1931–32 Chicago Black Hawks season explained

League:	NHL
Season:	1931–32
Year:	1931
Team:	Chicago Black Hawks
Divisionrank:	2nd
Record:	18–19–11
Homerecord:	13–5–6
Roadrecord:	5–14–5
Goalsfor:	86
Goalsagainst:	101
Goalsleader:	Johnny Gottselig (13)
Assistsleader:	Johnny Gottselig (15)
Pointsleader:	Johnny Gottselig (28)
Pimleader:	Mush March (59)
Winsleader:	Chuck Gardiner (18)
Gaaleader:	Chuck Gardiner (1.85)

The 1931–32 Chicago Black Hawks season was the team's sixth season in the NHL, and they were coming off of their first ever Stanley Cup finals appearance, as they lost to the Montreal Canadiens in 5 games in the 1931 finals. The Hawks would not bring back Dick Irvin as head coach though, as they rehired Bill Tobin, who coached the Hawks at the end of the 1929–30 season. Despite finishing with an under .500 record, as the Hawks would get 47 points in 48 games, the team finished in 2nd place in the American Division, and would qualify for the playoffs for the 3rd straight season.

The Black Hawks would be led offensively by Johnny Gottselig, who led the club with 13 goals and 28 points, while Tom Cook would finish just behind him with 12 goals and 25 points. Mush March would have a big season, scoring 12 goals and earning 22 points, while leading the club with 59 penalty minutes.

In goal, Chuck Gardiner would win the Vezina Trophy, as the Black Hawks would have the fewest goals against in the entire league. Gardiner would win 18 games, post a 1.85 GAA and have 4 shutouts.

One seemingly routine regular season game was recalled 30 years later in a February 1, 1962, episode of ABC television's The Untouchables, titled "Silent Partner" in which one of the characters, agent Lee Hobson, goes to the Black Hawks game vs. the New York Americans. The game was played on March 4, 1932, but narrator Walter Winchell's script put the date at March 5, possibly because researchers would have found stories about the night game in the next morning's newspapers. The show got the 6–1 Black Hawk victory correct, but it cannot be determined if Winchell's remark of attendance of 7,000 was also correct.

Chicago would face the Toronto Maple Leafs in the opening round of the playoffs for the 2nd straight year, however, unlike the previous season, the Black Hawks could not defeat Toronto in the 2 game total goal series, as the Leafs would eliminate the Hawks by a 6–2 score.

Season standings

Record vs. opponents

Schedule and results

Regular season

	Date	Visitor	Score	Home	Record	Pts
1	November 12	Chicago Black Hawks	2–1		1–0–0	2
2	November 15		1–1	Chicago Black Hawks	1–0–1	3
3	November 18		1–1	Chicago Black Hawks	1–0–2	4
4	November 22		2–4	Chicago Black Hawks	2–0–2	6
5	November 24	Chicago Black Hawks	1–1		2–0–3	7
6	November 26	Chicago Black Hawks	0–1		2–1–3	7
7	November 29		5–0	Chicago Black Hawks	2–2–3	7
8	December 2		1–2	Chicago Black Hawks	3–2–3	9
9	December 6	Chicago Black Hawks	0–2		3–3–3	9
10	December 8	Chicago Black Hawks	1–1		3–3–4	10
11	December 13		3–0	Chicago Black Hawks	3–4–4	10
12	December 16		1–4	Chicago Black Hawks	4–4–4	12
13	December 17	Chicago Black Hawks	1–4		4–5–4	12
14	December 20		0–1	Chicago Black Hawks	5–5–4	14
15	December 22	Chicago Black Hawks	1–1		5–5–5	15
16	December 27	Chicago Black Hawks	1–3		5–6–5	15
17	December 29	Chicago Black Hawks	3–3		5–6–6	16
18	January 1		2–3	Chicago Black Hawks	6–6–6	18
19	January 3		1–1	Chicago Black Hawks	6–6–7	19
20	January 6		2–4	Chicago Black Hawks	7–6–7	21
21	January 10		1–1	Chicago Black Hawks	7–6–8	22
22	January 13		2–1	Chicago Black Hawks	7–7–8	22
23	January 14	Chicago Black Hawks	0–2		7–8–8	22
24	January 17		3–3	Chicago Black Hawks	7–8–9	23
25	January 19	Chicago Black Hawks	3–2		8–8–9	25
26	January 21	Chicago Black Hawks	1–0		9–8–9	27
27	January 23	Chicago Black Hawks	3–3		9–8–10	28
28	January 27		1–2	Chicago Black Hawks	10–8–10	30
29	January 28	Chicago Black Hawks	2–4		10–9–10	30
30	January 31		3–0	Chicago Black Hawks	10–10–10	30
31	February 3		0–7	Chicago Black Hawks	11–10–10	32
32	February 7	Chicago Black Hawks	0–1		11–11–10	32
33	February 9	Chicago Black Hawks	3–1		12–11–10	34
34	February 11	Chicago Black Hawks	1–4		12–12–10	34
35	February 14	Chicago Black Hawks	1–3		12–13–10	34
36	February 17		3–1	Chicago Black Hawks	12–14–10	34
37	February 20		1–2	Chicago Black Hawks	13–14–10	36
38	February 24		1–3	Chicago Black Hawks	14–14–10	38
39	February 27	Chicago Black Hawks	2–4		14–15–10	38
40	March 1	Chicago Black Hawks	0–1		14–16–10	38
41	March 4		1–6	Chicago Black Hawks	15–16–10	40
42	March 6		3–4	Chicago Black Hawks	16–16–10	42
43	March 8	Chicago Black Hawks	1–6		16–17–10	42
44	March 10	Chicago Black Hawks	3–2		17–17–10	44
45	March 12	Chicago Black Hawks	0–1		17–18–10	44
46	March 16		1–1	Chicago Black Hawks	17–18–11	45
47	March 19	Chicago Black Hawks	3–11		17–19–11	45
48	March 20		0–1	Chicago Black Hawks	18–19–11	47

Playoffs

Maple Leafs 6, Black Hawks 2

NHL quarter-finals

(C2) Toronto Maple Leafs vs. (A2) Chicago Black Hawks

Player statistics

Scoring leaders

Player	GP	G	A	Pts	PIM
	44	13	15	28	28
	48	12	13	25	36
	48	12	10	22	59
	48	8	14	22	34
	46	12	6	18	47

Goaltending

Player	GP	TOI	W	L	T	GA	SO	GAA
	48	2989	18	19	11	92	4	1.85
	1	41	0	0	0	9	0	13.17

Playoff stats

Scoring leaders

Player	GP	G	A	Pts	PIM
	2	1	0	1	2
	2	1	0	1	0
	2	0	1	1	0

Goaltending

Player	GP	TOI	W	L	T	GA	SO	GAA
	2	120	1	1	0	6	1	3.00

References

• SHRP Sports
• The Internet Hockey Database
• National Hockey League Guide & Record Book 2007