Chances are you've never heard the store of Charlie "Chuck" Gardiner before. This is a story that should never be forgotten.

Gardiner (also known as "The Roaming Scot" and "Smilin' Charlie") was the first true Chicago Blackhawks superstar. He came to the Hawks after their inaugural season, once the Hawks saw him playing for his hometown Winnipeg Maroons. He moved to Winnipeg as a young boy, having spent the first 7 years of his life in Edinburgh, Scotland.

His first year with the Hawks was a tough one. The Hawks were abysmal, staggering to a 7-34-3 record. Their goal differential that season was a brutal 68 goals for, with 134 against.

He managed to get 3 shutouts on the season, but the thought of another year of getting riddled with pucks made him ready to go back to Winnipeg. Only teammate Duke Keats was able to talk him out of it.

The next season didn't get any better for "Bonnie Prince Charlie". The 1928-29 season saw the goals-against number drop to 85, thanks in large part to Gardiner's outstanding play, as he racked up 5 more shutouts and finished with a GAA of 1.85. Unfortunately, the Hawks were known that season as the "Goalless Wonders", managing only 33 goals in 44 games. In fact, for the entire season, they only outscored Toronto star "Ace" Bailey by 11 goals. They were a special kind of bad, going 7-29-8, good for dead last in the 10-team NHL.

Things got progressively better for both Gardiner and the Blackhawks. After the "Goalless Wonders year, they managed to move up to second-place in the NHL American Division, and they also managed to score more goals than they allowed. Gardiner was outstanding again, averaging 2.42 goals against, while getting three more shutouts.

The following season (1930-31) saw both Gardiner and the Hawks start taking their place among the league's elite. Gardiner led the NHL with 12 shutouts, and the Hawks made it to the Stanley Cup Finals for the first time in their still-young history before falling to the Montreal Canadiens. Gardiner was also second in the NHL with a goals-against average of 1.73, and was named First Team All-Star for the first time in his career. He was even better in the postseason, posting a 1.32 GAA.

The 1931-32 season would be one of Gardiner's best. He won the Vezina Trophy, which then was given to the goaltender with the lowest GAA in the league, which for Gardiner was 1.85. He was named First Team All-Star again, but the Hawks disappointed in the playoffs, getting eliminated in the first round.

The 1932-33 season was a return to the "Goalless Wonders" days, as Gardiner posted a respecable 2.03 GAA, good for third in the league, but the Hawks managed an average of less than 2 goals a game, only managing 88 goals in 48 games.

The 1933-34 season was triumphant for both Gardiner (who was also the Hawks' Captain, as goalies were permitted to hold the position back then) and the Hawks, as Gardiner won his second Vezina Trophy, posting a 1.63 GAA with a league-best 10 shutouts. Gardiner's play was even more impressive, given the fact that he suffered from infected tonsils. In fact, his infection got so bad during the season that during game breaks, or while the puck was at the other end, an exhausted Gardiner would sometimes slump over the crossbar for support.

Stll, the Hawks went into the playoffs, and were able to eliminate both Montreal teams - first the Canadiens, then the Maroons. The only thing between then and their first Stanley Cup was the Detroit Red Wings.

The Hawks held a 2 games to 1 lead in the best-of-five Finals, and Gardiner told his teammates they would only need to score one goal that night to win the Championship. Mush March got the goal, in the second overtime. After the game, an exhausted Gardiner collapsed in the clubhouse.

The celebration for the Hawks' first Cup included defenseman Roger Jenkins giving Gardiner a ride around Downtown Chicago in a wheelbarrow, as seen above.

That summer, as Gardiner, a baritone singer, was leaving for a singing lesson, he suffered a massive stroke, brought on by his tonsillar infection. He died on June 13, 1934. He was 29.

When the Hockey Hall of Fame opened in 1945, Charlie Gardiner was one of the original inductees. He also will live in history as one of the all-time great Chicago Blackhawks.