The Rockford IceHogs are turning back the clock next month to mark a pair of significant anniversaries.
The American Hockey League affiliate of the NHL’s Chicago Blackhawks announced earlier this week that, in honour of both the AHL’s 90th anniversary and their parent club’s 100th season, they’ll don retro jerseys with a Steamboat Willie-style logo for a pair of home games against the Milwaukee Admirals on February 14 and 15.
“While the IceHogs jersey has a retro feel, it is not a jersey that has been worn at any time during the team’s previous 26 seasons; rather, it was designed to imagine what an IceHogs jersey might have looked like 90 years ago when the AHL was formed,” the IceHogs said in a press release.
The focal point of the jerseys is a new crest featuring the IceHogs’ mascot, Hammy, on the front that was designed by local artist Lissette Tellado. Hammy is drawn in the style of Walt Disney’s groundbreaking animated short film Steamboat Willie, which was released in 1928. Sporting a helmet and a shirt with an R on the front, Hammy skates across the front of the jersey with a hockey stick on his shoulder.
Hammy sits on top of a broad maroon stripe with cream borders that runs around the chest and the back of the slate grey jersey. The shoulder yoke is grey, with the IceHogs’ primary logo on the right shoulder and a Blackhawks logo on the left. The sleeves have horizontal grey and cream stripes all the way down, and thin maroon and cream stripes run around the waist.
The collar is maroon with black laces at the front. On the back, numbers are cream with grey and cream outlines, while names are single-layer cream. Numbers on the sleeves are maroon with cream outlines.
The “Centennial Celebration Weekend” games against Milwaukee will take place at the BMO Center in Rockford on Saturday, February 14, at 6:00 p.m. and on Sunday, February 15, at 3:00 p.m. The Admirals will break out their own retro Fridge Jerseys for the occasion. Both teams will also wear their retro jerseys for a game in Milwaukee on Saturday, February 7.
Before then, though, the IceHogs are hosting the 2026 AHL All-Star Classic at the BMO Center. The skills competition hits the ice on Tuesday, February 10, while the All-Star Challenge itself takes place on Wednesday, February 11.
By . This panel explores the community need that led to the creation of the…
The Rangers should extend Gabe Perreault long term. That’s not a statement that should generate…
Gen Z traders on Binance are allocating a growing share of their equity activity to…
Bourdain, who died in 2018, was one of the world's most celebrated culinary figures, known…
That is the title of my latest Free Press piece, here is one excerpt: Or…
Recognizing Early Expression in Multilingual Young Children contributed by Iryna Liusik Early Childhood Educator —…