The Chicago Blackhawks are keeping us busy as they ramp things up for their return to play. Training camps across the league start this coming Monday, and more players have joined voluntary skates this week in preparation. Let’s check out the latest Blackhawks’ news and rumors.
Blackhawks Keeping Their Name
In our current cultural climate, more and more emphasis is being given to racial equality, and rightfully so. Because of this, the NFL’s Washington Redskins and the MLB’s Cleveland Indians are both considering changing their names. But the Blackhawks released a statement this past Tuesday claiming they will proudly stand by their name and logo. Here’s the full statement:
The Chicago Blackhawks name and logo symbolizes an important and historic person, Black Hawk of Illinois’ Sac & Fox Nation, whose leadership and life has inspired generations of Native Americans, veterans and the public.
We celebrate Black Hawk’s legacy by offering ongoing reverent examples of Native American culture, traditions and contributions, providing a platform for genuine dialogue with local and national Native American groups. As the team’s popularity grew over the past decade, so did that platform and our work with these important organizations.
We recognize there is a fine line between respect and disrespect, and we commend other teams for their willingness to engage in that conversation.
Moving forward, we are committed to raising the bar even higher to expand awareness of Black Hawk and the important contributions of all Native American people.
We will continue to serve as stewards of our name and identity, and will do so with a commitment to evolve. Our endeavors in this area have been sincere and multi-faceted, and the path forward will draw on that experience to grow as an organization and expand our efforts.
The organization’s stand is one of respect for the Native American culture, and expanding knowledge and learning of this culture to their fanbase. It will be interesting to see how they go about this in the future. I, for one, certainly hope this isn’t just a statement but a promise.
Toews & Subban Help Community
We’re used to this kind of thing from the Blackhawks’ captain, Jonathan Toews. But newly acquired goaltender Malcolm Subban admirably joined in. He and Toews both recently contributed to a charitable endeavor for the Chicago community.
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Toews and Subban, along with Bears’ quarterback Mitch Trubisky and other pro athletes, answered former Bears’ linebacker Sam Acho in his request. Together the group donated $500,000 to buy a liquor store in the Austin neighborhood and convert it into a grocery store. Apparently, in this neighborhood “there are 17 liquor stores and only two grocery stores in a half-mile radius”. They had an event at the site this past week where everyone used sledgehammers to start the demolition process.
Wow, Toews and Trubisky were together at the same place? Do you think the Captain maybe gave the quarterback some pointers about winning and coming up clutch?!
But seriously folks; sports leaders using their platform for good is what it’s all about!
Qualifying Round on NBCSN
The latest news on return to play is the NHL plans to air the qualifying round and round-robin hockey games locally on regional sports networks. That means all the Blackhawks’ games will be shown on NBC Sports Chicago. How convenient!
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It further sounds like the proposal is to have three games a day, staggered throughout the day, in both hub cities. So that would be a total of six hockey games every day to get things started. Well, for all of us that have been sorely missing hockey that will certainly be something!
Seabrook Sighting
We reported earlier this week that Brent Seabrook will attempt to rejoin the lineup for the qualifying round. This came as quite a surprise, considering the elder defenseman underwent surgeries to his right shoulder and both hips in December, January, and then February. Many purported Seabrook’s hockey career could be over.
Yet Seabrook joined his teammates this Thursday for the voluntary skate. Apparently he’s pretty serious about playing. You gotta hand it to the man; he’s one stubborn and determined dude! The kind of guy that could be a big leader in the locker room in a playoff environment. Just saying!
There’s never a dull moment these days when it comes to the Blackhawks and the NHL return to play plans. Stay tuned to The Hockey Writers for more updates, news and rumors.