Yeah, About That Statement...

The 1990s were an interesting time for the NHL. The Penguins won Stanley Cups at the start of the decade, Montreal won Canada's last Stanley Cup during that decade, the Rangers and Devils had their moments, and the Red Wings, Stars, and Avalanche were in an arms race as the decade finished as all won Stanley Cups as well. Wayne Gretzky was traded for the second time, Mario Lemieux retired, Patrick Roy was traded, and NHL expansion exploded. On the ice, teams were coming up with alternate, third jerseys they could wear, and the one worn by Alexei Zhamnov above was what the Chicago Blackhawks opted to introduce in 1996.

I've always found that black jerseys take away from a team's identity more than it adds. A few teams - Boston, Pittsburgh, Ottawa, and Los Angeles - have black as a major part of their colour schemes, so it works as a jersey colour for those teams. Other teams have worn black, but the Toronto Maple Leafs look better in blue than they do in black. The same goes for the Flames and Hurricanes in red, the Sharks in teal, the Islanders in their blue, and the Flyers in orange.

That brings me to the Chicago Blackhawks and their red jerseys versus their black jerseys. People say "the colour is in their name so they should wear it", but I don't think it has the same effect as "Red Wings" or "Blue Jackets" when it comes to how the Blackhawks were named. After all, Nashville has "red" in their name, and no one is begging for the Predators to wear red jerseys. Makes no sense, right?

I'll circle back to the Blackhawks' colour choices in a second, but they released a statement on social media that caught my attention today.

That statement above is in regards to their black alternate jersey they wore from 1996-2007, and it makes me wonder if this apparent demand is due to recency bias because the Blackhawks have worn outstanding jerseys in the past that are infintely better than their black alternate jerseys. There's 100 years of hockey history, and black has been the "the most requested jersey" in franchise history?

Look, you can put Connor Bedard in lighting that makes him look more menacing, but he's still the same guy no matter what colour the jersey is. There's nothing new or exceptional about these jerseys, the era from which they've been plucked saw the Blackhawks miss the playoff nine times, the team broke the 90-point mark just once, and most of their stars were traded or left via free agency for greener pastures. What makes these black jerseys so in-demand that the Blackhawks felt compelled to bring them back?

If you had asked me what jersey should be worn as an alternate, I'm immediately going to the NHL's 75th anniversary jersey that the Blackhawks wore in 1991-92 that was based off the jersey worn by the Black Hawks from 1937 until 1955. That 1991-92 team was emerging as a force with the likes of Jeremy Roenick, Steve Larmer, Michel Goulet, Chris Chelios, and Ed Belfour leading the way while having four players with 234 PIMs or more on their roster. That Blackhawks team was fast, skilled, tough, and hungry, and that led them to the 1992 Stanley Cup Final - a place they hadn't been since 1971.

How is this jersey not better in every way than the boring black jersey that the Blackhawks claim everyone loves? The actual colours of the Blackhawks are used, the striping is unmatched, and the Blackhawks actually won a championship wearing this design. Sure, they also missed the playoffs eleven times, but there's more success in this jersey than the plain black jersey from the turn of the millennium, so why aren't they celebrating the eras where good things happened? For a sport that emphasizes winning, Chicago is bringing back the alternate from one of their worst eras?

Again, whether it's recency bias or just some marketing line that the team is using, the Chicago Blackhawks brought back "the most requested jersey" in franchise history by announcing today that the black jerseys are back for this season. Of course, maybe that's for the best since the Blackhawks seem to be angling for a wild card spot in the playoffs, at best, in a tough Central Division, and that's assuming they don't miss the playoffs altogether for the ninth-straight season.

Regardless of what this season brings for the Blackhawks, there's one constant that they seem to hold dear: primarily black jerseys will once again be worn by a mediocre Blackhawks team. Save the marketing spins where this jersey is described as "a visual upgrade that amplifies everything that makes the Blackhawks visually iconic" because the reality is that the Chicago Blackhawks have been historically mediocre when they've worn primarily black sweaters or jerseys. That might be the one tradition the Blackhawks celebrate more than any other with these jerseys, and they're doing it again.

Enjoy your black jerseys, Chicago fans. Just don't plan any parades.

Until next time, keep your sticks on the ice!