On Monday, the hockey world lost Bill White, a six-time All-Star and one of the great defenseman of the 1970’s, at the age of 77. White was a perennial All-Star and Norris Trophy candidate every year from 1969 to 1974 and spent the majority of his career with the Chicago Blackhawks. The organization mourned the loss of their former star and offered condolences to his family and friends and team historian Bob Verdi recalled his great career and how much he meant to the Blackhawks.
White’s NHL career began with the Los Angeles Kings in 1967, when he scored 38 points and racked up 100 penalty minutes as a rookie, establishing that he was here to stay in the big leagues. White was traded to Chicago in February of 1970 as the centerpiece of a six-player swap. With two All-Star appearances already, White still took his game to the next level with the Blackhawks. From 1971 to 1974, White added four more All-Star game appearances, was twice named a Second-Team All-NHL selection, and twice finished in the top ten in the league in +/-.
Sadly, white suffered a career-ending neck injury toward the end of the 1975-76 season at 36 years old, but nevertheless he remained committed to the team. White stayed on as a coach and the next season replaced long-time head coach Billy Reay and finished out the campaign. Altogether, White finished his NHL career with 265 points in 604 regular season games and another 39 points in 91 playoff games as a player and a 16-24-6 record in 46 games as a coach.
RIP Bill White