93-94 1st airknit

93-94 TBTC & Intro of Airknit

Cam Russell & Rich Sutter game worn 93-94 set 1 ultrafil jerseys. Michel Goulet game worn TBTC. Brent Sutter game worn set 2 airknit, used in the last game at Chicago Stadium and a red airknit set 2 Belfour.

Brand: CCM
Material: Set 1 - Ultrafil Set 2 - Airknit
Hem: Large CCM embroidered on right rear hem with the NHL Shield next to it.
Set Tagging: None – Sports Registry tag in most – 94 written behind the NHL Shield of the airknit set 2’s.
Patches: None
Sets: Two regular season sets per color, the second used into the playoffs. The first set is a ‘glue’ set. One set of TBTC alternate Barberpole jerseys worn for one game.

Notes:

The first set of jerseys worn were mostly a glue set of Ultrafil jerseys with various patches removed from the previous few seasons.
The second set of jerseys worn were airknit material, the first time the Hawks wore that type of material. These jerseys feature '94' written behind the NHL shield. This is the first time the team marks the jerseys inside the hem with marker to indicate the year/set, a practice which continues through the 90's and beyond.
From 93-96, the initials CHA or BAR occasionally show up written near the fight strap in black marker. There does not seem to be a pattern as the both show up on jerseys in different sets, yet other jerseys in the same sets do not have anything. It is unknown what either set of initials stands for. If anyone has some insight, please send a message.
A set of Ultrafil TBTC alternate barberpole jerseys were worn on Jan 27, 1994 vs the Red Wings who also wore a set of TBTC jerseys. This was done to commemorate the final season of Chicago Stadium. The barberpole jerseys were similar to the set worn in 91-92, however, they did not feature a patch, they were a slightly lighter-weight material, and the CCM on the rear hem was different. The jerseys evidently arrived right before the game. If you watch it, note the huge holes Belfour cut in the elbows in order for his pads to fit. Evidently his was not a goalie cut and the sleeves were too snug.
Rumor has it that a patch was going to be worn on the Hawks jerseys this season to commemorate the final season of Chicago Stadium, however approval from the league was not obtained in time to do so.
Team Letters of Authenticity (LOAs) were issued with the jerseys when sold. These LOA’s were signed by Bob Pulford. Note that the Airknit set’s letters indicate that they are a backup set of jerseys for 1995, however, these were the jerseys used in set 2 of 93-94 and into the playoffs, including the final game at Chicago Stadium.
Starting in 92-93 and continuing to 02-03, the Hawks LOA's contained the phrasing "This letter certifies that your jersey is an authentic game jersey issued to...". This phrasing has caused quite a bit of confusion to collectors as a Game Issued jersey is considered to be a jersey made up by the team, but not worn by the player. In this case, the Blackhawks are not using this phrasing in that manner, they are simply stating this is the jersey they gave to the player to use. The term Game Issued was likely not even known to whomever wrote the letter template. All the letters in this era contained this phrasing, so a 30+ repair jersey had it as well as a light wear jersey worn once.
This set was initially sold at a team sale on the floor of the United Center in the summer of 94.
This season began the usage of Sports Registry tagging. Many, but not all, jerseys featured this tagging. This was a bar code tag affixed on the inside of the jersey. When you purchased the jersey from the team, you were given the option of also purchasing the Sports Registry LOA which featured photos of the jersey. Sports Registry was ahead of it’s time with this concept and provided this service to several NHL teams as well as other sports. Unfortunately, the company folded a few years later and the founder of the company passed away. The database is long gone. Note that jerseys from other seasons occasionally pop up with a Sports Registry tag. The owner would put the tag in jerseys in his own private collection and may have done this for others as well.