Gizmo

I don't doubt the this happened, but I don't see how changing a team's name would prevent stupid behavior on the part of stupid people at the games. It's not a matter of who was there first or their position in society. I friend of mine in college (also Caucasian) once went to a Jesse Jackson speech. It turned out he literally was the only white person there. Needless to say. In terms of eyeballs in the church my friend Steve got a lot more visual attention than the others in the pews. Well, it's good to hear that he has a good head on his shoulders.

"Blackhawks" are not a "race", they are an ethinic group of Native Americans. It is no different than the fact that "Irish" is an ethnic group of European Caucasians. Your statement is that we don't do it with other ethnic groups, so why is it OK to do with Native Americans? Well, in fact we DO do it with people of other ethnicities. So your assertion doesn't stand up.

Which is true only if it's not OK to do it with any other racial or cultural groups... and that's a notion that I don't think is in evidence as being true. Thanks.... I actually lifted it from a great article on Homer that was posted on NHL.com a couple of years ago.

It's more than half the problem. I think it's safe to say that most people can agree that folks have a legit bone to pick when it comes to such idiotic displays of mascots and their antics (a la "tomahawk chop", bogus "war hoops") and such. Likewise, I think it's a good idea for teams to steer clear of items or rituals that are sacred and show some respect in that department. Well, I'm afraid the guy's object lesson wouldn't work for me. He can sell as many "Kansas City Caucasians" hats as he likes... I don't care, nor would I feel "offended". I suppose perception is reality, but to be honest, unless your friends show up in traditional native dress, I think they are likely being a little too self-conscious about people looking at them. I also don't think that those experiences would likely lessen even if the team were called something else. Right or wrong, it's human nature that folks that appear "out of the norm" in a social situation will receive a little more attention. Annually we host a girl's softball team from Puerto Rico and we often take them to our local semi-pro baseball game during their stay here. I can assure you that they get a lot more looks from the crowds at the game and the "normal" fans do... and it isn't because our team is called "The Latinos".

Well, then I think you weren't clear enough in the nature of your objection. Also, seeing as it's not practical to put photos on a jersey, what's your criteria for deciding what's too cartoonish? Should humanoid mascots be stricken entirely just to try and avoid offense? "Racial" minority, perhaps... but (as mentioned previously) there are plenty of other cultural minorities (some that historically have faced a great deal of discrimination in this country) that we use as team logos. Please help us understand why these should be treated any differently?

OK, so let me ask you this? Why should this concept be limited to racial groups instead of other minority cultural groups that we also use in team names? Why is "Fighting Sioux" different than "Fighting Irish"?

Again, you're making a sweeping generalization and saying that ANY use is the same as using "Redskins" or "Chief Wahoo". So are you saying that the local Chippewa tribe nearest CMU is wrong and should be offended? Are they too stupid to realize that they should be offended?

If you know anything about the American Indian Movement... the tomahawks wouldn't be anymore acceptable that the current logo. It's also interesting how we've expanded our definition of "racist". Racism used to mean a belief that one race or culture was superior to another. I fail to see how Chicago's use of a profile of a rather life-like Native American (though not quite a life-like as NDU's) along with the simple name "Blackhawks" is tantamount to belittlement. While it's true that the feelings of the most vocal are clear, It's not clear as to just how upset Native Americans, as a whole, are over the issue... and if their objections flow against all uses.

Actually, only about five of them are "Americans". So what's the difference between the AHL team made up of people mostly from Canada and Europe, but located in a place known for having a lot of Americans calling themselves "Americans" vs. a CMU football team made up of few players with Native American ancestry but located in a place known for having a Chippewa tribe calling themselves "Chippewa"? Actually, I think that honor falls to "Nancy"!!!

I think your analogy is flawed... The term "*****" is out of favor in our society (as is the example of "Chinamen"). I don't think the team "New York African-Americans" would be deemed to be automatically offensive unless it was used with a cartoonish logo. Take the Central Michigan U. as an example. They are "The Chippewa" When rumblings were made that would have forced the team to change their name, the local tribe leadership weighed in and said they were "honored" that the university took their name and didn't have any problems with the way that they used the name. As for the logos shown above, I would only classify the "Chief Wahoo" one as belonging into the "cartoomish" classification. I don't think the Hawks or Redskins one is in the same league. The only "issue" I conceed with the later one is the name "Redskins". I agree that no modern team on US soil called the "Darkies" would be allowed to fly.

I can concede that names like "Redskins", "Savages", etc. and cartoonish mascots like "Chief Wahoo" may be offensive and should not be used, but I reject the notion that ANY use of a tribal or cultural name is automatically out-of-bounds. Being a person born in Indiana... should I be offended that the teams of one of the state universities are called "The Hoosiers"? Why's the NCAA bend out of shape over "The Fighting Sioux" but not "The Fighting Irish"?

It doesn't take a lot from a concussion to really mess you up. I have a friend that slipped on a patch of ice in the parking lot at work this January and hit his head. He came to bloodied and phoned a co-worker to come look for him (he didn't know where he was). For months he had serious short term memory problems, he couldn't go out by himself for many months because he'd get lost only a block or two from home. 10+ months later he still cannot concentrate on a task for more than a couple of hours. He tried going back to work after being off for several months (he's an engineer), but after a few hours he'd become mentally exhausted and to retire to a quiet place and sleep. Finally, his manager asked him to go on full-time disability. Since then, Medically, he's been officially "cleared", so he isn't collecting workman's comp anymore... but neurologically something's still not right. They been forced to get food stamps in the meantime and his wife has taken a part time job. As a result of all of this, I've developed a healthy respect for concussions and will wear a helmet (sans cage) even a public open skates... and so do my kids.

Gotta go with my favorite color: Red!!!

There's a link to a NHL game tracker widget for Windows here: http://www.gameworn.net/

Agreed... Screw what the media thinks. Last I checked there were only SRO seats left for the game against the Hawks game and some of the other home games only had upper bowl row 20+ in the corners. I think the attendance will start to trend back up. I think the team's on-ice performance is starting to pay some dividends at the ticket booth.

Is it me, or are some of the designs "out of control" in term of their busy-ness? Some of the current designs seem to have exceeded their "cool do-dads" quota. I like the Hasek, Huet, Brodeur, Leclaire designs better than the JSG or Grahame type masks... and then there's the King of mask simplicity: Ozzie.

Agreed, we're doomed. No doubt most of the NHL's goalies have been taking notes and know that all it takes this season to put Homer in the box and negate a goal is to simply skate forward in the crease and bump into him!

Thanks for all of the comments people. Matt's asked for some higher res versions of the files for use on the LGW site, and I've sent them. I can also try and throw them out on WebShots or another site. I'd love to be a credentialed shooter at JLA. The trick is finding a media outlet or reasonable facsimile that's willing to request them for me. My auto racing work has been used in USA Today as well as Sports Illustrated in the past, so I have the "bona fides". I have no idea how tight the WIngs are with credentials, but it was interesting last night that I bumped into several shooters that appeared to be from "community newspapers" based on the what they were using for equipment and what names I glimpsed on their WIngs credential. I tried to see if the media agency that represents my auto racing stuff would be willing to see if they would credential me for the WIngs, but they get feed images from Free Press shooters that get creds through the paper.

I was back at JLA last night with my camera in tow. Instead of being on the glass this time for the game, I watched the pre-game warm-ups from down on the corner and then watched the game from our seat about 10 rows up in 210. Not being able to bring any long glass to use, I decided to take along my fish-eye lens for some unusual looks at a place we are familiar with. The pre-game stuff: Cleary: The NHL's Point Leader: Jimmy gets the call: Ozzie's Night: "Pain Train": Fish-eye photos from the Joe: Crowd reaction after the first goal:

Just got back home from the 2+ hour drive from JLA. I agree that we all seemed to be having a lot of fun in their tonight! It's a real hoot watching us chase goalies off the ice there! I loved the way that the crowd reacted after the call on Homer. I really hope that the level of displeasure we were expressing was coming through in people's living rooms.

I noticed late in tonight's game that the lower half of Osgood's sleeves were soaked through. As for the goalies and the jersey fits, they've "upsized" the jerseys. I saw a good photo comparison of Backstrom and Turco from the pre-season. Backstrom had on a jersey that was pretty form fitting in the arms, but Turco's sleeves had the usual roomy look to them.

Saw this on another board:

I'm going to guess that January/February tickets will go on sale middle to late November. The view from the upper bowl is fine, but try and stick to the sides instead of the corners or ends. Also, watch out for high "obstructed view" (this includes the "$9 seats") seating. You'll get a nose bleed view that you'll have to stand to be able to see anything.

The news of Draps re-signing made my 13 year-old son's morning. He'll now get to watch his favorite player at JLA for a few more years to come!

Players have already "solved" the problem by wearing larger jersey sizes to return to the roomier look and feel. I agree... I've had no urge at all to buy an EDGE jersey (particularly at the "new" prices to boot!) and will be sporting my nice CCM jersey tonight at The Joe!