10 Greatest Chicago Blackhawks Players of All Time

If you want to talk about workhorses, Esposito makes the cut. He led the NHL in goalie games four times, shots against and saves five times and minutes six times. And he wasn’t just the guy the Blackhawks put between the pipes, either.

Esposito won three Vezina Trophies over his 16-year career, all but his first season with Chicago.

7. Doug Wilson (1977-1991)

In the first half of the 1980s, there may not have been a better defenseman in the league than Wilson. He captured the Norris Trophy in 1981-82 with an 85-point season that included an astounding 39 goals.

No Blackhawks blue-liner has registered more of either and Wilson still holds the franchise record for goals, assists and points for a D-man.

6. Denis Savard (1980-90, 1994-97)

It’s easy to forget Savard if you aren’t a Blackhawks fan or remember much about the 1980s. But with 1,096 points in 881 games in Chicago during his 13 seasons, you shouldn’t. In his whole 17-year career, he registered more than 1,300 points.

Savard left Chicago in 1990, but returned in 1994 and made his final All-Star appearance in 1996.

5. Duncan Keith (2005-2021)

Sure, you could flip Wilson and Keith, but it’s splitting hairs. Keith earns some bonus points for playing all but one of his 17 NHL seasons with the Blackhawks.

He won the Norris Trophy twice and even earned Hart Trophy votes a couple of times from the blue line. That doesn’t happen often. He was the staple of Chicago’s rearguard with Brent Seabrook in the Blackhawks’ dynasty of the 2010s, capturing three Stanley Cups.

MORE: Chicago Blackhawks’ Best and Worst Coaches in History

4. Jonathan Toews (2007-2023)

Toews set the 21st-century standard for NHL captains, wearing the ‘C’ for the Blackhawks over 14 seasons and earning the right after just his first year in the NHL. He was a dominant two-way center who won the Selke in 2013 and picked up votes for the trophy in 12 straight seasons from 2009 to 2020.

And while he broke the 80-point mark only once (thanks in large part to injuries), he still retired in June with 912 points over his 16 years. Oh, and three Cups isn’t half bad, either.

3. Patrick Kane (2007-23, 2026-Present)

The best American NHLer ever? A strong case can be made and, personally, we agree. Kane at the top of his game was a smooth-skating, slick-handling superstar with a wicked shot and vision that played like a center instead of a wing.

He won the Calder Trophy as Rookie of the Year in 2007-08 and the Hart, Ross and Pearson trophies in 2016. He, Toews and Keith are the modern-era Blackhawks.

Kane returned to the Blackhawks in 2026 after spending the previous three seasons with the Detroit Red Wings.

2. Bobby Hull (1957-1972)

No one has scored more goals in a Blackhawks jersey than Hull, who potted 604 over his 15 years in Chicago.

He led the NHL in goals seven times and captured the Stanley Cup playing wing to the top player on this list’s center. Hull ultimately made 12 All-Star Games and won two Hart Trophies as league MVP.

1. Stan Mikita (1958-1980)

Mikita is the only player in NHL history to win the Lady Byng, the Art Ross and the Hart trophies all in the same season. And he did it twice. Back-to-back.

His jersey was the first to be retired in Blackhawks history, the franchise with which he played all 22 of his NHL seasons. Mikita also won four Art Ross trophies as the league’s leading scorer and helped the ‘hawks to a Stanley Cup win in 1961. He’s No. 1.