Dirk Graham was everything the Chicago Blackhawks could have hoped for when they acquired the in a trade with the Minnesota North Stars on Jan. 2, 1988.
The product of Regina, Saskatchewan, had spent most of six seasons in the minors before becoming a full-time NHL player with the North Stars in 1984-85. He blossomed with the Blackhawks, finishing with NHL career highs of 33 goals, 45 assists and 78 points in 1988-89, his first full season with Chicago, when he also set a Blackhawks record with 10 shorthanded goals. Late in that season, he became the first black captain in NHL history when he succeeded Denis Savard.
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Though he scored at least 20 goals four times with the Blackhawks and won the Selke Trophy as the NHL's best defensive forward in 1990-91, it was Graham's leadership skills that stood out, especially to his teammates
"When I think of the captain, I think of what he stands for and what he meant to his team, and if you could picture a guy who was a true representative of a Chicago Blackhawk, that's the type of player you think of," center Troy Murray told the Blackhawks website in 2011. "Dirk Graham was that player. When you saw how hard he worked and how much he put into the game of hockey, everybody who saw him came out a better player.'
Graham was Chicago's captain when the Blackhawks set a Stanley Cup Playoff record with 11 consecutive victories in 1992; however, the streak ended when they were swept by the Pittsburgh Penguins in the Final. He remained captain until retiring after 1994-95. Graham scored 152 of his 219 NHL goals and had 343 of his 489 points with the Blackhawks.
