Chicago Blackhawks

    

The Chicago Blackhawks are a professional ice hockey team based in Chicago, Illinois. They are members of the Central Division of the Western Conference of the National Hockey League (NHL). The Chicago Blackhawks joined the NHL in 1926 as part of the league's first wave of expansion into the United States. They were one of three American teams added that year, along with the Detroit Cougars (now the Detroit Red Wings) and New York Rangers.

The Blackhawks' first owner, coffee tycoon Frederic McLaughlin, had been a commander with the 333rd Machine Gun Battalion of the 86th Infantry Division during World War I. This Division was nicknamed the "Blackhawk Division", after a Native American of the Sauk nation, Chief Black Hawk, who was a prominent figure in the history of Illinois.

McLaughlin named the hockey team in honor of the military unit.

The team name was alternately written "Black Hawks" and "Blackhawks" and in 1986 when the club officially decided on the one-word version based on the spelling found in the original franchise documents.



NHL Stanley Cup Champions 2009-2010: Chicago Blackhawks
NHL: Chicago Blackhawks - Great Moments and Classic Games DVD

 


Blackhawk Recollections: 86th Infantry Division Members Remember

Hockey Team Names

Some team names are fairly obvious.Some are not.

 

The Colorado Avalanche makes sense because an avalanche is a powerful act of nature fitting to a mountain region like Colorado. Their logo features a dominating letter "A" that stands like a mountain, representing Colorado's Rocky Mountains. An avalanche on a puck whips around the solid "A."

 

The Dallas Stars are from the "Lone Star" state. Coincidentally, when the team was in Minnesota, hockey fans had chosen the Minnesota state motto "Etoile du Nord" (Star of the North) for the team name.

 

Less obviously, the Detroit Red Wings was named by then team president James Norris. He selected the name to honor a team he had played with called the Montreal Winged Wheelers. The logo was also a nice match for the Detroit "Motor City" team.

Devils, Rangers and Islanders

 

Here are the name origins of three NY/NJ Metro area hockey teams.

The New Jersey Devils took their name from a NJ legend. A witch allegedly gave birth to a demon known as "Jersey Devil" in 1735 and this half-man / half-beast supposedly stalks the Jersey Pine Barrens.


The New York Islanders name is supposed to have come from a suggestion made by orginal co-owner Roy Boe's wife. Instead of naming the team the Long Islanders, she suggested calling the team the New York Islanders in an effort to win over some unhappy New York Ranger fans. The team colors are orange, blue, white, silver, and Atlantic green.

An updated logo depicting a fisherman was not popular with fans and the team went back to its orginal logo with the "Y" in NY in the shape of a hockey stick going through Long Island.

The New York Rangers took their name from MSG President Tex Rickard. His team was unofficially known as Tex's Rangers (a play on the Texas Rangers police force), but Rangers became the official name.


New Jersey Devils (Team Spirit)
The New Jersey Devils' Road to the 2003 Stanley Cup Championship


Stiga New York Islanders NHL Table Top Hockey Team Pack
Birth of a Dynasty: The 1980 New York Islanders
NHL: New York Islanders 10 Greatest Games

 

The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly New York Rangers: Heart-Pounding, Jaw-Dropping, and Gut-Wrenching Moments in New York Rangers History
The New York Rangers: Broadway's Longest Running Hit
New York Rangers (Great Sports Teams)
New York Rangers (The NHL-History & Heroes)
New York Rangers : Millennium Memories