Tonight’s pregame will include a moment of silence in
honor of Ed Litzenberger, who passed away at the age of 78
on Monday in Toronto.
Litzenberger served as the captain of the Blackhawks from
1958-61, and prior to the team’s 2010 title, he was the last
person to captain the club to the Stanley Cup Championship.
A native of Neudorf, Saskatchewan, Litzenberger
registered 416 points (178G, 238A) in 618 career NHL regularseason contests over 12 seasons with the Blackhawks (195461), Montreal Canadiens (1952-54), Detroit Red Wings (196162) and Toronto Maple Leafs (1962-64). He won the 1955
Calder Memorial Trophy as the league’s top rookie, skated in
six NHL All-Star Games (1955, 1957-59, 1962-63) and finished
as one of the league’s top-five goal scorers in three straight
seasons from 1956-59.
In addition to captaining the Blackhawks to the 1961
Stanley Cup Championship, Litzenberger won the Cup as
a member of the Toronto Maple Leafs in 1962, 1963 and
1964, and became the only player in North American hockey
history to win six consecutive professional team titles when
he won the American Hockey League’s Calder Cup in 1965
and 1966.
Loving husband of Gayle for 49 years, Litzenberger was
the beloved father of Dean and his wife Donna, Kelly and her
husband Norm, John and his wife Kathy and grandfather of
Lindsay.