The Chicago Blackhawks and Stars Combine For Blockbuster Forward Swap Trade Today in History
On this day in Chicago Blackhawks history, the team traded Curt Fraser for Dirk Graham who'd become the team's Captain for the next eight years.
The Chicago Blackhawks made an impactful trade on this date during the 1988 season which would send forward Curt Fraser to the Minnesota North Stars.
The trade would impact the Blackhawks in a way no one expected, as Dirk Graham would receive the "C" and wear it for the next eight seasons.
Graham would go on to score 343 points(152 G, 191 A) in 546 regular season games played with the Hawks.
He'd tally 36 points( 14 G, 22 A) in 75 playoff games with the team, through those eight years.
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»I feel very good about coming to the Blackhawks,» said Graham, who was told the tone of his voice indicated otherwise. »I`m not really down. It`s a little bit of a different experience. I`ve never been traded before. I`ll be leaving a lot of close friends. It`s a little bit of a tough thing to adjust to.»
Head Coach Bob Murdoch didn't like trading Curt Fraser at first given his contributions for the Hawks at the time.
But in the long run, the Blackhawks undoubtedly won the trade, as they got a leader out of the 1-for-1 swap between themselves and the North Stars.
The move gave the Hawks someone who could play on both the penalty kill and power-play.
The Blackhawks got more than they bargained for with this move. Graham would later Captain the team to the 1991-1992 Stanley Cup finals against the Pittsburgh Penguins, and would serve as an assistant coach for the Hawks shortly after he retired for Craig Hartsburg.
