5 longest-serving captains in Blackhawks history

The Chicago Blackhawks traded their most recent captain, Nick Foligno, to the Minnesota Wild, leaving a vacancy as the team’s leader. Many fans expect Connor Bedard to inherit the captaincy, and at 21 years old, he’d become the second-youngest leader in franchise history behind Jonathan Toews, who was 20 at the time of his appointment.

Interestingly, only two Blackhawks players became captain before turning 25, and both went on to wear the “C” for at least five seasons. Today, we look at the five longest captaincies in Chicago history.

Johnny Gottselig (1935 - 1940)

At 23 years old, Russian-born Johnny Gottselig joined the Blackhawks for the 1928-29 season. He stayed with the organization for 16 years, skating in 591 games and scoring 372 points. At 30, he became the Blackhawks' captain for the 1935-36 season, a role he held for five seasons until the end of the 1939-40 season. Gottselig was the seventh captain in team history and, at the time, the longest-serving. In 1934, he played on the Blackhawks Stanley Cup-winning team and served as captain for the 1938 championship. Hall of Famer Earl Seibert became captain for the 1940-41 season, while Gottselig retired in 1945.

Darryl Sutter (1982 - 1987)

Darryl Sutter is one of six brothers from Viking, Alberta, who all played in the NHL. The former Jack Adams Award winner as Coach of the Year played his entire career with the Blackhawks from 1979 to 1987. Ahead of his fourth season, 1982-83, the 24-year-old was named team captain, becoming the youngest ever to hold the title. He served as captain for three seasons before sharing the role with Bob Murray in 1985-86. At 28, Sutter was Chicago’s captain for the 1986-87 season, skating in only 44 games before retiring at year’s end due to injuries. 

Pierre Pilote (1961 - 1968)

Pierre Pilote was the last captain to lead the Blackhawks to the Stanley Cup in 1961 before the franchise won again in 2010. That year, he led the playoffs with 12 assists and 15 points. As one of the franchise’s best players, he played in Chicago from 1955 to 1968 and scored 477 points in 821 games. At 30, Pilote became team captain for the 1961-62 season, eventually becoming the longest-serving captain in franchise history at the time. Under his guidance, the Blackhawks made the playoffs every season, skating in the Stanley Cup Final in 1961, 1962, and 1965. He won the Norris Trophy in three consecutive years in 1963, 1964, and 1965. 

Dirk Graham (1988 - 1995)

Dirk Graham played eight seasons with the Blackhawks, serving as team captain for seven of them. At 29, he earned the captaincy alongside franchise legend Denis Savard in 1988-89. Graham would remain in the role until his retirement in 1995, leading Chicago to the 1992 Stanley Cup Final. That year marked the first time since 1973 that the franchise reached the Final. In 546 games, he scored 152 goals and 343 points, winning the Frank J. Selke Trophy in 1990-91. 

Jonathan Toews (2008 - 2023)

Toews is the only captain in Blackhawks history to hoist the Stanley Cup three times, in 2010, 2013, and 2015. Moreover, wearing the “C” for 14 seasons makes him one of the longest-serving captains in NHL history, alongside names like Steve Yzerman, Sidney Crosby, Alex Ovechkin, and Ray Bourque. Chicago named Toews captain at just 20, making him the youngest leader in franchise history, and he guided the club through one of its most successful periods.

Before his arrival, the Blackhawks made the playoffs just once from 1998 to 2008; the team went on a nine-year run that included three titles and five Conference Finals appearances. When the organization retires his No. 19, he’ll join Pilote, Savard, Keith Magnuson, Chris Chelios, and Stan Mikita as the only team captains with a banner in the rafters. 

If Bedard becomes the next Blackhawks captain and serves throughout the five years of the extension he signed in August, he'll join this exclusive group of long-serving leaders in franchise history.