2017-2019 Adidas Adizero
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Jerseys |
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Manufacturer: Adidas
Material: Adizero Home (Red): Alex DeBrincat Size 56 Away (White): Dylan Strome Size 56 Winter Classic (2019): Artem Anisimov Size 58 Alternate (Black): David Kämpf Size 56 |
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Jersey History |
It's crazy how many companies are subsidiaries of other companies. So Reebok is actually owned by Adidas and in 2015 the NHL announced that Adidas would be taking over manufacturing jerseys starting in the 2017-18 season that would extend to 2024. Adidas redesigned NHL jerseys with new material dubbed as Adizero which was supposed to be lighter and more durable than Airknit. The cut of these jerseys are more form fitting than the Edge jerseys and the collar design was changed. These jerseys also included dimpled shoulders which were supposed to help cut down on counterfeit jerseys as they would be harder to copy, but China finds a way. The jerseys still included reinforced elbows and a reinforced tie down fight strap. The Adidas logo is sewn to the back neck, like previous models, and the NHL shield remained on the collar but received a chrome upgrade.
Top: Edge 2.0, Bottom: Adizero
Home
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Away
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Winter Classic/Alternate
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Chrome NHL Shield
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Going off the neck line tagging on Edge jerseys, Adidas would only include a neck line tag including country of manufacturing and numerical size. The hip tags included material and washing information as well as manufacture date.
Neck Tags
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Hip Tags
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Well things got worse for collectors. Adidas continued with manufacturing "authentics" (I'm dubbing as Indo-zero) and replicas (Fanatics) in Indonesia and would continue to market them as true authentics. Indo-zero jerseys are pretty much Reebok Premier jerseys with having the main crest and shoulder patches be the same as the actual Adizero models. The material was similar to Premiers (soft fabric), the shoulder dimples aren't as pronounced, the fight strap is flimsy, there's no reinforced elbows, and there's not as much contour to the back stripes. The Fanatics models are even worse with screen printed logos and very thin material. This change was to make the jerseys more affordable to help stop the counterfeit market. Indo-zeros and Fanatics are sold at Hawks retail stores. The only way to get true Adizero jerseys, dubbed MiC (Made in Canada), would be team issued or game worn. The Blackhawks Convention continues on with auctioning game worn jerseys as do various social media groups.
Like the introduction of the Edge jerseys, the 2017-18 season had no teams with alternate jerseys. But wait, there's more outdoor games! The Hawks are yet again selected to the Winter Classic in 2019. They would change things up here and introduce jerseys that replicated the ones worn in 1930-34. The back inside collar would include all the years the Hawks have won the Stanley Cup. The fans responded very positively to these jerseys so the Hawks would introduce them as an alternate, without the Winter Classic patch, for 3 games in 2019.
Back Collar of 2019 Winter Classic and Alternate
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2019 Winter Classic and Alternate Crest
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Three patches would be worn during this time. The NHL 100th Anniversary patch would be worn for the remainder of 2017. With every Winter Classic, each team wore a commemorative patch on the shoulder of the jersey. Before the start of the 2018-19 season, Blackhawks legend Stan Mikita would pass away. To honor him and his legacy, the Hawks would wear a 21 patch for the entire season.
Stan Mikita Memorial
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2019 Winter Classic
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Team History |
2017-2018: Well hey look, more expansion! The NHL introduces the Vegas Golden Knights who would play in the Pacific Division. Butting heads with the International Olympic Committee, the NHL would rule to not let NHL players under contract participate in the Winter Olympics. Some minor rule changes as coaches are now allowed to challenge offside plays and slashing would be more heavily enforced. To cap off the 100th Anniversary of the NHL, the league would have another outdoor game (of course) called the NHL 100 Classic with the Senators hosting the Canadiens at TD Place Stadium on December 16, 2017. The Winter Classic would have the Rangers playing the Sabres at Citi Field on January 1, 2018. The Stadium Series game this year was between the Capitals and Maple Leafs at Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium on March 3, 2018. Well all dynasties have to come to an end at some point. Marian Hossa would come down with a degenerative skin disorder which would cause him to not play and semi-retire in May of 2018 with the rest of his contract being traded to the Coyotes. After signing a two-year deal, Panarin would be traded to the Blue Jackets to reclaim Brandon Saad, Anton Forsberg, and a 5th round pick. But there'd be a spark of excitement, emergency backup goalie Scott Foster (beer leaguer, accountant, and former NCAA goalie) would make his NHL debut as both Colin Delia and Forsberg would get injured in a game against the Jets. Foster would stop all 7 shots by the Jets securing the Hawks win even though he wouldn't get credited for the actual win as he was not in net when the Hawks scored the game winning goal. Still coached by Joel Quenneville and led by captain Jonathan Toews, the Hawks finished the season 7th in the Central Division, 13th in the Western Conference, and ended the season with a record of 33-39-10 (W-L-OTL). Season scoring was lead by Kane with 76pts followed by Alex DeBrincat (52pts), Nick Schmaltz (52pts), and Toews (52pts). The Hawks would not make the post season after nine consecutive years. The Capitals would face off against the new franchise Golden Knights with the Capitals winning their first ever Stanley Cup in 5 games.
2018-2019: No major changes around the league this year. The Winter Classic would again have the Hawks host the Bruins at Notre Dame Stadium on January 1, 2019. The Stadium Series saw the Penguins face off against the Flyers at Lincoln Financial Field on February 23, 2019. After a poor last season, general manager Stan Bowman decides its time for Quenneville to go as he's replaced with interim coach Jeremy Colliton after 15 games. Seemed a bit early to fire Q after having a stellar career with the Hawks, but with so many new, young players joining the team the Hawks were looking for more of a development coach. Quenneville will go down in Blackhawks and Chicago sports history as one of the best coaches of all time. Still led by captain Jonathan Toews, the Hawks finished the season 6th in the Central Division, 10th in the Western Conference, and ended the season with a record of 36-34-12 (W-L-OTL). Season scoring was lead by Kane again breaking the 100 point barrier by 10 followed by Toews (81pts), DeBrincat (76pts), and Erik Gustafsson (60pts). Kane would be selected to the 2nd All Star Team. The Hawks would again miss the post season. The Blues would go on a crazy run in the second half of the season, going from worst team in the league to the finals beating Boston in 7 games for their first ever Stanley Cup.
2018-2019: No major changes around the league this year. The Winter Classic would again have the Hawks host the Bruins at Notre Dame Stadium on January 1, 2019. The Stadium Series saw the Penguins face off against the Flyers at Lincoln Financial Field on February 23, 2019. After a poor last season, general manager Stan Bowman decides its time for Quenneville to go as he's replaced with interim coach Jeremy Colliton after 15 games. Seemed a bit early to fire Q after having a stellar career with the Hawks, but with so many new, young players joining the team the Hawks were looking for more of a development coach. Quenneville will go down in Blackhawks and Chicago sports history as one of the best coaches of all time. Still led by captain Jonathan Toews, the Hawks finished the season 6th in the Central Division, 10th in the Western Conference, and ended the season with a record of 36-34-12 (W-L-OTL). Season scoring was lead by Kane again breaking the 100 point barrier by 10 followed by Toews (81pts), DeBrincat (76pts), and Erik Gustafsson (60pts). Kane would be selected to the 2nd All Star Team. The Hawks would again miss the post season. The Blues would go on a crazy run in the second half of the season, going from worst team in the league to the finals beating Boston in 7 games for their first ever Stanley Cup.
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Player History |
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Alex DeBrincat: Another little guy who is starting to cement himself as a top goal scorer in the NHL. Honestly, when NHL players can return to the Olympics, Team USA might actually have a decent chance at gold. Born in Farmington Hills, MI, DeBrincat was drafted 39th overall by the Blackhawks in 2016. Pretty sure the reason he was drafted so late was because of his height since he always put up over 50 goals and 100 points in every season he played in the OHL Erie Otters. He joined the Blackhawks in 2017 and immediately made in impact scoring three hat tricks his rookie season breaking the record for most hat tricks by a rookie and tied Tony Granato for most hat tricks by a US born rookie. His sophomore year was even better as he was able to score 41 goals in that season. He would play 5 seasons with the Hawks, but would be a casualty of their rebuild in 2022 and would be traded to the Ottawa Senators for the 7th and 39th pick in the 2022 draft and a third round pick in 2023. He would only play one season with the Senators before being traded to his home town team the Detroit Red Wings for Dominik Kubalik, prospect Donovan Sebrango, a 2024 conditional first round pick, and a 2024 fourth round pick. He quickly signed a four year contract extension and currently plays for the Wings today.
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DeBrincat is known to be a fierce competitor on and off the ice. He doesn't like to lose and it definitely shows. In his 7th season, DeBrincat has played 532 games scoring 214 goals and 440 points. He's done pretty well in the postseason, while only have a short window of experience, playing in 9 games while scoring 2 goals and 6 points. He has represented the US internationally as well. He's won bronze in the 2016 IIHF World Junior Championship. He's won bronze in the 2018 IIHF World Championship and has participated in the 2019 IIHF World Championship. I thought the Hawks trading Panarin was bad, but this one hurt even more. How we don't build a team around him I don't understand. Will definitely add more here as his career progresses.
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Dylan Strome: Well with the Blackhawks in a rebuild and so many new players joining the team, I had to pick and choose players I liked and hoped they'd stay around for a while. Born in Mississauga, ON, Strome was drafted 3rd overall by the Arizona Coyotes in 2015. Strome was a part of the same OHL team with DeBrincat and joined the Coyotes for a handful of games before returning to the Erie Otters for the rest of the season. The next season he joined the Coyotes at the start but was up and down to the AHL Tucson Roadrunners for most of the season. He finally solidified his spot on the Coyotes roster in 2018 but was traded to the Blackhawks, with Brendan Perlini, for Nick Schmaltz. He had a phenomenal first season with the Hawks scoring 51 points in 58 games. He would play three more seasons with the Hawks until the 2022 rebuild came around where the Hawks would not tender a qualify offer, and as a free agent he would sign with the Washington Capitals where he currently plays.
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Strome is still trying to find his game a bit between being an offensive or two-way center. He's shown he can put up points but needs to work on his consistency. He's played in 436 games scoring 117 goals and 302 points. He's only had a short stint in the postseason, but has played in 13 games scoring 3 goals and 5 points. He has represented Canada internationally doing pretty well here. He's played in the World U-17 Hockey Challenge for Canada Ontario in 2014. He won gold in the Hlinka Gretzky Cup in 2014. He played in the IIHF World Junior Championship in 2016 and winning silver in 2017. He's won silver in the 2019 IIHF World Championship. Will be adding more here as his career progresses.
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Artem Anisimov: Honestly my love for Anisimov comes from the NHL video games. For some reason he's just a beast for me. Anyways, born in Yaroslavl, USSR, Anisimov would grow up a part of the Lokomotiv Yaroslavl hockey school. He would play in the Russian Super League before being drafted 54th overall in 2006 by the New York Rangers. He would report to the Rangers' AHL club for two seasons before joining the Rangers full time in 2009-10. He would play with the Rangers until after the the 2012-13, where he spent time in the KHL, when he was traded to the Columbus Blue Jackets. He would spend three seasons with the Blue Jackets before being traded to the Blackhawks. Here he would have some of his best seasons centering Patrick Kane and Artemi Panarin. Which, I mean, who wouldn't but he still held his own despite playing with two superstars. He would sign a 5 year contract but on his last year would be traded to the Ottawa Senators for Zack Smith. He would play two season for the Senators but would catch the injury bug which slowed him down greatly. He would be waived by the Senators and would not be re-signed after the 2020-21 season. He would eventually move back to his home town to play for his home team Lokomotiv Yaroslavl where he would play for a season before returning back to the NHL and join the Flyers organization where he played with their AHL affiliate, the Lehigh Valley Phantoms. He would not receive an offer after one season with the Phantoms and would join the Rangers AHL team, the Hartford Wolf Pack, for a short stint before being released. He is a free agent today.
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Anisimov is a big centerman who can slot in on pretty much any line. He's definitely more defensively minded than most forwards but is still able to put up some points. He's scored 20+ goals during 4 seasons, 3 specifically with the Hawks. He had a career high 22 goals and 45 points during the 2016-17 season with the Hawks. Over his 13 seasons in the NHL, Anisimov has played in 771 games while scoring 180 goals and 376 points. He saw the postseason a decent amount playing in 43 games while scoring 8 goals and 17 points. For the KHL, he's played 2 seasons playing 63 games while scoring 20 goals and 48 points. Growing up in the Lokomotiv Yaroslavl school, Anisimov is a shoe-in for most international tournaments, representing Russia of course. He's also done fairly well in this regard.
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He's played in the 2006 IIHF World U18 Championship. He's won silver in the 2007 and bronze in the 2008 IIHF World Junior Championship. He's competed in 6 IIHF World Championships winning gold in 2014, silver in 2010 and 2015, bronze in 2019, and playing in 2013 and 2018. He's also participated in the 2014 Olympics and 2016 World Cup of Hockey. Honestly, for what the Hawks were paying Anisimov I wish he stuck around a bit longer. Zack Smith certainly didn't give much, but that's hockey baby!
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David Kämpf: Well I mostly got this his jersey because it was a cheap-ish game worn and I needed the alternate for my collection. Kämpf is more of a Marcus Kruger/4th line shut down player who could improve later in his career as he's still young. Born in Jirkov, Czech Republic, Kämpf is an undrafted player in the NHL. He grew up playing up and down all the Czech professional leagues from the Czech Extraliga to the second tier league. He would finally become a full time member in the Czech Extraliga with Piráti Chomutov in 2013-14. He would score a career high 15 goals and 31 points before signing an entry level contract with the Blackhawks in 2017. He would split his first season between the Hawks and AHL Icehogs and solidify a spot on the Hawks for the two seasons after. Kämpf would be a free agent after the 2020-21 season and would go on to sign with the Toronto Maple Leafs. He plays for the Leafs today.
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Like I said before Kämpf is more of a shut down player than goal scorer. After 6 seasons in the NHL, Kämpf has played in 477 games scoring 43 goals and 130 points. For the Czech Extraliga, he's played 3 seasons playing 141 games while scoring 25 goals and 47 points. Kämpf has represented Czechia internationally. In 2012 he's played in the World U17 Hockey Challenge and the Hlinka Gretzky Cup. In 2013 he played in the IIHF World U18 Championship. He's also participated in the 2014 and 2015 IIHF World Junior Championship. He was finally able to play in the World Championships as well where Czechia won bronze in 2022 and won gold in 2024. Hoping to add more here as his career progresses.
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