Chicago Blackhawks announce $2.1M signing of a forward today in hockey history

A lot of legendary players wore the Chicago Blackhawks jersey on the ice over the past 100 years, and today marks the anniversary of Bernie Nicholls's contract signature with the team.

Nicholls signed in Chicago in 1994, where he would help the Hawks win three playoff rounds. He ended up playing two seasons in Chicago between 1994 and 1996, scoring 111 points in 107 regular season games, as well as 21 points in 26 playoff games.

By the time he landed in Chicago, Nicholls had already piled up over 1,200 NHL points and built a reputation as one of the game's most dangerous offensive players.

Nicholls earned a spot among the greatest in the1988-89 season with the Los Angeles Kings, when he scored 70 goals with a 150-points. To this day, he's one of just seven players in NHL history to reach the 70-goal mark in a single season. That's the kind of company that includes Gretzky, Lemieux, and Brett Hull.

After stints in Edmonton and New Jersey, where he played alongside a young Martin Brodeur, Nicholls found what he called his favorite home in Chicago. It wasn't just the city or the fans, but also the relationships he built in the locker room, especially with Chris Chelios.

Looking back on it now, that signing was the start of some great memories in Chicago, both for Nicholls and for Blackhawks fans who got to watch one of hockey's purest scorers do what he did best, even though he never won a Stanley Cup.