List of Chicago Blackhawks general managers

The Chicago Blackhawks are an American professional ice hockey team based in Chicago, Illinois. They play in the Central Division of the Western Conference in the National Hockey League (NHL).[1] The team was first named the "Chicago Black Hawks", until 1986, when spelling found in the original franchise documents spelled the franchise name as the "Chicago Blackhawks", making the team change its name in response.[2] The team is also referred to as the "Hawks".[3] The Blackhawks began their NHL play in the 1926–27 season as an expansion team with the Detroit Cougars and the New York Rangers, and is one of the Original Six teams.[4] The franchise has 6 Stanley Cup championships, most recently winning in the 2014–15 season. Having played in the Chicago Coliseum (1926–1929) and the Chicago Stadium (1929–1994), the Blackhawks have played their home games at the United Center since 1994. The team has had ten general managers since their inception.[5]

For much of the early history of the Chicago Black Hawks, the title of "general manager" did not exist. Much of the work of managing the team operations, player contracts and the like was done by owner Frederic McLaughlin, with Bill Tobin as his assistant. Tobin joined the team in 1926 after a brief playing career as a goaltender. He has been variously named as a ticket taker, stick boy[6] and first general manager by appointment by McLaughlin from that time. Tobin held several titles during his term with the Black Hawks. He coached for two years in the 1930s. On the 1934 Stanley Cup win, Tobin is listed as secretary-treasurer. In 1938, Tobin was named president of the team, and for all practical purposes was general manager from that time forward, although McLaughlin stated at the time that it was a change in title only. After McLaughlin died, Tobin was part-owner and president of the team. The actual title of general manager was created in 1952, and Bill Tobin held the title in addition to the title of vice-president.[6] Even when Tommy Ivan was hired in 1954, his title was manager of hockey operations, including the farm team.[6]

## Key

[edit]

Key of terms and definitions  Term  | Definition

|

No.  | Number of general managers[a]
Ref(s)  | References
–  | Does not apply
†  | Elected to the Hockey Hall of Fame in the Builder category

## General managers

[edit]

General managers of the Chicago Blackhawks  No.  | Name  | Tenure  | Accomplishments during this term  | Ref(s)

|
|
|
|

1  | Frederic McLaughlin†  | September 25, 1926 – 1942 |

* Won Stanley Cup 2 times in 3 finals appearances (1931, 1934, 1938)
* 11 playoff appearances

| [7]
2  | Bill Tobin | 1942 – July 7, 1954 |

* 1 Stanley Cup Finals appearance (1944)
* 3 playoff appearances

| [6]
3  | Tommy Ivan†  | July 7, 1954 – July 6, 1977 |

* Won Stanley Cup 1 time in 5 finals appearances (1961, 1962, 1965, 1971, 1973)
* 5 division titles and 18 playoff appearances

| [6][8]
4  | Bob Pulford | July 6, 1977 – June 5, 1990 |

* 6 division titles and 13 playoff appearances

| [8][9]
5  | Mike Keenan | June 5, 1990 – November 6, 1992 |

* Won Presidents' Trophy (1990–91)
* 1 Stanley Cup Finals appearance (1992)
* 1 conference title, 1 division title, and 2 playoff appearances

| [9][10]
–  | Bob Pulford | November 6, 1992 – July 3, 1997 |

* 1 division title and 5 playoff appearances

| [10][11]
6  | Bob Murray | July 3, 1997 – December 2, 1999 |

* No playoff appearances

| [11][12]
–  | Bob Pulford (Interim)  | December 2, 1999 – September 22, 2000 |

* No playoff appearances

| [12][13]
7  | Mike Smith | September 22, 2000 – October 24, 2003 |

* 1 playoff appearance

| [13][14]
–  | Bob Pulford | October 24, 2003 – June 21, 2005 |

* No playoff appearances

| [14][15]
8  | Dale Tallon | June 21, 2005 – July 14, 2009 |

* 1 playoff appearance

| [15][5]
9  | Stan Bowman | July 14, 2009 – October 26, 2021 |

* Won Stanley Cup 3 times (2010, 2013, 2015)
* Won Presidents' Trophy (2012–13)
* 3 conference titles, 3 division titles, and 8 playoff appearances

| [5]
10  | Kyle Davidson | October 26, 2021 – present |  | [16]

## Notes

[edit]

* a A running total of the number of general managers of the franchise. Thus any general manager who has two or more separate terms as general manager is only counted once.

## References

[edit]

* All-Time Blackhawks General Managers / Head Coaches – Chicago Blackhawks – History, Chicago Blackhawks, retrieved July 15, 2015

1. ^ "Teams". National Hockey League. Retrieved June 15, 2009.
2. ^ Diamond, Dan (1991). The Official National Hockey League 75th Anniversary Commemorative Book. Toronto: McClelland & Stewart. p. 291. ISBN 0-7710-6727-5
3. ^ "This Month In Hawks History: June". Chicago Blackhawks. National Hockey League. Archived from the original on June 6, 2009. Retrieved June 15, 2009.
4. ^ "Do Original Six teams still matter in the NHL?". ESPN. February 23, 2007. Retrieved June 15, 2009.
5. ^ a b c "Blackhawks Promote Stan Bowman To General Manager". Chicago Blackhawks. July 14, 2009. Retrieved July 15, 2015.
6. ^ a b c d e "Black Hawks Have New GM". Ottawa Citizen. July 8, 1954. p. 21.
7. ^ "The McLaughlin Years – Chicago Blackhawks – History". Chicago Blackhawks. Retrieved July 15, 2015.
8. ^ a b "Pulford will work Hawks hard". Chicago Tribune. July 7, 1977. Retrieved July 15, 2015.
9. ^ a b Kiley, Mike (June 6, 1990). "Keenan on own course as new GM". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved July 15, 2015.
10. ^ a b "SPORTS PEOPLE: HOCKEY; Keenan Quits Hawks". The New York Times. November 7, 1992. Retrieved July 15, 2015.
11. ^ a b "Pulford steps down as Blackhawks GM". UPI. July 3, 1997. Retrieved July 15, 2015.
12. ^ a b "N.H.L.: ROUNDUP; Vanbiesbrouck Reaches Milestone in a Victory". The New York Times. December 3, 1999. Retrieved July 15, 2015.
13. ^ a b "Smith named Blackhawks GM". CBC News. September 22, 2000. Retrieved July 15, 2015.
14. ^ a b "Hawks fire GM Mike Smith, name Pulford interim replacement". ESPN.com. October 24, 2003. Retrieved July 15, 2015.
15. ^ a b "Blackhawks hire new general manager, who fires old coach". Peninsula Clarion. June 22, 2005. Retrieved July 15, 2015.
16. ^ "RELEASE: Kyle Davidson Named 10th General Manager in Blackhawks History". NHL.com. March 2022. Retrieved March 1, 2022.

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