CHICAGO — Don't worry, Blackhawk fans. They're not taking that Stanley Cup away.
But in recent days, Hawk fans have had reason to wonder if there are forces conspiring against them.
In Nashville, the Predators announced that they would restrict the sale of single-game tickets when the Hawks are in town, requiring fans to purchase tickets to another game, as well. It's part of a campaign called "Keep the Red Out," a problem for Nashville in recent years as Hawk fans have flooded Music City when the team is on the road.
The Hawks' longtime division rivals in St. Louis are taking a similar tack, requiring fans to who want to see the Blues take on the Hawks, Predators and Red Wings to purchase full- or half-season ticket packages.
"Basically, we see too many red jerseys," Blues executive Bruce Affleck told the St. Louis Post-Dispatch.
About those red jerseys, those iconic sweaters with the majestic Chief Blackhawk gazing intently upon his Stanley Cup...ESPN's Uni-Watch blog ranked the Hawks as having the NHL's eighth-best uniforms - a three-spot jump from last year.
Eight is great, but really?
ESPN's Paul Lukas explains: "While the white uni is one of the best in the league, the background color on the red uni is so loud that it swallows up all the details and colors in the chest logo. When you have a bright red uni, you need a simple, bold chest logo (like the Devils', say), not a subtle, detailed rendering like Chief Blackhawk."
The Blackhawks indeed require much detail in the team's logo, using an old-fashioned technique called cross-stitching.
Lukas once sang the praises of the Hawks' sweater.
"What we usually think of when we talk about good uniform design is you want to keep it to three colors," he told the Tribune in 2010. "But the Blackhawks have gone with a lot of colors when you include all the colors in the headdress — you have green, gold, the skin tone and all that. And somehow, it doesn't look like overkill. It totally works."
If it's any consolation, Uni-Watch ranked the Bears as having the second-best uniform in sports and the Cubs' as fifth. The Hawks are ranked 36th, the Bulls 44th and the Sox 45th. Number one? The St. Louis Cardinals.
