1990–91 Chicago Blackhawks season

National Hockey League team season March 2026 August 2023 NHL 1990–91 1990 Chicago Blackhawks Campbell 1st Norris 1st 49–23–8 28–8–4 21–15–4 284 211 Mike Keenan Mike Keenan Dirk Graham Chris CheliosSteve Larmer Chicago Stadium Steve Larmer (44) Steve Larmer (57) Steve Larmer (101) Mike Peluso (320) Ed Belfour (43) Jimmy Waite (2.00) Yes Yes The 1990–91 Chicago Blackhawks season was the team's 65th season. After making the Conference Finals two years in a row, the Blackhawks hosted the NHL All-Star Game, and finished with 106 points winning the NHL Presidents' Trophy for best record in the league. The Hawks received terrific performances from Steve Larmer, Jeremy Roenick, Chris Chelios, Dirk Graham and rookie Ed Belfour. Hockey, it seemed, was back in Chicago, and dreams of the first Stanley Cup since 1961 were rampant. However the playoffs matched the Blackhawks with their old rivals, the Minnesota North Stars, who defeated the Hawks in the first round of the 1991 Stanley Cup playoffs 4–2. Offseason Coach Mike Keenan assumed the role General Manager while remaining coach, and traded fan-favorite Denis Savard to the Montreal Canadiens for Chicago native Chris Chelios in the summer of 1990. Several of the older Blackhawks (Al Secord, Bob Murray and Duane Sutter) retired. NHL draft 1990 NHL entry draft Round Pick Player Nationality College/Junior/Club team 1 16 Karl Dykhuis (D) Hull Olympiques (QMJHL)237Ivan Droppa (D)MHk 32 Liptovsky Mikulas (Czechoslovakia)479Chris Tucker (C)Bloomington Jefferson High School (USHS-MN)6121Brett Stickney (C)St. Paul's School (USHS-NH)6124Derek Edgerly (C)Stoneham High School (USHS-MA)8163Hugo Belanger (LW)Clarkson University (ECAC)9184Owen Lessard (LW)Owen Sound Platers (OHL)10205Erik Peterson (C)Brockton High School (USHS-MA)11226Steve Dubinsky (C)Clarkson University (ECAC)12247Dino Grossi (F)Northeastern University (Hockey East)S21Claude Maillet (D)Merrimack College (Hockey East) Regular season The Blackhawks played at a high level all season as they won the Norris Division, the Western Conference regular season, and their first Presidents' Trophy for having the best record in the NHL with a record of 49–23–8 – good for 106 points. The Hawks edged St. Louis for all three titles as the Blues finished second with 105 points on the last day of the season with a win over the Red Wings. In addition to winning the Presidents' Trophy as the NHL's best team during the regular season, the Blackhawks also were the NHL's best defense, having allowed only 211 goals over 80 games. Despite being the most penalized team during the regular season, with 425 short-handed situations, the Blackhawks had a penalty-killing percentage of 84.00%, good enough for second place in the league. The Blackhawks also led the NHL in short-handed goals scored, with 20.https://www.hockey-reference.com/leagues/NHL_1991.html 1990-91 NHL Summary On October 25, 1990, Steve Larmer scored just 8 seconds into the overtime period to give the Blackhawks a 3–2 home win over the Washington Capitals.https://www.chicagotribune.com/1990/10/26/hawks-and-larmer-edge-capitals-in-ot/ Hawks and Larmer Edge Capitals in Ot It would prove to be the fastest overtime goal scored during the 1990-91 NHL regular season.https://www.hockey-reference.com/leagues/NHL_1991_games.html 1990-91 NHL Schedule and Results All-Star Game 175px|right The 42nd National Hockey League All-Star Game took place in Chicago Stadium, home of the Chicago Blackhawks, on January 19, 1991. The game saw the team of Campbell conference all-stars beat the team of Wales conference all-stars 11–5. While the game was high-scoring and exciting, the real story was the emotions. First from a hockey perspective, Chicago had not hosted an All-Star Game since 1974, and the Blackhawks resurgence was fueled by three All-Stars – Steve Larmer, Jeremy Roenick (his first), and Chris Chelios, all of whom received great ovations from the hometown fans during introductions. The second, larger perspective was that the game was played during the war with Iraq, and Operation Desert Storm had just started two days earlier. Some players asked that the game be delayed, but the league pressed on and players wore decals on their helmets supporting the troops. When Wayne Messmer stepped to the microphone and the organ began to play the pre-game National Anthem, the roar from the Chicago Stadium crowd, many of whom waved flags and sparklers, was deafening and sustained over the length of the song, totally overwhelming the performance, and creating a patriotic moment of history that transcended the sport. Season standings CHI CHI Schedule and results background:#fff; border-top:#CE1126 5px solid; border-bottom:#000000 5px solid; 1990–91 regular season1990-91 Chicago Blackhawks Schedule https://www.hockey-reference.com/teams/CHI/1991_games.html Hockey-Reference.com March 28, 2025 y background:#fff; border-top:#CE1126 2px solid; border-bottom:#000000 2px solid; October Game Result Date Score Opponent Record |- |1||W||October 4, 1990||4–3 || align="left"| New York Rangers (1990–91) ||1–0–0 |- |2||W||October 6, 1990||5–2 || align="left"| @ St. Louis Blues (1990–91) ||2–0–0 |- |3||L||October 7, 1990||2–4 || align="left"| New York Islanders (1990–91) ||2–1–0 |- |4||W||October 11, 1990||4–1 || align="left"| Pittsburgh Penguins (1990–91) ||3–1–0 |- |5||W||October 13, 1990||4–1 || align="left"| @ Minnesota North Stars (1990–91) ||4–1–0 |- |6||L||October 14, 1990||1–3 || align="left"| Calgary Flames (1990–91) ||4–2–0 |- |7||L||October 16, 1990||2–3 || align="left"| @ Detroit Red Wings (1990–91) ||4–3–0 |- |8||W||October 18, 1990||3–0 || align="left"| Toronto Maple Leafs (1990–91) ||5–3–0 |- |9||L||October 20, 1990||2–6 || align="left"| @ Toronto Maple Leafs (1990–91) ||5–4–0 |- |10||W||October 21, 1990||7–1 || align="left"| Minnesota North Stars (1990–91) ||6–4–0 |- |11||W||October 25, 1990||3–2 OT|| align="left"| Washington Capitals (1990–91) ||7–4–0 |- |12||L||October 27, 1990||4–5 || align="left"| @ Boston Bruins (1990–91) ||7–5–0 |- |13||W||October 28, 1990||2–1 OT|| align="left"| Montreal Canadiens (1990–91) ||8–5–0 |- y background:#fff; border-top:#CE1126 2px solid; border-bottom:#000000 2px solid; November Game Result Date Score Opponent Record |- |14||W||November 1, 1990||6–2 || align="left"| Quebec Nordiques (1990–91) ||9–5–0 |- |15||W||November 3, 1990||3–1 || align="left"| @ Philadelphia Flyers (1990–91) ||10–5–0 |- |16||L||November 4, 1990||0–2 || align="left"| Los Angeles Kings (1990–91) ||10–6–0 |- |17||T||November 6, 1990||1–1 OT|| align="left"| @ Hartford Whalers (1990–91) ||10–6–1 |- |18||W||November 8, 1990||5–3 || align="left"| Edmonton Oilers (1990–91) ||11–6–1 |- |19||W||November 10, 1990||5–1 || align="left"| @ Toronto Maple Leafs (1990–91) ||12–6–1 |- |20||T||November 11, 1990||3–3 OT|| align="left"| Winnipeg Jets (1990–91) ||12–6–2 |- |21||W||November 14, 1990||3–2 || align="left"| @ Detroit Red Wings (1990–91) ||13–6–2 |- |22||W||November 16, 1990||4–3 || align="left"| @ Washington Capitals (1990–91) ||14–6–2 |- |23||W||November 17, 1990||7–2 || align="left"| @ Quebec Nordiques (1990–91) ||15–6–2 |- |24||W||November 20, 1990||3–1 || align="left"| @ Edmonton Oilers (1990–91) ||16–6–2 |- |25||L||November 21, 1990||1–4 || align="left"| @ Vancouver Canucks (1990–91) ||16–7–2 |- |26||W||November 24, 1990||5–3 || align="left"| @ Calgary Flames (1990–91) ||17–7–2 |- |27||L||November 29, 1990||1–5 || align="left"| Detroit Red Wings (1990–91) ||17–8–2 |- y background:#fff; border-top:#CE1126 2px solid; border-bottom:#000000 2px solid; December Game Result Date Score Opponent Record |- |28||L||December 1, 1990||3–4 || align="left"| @ Detroit Red Wings (1990–91) ||17–9–2 |- |29||W||December 2, 1990||3–2 || align="left"| St. Louis Blues (1990–91) ||18–9–2 |- |30||W||December 6, 1990||5–2 || align="left"| New York Islanders (1990–91) ||19–9–2 |- |31||W||December 8, 1990||2–1 || align="left"| @ Toronto Maple Leafs (1990–91) ||20–9–2 |- |32||L||December 9, 1990||4–5 || align="left"| Philadelphia Flyers (1990–91) ||20–10–2 |- |33||W||December 11, 1990||4–1 || align="left"| @ Pittsburgh Penguins (1990–91) ||21–10–2 |- |34||W||December 13, 1990||5–4 || align="left"| Winnipeg Jets (1990–91) ||22–10–2 |- |35||L||December 15, 1990||1–5 || align="left"| @ Minnesota North Stars (1990–91) ||22–11–2 |- |36||W||December 16, 1990||5–2 || align="left"| Minnesota North Stars (1990–91) ||23–11–2 |- |37||W||December 19, 1990||3–2 || align="left"| Washington Capitals (1990–91) ||24–11–2 |- |38||L||December 22, 1990||0–5 || align="left"| @ St. Louis Blues (1990–91) ||24–12–2 |- |39||W||December 23, 1990||3–2 || align="left"| Detroit Red Wings (1990–91) ||25–12–2 |- |40||T||December 26, 1990||6–6 OT|| align="left"| St. Louis Blues (1990–91) ||25–12–3 |- |41||L||December 28, 1990||0–5 || align="left"| @ Buffalo Sabres (1990–91) ||25–13–3 |- |42||W||December 29, 1990||3–1 || align="left"| @ New York Islanders (1990–91) ||26–13–3 |- |43||W||December 31, 1990||4–0 || align="left"| @ Detroit Red Wings (1990–91) ||27–13–3 |- y background:#fff; border-top:#CE1126 2px solid; border-bottom:#000000 2px solid; January Game Result Date Score Opponent Record |- |44||W||January 3, 1991||5–3 || align="left"| New Jersey Devils (1990–91) ||28–13–3 |- |45||L||January 6, 1991||1–3 || align="left"| Los Angeles Kings (1990–91) ||28–14–3 |- |46||W||January 10, 1991||7–2 || align="left"| Toronto Maple Leafs (1990–91) ||29–14–3 |- |47||W||January 11, 1991||3–1 || align="left"| @ Winnipeg Jets (1990–91) ||30–14–3 |- |48||W||January 13, 1991||5–3 || align="left"| Minnesota North Stars (1990–91) ||31–14–3 |- |49||T||January 16, 1991||2–2 OT|| align="left"| @ New Jersey Devils (1990–91) ||31–14–4 |- |50||W||January 17, 1991||3–2 || align="left"| @ New York Rangers (1990–91) ||32–14–4 |- |51||L||January 24, 1991||4–5 || align="left"| Buffalo Sabres (1990–91) ||32–15–4 |- |52||W||January 26, 1991||5–1 || align="left"| Toronto Maple Leafs (1990–91) ||33–15–4 |- |53||W||January 28, 1991||1–0 || align="left"| @ Vancouver Canucks (1990–91) ||34–15–4 |- y background:#fff; border-top:#CE1126 2px solid; border-bottom:#000000 2px solid; February Game Result Date Score Opponent Record |- |54||L||February 1, 1991||3–4 OT|| align="left"| @ Edmonton Oilers (1990–91) ||34–16–4 |- |55||L||February 2, 1991||1–3 || align="left"| @ Calgary Flames (1990–91) ||34–17–4 |- |56||W||February 6, 1991||8–3 || align="left"| @ Montreal Canadiens (1990–91) ||35–17–4 |- |57||L||February 9, 1991||3–5 || align="left"| @ Boston Bruins (1990–91) ||35–18–4 |- |58||L||February 10, 1991||1–3 || align="left"| @ Hartford Whalers (1990–91) ||35–19–4 |- |59||W||February 14, 1991||2–1 OT|| align="left"| Quebec Nordiques (1990–91) ||36–19–4 |- |60||T||February 17, 1991||3–3 OT|| align="left"| Detroit Red Wings (1990–91) ||36–19–5 |- |61||L||February 18, 1991||3–5 || align="left"| @ Philadelphia Flyers (1990–91) ||36–20–5 |- |62||W||February 21, 1991||4–1 || align="left"| Boston Bruins (1990–91) ||37–20–5 |- |63||T||February 23, 1991||3–3 OT|| align="left"| @ Minnesota North Stars (1990–91) ||37–20–6 |- |64||W||February 24, 1991||6–2 || align="left"| St. Louis Blues (1990–91) ||38–20–6 |- |65||L||February 26, 1991||1–3 || align="left"| @ St. Louis Blues (1990–91) ||38–21–6 |- |66||W||February 28, 1991||6–3 || align="left"| Hartford Whalers (1990–91) ||39–21–6 |- y background:#fff; border-top:#CE1126 2px solid; border-bottom:#000000 2px solid; March Game Result Date Score Opponent Record |- |67||W||March 3, 1991||8–0 || align="left"| Vancouver Canucks (1990–91) ||40–21–6 |- |68||L||March 6, 1991||3–5 || align="left"| Montreal Canadiens (1990–91) ||40–22–6 |- |69||W||March 8, 1991||5–3 || align="left"| @ Buffalo Sabres (1990–91) ||41–22–6 |- |70||W||March 10, 1991||5–2 || align="left"| New York Rangers (1990–91) ||42–22–6 |- |71||W||March 14, 1991||6–3 || align="left"| @ Los Angeles Kings (1990–91) ||43–22–6 |- |72||W||March 16, 1991||3–2 || align="left"| @ St. Louis Blues (1990–91) ||44–22–6 |- |73||W||March 17, 1991||6–4 || align="left"| St. Louis Blues (1990–91) ||45–22–6 |- |74||T||March 21, 1991||2–2 OT|| align="left"| New Jersey Devils (1990–91) ||45–22–7 |- |75||W||March 23, 1991||7–5 || align="left"| @ Pittsburgh Penguins (1990–91) ||46–22–7 |- |76||W||March 24, 1991||5–4 || align="left"| Minnesota North Stars (1990–91) ||47–22–7 |- |77||T||March 26, 1991||2–2 OT|| align="left"| @ Toronto Maple Leafs (1990–91) ||47–22–8 |- |78||W||March 28, 1991||5–3 || align="left"| Toronto Maple Leafs (1990–91) ||48–22–8 |- |79||L||March 30, 1991||1–2 || align="left"| @ Minnesota North Stars (1990–91) ||48–23–8 |- |80||W||March 31, 1991||5–1 || align="left"| Detroit Red Wings (1990–91) ||49–23–8 |- |- | Legend: #cfc Win (2 points) 1px solid black #fcc Loss (0 points) 1px solid black #ffc Tie (1 point) 1px solid black Player statistics Regular season Scoring Player Pos GP G A Pts PIM +/- PPG SHG GWG Steve Larmer RW 80 44 57 101 79371729 Jeremy Roenick C 79 41 53 94 803815410 Michel Goulet LW 74 27 38 65 6527901 Chris Chelios D 77 12 52 64 19223522 Steve Thomas Steve Thomas (ice hockey) LW 69 19 35 54 1298203 Adam Creighton ice hockey C 72 22 29 51 13501026 Dirk Graham W 80 24 21 45 8812467 Doug Wilson Doug Wilson (ice hockey) D 51 11 29 40 3225611 Troy Murray C 75 14 23 37 7413402 Wayne Presley RW 71 15 19 34 12211103 Dave Manson D 75 14 15 29 19120612 Greg Gilbert LW 72 10 15 25 586100 Mike Hudson C/LW 55 7 9 16 625001 Trent Yawney D 61 3 13 16 776300 Frantisek Kucera František Kučera D 40 2 12 14 323100 Jocelyn Lemieux RW 67 6 7 13 119-7112 Steve Konroyd D 70 0 12 12 4011000 Keith Brown Keith Brown (ice hockey) D 45 1 10 11 559000 Bob McGill D 77 4 5 9 1518000 Mike Peluso Mike Peluso (ice hockey, born 1965) LW 53 6 1 7 320-3200 Paul Gillis C 13 0 5 5 531000 Mike McNeill ice hockey RW 23 2 2 4 6-1010 Brian Noonan RW 7 0 4 4 2-1000 Ed Belfour G 74 0 3 3 340000 Stu Grimson LW 35 0 1 1 183-3000 Tony McKegney LW 9 0 1 1 4-2000 Mike Stapleton C 7 0 1 1 20000 Jacques Cloutier G 10 0 0 0 20000 Dominik Hasek Dominik Hašek G 5 0 0 0 00000 Greg Millen G 3 0 0 0 00000 Cam Russell D 3 0 0 0 51000 Jimmy Waite G 1 0 0 0 00000 Goaltending Player MIN GPW LTGAGAA SO SA SV SV% Ed Belfour 4127 74 43 19 7 170 2.47 418831713.910 Dominik Hasek Dominik Hašek 195 5 3 0 1 8 2.46 09385.914 Jacques Cloutier 403 10 2 3 0 24 3.57 0175151.863 Jimmy Waite 60 1 1 0 0 2 2.00 02826.929 Greg Millen 58 3 0 1 0 4 4.14 03228.875 Team: 4843 80 49 23 8 208 2.58 422112003.906 Playoffs After reaching the Conference finals the prior two years and winning the Presidents' Trophy, hopes were extremely high entering the playoffs. The first round again reunited the Hawks with their old rivals from Minnesota who the Blackhawks needed seven games to dispatch in the prior year when the North Stars were the last place team in the division. This series however would not last seven games. The teams needed overtime to determine the winner of game one at the Chicago Stadium, however it was Minnesota who emerged as the 4–3 winner. The Blackhawks won Games 2 and 3, an easy 5–2 win in Chicago, and a close 6–5 win in Minnesota. However the North Stars swept the remaining games in blowout fashion including a 6–0 shutout on the Hawks home ice in game five. What was looking like it could be one of the greatest seasons in Hawks history was suddenly over. Minnesota won their next two series and reached the Stanley Cup Final where they lost to Mario Lemieux and the Pittsburgh Penguins in six games. Scoring Player Pos GP G A Pts PIM +/- PPG SHG GWG Jeremy Roenick C 6 3 5 8 42101 Chris Chelios D 6 1 7 8 462100 Steve Larmer RW 6 5 1 6 42100 Warren Rychel LW 3 1 3 4 21101 Doug Wilson Doug Wilson (ice hockey) D 5 2 1 3 21200 Dirk Graham W 6 1 2 3 172000 Steve Thomas Steve Thomas (ice hockey) LW 6 1 2 3 153000 Mike Hudson C/LW 6 0 2 2 81000 Keith Brown Keith Brown (ice hockey) D 6 1 0 1 80000 Steve Konroyd D 6 1 0 1 81000 Adam Creighton ice hockey C 6 0 1 1 100000 Greg Gilbert LW 5 0 1 1 21000 Dominik Hasek Dominik Hašek G 3 0 1 1 00000 Dave Manson D 6 0 1 1 362000 Troy Murray C 6 0 1 1 120000 Wayne Presley RW 6 0 1 1 380000 Ed Belfour G 6 0 0 0 60000 Paul Gillis C 2 0 0 0 21000 Stu Grimson LW 5 0 0 0 46-1000 Jocelyn Lemieux RW 4 0 0 0 0-2000 Bob McGill D 5 0 0 0 21000 Tony McKegney LW 2 0 0 0 40000 Mike Peluso Mike Peluso (ice hockey, born 1965) LW 3 0 0 0 2-1000 Cam Russell D 1 0 0 0 0-1000 Trent Yawney D 1 0 0 0 00000 Goaltending Player MIN GPW LGAGAA SO SA SV SV% Ed Belfour 295 6 2 4 20 4.07 0183163.891 Dominik Hasek Dominik Hašek 69 3 0 0 3 2.61 03936.923 Team: 364 6 2 4 23 3.79 0222199.896 hockey-reference.com 2009-06-16 1990-91 Chicago Blackhawks Statistics - Hockey-Reference.com https://www.hockey-reference.com/teams/CHI/1991.html Note: Pos = Position; GP = Games played; G = Goals; A = Assists; Pts = Points; +/- = plus/minus; PIM = Penalty minutes; PPG = Power-play goals; SHG = Short-handed goals; GWG = Game-winning goals       MIN = Minutes played; W = Wins; L = Losses; T = Ties; GA = Goals-against; GAA = Goals-against average; SO = Shutouts; SA = Shots against; SV = Shots saved; SV% = Save percentage; Awards and records Presidents' Trophy Calder Memorial Trophy: Ed Belfour Frank J. Selke Trophy: Dirk Graham Vezina Trophy: Ed Belfour William M. Jennings Trophy: Ed Belfour Ed Belfour, Goaltender, NHL All-Rookie Team Chris Chelios, Defence, NHL Second Team All-Star Jeremy Roenick, Center, NHL Second Team All-Star Steve Larmer, Right Wing, NHL Second Team All-Star References Blackhawks on Hockey Database 1990-91 1990-91 Category:1990–91 NHL season by team 1990 Category:1990 in sports in Illinois Category:1991 in sports in Illinois Category:1990 in Chicago Category:1991 in Chicago