'We're trying to honor the logo and be respectful': Blackhawks have no plans to change name

Washington's NFL team announced Monday that it will be changing its nickname.

The Blackhawks, however, will be doing no such thing.

The team released a statement a week ago, standing behind their nickname and saying the "logo symbolizes an important and historic person, Black Hawk of Illinois' Sac & Fox Nation, whose leadership and life has inspired generations of Native Americans, veterans and the public."

General manager Stan Bowman, who has been with the team for nearly 20 years, said he takes "a lot of pride in working for the Hawks" and that he stands behind the decision.

"We're trying to honor the logo and be respectful," Bowman said. "There's certainly a fine line between respect and disrespect. ... It's an important thing for us to start the dialogue and then follow through on that dialogue. And those things have already happened.

"We've tried to engage in the past and we want to do an even better job moving forward and make sure all of our players understand the heritage and the reason that we are the Chicago Blackhawks. We take pride in it."

The end of the Hawks' official statement, which was released July 7, said: "Moving forward, we are committed to raising the bar even higher to expand awareness of Black Hawk and the important contributions of all Native American people. We will continue to serve as stewards of our name and identity, and will do so with a commitment to evolve. Our endeavors in this area have been sincere and multifaceted, and the path forward will draw on that experience to grow as an organization and expand our efforts."