2008–09 Chicago Blackhawks season
| 2008–09 Chicago Blackhawks | |
|---|---|
| Division | 2nd Central |
| Conference | 4th Western |
| 2008–09 record | 46–24–12 |
| Home record | 24–9–8 |
| Road record | 22–15–4 |
| Goals for | 264 |
| Goals against | 216 |
| Team information | |
| General Manager | Dale Tallon |
| Coach |
Denis Savard Joel Quenneville |
| Captain | Jonathan Toews |
| Alternate captains |
Duncan Keith Patrick Sharp |
| Arena |
United Center Wrigley Field (1 game) |
| Average attendance | 22,247 (21,783, 106.2% at UC) Capacity: 20,500 Total: 912,155 (871,337 at UC) |
| Team leaders | |
| Goals | Jonathan Toews (34) |
| Assists | Martin Havlat (48) |
| Points | Martin Havlat (77) |
| Penalties in minutes | Ben Eager (161) |
| Plus/minus | (+) Duncan Keith (+33) (–) Cam Barker (−6) |
| Wins | Nikolai Khabibulin (25) |
| Goals against average | Nikolai Khabibulin (2.33) |
The 2008–09 Chicago Blackhawks season is the club's 83rd season in the National Hockey League (NHL). Prior to the start of the season, the Blackhawks announced that 20-year-old center Jonathan Toews would serve as the team's captain for the 2008–09 season, thus making him the 3rd-youngest player to earn that distinction in the NHL. Their regular season began on October 10, 2008, against the New York Rangers and concluded on April 12, 2009, against the rival Detroit Red Wings. The Blackhawks played in the Winter Classic, an outdoor game, against the Red Wings at Wrigley Field on January 1, 2009. The team succeeded in making the 2008–09 playoffs with a 3–1 win over Nashville on April 3 after missing the 2007–08 playoffs by three points.
The Chicago Blackhawks had a busy offseason following the 2007–08 regular season. In late April, a few weeks after the season concluded, the Blackhawks announced that they were entering a three-year partnership with WGN (720 AM); they previously aired games on WSCR (670 AM). This coincided with a previous announcement that the team would air up to twenty games on WGN's TV affiliate. The club also brought back announcer Pat Foley to do the play-by-play announcing for all television broadcasts.
The Blackhawks made a "huge splash" on the first day of free agency by signing defenseman Brian Campbell and goaltender Cristobal Huet. Campbell's $57.12 million contract was the largest in team history. Along with Campbell and Huet, the Blackhawks signed three other free agents, while losing three to other teams. Long-time Detroit Red Wings coach Scotty Bowman joined the organization in late July as Senior Advisor of Hockey Operations. The Hawks also added Rockford IceHogs head coach Mike Haviland as an assistant coach, and signed former Colorado Avalanche coach Joel Quenneville as a scout.
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