NEWSLETTER
The news on Thursday that the Rockford IceHogs have hired Rob Klinkhammer as an assistant coach got us thinking about something completely random.
On Dec. 8, 2010, Klinkhammer skated 11:36 against the Dallas Stars. He was credited with one shot on net, finishing the night plus-one. He never appeared in another NHL game for the Blackhawks.
How many players have appeared in only one game for the Blackhawks? And are any of them noteworthy?
There have been 35 players to date who appeared in one regular season game for the Blackhawks. There aren’t any players on the list who went on to Hall of Fame careers, but there are a few that stick out when we look at the list. Go ahead and listen to this classic while wandering back down our road of one-and-dones.
Mark McNeill, who the Blackhawks selected 18th overall in the 2011 NHL Draft — the same first round in which they selected Phillip Danault 26th — appeared in just one game for the Hawks. He was traded to Dallas in 2017 in the deal that brought Johnny Oduya back for a second tour of duty and appeared in just one game for the Stars.
Shawn Lalonde, Chicago’s third-round pick in 2008 — the same draft as Kyle Beach — also appeared in just one NHL game for the Blackhawks. He has been playing in Europe since 2013 after spending four seasons in Rockford.
Michael Paliotta‘s career turned quickly after just one appearance for the Blackhawks. Originally a third-round pick in 2011, he finished his four-year career at the U. of Vermont and signed with the Blackhawks, appearing in an NHL contest 2015 after signing that spring. But that summer he was traded as part of the first Brandon Saad trade (the one sending Saad to Columbus, not involving Artemi Panarin). Like McNeill, he has two NHL appearances on his resume to date.
Paliotta and Jim McBurney are the only players to play in one game to register a point. They each picked up an assist in their singular Blackhawks appearance, and those appearances were almost 60 years apart. McBurney made his only NHL game during the 1952-53 season.
Ryan Huska was the Blackhawks’ pick in the third round of the 1993 NHL Draft. The center appeared in just one game for Chicago. The Blackhawks made up for missing on that pick 14 selections later when they called the name of Eric Daze, who scored 226 goals in 601 games — all for Chicago.
In the 1984 draft, the Blackhawks selected Darin Sceviour with the 101st overall pick. He went on to appear in just one game for the Hawks — and in the NHL, period. Chicago still had a chance to make good with a family they knew well at that point, but the Calgary Flames took advantage and selected Brett Hull 16 picks later.
Shawn Byram appeared in one game for the Blackhawks during the 1991-92 season. The Blackhawks could have drafted his son, Bowen, three years ago but opted to take Kirby Dach instead.
Maybe the highest profile player to appear in just one game is Jeff Lanz. He was the seventh overall pick in the 1980 NHL Draft — four spots after the Blackhawks selected Denis Savard. He appeared in 568 games for the Canucks and Maple Leafs before one — his final — regular season game with the Blackhawks.
Jeff Taffe was also a first-round pick, by the Blues (30th overall) in 2000 and was a part of the trade that brought Keith Tkachuk to the Blues from Arizona in 2001. The Hawks got him in a trade from Florida for Marty Reasoner in 2010 and he got one game in Chicago. He was solid for Rockford, however; he scored 30 goals in 74 games for the IceHogs that season.
