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Special Announcement!!!
We are excited to announce the return of a Game Worn Jersey Expo to the Chicago area! Josh Zhao and the Chicago Gameworn Jersey History webpage are hosting the 2025 Chicago Game Worn Jersey Expo at OCC in Skokie on November 15th, 2025 from 9:00-3:00. All game worn jerseys and equipment are welcomed… even the Blues The Blackhawks play the Maple Leafs that evening and we’ve secured a block of tickets for the game for those interested. The Chicago Wolves are also in town that night vs Cleveland if AHL is your thing. If interested in reserving a table, please contact me or Josh - you obviously don’t need a table and can come check it out as well for a small admission fee. Any net proceeds will be donated to a charity to be named. For anyone coming in from out of town, we have some hotel recommendations close to the show. See the attached for more info, I look forward to seeing many of you there on November 15th! |
The Chicago Blackhawks jersey (sweater) is generally regarded one of the, if not THE best looking jersey in all of sports. Dating back to 1926, the Blackhawks have always had an iconic look, from the black & white original sweaters, to introducing color to the logo and jersey in 1935, the iconic black/red/white barberpole style introduced in 1937 and on to the look of today, introduced in 1955. While the Hawks jerseys have had generally the same look since the 55-56 season, there have been subtle changes through the years. The purpose of this webpage is to celebrate those subtle differences.
I will document the history of the Black Hawks (and officially after 1986 Blackhawks) jersey using game worn jersey examples, game photos, and general knowledge obtained over the last 25 years of collecting and researching Hawks jerseys, While game worn examples are not always available for the early years, as many game photos are used as could be found to show examples for these early years. PLEASE- if you have jerseys, photos of jerseys, or additional game photos or information not found on this site, drop us a message.
I've always prided myself on research, I have over 2,500 Blackhawks games on DVD, primarily for research purposes. Additionally, I have a large library of media guides, wire photos, magazines, calendars, you name it... all in the name of researching game worn jerseys and this site is the result of 25 years of that research.
That said, there are usually exceptions to every rule and especially in the game worn hobby, not everything is a science. For instance, the Blackhawks have always used nameplates on their jerseys. However... in 91-92, the Hawks traded for Tony Hrkac and Tony Horacek in the middle of a road trip. Instead of sewing a nameplate or sending them out without a name on the back... the training staff wrote their last names on the back of their jersey in black permanent marker. Once they returned to Chicago, proper nameplates were sewn and applied over the markered names. You can still see the marker under the nameplates. Never would have guessed that one without popping in their first game and seeing the marker names myself... it’s all about doing the research. While I encourage others to use this site as a reference, as Milt Byron of Byron’s Hockeyland has always said, "Do your Homework!" My research is just the first step in authenticating your jersey.
Collecting Blackhawks jerseys has always been a passion. If you have any questions, have some old Hawks games on VHS in your closet, or even an old Hawks sweater keeping the dust off those old tapes, feel free to drop me an email using the "Contact" link. I will occasionally buy/sell/trade.
While I've been at this for quite a while, I'm bound to have miss-remembered, miss-stated, or just plain missed something. This website will be a living document and will be updated whenever needed.
Pre-game warmup jersey archive added in November 2023.
***PLEASE NOTE: The owner of this site does not own all of the jerseys pictured within. None of the jerseys are for sale and no, I cannot put you in touch with the owners. THANKS!
Let’s go Hawks!
Last update: Sep 2025
I will document the history of the Black Hawks (and officially after 1986 Blackhawks) jersey using game worn jersey examples, game photos, and general knowledge obtained over the last 25 years of collecting and researching Hawks jerseys, While game worn examples are not always available for the early years, as many game photos are used as could be found to show examples for these early years. PLEASE- if you have jerseys, photos of jerseys, or additional game photos or information not found on this site, drop us a message.
I've always prided myself on research, I have over 2,500 Blackhawks games on DVD, primarily for research purposes. Additionally, I have a large library of media guides, wire photos, magazines, calendars, you name it... all in the name of researching game worn jerseys and this site is the result of 25 years of that research.
That said, there are usually exceptions to every rule and especially in the game worn hobby, not everything is a science. For instance, the Blackhawks have always used nameplates on their jerseys. However... in 91-92, the Hawks traded for Tony Hrkac and Tony Horacek in the middle of a road trip. Instead of sewing a nameplate or sending them out without a name on the back... the training staff wrote their last names on the back of their jersey in black permanent marker. Once they returned to Chicago, proper nameplates were sewn and applied over the markered names. You can still see the marker under the nameplates. Never would have guessed that one without popping in their first game and seeing the marker names myself... it’s all about doing the research. While I encourage others to use this site as a reference, as Milt Byron of Byron’s Hockeyland has always said, "Do your Homework!" My research is just the first step in authenticating your jersey.
Collecting Blackhawks jerseys has always been a passion. If you have any questions, have some old Hawks games on VHS in your closet, or even an old Hawks sweater keeping the dust off those old tapes, feel free to drop me an email using the "Contact" link. I will occasionally buy/sell/trade.
While I've been at this for quite a while, I'm bound to have miss-remembered, miss-stated, or just plain missed something. This website will be a living document and will be updated whenever needed.
Pre-game warmup jersey archive added in November 2023.
***PLEASE NOTE: The owner of this site does not own all of the jerseys pictured within. None of the jerseys are for sale and no, I cannot put you in touch with the owners. THANKS!
Let’s go Hawks!
Last update: Sep 2025
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The Horacek with marker name on back mentioned above. Photo credit: Leland’s.com and footage from the game, 2/8/92 at St Louis.
I've been on a few podcasts and other media discussing Blackhawks game worn jerseys, check out the media page to give them a watch.
