The Blackhawks unveiled a black alternate jersey they’ll wear on Black Friday for the first time since the 2008-09 season.

The black jerseys will remain in the team’s jersey rotation for at least three seasons.

They’ll be worn seven times this season, including six home games: Friday against the Predators, Nov. 30 against the Ducks, Jan. 9 against the Capitals, Jan. 23 against the Lightning, Jan. 30 against the Blue Jackets and March 20 against the Avalanche. They’ll also be worn on the road March 14 in Las Vegas.

The Blackhawks will debut their new black alternate jersey on Black Friday next week against the Predators.

It’ll stay in the jersey rotation for at least three seasons. pic.twitter.com/LFvdgqIx1K

— Ben Pope (@BenPopeCST) November 21, 2025

The timing is curious, considering the Hawks unveiled new gold-trimmed red jerseys for their centennial season only five months ago and likely still have lots in stock left to sell.

The rollout was messy, too, because Fanatics — the NHL’s official outfitter — -apparently leaked the jersey to some bloggers and influencers in October.

But the fan base’s excitement about the announcement will be immense nonetheless. The nostalgia factor of the black jerseys, even though they were worn during a period (1996-97 to 2008-09) in which the team was rather unsuccessful, has prompted many fans to clamor for their return for years.

“Originally worn by Tony Amonte, Chris Chelios, Eric Daze and Denis Savard in the 1990s-2000s, these jerseys defined an era and became a symbol of the grit, strength, commitment and legacy that still holds true to today’s era of Blackhawks hockey,” chairman Danny Wirtz said in a statement.

The Hawks’ online store broke its all-time daily sales records within an hour of the announcement early Friday morning, although the team warned customers that the orders might not arrive before next Friday.

Rinzel back in mix

Rookie defenseman Sam Rinzel had a healthy 14:16 and 16:26 of ice time in his first two games back in the lineup after his healthy scratch last weekend. The Hawks outscored their opponents 3-0 during the five-on-five portions of that ice time, too.

“I think there’s still another level there, but some of that is not going to happen right away,” coach Jeff Blashill said. “You have to feel it a little bit, confidence-wise. It’s going to be a slow build. But he played enough to garner the minutes.”

Sensing danger was one of the big things Blashill wanted Rinzel to focus on, and he did exactly that in one situation Thursday. He got back to prevent a Kraken player who was exiting the penalty box from getting a breakaway.

First goals

The Hawks’ knack for scoring first isn’t going away. Entering Friday, they had scored the first goal in 15 of 20 games — the most in the league. At home, they’ve done it in nine of 10 games.

This continues a trend from last season, when they scored first in 41 of 82 games — an oddity for a team that won only 25 games.

Reichel saga

Lukas Reichel’s fresh start and change of scenery in Vancouver has not revived his career after all.

The Hawks’ 2020 first-round pick, Reichel was a healthy scratch for the Canucks on Thursday after notching only one point in 13 games for them and failing to get any shots on goal in the last six.

Writer Rick Dhaliwal reported Friday that the Canucks have made Reichel available for another trade, although it’s hard to imagine them getting anything close to the fourth-round pick they gave the Hawks for him less than a month ago.