1979–80 Chicago Black Hawks season

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1979–80 Chicago Black Hawks
Smythe Division champions
Division1st Smythe
Conference3rd Campbell
1979–80 record34–27–19
Home record21–12–7
Road record13–15–12
Goals for241
Goals against250
Team information
General manager Bob Pulford
Coach Eddie Johnston
Captain Keith Magnuson (Oct)
Terry Ruskowski (Oct-Apr)
Alternate captains None
Arena Chicago Stadium
Average attendance11,700 (70.2%)
Team leaders
Goals Grant Mulvey (39)
Assists Terry Ruskowski (55)
Points Terry Ruskowski (70)
Penalty minutes Terry Ruskowski (252)
Plus/minus Rich Preston (+15)
Wins Tony Esposito (31)
Goals against average Tony Esposito (2.98)
  1978–79
1980–81  

The 1979–80 Chicago Black Hawks season was the 54th season of operation of the Chicago Black Hawks in the National Hockey League (NHL). The club was coming off a first-place finish in the Smythe Division in the 1978–79, despite finishing with a 29–36–15 record. In the 1979 playoffs, the Black Hawks were swept by the New York Islanders in the quarter-finals.

Contents

Off-season

During the off-season, the Black Hawks named Eddie Johnston as their new head coach, as Bob Pulford stepped down to focus on his general manager duties. Johnston was previously the head coach of the New Brunswick Hawks, Chicago's AHL affiliate, in 1978–79, leading the team to a 41–29–10 record. Johnston was also a former goaltender, playing in the NHL from 1962 to 1978, earning a 234–257–80 record with a 3.25 GAA in 592 career games while playing for the Boston Bruins, Toronto Maple Leafs, St. Louis Blues and the Chicago Black Hawks. Johnston won two Stanley Cup championships with the Bruins in 1970 and 1972.

With the NHL expanding to 21 teams, as the Edmonton Oilers, Hartford Whalers, Quebec Nordiques and Winnipeg Jets joined the league from the WHA, the Hawks remained in the Smythe Division, with the Oilers and Jets joining Chicago, Colorado Rockies, St. Louis Blues and Vancouver Canucks to form the only six team division in the league.

At the 1979 NHL expansion draft, Chicago made a deal with the Quebec Nordiques, as the Hawks agreed to not reclaim Real Cloutier from the Nordiques in exchange for Quebec's first round draft pick in the 1980 NHL entry draft. Prior to the draft, the Hawks reclaimed Bobby Hull and Terry Ruskowski from the Winnipeg Jets and John Garrett from the Hartford Whalers. During the draft, Chicago lost Hull to Winnipeg, Garrett and Jean Savard to the Whalers, Doug Hicks and Reg Thomas to the Edmonton Oilers. The Hawks added Rich Preston from the Jets at the draft.

Regular season

Keith Magnuson retired three games into the season, and was replaced by Terry Ruskowski as team captain.

On October 10, 1979, Chicago beat Edmonton 4–2. This was also the debut of future Hall of Famer Wayne Gretzky.

The Black Hawks had a poor start to the season, as they club had a record of 3-6-3 in their first 12 games. The club continued to struggle, as Chicago won only eight of their first 29 games, going 8–11–10, however, the Hawks were in second place in the Smythe Division, five points behind the first place Vancouver Canucks. The Hawks then went 9-3-2 in their next 14 games, improving their overall record to 17–14–12, charging into first place, five points ahead of the second place St. Louis Blues. Chicago would hold on to first place for the rest of the season, finishing with a 34–27–19 record, earning 87 points, for their third consecutive division title, and eighth in the last eleven seasons.

Offensively, the club was led by Terry Ruskowski, who joined the Black Hawks after being reclaimed in the 1979 NHL expansion draft by the team from the Winnipeg Jets, as he had a team high 70 points, scoring 15 goals and 55 assists. He also led the club with 252 penalty minutes. Tom Lysiak finished second in team scoring with 26 goals and 69 points, while Grant Mulvey had a team high 39 goals, while adding 26 assists for 65 points. Rich Preston also broke the 30 goal plateau, as he had 31 goals and 61 points and had a team best +16 rating. On defence, Doug Wilson led the way with 12 goals and 61 points, while Bob Murray had another excellent season, scoring 16 goals and 50 points.

In goal, Tony Esposito saw the majority of playing time, going 31-22-16 with a 2.97 GAA in 69 games.

Final standings

Smythe Division
GPWLTGFGAPts
Chicago Black Hawks 8034271924125087
St. Louis Blues 8034341226627880
Vancouver Canucks 8027371625628170
Edmonton Oilers 8028391330132269
Winnipeg Jets 8020491121431451
Colorado Rockies 8019481323430851

[1] Note: GP = Games played, W = Wins, L = Losses, T = Ties, Pts = Points, GF = Goals for, GA = Goals against
Note: Teams that qualified for the playoffs are highlighted in bold.

League standings [2]
RDivGPWLTGFGAPts
1p – Philadelphia Flyers PTK80481220327254116
2y – Buffalo Sabres ADM80471716318201110
3x – Montreal Canadiens NRS80472013328240107
4 Boston Bruins ADM80462113310234105
5 New York Islanders PTK8039281328124791
6 Minnesota North Stars ADM8036281631125388
7x – Chicago Black Hawks SMY8034271924125087
8 New York Rangers PTK8038321030828486
9 Atlanta Flames PTK8035321328226983
10 St. Louis Blues SMY8034341226627880
11 Toronto Maple Leafs ADM803540530432775
12 Los Angeles Kings NRS8030361429031374
13 Pittsburgh Penguins NRS8030371325130373
14 Hartford Whalers NRS8027341930331273
15 Vancouver Canucks SMY8027371625628170
16 Edmonton Oilers SMY8028391330132269
17 Washington Capitals PTK8027401326129367
18 Detroit Red Wings NRS8026431126830663
19 Quebec Nordiques ADM8025441124831361
20 Winnipeg Jets SMY8020491121431451
21 Colorado Rockies SMY8019481323430851

Divisions:ADM – Adams, NRS – Norris, PTK – Patrick, SMY – Smythe

bold – The top 16 teams in the league qualified for the playoffs, regardless of division or conference.
x – Won division; y – Won Conference (and division); p – Won Presidents' Trophy (and conference and division)

Record vs. opponents

Playoffs

The Black Hawks opened the playoffs with a best-of-five preliminary series against the St. Louis Blues. The Blues finished the season with a 34–34–12 record, earning 80 points and second place in the Smythe Division, seven points behind Chicago. The series opened with two games at Chicago Stadium. The first game would be decided in overtime, after the clubs played to a 2–2 tie after regulation time. In the extra period, the Hawks Doug Lecuyer scored and ended the Black Hawks 16 game playoff game losing streak, as Chicago took the series opener by a 3–2 score. It marked the first time since 1975 that Chicago had won a playoff game. In the second game, the Hawks, led by Doug Wilson and his two goals, easily defeated the Blues 5–1 to take a 2–0 series lead. The series shifted to The Checkerdome in St. Louis, Missouri for the third game, and the Hawks, led by Doug Lecuyer and his two goals, as well as 23 saves by goaltender Tony Esposito, completed the series sweep.

In the NHL quarter-finals, the Black Hawks faced the Buffalo Sabres. Buffalo finished the season with a 47–17–16 record, earning 110 points and first place in the Adams Division. The Sabres then defeated the Vancouver Canucks three games to one in the first round of the playoffs. The series opened with two games at the Buffalo Memorial Auditorium in Buffalo, New York, as the Sabres easily defeated the Black Hawks 5–0 in the series opener, limiting Chicago to only one shot in the first period, and 17 overall. In the second game, the Sabres took an early 2–0 lead in the first period, however, two straight goals by Tom Lysiak tied the game early in the second period. The Sabres then struck for three straight goals before Chicago could answer with one of their own to take a 5–3 lead into the third period. The Black Hawks cut the Sabres lead to 5-4 when Darryl Sutter scored early in the third, however, the Sabres shut down the Hawks, and won the game 6–4 to take a 2–0 series lead. The series moved to Chicago Stadium for the next two games, and in the third game, the Sabres once again scored two early goals in the first period to take a 2–0 lead. Darryl Sutter cut the Sabres lead in half in the second period, as the Hawks made the score 2–1, however, Sabres goaltender Don Edwards made 38 saves, as Buffalo held on for a 2–1 victory, and taking a 3–0 series lead. In the fourth game, the Black Hawks took their first lead in the series when Bob Murray scored midway through the first period to give Chicago a 1–0 lead. Tom Lysiak made it 2-0 Chicago in the second period, however, the Sabres John Van Boxmeer cut the Hawks lead to 2–1 with a goal late in the second period. Buffalo completed the comeback with two unanswered goals in the third period, one by Rick Martin and one by Gilbert Perreault, as the Sabres won the game 3–2, and swept the series.

Schedule and results

Regular season

1979–80 regular season [4]
October
GameResultDateScoreOpponentRecord
1WOctober 10, 19794–2 Edmonton Oilers (1979–80)1–0–0
2LOctober 13, 19791–5@ Minnesota North Stars (1979–80)1–1–0
3TOctober 14, 19793–3 Hartford Whalers (1979–80)1–1–1
4WOctober 17, 19793–2 Montreal Canadiens (1979–80)2–1–1
5TOctober 20, 19792–2@ Atlanta Flames (1979–80)2–1–2
6LOctober 21, 19790–3 Quebec Nordiques (1979–80)2–2–2
7WOctober 24, 19794–0 Winnipeg Jets (1979–80)3–2–2
8LOctober 27, 19794–6@ New York Islanders (1979–80)3–3–2
9LOctober 28, 19791–4 Boston Bruins (1979–80)3–4–2
10TOctober 31, 19790–0 Buffalo Sabres (1979–80)3–4–3
November
GameResultDateScoreOpponentRecord
11LNovember 3, 19790–2@ Detroit Red Wings (1979–80)3–5–3
12LNovember 4, 19793–5 Los Angeles Kings (1979–80)3–6–3
13TNovember 8, 19793–3@ Buffalo Sabres (1979–80)3–6–4
14WNovember 9, 19794–2@ Hartford Whalers (1979–80)4–6–4
15TNovember 11, 19795–5 Hartford Whalers (1979–80)4–6–5
16LNovember 14, 19792–5 Vancouver Canucks (1979–80)4–7–5
17WNovember 17, 19794–1@ Colorado Rockies (1979–80)5–7–5
18TNovember 18, 19793–3 Minnesota North Stars (1979–80)5–7–6
19WNovember 21, 19794–0 Washington Capitals (1979–80)6–7–6
20WNovember 24, 19792–1@ Toronto Maple Leafs (1979–80)7–7–6
21WNovember 25, 19796–3 St. Louis Blues (1979–80)8–7–6
22LNovember 28, 19792–4@ Edmonton Oilers (1979–80)8–8–6
23TNovember 30, 19791–1@ Vancouver Canucks (1979–80)8–8–7
December
GameResultDateScoreOpponentRecord
24LDecember 1, 19790–7@ Los Angeles Kings (1979–80)8–9–7
25TDecember 5, 19793–3@ New York Rangers (1979–80)8–9–8
26TDecember 8, 19793–3@ Pittsburgh Penguins (1979–80)8–9–9
27TDecember 9, 19794–4@ Philadelphia Flyers (1979–80)8–9–10
28LDecember 12, 19792–5 New York Rangers (1979–80)8–10–10
29LDecember 13, 19792–5@ Buffalo Sabres (1979–80)8–11–10
30WDecember 15, 19792–1@ Boston Bruins (1979–80)9–11–10
31WDecember 16, 19797–3 Detroit Red Wings (1979–80)10–11–10
32TDecember 19, 19790–0 Pittsburgh Penguins (1979–80)10–11–11
33LDecember 21, 19791–4@ Winnipeg Jets (1979–80)10–12–11
34WDecember 23, 19798–0 New York Islanders (1979–80)11–12–11
35TDecember 26, 19793–3@ St. Louis Blues (1979–80)11–12–12
36LDecember 28, 19792–6@ Washington Capitals (1979–80)11–13–12
37WDecember 30, 19795–3 Boston Bruins (1979–80)12–13–12
January
GameResultDateScoreOpponentRecord
38WJanuary 2, 19805–2 Colorado Rockies (1979–80)13–13–12
39WJanuary 5, 19804–3@ Montreal Canadiens (1979–80)14–13–12
40WJanuary 6, 19803–1 Vancouver Canucks (1979–80)15–13–12
41LJanuary 9, 19801–6 Los Angeles Kings (1979–80)15–14–12
42WJanuary 12, 19803–2@ Pittsburgh Penguins (1979–80)16–14–12
43WJanuary 13, 19803–2 Detroit Red Wings (1979–80)17–14–12
44LJanuary 16, 19801–6 Montreal Canadiens (1979–80)17–15–12
45LJanuary 17, 19801–5@ Philadelphia Flyers (1979–80)17–16–12
46LJanuary 19, 19803–5@ Hartford Whalers (1979–80)17–17–12
47WJanuary 20, 19802–1@ New York Rangers (1979–80)18–17–12
48LJanuary 23, 19801–4 Philadelphia Flyers (1979–80)18–18–12
49TJanuary 25, 19804–4@ Atlanta Flames (1979–80)18–18–13
50WJanuary 27, 19803–0 Minnesota North Stars (1979–80)19–18–13
51WJanuary 30, 19805–2 Washington Capitals (1979–80)20–18–13
February
GameResultDateScoreOpponentRecord
52WFebruary 2, 19805–4@ Toronto Maple Leafs (1979–80)21–18–13
53WFebruary 3, 19804–2 Toronto Maple Leafs (1979–80)22–18–13
54TFebruary 6, 19803–3@ Quebec Nordiques (1979–80)22–18–14
55LFebruary 9, 19802–5@ Boston Bruins (1979–80)22–19–14
56WFebruary 10, 19803–2 Pittsburgh Penguins (1979–80)23–19–14
57WFebruary 13, 19803–1 New York Rangers (1979–80)24–19–14
58WFebruary 17, 19803–2 Atlanta Flames (1979–80)25–19–14
59WFebruary 20, 19804–2 Toronto Maple Leafs (1979–80)26–19–14
60LFebruary 23, 19802–6@ Washington Capitals (1979–80)26–20–14
61WFebruary 24, 19803–1 Buffalo Sabres (1979–80)27–20–14
62LFebruary 27, 19802–5 Edmonton Oilers (1979–80)27–21–14
March
GameResultDateScoreOpponentRecord
63WMarch 1, 19804–1@ Minnesota North Stars (1979–80)28–21–14
64WMarch 2, 19803–2@ Winnipeg Jets (1979–80)29–21–14
65TMarch 5, 19803–3@ Vancouver Canucks (1979–80)29–21–15
66WMarch 7, 19804–2@ Colorado Rockies (1979–80)30–21–15
67TMarch 8, 19803–3@ Los Angeles Kings (1979–80)30–21–16
68TMarch 12, 19806–6 Philadelphia Flyers (1979–80)30–21–17
69LMarch 14, 19804–6@ Edmonton Oilers (1979–80)30–22–17
70LMarch 16, 19801–6 New York Islanders (1979–80)30–23–17
71WMarch 19, 19805–2 Quebec Nordiques (1979–80)31–23–17
72TMarch 22, 19804–4@ New York Islanders (1979–80)31–23–18
73WMarch 23, 19804–2 Atlanta Flames (1979–80)32–23–18
74LMarch 25, 19804–8@ Montreal Canadiens (1979–80)32–24–18
75WMarch 26, 19807–2@ Quebec Nordiques (1979–80)33–24–18
76TMarch 30, 19802–2 Colorado Rockies (1979–80)33–24–19
April
GameResultDateScoreOpponentRecord
77LApril 1, 19802–5@ St. Louis Blues (1979–80)33–25–19
78LApril 2, 19802–5 Winnipeg Jets (1979–80)33–26–19
79WApril 5, 19803–1@ Detroit Red Wings (1979–80)34–26–19
80LApril 6, 19804–5 St. Louis Blues (1979–80)34–27–19

Legend:   Win (2 points)  Loss (0 points)  Tie (1 point)

Playoffs

1980 Stanley Cup playoffs [4]
Preliminary round vs. (10) St. Louis Blues – Blues win 3–0
GameDateVisitorScoreHomeSeries
1April 8 St. Louis Blues 2–3Chicago Black Hawks1–0
2April 9 St. Louis Blues 1–5Chicago Black Hawks2–0
3April 11Chicago Black Hawks4–1 St. Louis Blues 3–0
Quarterfinals vs. (2) Buffalo Sabres – Sabres win 4–0
GameDateVisitorScoreHomeSeries
1April 16Chicago Black Hawks0–5 Buffalo Sabres 0–1
2April 17Chicago Black Hawks4–6 Buffalo Sabres 0–2
3April 19 Buffalo Sabres 2–1Chicago Black Hawks0–3
4April 20 Buffalo Sabres 3–2Chicago Black Hawks0–4

Legend:   Win  Loss

Player statistics

Regular season

Scoring
PlayerPosGPGAPtsPIM+/-PPGSHGGWG
Terry Ruskowski C741555702527613
Tom Lysiak C7726436931-71007
Grant Mulvey RW8039266512231407
Rich Preston RW8031306170161225
Doug Wilson D7312496170-5311
Bob Murray D7416345060-16801
Ted Bulley LW66141731136-12101
Mike O'Connell D788223052-2202
Tim Higgins RW7413122550-15200
Ron Sedlbauer LW45131023141100
J. P. Bordeleau RW4571421283100
John Marks LW746152151-16101
Keith Brown D7621820277002
Reg Kerr LW49981717-10110
Alain Daigle RW66791622-6010
Tim Trimper LW306101610-7201
Greg Fox D714111573-13001
Doug Lecuyer LW533101359-7001
Cliff Koroll RW473476-10000
Stan Mikita C/RW17257122000
Dave Logan D12235345001
Dave Hutchison D38055730000
Pat Ribble D2312314-8000
Darryl Sutter LW820221000
Rick Paterson C1102200000
Tony Esposito G6901120000
Keith Magnuson D300040000
Harold Phillipoff LW900020-3000
Mike Veisor G1100000000
Goaltending
PlayerMINGPWLTGAGAASO
Tony Esposito 4140693122162052.976
Mike Veisor 66011353373.360
Team:4800803427192423.026

Playoffs

Scoring
PlayerPosGPGAPtsPIMPPGSHGGWG
Doug Wilson D728106000
Tom Lysiak C74480400
Bob Murray D72466000
Ted Bulley LW723510000
Doug Lecuyer LW740415001
Darryl Sutter LW73142201
Tim Higgins RW703310000
Rich Preston RW70332000
Grant Mulvey RW71128000
Ron Sedlbauer LW71126101
Mike O'Connell D70110000
J. P. Bordeleau RW10000000
Keith Brown D60004000
Alain Daigle RW20000000
Tony Esposito G60000000
Greg Fox D70008000
Dave Hutchison D600012000
Cliff Koroll RW20002000
John Marks LW40000000
Rick Paterson C70005000
Terry Ruskowski C400022000
Tim Trimper LW10002000
Mike Veisor G10000000
Goaltending
PlayerMINGPWLGAGAASO
Tony Esposito 373633142.250
Mike Veisor 6010166.000
Team:433734202.770

[5]

Note: Pos = Position; 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;

Draft picks

Chicago's draft picks at the 1979 NHL entry draft held at the Queen Elizabeth Hotel in Montreal.

Round#PlayerNationalityCollege/Junior/Club team (League)
17 Keith Brown Flag of Canada (Pantone).svg CanadaPortland Winter Hawks (WHL)
228 Tim Trimper Flag of Canada (Pantone).svg CanadaPeterborough Petes (OMJHL)
349 Bill Gardner Flag of Canada (Pantone).svg CanadaPeterborough Petes (OMJHL)
470 Louis Begin Flag of Canada (Pantone).svg CanadaSherbrooke Castors (QMJHL)
591 Lowell Loveday Flag of Canada (Pantone).svg CanadaKingston Canadians (OMJHL)
6112 Doug Crossman Flag of Canada (Pantone).svg CanadaOttawa 67's (OMJHL)

See also

References

  1. Dinger, Ralph, ed. (2011). The National Hockey League Official Guide & Record Book 2012. Dan Diamond & Associates. p. 152. ISBN   9781894801225.
  2. "1979–80 NHL Standings". NHL.com. National Hockey League.
  3. "All-Time NHL Results". NHL.com. Retrieved August 25, 2023.
  4. 1 2 "1979-80 Chicago Black Hawks Schedule". Hockey-Reference.com. Retrieved March 28, 2025.
  5. "1979-80 Chicago Black Hawks Statistics - Hockey-Reference.com". hockey-reference.com. Retrieved June 16, 2009.