The 1928–29 Chicago Black Hawks season was the team's third season of play. The Hawks would miss the playoffs for the second straight season.
Regular season
The team was coming off a 7–34–3 season, in which they finished in last place in the league. The Black Hawks would let head coach Hugh Lehman go and hire Herb Gardiner to become the team's head coach. This season was also a long one for the club, as they finished with a league worst 7–29–8 record, and 25 points out of a playoff spot. Chicago would score an NHL record worst 33 goals, averaging less than a goal per game, while giving up 85 goals, which was the highest in the league. In one stretch from February 7 through February 28, the Hawks were shut out in eight consecutive games. Gardiner was fired after posting a 5–23–4 record, and for the remainder of the season, the Hawks used team captain Dick Irvin as a player-coach.
Due to the new Chicago Stadium, the new home of the Black Hawks, not being ready for the 1928–29 season, the team was only able to get ice time at Chicago Coliseum through January. Chicago would then play the rest of their "home" games in Detroit, Michigan, and Fort Erie, Ontario, in February and March.
Vic Ripley would have a team-high 13 points, which included 11 goals, which was 1/3 of the Hawks goal total. Dick Irvin would score six goals, while youngster Johnny Gottselig scored five. Goaltender Chuck Gardiner saw all the action in net, winning seven games, while posting a 1.85 GAA and earning five shutouts.
While they improved by their point total by five points over the previous season, they still were a long way from contending for a playoff spot.
November
The Black Hawks opened the 1928–29 season on a two-game road trip. In their season opener on November 15 in Toronto, the Black Hawks were shut out by the Toronto Maple Leafs by a score of 2–0. Two nights later, Chicago would lose to the Montreal Maroons 4–2 in Montreal. The club played their first home game of the season on November 20, as Chicago was shut out by the Pittsburgh Pirates 2–0. Two nights later, on November 22, the Black Hawks' losing streak extended to four games, as the New York Rangers narrowly defeated Chicago by a 2–1 score.
Chicago would finally earn a point in their fifth game of the season, tying the Boston Bruins 1–1 on November 25. The Hawks would close out November with an overtime loss to the New York Rangers.
Chicago opened the season with a 0–5–1 record in November, sitting in last place in the American Division. Chicago was eight points behind the division leading New York Rangers, and three points behind the Pittsburgh Pirates for fourth place.
December
The club snapped their winless skid, which if you include the final 10 games of the 1927–28 season, had extended to 16 games, with a 3–2 victory over the Pittsburgh Pirates in Pittsburgh. Chicago would drop their next two games on the road against the Ottawa Senators and Montreal Canadiens before returning home.
On December 11, the Black Hawks recorded their first home victory of the season, defeating the Ottawa Senators 2–1. The Black Hawks would follow up by being shutout in their next two games, losses to the New York Americans and Montreal Canadiens.
The Black Hawks faced the Boston Bruins in Boston for a Christmas Day game, as Chicago defeated the Bruins 2–1. The road trip continued into New York on two nights later, as Chicago won consecutive games for the first time all season, defeating the New York Americans 2–0. The road trip concluded in Detroit, as the Black Hawks lost to the Detroit Cougars in their final game of the month.
Chicago posted a record of 4–5–0 in December, bringing their overall win–loss record to 4–10–1, earning nine points, and remaining in last place in the American Division. The Black Hawks were 12 points behind the first place New York Rangers, and three points behind the Pittsburgh Pirates to get out of the division cellar.
January
The Black Hawks slumped to begin the New Year, losing their first four games of January, which extended their overall losing streak to five games. On January 10, Chicago ended the losing skid with a 1–1 tie against the Montreal Maroons. Three nights later, the Black Hawks tied their second straight game, this time with a 1–1 score against the Pittsburgh Pirates, extending their winless skid to seven games.