Chico wasn’t a nickname given to Ron Maki by his teammates. It was his mother that gave him the name when Maki was just a youngster, in honour of one of the Marx Brothers. From then on, it was simply Chico Maki.
Maki had an excellent career, always in the Chicago Blackhawks organization. A scoring champion in junior, he took on a checking role in the National Hockey League and did that job better than most.
Chico Maki – Junior and Minor Pro
Chico Maki Hockey Cards
Chico Maki – NHL
Chico Maki – Rookie Card
Chico Maki Career Stats
Chico Maki – Junior and Minor Pro
Maki played four years of junior hockey in the Ontario Hockey Association with the St. Catherines Teepees from 1956-57 to 1959-60. In 1958-59, Chico led he league with 41 goals, three ahead of teammate Stan Mikita. He was third with 53 assists and second with 94 points, just three behind leader Mikita. He also saw his first pro action, appearing in a single AHL game with the Buffalo Bisons.
Chico Maki Collection
The following year, Mikita had moved on to the NHL. Chico was once again among the leaders. He tied for fourth with 39 goals, equaling Rod Gilbert and Jean Ratelle, both stars with the Guelph Royals. Maki led the OHL with 53 assists and was awarded the Eddie Powers Trophy as scoring leader with 92 points, just one ahead of Gilbert.
Without Mikita, the Teepees won the Robertson Cup as playoff champs. Eventually, the team met up with the Edmonton Oil Kings for the Memorial Cup and came out victorious. Along with Maki, the team was led by Roger Crozier in net with Vic Hadfield and Murray Hall providing leadership. Chico was the team’s captain.
In that 1959-60 season, Chico also saw more pro hockey action. He appeared in a single game with the Sault Ste. Marie Thunderbirds of the EPHL and three games in the American Hockey League with the Buffalo Bisons.
Chico jumped right into pro hockey without missing a beat. In 1960-61, he was named the winner of the Dudley Red Garrett Memorial Award as the AHL’s rookie of the year while playing for the Bisons. He also played in his first NHL game. Maki played a single game in the playoffs for the Blackhawks with the team capturing the Stanley Cup championship.
1961-62 would be Maki’s last time spent in the minors. He appeared in 51 regular season AHL games with Buffalo, along with eleven games in the playoffs. The Bisons reached the Calder Cup finals before falling to the Springfield Indians. Chico also played 16 games in the NHL for Chicago.
Chico Maki – NHL
Between 1960-61 and 1975-76, Chico Maki played 841 regular season games in the National Hockey League. Over that time, all spent with the Chicago Blackhawks, Maki scored 143 and assisted on 293 for 436 points over 841 regular season games. In the Stanley Cup playoffs, he added 53 points over an impressive 113 games.
In the days before the Frank J. Selke Trophy was awarded, Maki was one of the top defensive forwards in the NHL. However, he could also provide offense and topped out with 22 goals in 1970-71. He was often a linemate with Bobby Hull and once played on a line with Hull and Phil Esposito.
Winning the Stanley Cup in 1960-61, the Montreal Canadiens would prove to be the nemesis of the Blackhawks and Maki throughout the rest of his NHL career. In 1964-65, 1970-71 and 1972-73, Chico helped Chicago to the Stanley Cup finals. In each of those three campaigns, the Blackhawks fell to the Habs.
After his younger brother Wayne Maki fell to brain cancer in 1974 and his own son was seriously injured at the family farm, Chico decided to take the 1974-75 season off. He returned midway through the 1975-76 season but it would be his last year in the NHL.
Chico Maki – Rookie Card
The Chico Maki rookie card appears as number 37 in the 1962-63 Topps NHL hockey card set. His final card was included in the 1974-75 O-Pee-Chee set, despite not playing in the NHL that season. He did come back for 22 regular season and four playoff games in 1975-76 but would not be included in that year’s Topps or O-Pee-Chee sets.
In that 1962-63 Topps rookie card, there is a bit of artwork on the front. It looks like Maki is playing for the Blackhawks. However, the shoulder stripes are from the Buffalo Bisons jersey. They simply covered over the Bisons logo with that of the Blackhawks.
In today’s NHL where penalty shots are awarded on a regular basis, it’s hard to believe what is written on the back of Chico’s 1970-71 O-Pee-Chee card. It claims he is the only Black Hawk in modern history to be a awarded a penalty shot. He was stopped by Gary Smith of the Oakland Seals.
Chico Maki Career Stats
| Season | Team | Lge | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM |
| 1956-57 | St. Catharines Teepees | OHA | 52 | 6 | 6 | 12 | 32 |
| 1957-58 | St. Catharines Teepees | OHA | 49 | 21 | 19 | 40 | 72 |
| 1958-59 | Buffalo Bisons | AHL | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| 1958-59 | St. Catharines Teepees | OHA | 54 | 41 | 53 | 94 | 0 |
| 1959-60 | St. Catharines Teepees | OHA | 47 | 39 | 53 | 92 | 0 |
| 1959-60 | Sault Thunderbirds | EPHL | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| 1959-60 | Buffalo Bisons | AHL | 3 | 1 | 4 | 5 | 0 |
| 1960-61 | Buffalo Bisons | AHL | 69 | 30 | 42 | 72 | 20 |
| 1960-61 | Chicago Blackhawks | NHL | Playoffs Only | ||||
| 1961-62 | Buffalo Bisons | AHL | 51 | 21 | 28 | 49 | 65 |
| 1961-62 | Chicago Blackhawks | NHL | 16 | 4 | 6 | 10 | 2 |
| 1962-63 | Chicago Blackhawks | NHL | 65 | 7 | 17 | 24 | 35 |
| 1963-64 | Chicago Blackhawks | NHL | 68 | 8 | 14 | 22 | 70 |
| 1964-65 | Chicago Blackhawks | NHL | 65 | 16 | 24 | 40 | 58 |
| 1965-66 | Chicago Blackhawks | NHL | 68 | 17 | 31 | 48 | 41 |
| 1966-67 | Chicago Blackhawks | NHL | 56 | 9 | 29 | 38 | 14 |
| 1967-68 | Chicago Blackhawks | NHL | 60 | 8 | 16 | 24 | 4 |
| 1968-69 | Chicago Blackhawks | NHL | 66 | 7 | 21 | 28 | 30 |
| 1969-70 | Chicago Blackhawks | NHL | 75 | 10 | 24 | 34 | 27 |
| 1970-71 | Chicago Blackhawks | NHL | 72 | 22 | 26 | 48 | 18 |
| 1971-72 | Chicago Blackhawks | NHL | 62 | 13 | 34 | 47 | 22 |
| 1972-73 | Chicago Blackhawks | NHL | 77 | 13 | 19 | 32 | 10 |
| 1973-74 | Chicago Blackhawks | NHL | 69 | 9 | 26 | 35 | 12 |
| 1975-76 | Chicago Blackhawks | NHL | 22 | 0 | 6 | 6 | 2 |
| NHL Totals | 841 | 143 | 293 | 436 | 345 | ||