Chicago Blackhawks make a completely unexpected change in their dressing room
A major change is coming in the Chicago Blackhawks dressing room this season, as the team's logo will be placed on the ceiling as opposed to the floor.
In the NHL, logos are not just signs and symbols but an identity that carries pride for any team; hence, the reason why most organizations have a deep respect for them to the degree of superstition, which is why all players refuse to step on the logo, as that is a major sign of disrespect. A team like the Chicago Blackhawks will do everything in their capacity to protect the sanctity of their logo.
It is so sacred and special that the Blackhawks have gone to the unprecedented length of placing their logo in the locker room on the ceiling to prevent anyone from accidentally showing disrespect to it by stepping on it. That keeps the players and other team personnel from making an honest error of accidentally standing on it, which, for all intents and purposes in this sport, is a major no-no.
Perhaps one notable case of that came during the 2023 preseason, where highly-anticipated rookie Connor Bedard was being interviewed. In an interview, a young reporter forgot himself and walked across the logo. Bedard didn't shy away from showing his discontent, as he shook his head in disapproval while another fellow present in the room yelled for the reporter to get off the logo. This essentially sets in stone how seriously players and teams take the etiquette involved with logos, such actions not being taken very lightly.
Logos are irreplaceable, not only in terms of design features in professional sports but also because they carry the history of the team, the city in which it is based, and its fans. Professional hockey players exhibit strong loyalty to their teams, and this becomes symbolic through these logos. Teams like the Blackhawks draw on that symbolism for motivation and as a source of tradition. By implementing such measures, they safeguard themselves from specific accidental missteps, which ultimately inadvertently hurt their identity and pride.
This may be something other NHL teams adopt into their setup in the future. When other organizations start to witness how the Chicago method works in safeguarding their logo from being disrespected, they just might implement some preventative measures themselves, as the majority of teams have the logo on the floor at the moment. In a sport bounded by so much tradition, respect, and superstition, this could very well become a leaguewide trend as teams desire to maintain their identity without worrying about any sort of controversy stemming from unintentional disrespect.
The Blackhawks, with their own brewing star in Connor Bedard, prepare to take on the long-time rival Detroit Red Wings with notable players including Patrik Kane and Alex DeBrincat. This emphasis on team tradition and anticipating key matchups really shows how much the history and their symbols mean to the team and its players. Let's see if this new ceiling logo motivates the team to win more games this season.
| POLL | ||
Should more teams put their dressing room logo on the ceiling? | ||
| Yes | 37 | 78.7 % |
| No | 10 | 21.3 % |
| List of polls | ||
