Cities on the map have been given unofficial names over time. As we know, Las Vegas is affectionately known as Sin City, New York owns The Big Apple, and a stack of cities are called Queen City, including all of Regina, Toronto, Vancouver, and Montreal. However, no one seems to have the nickname the Rockford IceHogs use for their alternate jersey, as seen at left. Those jerseys are known as the “Screw City” jerseys, and that’s a name any city can have. Let’s take a look at how Rockford, Illinois came to be known as the wildly named ‘Screw City’.
According to one David Mulcahey article found on The BafflerRockford had a booming furniture industry in the late 19th century that resisted the industrialization taking place in other industries. In his article Mulcahey writes:
‘In 1893 there were twenty-six large furniture factories in the city, twenty-one of which were cooperatives owned by large groups of workers who had pooled their money. These business ventures were easy to start and often expanded quickly, but they survived financial panics and recessions only with great difficulty.”
Obviously, Rockford was built on home furnishings with “twenty-six large furniture factories in the city,” but that also created another industry. Mulcahey writes:
“Rockford’s high concentration of skilled labor was further contributed by the parallel development of the tool industry. Although the pioneering tool factories remained large and dominant, the same pattern of partnerships as in the furniture industry broadened the playing field and strengthened the city’s prosperity for most of the twentieth century.’
None of this seems to have any explanation for why Rockford was nicknamed “Screw City,” but Mulcahey identifies another industry that came about after 1945 thanks to the two industries that were already successful in the city. Mulcahey writes:
“The manufacturing of fasteners, another industry established locally to supply the furniture makers, grew and prospered with the post-war housing boom to such an extent that Rockfordians dubbed their city the ‘Screw Capital of the World.’
It was the residents of Rockford who gave the city its nickname, and it appears that Rockford remained a prominent player in the fastening industry as the IceHogs listed on their site that “the city was ranked as the fifth largest manufacturer of fasteners in the country in the 1960s.” Clearly, the city relies on its industries to power its economy, so Rockford’s nickname seems firmly attached to the city!
And that brings us to today, as the Rockford IceHogs have announced that the black Screw City jerseys will be worn again in seven AHL games this season after debuting last season! Honestly, there’s nothing spectacular about these jerseys other than the “R” logo with the screw grooves on the vertical straight portion of the “R”, so I’m not really a fan. Again, they are only worn seven times, and those games include:
- Friday, October 17 vs Texas Stars
- Saturday, November 15 vs. Manitoba Moose
- Friday, November 28 vs. Milwaukee Admirals
- Wednesday, December 31 vs. Chicago Wolves
- Sunday January 18 vs Chicago Wolves
- Friday, February 6 vs. Iowa Wild
- Friday, April 10 vs. Iowa Wild
I’m not sure why the Wolves and the Wild get two games against the Screw City IceHogs, but that is the schedule published by the IceHogs. I would have loved to see the IceHogs wear them against the San Diego Gulls on February 21 or 22, especially on the 21st for Drew Commesso Bobblehead Night, but I’m not responsible for the schedule.
Again, this sweater is just too monochrome. For a city that is also mentioned “Forest City” and an emerald green flagIt makes you wonder why they wouldn’t make a green jersey to represent the city a bit more with the Screw City logo on the front, but I guess it would have been easier to just buy black jerseys or something. Of course, if they added a touch of color as they did in 2022this sweater would get a big boost. For now, though, we’re left with these black jerseys that do absolutely nothing to promote Rockford’s fastening industry, the Rockford hockey team, or the city of Rockford itself.
Enjoy the seven games in these jerseys, Rockford fans, because there isn’t much you should be excited about with these jerseys. Especially when you realize that it can be so much more.
Until next time, keep your sticks on the ice!
#Rockford