 Also in 1994, management fired Wayne Messmer, popular singer of "The Star-Spangled Banner".Roenick, Belfour and Chelios were all traded away as the Blackhawks faltered through the late 1990s until they missed the playoffs by five points in 1998 for the first time in 29 years, one season short of tying the Boston Bruins' record for the longest such streak in North American professional sports history.Chicago would also miss the playoffs for a second consecutive season in 1999, and missed the playoffs again in 2000 and 2001.