ST. LOUIS, MO – The sequence of events which takes place leading up to the NHL’s highest profile events keeps fans engaged, particularly during the slow periods of the league calendar. In August, it was the official announcement the mid-season outdoor event would take place in the shadow of the Gateway Arch at Busch Stadium on Monday, January 2nd. Now the long-awaited unveiling of the team’s uniforms has come.
The logos of the two combatants were shown at the initial press conference, a touch of slight adjustments from the current insignias worn in St. Louis and Chicago.
Some deep analysis revealed a date mark of the late 60s to early 70s for the Blues and the early late 50s to early 60s for the Blackhawks.
For St. Louis, this will be their first outdoor game. They will wear uniforms identical to those worn from their inaugural season of 1967-68 and through the conclusion of the 1972-73 season. The names on the backs of this jersey did not take place during those seasons. Only on the white jersey did the Blues begin wearing their names in 1974. The blue jersey followed with names on the back beginning in 1977. In only two stretches of the team’s history have yellow letters revealed their names, in 1977-85 and 1992-94.
Perhaps also notable is the shade of blue, a lighter version not worn since the 1983-84 season.
For Chicago, the Blackhawks are appearing in their fifth outdoor game, each wearing a different throwback uniform. With the Blackhawks largely having just subtle changes during their 90-year history, it makes it difficult to design a credible and sellable uniform. Despite the challenge, Chicago has provided a classic, slightly different uniform than in previous years.
The most notable is the logo, where the head is a late more dated in appearance, colors in the feathers and face markings of different shades and combinations and the expression far less of a smile than on the current logo. The “C” tomahawk secondary logo remains on the sleeve stripes, but with different color combinations than when last used on the outdoor jersey.
The game is merely seven weeks away and with the weather slowly transitioning from Fall to Winter, the sensation of a cold climate is settling in and the taste of what it might be like for outdoor Winter hockey is here.
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