Blackhawks break the rules with new Stadium Series jersey

The Chicago Blackhawks took a bold, unusual approach to the jerseys they'll wear during their Feb. 21 outdoor Stadium Series game vs. Minnesota.

The Chicago Blackhawks have unveiled the sweater they’ll be wearing for their Feb. 21, 2016 Stadium Series matchup with the Minnesota Wild and it is ... different.

Safe to say the Hawks threw away the rules when they came up with this design. Not only did they break with tradition by not drawing upon the organization’s rich history as they had for previous outdoor events, but they settled on a look that defies many of the accepted rules for modern design.

That two-tone collar? The sleeve piping? The shoulder numbers? Those are some unexpected choices.

Here’s how the team explained them:

"The white NHL Stadium Series jersey pays homage to Chicago, featuring four, six-pointed red stars on the white collar, which are derived from the City of Chicago’s flag and were incorporated as a symbol of regional fan pride. Additionally, the black shoulder yoke serves as a visual representation of the city’s nickname, the ’City of Big Shoulders.’ The team’s secondary logos overlap the top three stripes on the sleeve rather than the traditional shoulder placement."

The Hawks later added that the crossed tomahawk placement mid-sleeve “gives tribute to similar placements used in the late 1950s.”

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So there is at least a minor nod to the team's past.

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No doubt this will earn mixed reactions, but other than that off-putting black/white collar, we think it’s pretty sharp.