1926–27 Chicago Black Hawks season
| 1926–27 Chicago Black Hawks | |
|---|---|
| Division | 3rd American |
| 1926–27 record | 19–22–3 |
| Home record | 12–8–2 |
| Road record | 7–14–1 |
| Goals for | 115 |
| Goals against | 116 |
| Team information | |
| General manager | Frederic McLaughlin |
| Coach | Pete Muldoon |
| Captain | Dick Irvin |
| Arena | Chicago Coliseum |
| Team leaders | |
| Goals | Babe Dye (25) |
| Assists | Dick Irvin (18) |
| Points | Dick Irvin (36) |
| Penalty minutes | Percy Traub (93) |
| Wins | Hugh Lehman (19) |
| Goals against average | Hugh Lehman (2.49) |
The 1926–27 Chicago Black Hawks season was the team's first season. Chicago was awarded an NHL franchise. Most of the team's players came from the Portland Rosebuds of the Western Canada Hockey League, which had folded the previous season. The team would qualify for the playoffs in their first season, but lost in a 2-game total goal series.
Coffee tycoon Frederic McLaughlin bought the team from the syndicate who had been awarded the franchise by the NHL. McLaughlin had been a commander with the 333rd Machine Gun Battalion of the 86th Infantry Division during World War I. This division was nicknamed the "Black Hawk Division", after a Native American of the Sauk nation, Chief Black Hawk, who was a prominent figure in the history of Illinois. McLaughlin evidently named the team in honor of the military unit, and his wife, Irene Castle, designed the team's logo.
The team faced immediate competition from Eddie Livingstone's rival Chicago Cardinals of the American Hockey Association (AHA) which also played in the Coliseum. Both teams gave away tickets in droves and engaged in a price war. Under the financial strain, and pressure brought to bear on the AHA by the NHL, the Cardinals folded before the end of the season. The Black Hawks would sign away several of the Cardinals' players.