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Hall of Hawks

Team unveils plans for a new Hall of Fame as part of their centennial

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Chris Chelios at a ceremony to retire his No. 7 jersey before a 2024 Blackhawks game at the United Center. Armando L. Sanchez/Chicago Tribune

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By Phil Thompson Chicago Tribune

The Chicago Blackhawks will launch a team Hall of Fame and host a series of other events to celebrate the franchise’s 100th anniversary next season.

The Hawks on Thursday announced plans for their centennial celebrations — themed “Always An Original” — because the NHL Board of Governors awarded them and the Detroit Red Wings franchises on May 15, 1926. Both were admitted into the league formally on Sept. 25, 1926.

Along the way, the Hawks won six Stanley Cups, have 47 players in the Hockey Hall of Fame (39 skaters and eight goaltenders have played at least one game for the franchise) and made contributions to hockey such as the curved stick (thank Stan Mikita for that).

“Since our inception, the Chicago Blackhawks have been more than just a hockey team — we’ve been an integral part of Chicago’s identity and a driving force in the evolution of the sport,” Hawks Chairman and CEO Danny Wirtz said in a team statement. “This centennial celebration isn’t just about honoring our past achievements, but also about recommitting ourselves to innovation, community impact and excellence for the century ahead.”

The team’s new Hall of Fame will be based on votes from fans, alumni and media. Inductees will be based on two ballots: modern (2000-01 season or later) and heritage eras. Two alumni will be selected from each ballot each year.

The inaugural ballot will be open mid-July at Blackhawks.com/HOF and will include the following players:

Modern-era ballot: Tony Amonte, Brian Campbell, Corey Crawford, Éric Dazé, Niklas Hjalmarsson, Duncan Keith, Brent Seabrook, Patrick Sharp, Andrew Shaw, Steve Sullivan, Jocelyn Thibault and Alexei Zhamnov. Heritage-era ballot: Ed Belfour, Doug Bentley, Johnny Gottselig, Dirk Graham, Dennis Hull, Cliff Koroll, Steve Larmer, Chico Maki, Mush March, Pit Martin, Bill Mosienko, Troy Murray, Eric Nesterenko, Jeremy Roenick and Doug Wilson.

Players who have had their jersey numbers retired are included in the Hawks Hall of Fame automatically. They are: Chris Chelios, Tony Esposito, Glenn Hall, Marian Hossa, Bobby Hull, Keith Magnuson, Mikita, Pierre Pilote and Denis Savard.