hockey Hall of Fame inductee
3-time Stanley Cup Champion (2010, 2013, 2015)
2015 Conn Smythe
2-time Norris Trophy winner (2010, 2014)
2010, 2014 Winter Olympics gold medal
4-time All-Star
2-time All-NHL
Blackhawks career: 1,192 games, 105 goals, 520 assists, 625 points, 30 power play goals

The Blackhawks enjoyed two decades of the best goaltending in the National Hockey League. The Blackhawks have also boasted some of the greatest defensemen in league history. It was incredibly hard to rank Keith and Pierre Pilote against each other, but I’m giving Keith the nod here because of the three championships and number of games played. Keith was a warrior who played heavy minutes, was physical and contributed in all situations. He’ll enter the Hockey Hall of Fame this year.

9. Pierre Pilote​

Hockey Hall of Fame inductee
Number 3 retired
1961 Stanley Cup Champion
Captain (1961-68)
3-time Norris Trophy winner (1963, 1964, 1965)
8-time All-Star
5-time All-NHL
Blackhawks career: 821 games, 77 goals, 400 assists, 477 points, 1,211 PIM

Only nine defensemen have won the Norris Trophy at least three times. And, when Pilote did it, Doug Harvey was the standard at the position with seven; Pilote broke his run. He was the captain of the team for most of the 1960s and was a key member of the 1961 Stanley Cup championship team. If you’re creating an All-1960s roster for the NHL, Pilote is in the conversation to be one of the starting defensemen with Harvey and Bobby Orr.

Lou Capozzola-USA TODAY Sports

10. Steve Larmer, RW​

1982-83 Calder Trophy
1982-83 NHL All-Rookie
Blackhawks career: 891 games, 406 goals, 517 assists, 923 points, 49 game-winning goals

It shouldn’t surprise you that Larmer ranks high on my list, but he deserves it. He ranks in the franchise’s all-time top ten in goals (fourth), assists (seventh), points (fifth), even-strength goals (seventh), power play goals (first), short-handed goals (tied for fourth) and game-winning goals (fifth). Larmer appeared in 884 consecutive regular season games and the Blackhawks made the playoffs in every season in which he played for the franchise. Larmer should be in the Hockey Hall of Fame and his No. 28 should be in the rafters at the United Center.

Source: https://www.bleachernation.com/blackhawks/2025/08/21/top-25-blackhawks-of-all-time-nos-6-10/