The 1965–66 Chicago Black Hawks season was the Hawks' fortieth season in the NHL, and the club was coming off a third place finish in 1964-65, as Chicago had a record of 34-28-8, earning 76 points, which was their lowest point total since 1961-62. The Hawks then upset the first place Detroit Red Wings in the NHL semi-finals, before losing to the Montreal Canadiens in seven games in the 1965 Stanley Cup Finals. On February 26, 1966, team owner James D. Norris died due to a heart attack. Norris was 59 years old.