Blackhawks 1961 Stanley Cup champion Ab McDonald dies at 82

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The Blackhawks lost another member of their family on Tuesday night after announcing the passing of Ab McDonald. He was 82.

“Ab McDonald was an important member of the Chicago Blackhawks family and will forever have a connection to the 1961 Stanley Cup Championship team,” the Blackhawks said in a statement. “In addition to his many contributions on the ice throughout his 14-year National Hockey League career, Ab was very involved in the Blackhawks Alumni Association upon retirement and made it a priority to give back to the game that gave so much to him. The Blackhawks organization extends their deepest condolences to the entire McDonald family and all of Ab’s friends and former teammates.”

McDonald spent four seasons (1960-64) in Chicago, where he helped lead the Blackhawks to a Stanley Cup in 1961 by scoring what proved to be the series-clinching goal in Game 6 against the Detroit Red Wings in the Final.

He appeared in five All-Star Games and has four Stanley Cups on his resume, three of which were with the Montreal Canadiens from 1958-60, meaning he won four titles in a row to start his NHL career after winning another with Chicago in 1961.

McDonald amassed 430 points (182 goals, 248 assists) in 762 games with Montreal, Chicago, Boston, Detroit, Pittsburgh and St. Louis across 14 NHL seasons.

McDonald also registered 70 points (29 goals, 41 assists) in 147 World Hockey Association games with the Winnipeg Jets. He’s the first captain in Jets history and scored the team’s first goal.

The news comes less than a month after Blackhawks legend Stan Mikita passed away on Aug. 7. Mikita and McDonald were teammates on the 1961 championship team.

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