2008-2011 Reebok Edge 2.0 Vector
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Jerseys |
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Manufacturer: Reebok
Material: Edge 2.0 Home (Red): Duncan Keith Size 56 Away (White): Patrick Kane Size 58+ Alternate (2008-2009): Patrick Sharp Size 52 Winter Classic (2009): Dustin Byfuglien Size 56 Alternate (2009-2011): Patrick Kane Size 54 |
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Jersey History |
Ah finally, the glory that is Edge 2.0 jerseys. Like I mentioned in the last section, after complaints from the players Reebok went back and redesigned the Edge jerseys with Airknit material while also widening the sleeves a bit. With the 2.0 models, Reebok would bring back reinforced elbows and still include the tie down fight strap which was double reinforced on the team issued and game worn models. This would also be when the Hawks changed their fonts to what they are today, most notably the number "2".
Top: Edge 1.0, Bottom: Edge 2.0
Left: Edge 1.0, Right: Edge 2.0
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Reinforced Fight Strap
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Home
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Away
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2008-09 Alternate
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Winter Classic and 2009-11 Alternate
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The tagging on these jerseys are the same as the 1.0's with the team-issued and game worn jerseys not including the retail tag. The home and away jerseys included the neck lining of the Reebok logo and vector, but the third and special event jerseys would include a Reebok wordmark only retail tag and neck lining. The hip tag would show material and proper cleaning for both 1.0's and 2.0's.
Team Issued Jersey Tags
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Alternate/Special Event Jersey Tags
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Like I mentioned in the previous section, only Edge 1.0's and replicas (Premier) were sold at Hawks retail stores. Vectored Edge 2.0's would have to be team-issued or game worn while alternate and special event Edge 2.0's were sold through separate retailers. The Blackhawks Convention continues on with auctioning game worn jerseys while HawkQuarters sell the rest of the game worn jerseys. Eventually HawkQuarters would be renovated and become the Blackhawks Team Store and all game worn would be sold through the convention and various private groups.
The 2008-09 season brought back the third jersey program with many teams reintroducing or introducing new jerseys. This would be the start of so many new jerseys for the Hawks. The Hawks would stick with their black alternate with an Edge makeover. These would be worn 10 times in the 2008-09 season. In 2008, the NHL decided to build off the Heritage Classic and go back to hockey's roots playing a game outdoors called the Winter Classic. This would take place every New Years Day moving forward with each team in the game wearing a throwback/retro style uniform. The Hawks were selected for the 2009 Winter Classic and wore a jersey similar to the jersey they wore from 1935-37. With the success of this game, even though they lost, the Hawks would introduce a new alternate jersey similar to the Winter Classic jersey. The only differences were the neck strings were tan instead of black and the "C" and tomahawks would be added to the shoulders in the style of the jersey. They wore these jerseys 10 times in 2009-2010 and 10 times in 2010-2011.
2009 Winter Classic and 2009-11 Alternate Logo
2009 Winter Classic Neck Strings
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2009-11 Alternate Shoulder "C" and Tomahawks
2009-2011 Alternate Neck Strings
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Multiple patches were worn during this span of time. Like I mentioned in the last section, the 2007-08 season had the WWW memorial patch worn throughout the entire season. The Hockey Fights Cancer patch would make it's last appearance in 2008, but since the Hawks had no captain Martin LaPointe would wear it for that game. For the 2009 Winter Classic, the Hawks and Wings would wear a commemorative patch. The start of the 2009-10 season had the Hawks play the Panthers in Helsinki, Finland with both teams wearing the NHL Premier patch. Lastly, and most importantly, the Hawks would reach the Stanley Cup Final in 2010 where each team wore a patch on the home and away jerseys throughout the entire series (which the Hawks won of course).
2008 Hockey Fights Cancer
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2009 Winter Classic
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2009 NHL Premier
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2010 Stanley Cup Final
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Team History |
2008-2009: The salary cap would go up again this year and there would be some minor rule changes. The NHL would take control of the Phoenix Coyotes as the current owner wanted to file for bankruptcy and move the team to Canada. The Hawks would host the Winter Classic this year, playing on January 1, 2009 at Wrigley Field against the Detroit Red Wings. This would be the first of many loses at outdoor games for the Hawks. After just four games into the season, Denis Savard is fired as head coach and Colorado Avalanche coach Joel Quenneville would take over. Also, after a stellar rookie season, Jonathan Toews would be named captain becoming the 3rd youngest team captain in NHL history after Sidney Crosby and Vincent Lecavalier. The Hawks finished the season 2nd in the Central Division, 4th in the Western Conference, and ended the season with a record of 46-24-12 (W-L-OTL). Season scoring was lead by Havlat with 77pts followed by Kane (70pts), Toews (69pts), and Kris Versteeg (53pts). Versteeg would be named to the Rookie All Star Team. The Hawks would finally make the playoffs this year and would do well making it to the Western Conference Finals only to lose to the Red Wings in 5 games. The Wings would go on to play the Penguins again in the Finals only to lose in 7 games.
2009-2010: The salary cap would go up only slightly this year. The Coyotes would officially declare bankruptcy and the team would be sold to Jerry Reinsdorf. The Flyers would take on the Bruins this year for the Winter Classic at Fenway Park on January 1, 2010. The Hawks would start their season in Helsinki, Finland playing the Panthers for the first two games. Some drama this season as Martin Havlat would butt heads with general manager Dale Tallon about signing a long term contract. Tallon not wanting to take that risk saw Havlat leave signing a long term deal with the Wild. Tallon would end up signing dynamic two way forward Marian Hossa during the off season but fumbled some restricted free agents contracts leaving them unrestricted after their terms. Soon after Tallon would be demoted to senior advisor and Stan Bowman would take over as general manager. Still coached by Joel Quenneville and led by captain Jonathan Toews, the Hawks finished the season 1st in the Central Division, 2nd in the Western Conference, and ended the season with a record of 52-22-8 (W-L-OTL). Season scoring was lead by Kane with 88pts followed by Duncan Keith (69pts), Toews (68pts), and Patrick Sharp (66pts). Oh boy did the Hawks collect some hardware this year. Keith would take home his first Norris trophy and Toews would take home the Conn Smythe. Winning the Conn Smythe means that the Hawks would make a deep playoff run, coming back from a tough series with Nashville, beating the rivaled Canucks, sweeping the President Trophy winning Sharks, and defeating the reverse sweep Flyers for their first Stanley Cup in 49 years breaking the second longest NHL cup drought!
2010-2011: The salary cap keeps on rising and the Buffalo Sabres keep on falling. The Sabres owners would sell their team to Terrence Pegula hoping to turn the failing franchise around. The Penguins would again play in the Winter Classic taking on the Capitals this year at Heinz Field on January 1, 2011. The league would also bring back the Heritage Classic with the Flames taking on the Canadiens at McMahin Stadium on February 20, 2011. Still coached by Joel Quenneville and led by captain Jonathan Toews, the Hawks finished the season 3rd in the Central Division, 8th in the Western Conference, and ended the season with a record of 44-29-9 (W-L-OTL). Season scoring was lead by Toews with 76pts followed by Kane (73pts), Sharp (71pts), and Marián Hossa (57pts). The Hawks would squeak into the playoffs after a cup hangover but wouldn't get far as they lost to the rivaled Canucks in the first round after a grueling 7 game series. The Canucks would eventually go on to the finals losing to the Bruins in 7 games. The riots in Vancouver after this game were something else.
2009-2010: The salary cap would go up only slightly this year. The Coyotes would officially declare bankruptcy and the team would be sold to Jerry Reinsdorf. The Flyers would take on the Bruins this year for the Winter Classic at Fenway Park on January 1, 2010. The Hawks would start their season in Helsinki, Finland playing the Panthers for the first two games. Some drama this season as Martin Havlat would butt heads with general manager Dale Tallon about signing a long term contract. Tallon not wanting to take that risk saw Havlat leave signing a long term deal with the Wild. Tallon would end up signing dynamic two way forward Marian Hossa during the off season but fumbled some restricted free agents contracts leaving them unrestricted after their terms. Soon after Tallon would be demoted to senior advisor and Stan Bowman would take over as general manager. Still coached by Joel Quenneville and led by captain Jonathan Toews, the Hawks finished the season 1st in the Central Division, 2nd in the Western Conference, and ended the season with a record of 52-22-8 (W-L-OTL). Season scoring was lead by Kane with 88pts followed by Duncan Keith (69pts), Toews (68pts), and Patrick Sharp (66pts). Oh boy did the Hawks collect some hardware this year. Keith would take home his first Norris trophy and Toews would take home the Conn Smythe. Winning the Conn Smythe means that the Hawks would make a deep playoff run, coming back from a tough series with Nashville, beating the rivaled Canucks, sweeping the President Trophy winning Sharks, and defeating the reverse sweep Flyers for their first Stanley Cup in 49 years breaking the second longest NHL cup drought!
2010-2011: The salary cap keeps on rising and the Buffalo Sabres keep on falling. The Sabres owners would sell their team to Terrence Pegula hoping to turn the failing franchise around. The Penguins would again play in the Winter Classic taking on the Capitals this year at Heinz Field on January 1, 2011. The league would also bring back the Heritage Classic with the Flames taking on the Canadiens at McMahin Stadium on February 20, 2011. Still coached by Joel Quenneville and led by captain Jonathan Toews, the Hawks finished the season 3rd in the Central Division, 8th in the Western Conference, and ended the season with a record of 44-29-9 (W-L-OTL). Season scoring was lead by Toews with 76pts followed by Kane (73pts), Sharp (71pts), and Marián Hossa (57pts). The Hawks would squeak into the playoffs after a cup hangover but wouldn't get far as they lost to the rivaled Canucks in the first round after a grueling 7 game series. The Canucks would eventually go on to the finals losing to the Bruins in 7 games. The riots in Vancouver after this game were something else.
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Player History |
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Duncan Keith: Well I wasn't a big fan of Keith when he joined the Hawks but he sure did make a name for himself. Born in Winnipeg, MB (lotta Hawks born in Winnipeg), Keith played for Michigan State University before being drafted 54th overall by the Blackhawks in 2002. He would join the organization playing in the AHL from 2003-04 and during the 2004-05 lockout. He would join the Hawks during the 2005-06 seasons. Keith made an impact immediately eating up lots of ice time while having a decent year points wise. He began the next season playing alongside Brent Seabrook. As the top pairing defensemen, they would establish themselves as one of the best shutdown pairings in the NHL. In 2009, Keith would sign one of the best deals with the Hawks for 13 years and $72 million. Keith had solidified his spot as a core member of the Hawks and continues to do so. In 2018, Keith and Seabrook were the Hawks first defensive duo, and 8th all time in the NHL, to play 1000 game together. All good things must come to an end though as Keith would request a trade after the 2020-21 season. The COVID-19 pandemic left him stuck in the US with little time to see his family. He was traded with Tim Söderlund to the Edmonton Oilers for Caleb Jones and a conditional 2022 third round pick. This would be his only season with the Oilers as he would retire in 2022.
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Keith was known as a two-way defenseman with the ability to shut down the other team while also putting up points. He was a pretty consistent 40 point producer with 2 seasons where he collected 60+ points. Over his 17 seasons and 1256 games he's scored 106 goals and 646 points. His skating and edge work really put him in the elite category as he was easily able to turn on a dime while able to accelerate quickly. Keith was instrumental to the 2010, 2013, and 2015 and was awarded the Conn Smythe in 2015. Over 151 post season games he'd score 19 goals and 91 points. He's also collected 2 Norris Trophies in 2010 and 2014. He was awarded to the NHL 1st All Star Team these years as well and the NHL 2nd All Star Team in 2017. He's been selected to 4 All Star Games in 2008, 2011, 2015, and 2017.
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Keith would represent Canada internationally. He'd play with Canada Pacific in the 2000 World U17 Hockey Challenge winning bronze. He would play in the IIHF World Championship in 2008 where he'd win silver and 2012. He'd also play in the 2010 and 2014 Olympics where he would win gold in both. Post retirement, Keith would remain with the Oilers organization working in player development. I'm sure we'll see his number in the rafters soon enough.
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Patrick Kane: Honestly, at the end of Kane's career he will be the best American born player in the NHL. Might even break some Hawks franchise records. Born in Buffalo, NY, Kane spent time with the US National Development Team and in the OHL before he was drafted 1st overall by the Blackhawks in 2007. He would join the Hawks that season making an immediate impact by scoring 72 points and winning the Calder. Kane would help the Hawks to the playoffs in the next season where hey ultimately lost but proved that he was a dynamic scorer with 14 points in 16 games. The next season Kane would help the Hawks to the playoffs where they would go onto the Stanley Cup Final. Kane would score the series winning goal in game 6 overtime winning the first Stanley Cup for the Hawks in 49 years. He pretty much solidified his scoring prowess after this season and helped the Hawks to two more Stanley Cups in 2013 and 2015. During the 2012-13 lockout, Kane went overseas to play for EHC Biel in the Swiss National League and played for HC Davos in the 2012 Spengler Cup. As the Hawks started their rebuild during the 2022-23 season, Kane would look to fight for another cup elsewhere and would be traded to the New York Rangers with prospect Cooper Zech in exchange for a conditional 2023 second round pick, a fourth round pick, and Andy Welinski. After, the Hawks announced they would not be re-signing Kane and the Rangers did not take a chance on him again as he had surgery on both hips. After missing the beginning of the 2023-24 season due to rehab, he would sign with the Detroit Red Wings where he plays today.
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Over his 17 seasons, Kane has played 1230 games while scoring 471 goals and 1284 points. He's scored 20+ goals almost every season (only scored 15 in 2020-21), 30+ in 3 seasons, and 40+ twice. He's done just as well in the postseason playing 143 games scoring 53 goals and 138 points. His first 40+ goal season in 2016 was also his first time breaking 100 points with 106 which was the first time a Hawk recorded 100+ points since Jeremy Roenick in 1993-94. That season he also won the Art Ross, Ted Lindsay, and Hart trophies which is the first time a Hawk has won the scoring title since Stan Mikita in 1967-68. Kane would break 100 points again in 2018-19 scoring 110 which surprisingly didn't win him any accolades. Kane's been a 9x All Star playing in 2009, 2011-12, and 2015-2020.
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He was on the NHL 1st All Star Team in 2010 and 2016-17, the 2nd All Star Team in 2019, and the All Rookie Team in 2008. Kane also won the Conn Smythe in 2013 but later stated Corey Crawford was more deserving. Kane represents the US internationally. In 2005 he played in the World U-15 World Challenge. In 2006 he won gold in the IIHF World U18 Championship. In 2007 he took bronze in the IIHF World Junior Championship. He's played in the 2008, 2018, and 2019 IIHF World Championships winning bronze in 2018. He's played in the 2016 World Cup of Hockey and he's played in the 2010 and 2014 Olympics winning silver in 2010. Growing up, Kane lived the superstar life and was known to work hard and play hard. He's been in trouble a couple times with the law, with his cousin assaulting a cab driver in 2009 and sexual assault allegations in 2015. Charges on both were dropped as Kane wasn't the aggressor in 2009 and the prosecutor's mother had tampered with evidence in 2015. Buuut with Kane's party habits and rumored demeanor it hasn't been too much of a surprise. Today Kane has seemed to mature and has been given leadership roles that I hope he continues to maintain.
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Dustin Byfuglien: What an interesting guy, he's the definition of a guy who just loves to play the game. Born in Minneapolis, MN, Byfuglien would play in the WHL before being drafted 245th overall by the Blackhawks in 2003. He would join the Hawks in 2005 where he would alternate time in the AHL and NHL before being a full time member with the Hawks in 2008-09. Byfuglien started out as a defenseman but the Hawks moved him to forward where he played on the top 2 lines as a power forward. He got the nickname "Big Buff" as he is a large human at 6'5" and 260lbs. Buff would be a monster in the playoffs helping the Hawks win their first Stanley Cup in 49 years in 2010. Due to salary cap issues he would be traded the season after to the Atlanta Thrashers. He would be moved back to defense with the Thrashers where he only stayed a year as the Thrashers would be relocated to Winnipeg becoming the Jets. He would spend the next 8 seasons with the Jets becoming a wrecking ball on the back end.
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With the Hawks, Buff was more of a net front presence than a reliable point producer. When he was put back on defense he would become a pretty consistent 50 point producer. Over 14 seasons Buff would play in 869 games while scoring 177 goals and 525 points. He would score 20 goals twice and have a career high 56 points in 2013-14 with the Jets. He would be selected to 4 NHL All Star Games in 2011, 2012, 2015 and 2016. As big as he was, Buff would consistently make highlight real hits and often ragdoll opponents who tried to fight him. His shot was also lethal clocking at 102.5mph at the 2011 All Star Skills Competition. During the Hawks 2010 Stanley Cup Final, he would out muscle tough guy Chris Pronger who is a large human himself at 6'6" and 220lbs.
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Buff would represent the US internationally but would only play in the 2016 World Cup of Hockey. Buff was pretty relaxed about the hockey life not really knowing too much about the history of the NHL or it's players. On a podcast interview, teammate Brent Sopel said his Hawks teammates would ask Buff if he knew who Joe Sakic was, which he did not. Buff loves to fish and hunt mostly, spending his offseasons on his boat in Minnesota. In 2019 he was granted an indefinite leave of absence by the Jets and later suspended for not showing up to training camp. He also underwent ankle surgery without the involvement of the Jets. On February 24, 2020 the Jets reported he would not play that season and on April 17th Byfuglien and the Jets mutually terminated his contract. Where he is or if he'll be coming back to the NHL are still under question. Most likely he's done with hockey and in the woods somewhere, but a part of me hopes he comes back and signs with the Hawks again.
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