Niklas Hjalmarsson was the ultimate Blackhawks warrior

The Chicago Blackhawks had a lot of great players during their dynasty. Patrick Kane, Jonathan Toews, Duncan Keith, Marian Hossa, Patrick Sharp, and Brent Seabrook were all-star players who put up gaudy statistics year after year. However, Niklas Hjalmarsson was as important on the defensive side of things.

Hjalmarsson was not known for his offensive numbers. He hardly score and he didn’t necessarily create these great breakouts regularly. Instead, he made it very hard to create against him. It was also very hard to get shots through to the net when he was on the ice.

Few people were as willing to block a shot in the history of the NHL. He blocked 1186 shots in the regular season and an extra 316 in the postseason. A player that willing to sacrifice the body in order to win was both necessary and respected.

Hjalmarsson spent the first 10 years of his NHL career with the Chicago Blackhawks. There is where he was a big part of a team that won the Stanley Cup three times in six years. Following that, he spent the final four years of his career with the Arizona Coyotes.

He was traded there in exchange for Connor Murphy and Laurent Dauphin. It was a bad trade for Chicago because, by the time Murphy was as good as Hjalmarsson, the team was horrible. They would have been better off going for it one more time with Hjalmarsson in the mix.

Niklas Hjalmarsson was the perfect warrior for the Chicago Blackhawks.

You don’t find a warrior like Hjalmarsson too often. He didn’t care about scoring even slightly but he was an outstanding defensive defenseman. When he was on the ice, Patrick Kane would get off but you knew the other team would find it extremely difficult to score.

The way he played was remarkable to watch. Having that type of defensive play from him playing behind Keith and Seabrook, created the perfect mix of everything that the team needed to be successful. Their ability to get the right mix of everything from their lineup was perfect and Hjalmarsson played a big role.

On Thursday night, the Blackhawks welcomed Duncan Keith back as a member of the Edmonton Oilers. A ceremony for Hjalmarsson took place before the game. Honoring him throughout the game is a great way to show respect as well. It is truly a celebration of a great player who meant so much for so long.