Blackhawks' team historian Bob Verdi will receive the Elmer Ferguson Memorial Award for excellence in hockey journalism by the Hockey Hall of Fame. Verdi will be honored alongside Sam Rosen, play-by-play announcer for the New York Rangers, who will receive the Foster Hewitt Memorial Award for outstanding contributions as a hockey broadcaster.
Verdi was a Blackhawks beat writer and columnist for the Chicago Tribune from 1967-97, and he has been named Sportswriter of the Year for Illinois 19 times. He was named the teams historian in 2010, and in that role he writes columns on the team's website called The Verdict.