Like all of John Hughes’ films, Ferris Bueller’s Day Off takes place in his hometown of Chicago. In fact, the city is predominately highlighted in the film during Ferris, Cameron, and Sloan’s day away from school. But did you ever wonder why Cameron wears a Detroit Red Wing’s jersey, rather than a Chicago Blackhawks one? Well, actor Alan Ruck recently explained why to MEL:
“John [Hughes] had spent some of his boyhood in Detroit. Hughes] had decided that Cameron had a horrible relationship with his father, but a great relationship with his grandfather, who lived in Detroit and would take Cameron to Red Wings games. That’s all it was, and it was never explained in the movie.”
Given Cameron’s contemptuous relationship with his father, it would make that he would wear the jersey out of spite. Alan continued:
“The psychology was that it was something that made Cameron feel good about himself, even though he was a Chicago kid. If you look at the rest of what I wear [in the film], it’s pretty straightforward — khaki pants and loafers. Nothing too crazy. [Cameron] was kind of a bottled-up kid, and his dad was authoritarian and had a lot of rules. The Red Wings jersey was his own little act of defiance—of saying, ‘This is who I am.’”
Cameron’s jersey is getting a little more attention due to not only the 30th anniversary of the film, but also because NHL legend Gordie Howe, who’s jersey Cameron was wearing, died just one day short of said anniversary.