1962–63 Chicago Black Hawks | |
---|---|
Division | 2nd NHL |
1962–63 record | 32–21–17 |
Home record | 17–9–9 |
Road record | 15–12–8 |
Goals for | 194 |
Goals against | 178 |
Team information | |
General Manager | Tommy Ivan |
Coach | Rudy Pilous |
Captain | Pierre Pilote |
Arena | Chicago Stadium |
Team leaders | |
Goals | Stan Mikita and Bobby Hull (31) |
Assists | Stan Mikita (45) |
Points | Stan Mikita (76) |
Penalties in minutes | Eric Nesterenko (103) |
Wins | Glenn Hall (30) |
Goals against average | Glenn Hall (2.47) |
The 1962–63 Chicago Black Hawks season was the Hawks' 37th season in the NHL, and the club was coming off a third-place finish for the fourth consecutive season in 1961–62, as Chicago won a team record 31 games and tied a club record with 75 points. The Hawks would go on and upset the heavily favored Montreal Canadiens in the NHL semi-finals for the second straight season, however, the Black Hawks would lose to the Toronto Maple Leafs in the 1962 Stanley Cup Finals.
During the off-season, the Black Hawks and Toronto Maple Leafs reportedly came to agreement which would see the Hawks acquire Frank Mahovlich from Toronto for $1 million, however, the deal was nixed when Maple Leafs general manager Punch Imlach, on the advice from Conn Smythe, refused the deal, stating that $1 million does not score goals.
Chicago started the year off hovering around the .500 level through their first 12 games, as they had a record of 5–4–3. Goaltender Glenn Hall, who had played an NHL record 502 consecutive games, injured his back early in November and suffered a pinch nerve, and was relieved by backup Denis DeJordy in a game against the Boston Bruins. Hall would miss the next game against the Montreal Canadiens, ending his streak, however, the Hawks won the game by a 3–1 score. Hall would rebound from his injury, and the team would play very good hockey for the remainder of the season, winning a team record 32 games, and also setting a club record with 81 points, and finishing in second place in the NHL standings for the first time since they finished second in the American Division back in 1935.