The Chicago Blackhawks are a professional North American ice hockey team in the National Hockey League (NHL). The team plays in the Central division of the NHL’s Western Conference. The team was founded in 1926 as the Black Hawks but made the name one word as the Blackhawks in 1986. They are one of the NHL’s Original Six franchises that include the Detroit Red Wings, Montreal Canadiens, Toronto Maple Leafs, New York Rangers, and Boston Bruins. The Blackhawks have won six Stanley Cup championships including three in the 2010s. They had a long drought of not winning a championship from 1961 to 2010 but won 13 division titles (and 3 more since) in that timeframe.

The Blackhawks play their home games at the United Center in Chicago, Illinois. The team shares this arena with the NBA’s Chicago Bulls. The Blackhawks have had 39 former players inducted into the NHL Hall of Fame. They have also retired six jersey numbers for 7 former players. Some of their most famous alum are Bobby Hull, Denis Savard, and Tony Esposito. Esposito’s brother Phil was another famous former Blackhawks player but played 12 fewer seasons for the team than Tony.