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Chicago Blackhawks Reveal 2016 Stadium Series Sweater

By Colin Likas

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The Chicago Blackhawks picked a fine time to reveal the sweater for their upcoming Stadium Series game against the Minnesota Wild. It’s a day off in Blackhawks action and families are starting to come together for the Thanksgiving holiday. There’s sure to be chatter about the apparel — whether it’s positive or negative is up to the opinions of fans.

Here is a look at the front of the sweater, which the Blackhawks’ official Twitter account released an image of this morning:

There’s no image of the back side of the sweater, but I’d have to imagine the black area on the top of the front covers the same amount of area on the back side as well, making each player’s name pop off the material.

As far as sweaters go, this design is neat, but nothing extraordinary, in my opinion. I think the little stars on the collar and the alternating black and red stripes on at least one sleeve (you can’t see the other because of the way Jonathan Toews is holding his right arm) are nice touches. For those wondering what the stars are there for:

The secondary Blackhawks logo being halfway down the arm is also cool, and the Blackhawks’ Twitter account explained that this was a throwback to the sweaters of the 1950s.

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Other than those things, it’s almost like a slightly alternative road sweater for the Blackhawks. And there’s nothing wrong with that. Sometimes, the jersey designers seem to overthink things knowing this particular sweater is going to be seen by the masses both at the stadium and on televisions across the nation. I’m glad they kept it somewhat simple.

Let’s compare the newest addition to the Stadium Series/Winter Classic sweater family to past entries:

Dec 31, 2014; Washington, DC, USA; Chicago Blackhawks center Jonathan Toews (19) leads his teammates to the ice during practice the day before the 2015 Winter Classic hockey game against the Washington Capitals at Nationals Park. Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports

2015: Chicago Blackhawks vs. Washington Capitals

You can see the alternate logo, though not in its traditional color, on the middle of both sleeves similar to the 2016 sweater. A clean white sweater can really pop, as was the case here. Of course, sometimes you can go too simple with a design, and some fans may have felt that was the case last season.

Johnny Oduya

passes the puck against the Pittsburgh Penguins during the second period in a Stadium Series hockey game at Soldier Field. Mandatory Credit: Rob Grabowski-USA TODAY Sports” width=”446″ height=”550″ /> Mar 1, 2014; Chicago, IL, USA; Chicago Blackhawks defenseman Johnny Oduya passes the puck against the Pittsburgh Penguins during the second period in a Stadium Series hockey game at Soldier Field. Mandatory Credit: Rob Grabowski-USA TODAY Sports

2014: Chicago Blackhawks vs. Pittsburgh Penguins

This is a personal favorite of mine because the alternate black sweaters the team used to wear more-frequently in the dark days are some of my favorites. Spreading that look to the entire getup was just that much cooler for me.

CHICAGO – JANUARY 01: The Chicago Blackhawks play in the first period against the Detroit Red Wings during the NHL Winter Classic at Wrigley Field on January 1, 2009 in Chicago, Illinois. (Photo by Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images)

2009: Chicago Blackhawks vs. Detroit Red Wings

The first entry is not one of my favorite jerseys, but it was certainly cool to see something so different from what the Blackhawks were currently wearing at the time. The throwback logo on the front was very nice, but the color scheme was just a little odd.

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Overall, I would rank the 2016 sweater my second or third favorite, behind the all-black look but in competition with the 2015 mostly-white look. What do you think about this season’s Stadium Series sweater? Let us know in the comments section.

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