1979 Chicago Black Hawks Season

Original - 143 words

On October 10, 1979, Chicago beat Edmonton 4–2. This was also the debut of future Hall of Famer Wayne Gretzky. The Black Hawks had a poor start to the season, as the club had a record of 3-6-3 in their first 12 games. The club continued to struggle, as Chicago won only eight of their first 29 games, going 8–11–10, however, the Hawks were in second place in the Smythe Division, five points behind the first place Vancouver Canucks. The Hawks then went 9-3-2 in their next 14 games, improving their overall record to 17–14–12, charging into first place, five points ahead of the second place St. Louis Blues. Chicago would hold on to first place for the rest of the season, finishing with a 34–27–19 record, earning 87 points, for their third consecutive division title, and eighth in the last eleven seasons. 

New - 97 words (32% slimmer)

Chicago started the 1979 season with a 4–2 win over Edmonton, dealing future Hall of Famer Wayne Gretzky a loss in his NHL debut. After the strong start, Chicago struggled, losing 21 of their next 29 games. Despite sitting below .500 at mid-season, they were only five games behind division-leader Vancouver. They rallied to win 9 of their next 14 games, charging into first place and holding on for the remainder of the season. They went on to win their third consecutive Smythe Division title (their eighth in eleven seasons) and finished with a record of 34–27–19.

source: https://wikiroulette.co/?p=1979%E2%80%9380_Chicago_Black_Hawks_season