Chicago Blackhawks Logo

A white background featuring the Chicago Blackhawks logo, a profile of a face with black hair, war paint, and red, green, yellow, and orange feathers

One of the original 6 National Hockey League teams, the Blackhawks (spelled Black Hawks prior to 1986) have won a total of 5 Stanley Cups since their creation in 1926, with the 5th win in the 2012/13 season. The Blackhawks logo has stayed very similar over the years. In the beginning it was black and white, then a colored face with a black background surrounded by a large circle with the words "Black Hawks Chicago" inside the ring. In 1941 the first generation of the current logo was introduced. Over the years the picture of the Native American brave changed, in 1955 the feathers were colored in, his skin became lighter. In 1965 the outer ring was dropped from the logo, leaving just the face. Since 1965 the logo has not changed much beyond the facial features becoming softer, a less sloping forehead and smaller nose, as well as the skin becoming darker and less yellow.

Over the past few years, the logo has been assessed for its representation of Native peoples. The team consulted with the American Indian Center of Chicago in 2013 where they came to the conclusion that because the logo depicts a famous Illinois native--Chief Blackhawk--it can be seen as honoring a man rather than pushing stereotypes about Native Americans.