Sadly, a number of former Blackhawks players and individuals who were associated with the Blackhawks organization passed away in 2022. Here are some names of those who we lost this past year.
Eric Nesterenko – in 1956, the Maple Leafs traded Nesterenko to the Blackhawks for cash. He would skate in 1,013 games over the following 16 years, becoming the first player to appear in more than 1,000 regular season games with Chicago. He also appeared in the movie “Youngblood” for those who are old enough to remember. He was 88 when he passed away.
Jim Pappin — Pappin scored 216 goals in 488 games with the Blackhawks after he was acquired from Toronto in a trade in 1968 that sent Pierre Pilote to the Maple Leafs. He was 82 when he passed away.
Bryan Marchment — Marchment is the answer to two trivia questions in Blackhawks history. He was part of the package the Blackhawks received from Winnipeg for Troy Murray in 1991, and he was traded with Steve Larmer in 1993. He died at age 53.
Orval Tessier – Tessier became the first (and is still the only) Blackhawks coach to win the Jack Adams in his first of two seasons behind the bench in Chicago. He led the Hawks to the playoffs in both the 1982-83 and 1983-84 seasons.
Dave Dryden – Dryden appeared in 68 games in net over three seasons for the Blackhawks in the late-1960s. He was the brother of Hall of Fame goalie Ken Dryden and is credited with designing the fiberglass/birdcage helmet that is now primarily used by NHL netminders.
Emile Francis — Francis is a Hall of Famer who appeared in 73 games during two seasons with the Blackhawks in the 1940s. He was 95 when he passed.
Edward Leier — Leier appeared in 16 games with the Blackhawks between the 1949-50 and 1950-51 seasons, scoring twice.
Dan Schachte – Schachte was an official for whom Chicago played a unique role. He became the first American-born official to skate 2,000 games. His first game was at the Chicago Stadium on Oct. 1, 1982 when Toronto was in town. His final game was on March 18, 2012 when the Washington Capitals visited the United Center.