The Black Hawks would face the second place Montreal Canadiens in a best of seven opening round series. The Canadiens finished the year with a 28–23–19 record, earning 75 points, which was six more than the Hawks. The series opened up at the Montreal Forum, and the favored Canadiens won the series opener by a 3–1 score, then took a 2–0 series lead by winning a close second game by a 4–3 score. The series shifted to Chicago for the next two games, and the Black Hawks would respond, winning the third game in overtime to cut the series lead to 2–1, as the team won their first playoff game since 1944. The Hawks evened the series up at 2–2 with a 3–1 win in the fourth game, sending the series back to Montreal. Chicago stunned the Montreal crowd in the fifth game, defeating the Canadiens 4–2 to take a 3–2 series lead. The Canadiens, though, would shut out Chicago 3–0 in the sixth game, setting up a seventh and final game. Montreal would easily win the game, defeating the Black Hawks 4–1, putting an end to a very surprising season for the Black Hawks. Schedule and results Regular season Playoffs Montreal Canadiens 4, Chicago Black Hawks 3 Player statistics Regular season Scoring leaders Goaltending Playoff Scoring leaders Goaltending Awards and records The Chicago Black Hawks did not win any NHL awards for the 1952-53 NHL season. All-Star teams Transactions The following is a list of all transactions that have occurred for the Chicago Black Hawks during the 1952–53 NHL season. It lists which team each player has been traded to and for which player(s) or other consideration(s), if applicable. References External links National Hockey League Guide & Record Book 2007 Chicago Blackhawks seasons Chicago Black Hawks season, 1952-53 Chicago