Is it pointless for the Blackhawks to revive the black alternate jersey?

The Chicago Blackhawks' centennial season has been all about the young players' development while celebrating the club's rich history.

It has been great watching Connor Bedard take the next steps toward joining the league's elite. Frank Nazar and Spencer Knight also continue to look capable of joining Bedard in that company.

The Blackhawks have even provided hope that they could make the playoffs this season.

That does not mean the organization will abandon its nostalgia marketing plan. The club is celebrating 100 years of existence, and it seemed like a long shot during the offseason that the team would be three games over .500 at this point of the season.

That is why the announcement of the black alternate jersey's return feels like a bonus to such a fun start to the season (excluding the past two ugly losses).

A pleasant surprise

Owner Danny Wirtz promised the beloved jersey would return someday, but he hinted it might not be this season.

Then came the pleasant surprise that the Blackhawks would rock the alternate sweaters seven times this season.

The black alternate was such a cool look for those late 1990s teams that still had superstars like Chris Chelios and Tony Amonte. It was also one of the few highlights the franchise had during the early 2000s when the club plummeted to the bottom of the league's standings.

They were losing, but at least they were looking good doing it.

The red jersey is always the club's most visually appealing jersey. There was something aesthetically pleasing about the black alternate. Then the jersey went away after the 2008-09 season.

The Blackhawks did occasionally sport an alternate jersey using the club's initial logo from 2009 to 2011. Otherwise, outside of special events like the Winter Classic or Stadium Series games, the franchise stuck with the home red sweaters and white away jersey.

It has left the fan base calling for the return of the black alternate.

Although Chicago Sun-Times Blackhawks beat writer Ben Pope recently tweeted that it is pointless to bring back this look, based on two logical points. The first is that the franchise was terrible during the jersey's run. The second is that a black alternate sweater is no longer special because other teams are sporting the look.

The return is not pointless

Pope is correct to point out that this jersey was in game circulation during the franchise's darkest times. The Blackhawks made the playoffs three times while the black alternates were in game use. Fans abandoned the team in droves. Even though the team was awful, during that stretch, the look was unique because not many other NHL clubs were sporting alternate sweaters.

Now, every team is doing it. The uniqueness has been lost.

However, it is still not pointless to bring back this fun look. This season is all about nostalgia. This is the one jersey fans were hoping would come back.

Trust me, no one is taking this as honoring one of the worst eras of Chicago Blackhawks hockey. It is the look that everyone has always loved.

While other teams are sporting a black alternate jersey, it does not take away from the Blackhawks sporting the best one.