The Blackhawks experienced an unprecedented level of franchise success during the 2010s with three Stanley Cup championships. In order to do so they needed some of the league’s top players to not only achieve that level of success, but maintain as well.
Seven Blackhawks players, including four curr made ESPN’s top 100 NHL players of the 2010s list, and three former players as well.
Current Blackhawks
9. Patrick Kane, RW
- Three-time champion
- 2013 Conn Smythe Trophy winner
- 2016 Art Ross Trophy, Ted Lindsay Award, Hart Trophy
- Seven-time All-Star this decade
- Highest-rated right wing/
10. Duncan Keith, D
- Three-time champion
- Two-time James Norris Trophy winner
- 2015 Conn Smythe Trophy winner
- Three-time All-Star this decade
- Second-highest rated defenseman to Erik Karlsson/
15. Jonathan Toews, C
- Three-time champion
- 2010 Conn Smythe Trophy
- 2013 Selke Trophy
- 2015 Mark Messier Leadership Award
- Five-time All-Star this decade
- Eighth-highest rated center (Sidney Crosby, Connor McDavid, Evgeni Malkin, Patrice Bergeron, Pavel Datsyuk, Anze Kopitar)/
78. Corey Crawford, G
- Two-time champion
- Two-time All-Star
- Two-time William Jennings Trophy winner/
Former Blackhawks
64. Artemi Panarin, LW (Traded to Blue Jackets, now with Rangers)
- 2016 Calder Trophy winner/
67. Marian Hossa, RW (Traded to Coyotes, unofficially retired)
- Three-time champion
- 2012 All-Star/
80. Dustin Byfuglien, D (Traded to Thrashers, now Jets)
- 2010 champion
- Four-time All-Star/
Here’s how ESPN made the list:
The order was determined through statistical and analytic comparisons; consideration for postseason success and awards; and good old-fashioned subjectivity. A few factors we weighed in creating the ranking:
- Longevity was respected but not essential. There are players on the list who compiled points through 10 seasons of play, and players who landed on the list by virtue of dominating for a shorter period of time.
- Hence, dominant stretches for players can carry weight, even if the seasons surrounding them are just average.
- Rates are frequently more important than raw numbers, whether it’s stats per game or per 60 minutes.
- Heavy consideration was given to goals and wins above average, as found on the invaluable Evolving Hockey. It’s a metric that attempts to assign a total value to each player, which represents how much that player contributed to their team in a single number. It’s one of the most effective ways to separate the heavy lifters from the coasters.
- The list was created through separate rankings for each position that were then contrasted to determine the final order./