they were coming off a 2nd-place finish in the american division the previous year, however, they were put out of the playoffs in the 1st round by the toronto maple leafs. the black hawks would start the year with a new head coach, hiring emil iverson, however, he was let go after the team got off to a mediocre 8–7–6 start. godfrey matheson was hired as an interim coach, and after 2 losses, the hawks would hire former ottawa senators head coach and general manager, tommy gorman. under gorman, the hawks would go 8–11–6, and finish in the cellar of the american division, missing the playoffs for the first time since 1929.