The Chicago Blackhawks' bandwagon is getting to be a rather crowded place. Thousands of die-hard fans, and thousands more who were disenfranchised but returned to the team under new ownership. Vince Vaughn and Kevin James. Michael Jordan's statue. The newest recruits? The entire Tampa Bay Rays' roster in Major League Baseball.
Rays manager Joe Maddon is famous for "themed road trips," including a Johnny Cash-inspired stunt that saw him dye his hair black for a "Ring of Fire" trip to Detroit and Toronto.
The Rays are visiting the Blue Jays beginning next Monday; and in honor of the Stanley Cup Finals, which begin Saturday night between the Chicago Blackhawks and the Philadelphia Flyers, Maddon declared last week that his team would wear hockey jerseys on the road trip.
Maddon was originally going to wear an NHL St. Louis Blues sweater, but that was before an activist member of the Rays' coaching staff decided his team would Commit to the Indian instead. From USA Today's Daily Pitch:
Enter pitching coach Jim Hickey and the Blackhawks. Chicago native Hickey has a nephew, Jacob Tuton, who works in the Blackhawks ticket department. A couple of e-mails later, a sign was posted today in the Rays clubhouse that the Blackhawks would make jerseys available for anyone who wants them.
"I think we're going to get 20, maybe 25 guys to do it," Hickey says. "Nothing like a little pro-Chicago, anti-Philadelphia sentiment. I thought we could share our mutual dislike for Philadelphia sports teams."
Guess those scars still linger from the 2008 World Series. The Blackhawks are expected to ship 33 jerseys to the Rays for their road trip. No word on personalization or what player names will be featured on the sweaters, but Maddon has his preference, according to MLB.com (via the Sun Times): "I'm going to have [Blackhawks center] John Madden's(notes) jersey, hopefully. I'm rooting for that now, No. 11 with an 'e.'"
This is by far the best hockey/baseball crossover since the Wrigley Field Winter Classic. Well, until the Mets buy the Islanders, that is.
Stick tap to Glen G. for the tip.
