For the first time, the Chicago Blackhawks home sweaters will have an ad on them.
That was the news on Tuesday morning, with sports betting venture Circa Sports as the multi-year partner in an agreement that will place a patch near the right shoulder of the red sweaters that Chicago wears when it skates at the United Center starting with the 2024-25 season.
Here’s what they’ll look like:
Kinda felt inevitable, didn’t it? The Blackhawks have already been sporting ads on their helmets for multiple seasons, as evident in this Belle Tire logo visible on Jason Dickinson’s helmet in the photo below:
Guess it could be worse, though: the NHL uniforms don’t look anything like ones from European hockey leagues, such as this photo from the 2004-05 lockout season when Joe Thornton (in blue) was skating for Swiss club Davos:
“Not yet they don’t,” some angry uncle just muttered to himself.