The 1960-61 Blackhawks had a lot in common with 2009-10 Blackhawks. Both teams had young talent who would quickly become household names. Bobby Hull was 21 and had already earned the nickname the Golden Jet. Stan Mikita, 20, was also beginning his long and prosperous career.
The Hawks met the Canadiens in the first round of the postseason. The previous year the Canadiens had won their fifth consecutive Stanley Cup, making them the NHL's greatest dynasty. Those five championships didn't intimidate the Hawks. They dispensed with the Canadiens by winning games five and six, taking the series 4-2, behind the stellar goaltending of Glenn Hall.
Moving on to the Stanley Cup, the Hawks faced the Detroit Red Wings. Led by two goals from Hull, the Blackhawks won the first game. Detroit took game two in Detroit. The Hawks won game three, 3-1, back home at Chicago Stadium.
The Cups format was definitely a head-scratcher. Both teams would travel again to Detroit, where the Wings would even the series. Chicago Stadium would play host to a thrilling game five. The Wings goalie had no answer for the Hawks, who would go on to win 6-3. The series shifted, yet again to Detroit, where the home crowd of 14,328 would leave with empty hearts. The Old Red Barn, as Olympia Stadium was affectionately known in Detroit, would not be kind to the Wings. On the other hand, the Blackhawks and goaltender Glenn Hall had a stellar game. Hall only allowed one goal, while his teammates continued to score in bunches. The Blackhawks won game six 5-1.
To learn more about the Blackhawks and their third Stanley Cup, check out Hockey Chicago Style by Paul Greenland or The Chicago Black Hawks Story by George Vass.
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