Skip to content
 

The Hockey Wing Speaks, Part II

Hockey-Stick-Puck-Photograph-C10094352-full

By Phil Hecken (with a Huge Assist from Teebz)

Quick NFL Uni Note: The Redskins will be wearing a “33” patch today in memory of “Slingin'” Sammy Baugh

And so, today we continue with our ranking of the Best 9 new “Third” Hockey Uniforms. If you missed yesterday’s column ranking the worst new uniforms, click here. Let’s see what you think.

#9: New York Islanders: If there is a team whose fall from the top has been more painful, I’d like to meet them. The Islanders decided to bring back the look that carried them to four straight Stanley Cups, and it’s a good look. Except for the poorly-designed socks and off-colour pants. Ok, the jersey is nice. Johnny Flannagan thinks these have a “Nice look, great logo. A clean design, that I think should be the base for the Isles full-time jerseys.” Jay Palmer concurs, “Damn, these look good. While not exactly like the 1972 uni’s that they were supposed to represent; changing the numbers from orange with a white border to white with an orange border certainly improved the look of the uni. The whole uniform lost MAJOR points though with the socks. How hard is it to have the stripe completely go around the sock?” (Scroll down to see 360 degree overview.) Luke Mohammed agrees with the socks: “Not too bad, but why do the stripes on the socks just stop at the back?”

#8: Vancouver Canucks: The Canucks brought back a highly-popular look with the stink-in-rink jersey. However, they did alter the logo slightly. The jersey itself looks good, though, and the re-introduction of Johnny Canuck on the shoulder is an excellent look back at the team’s history before they arrived on the NHL scene. Sammy Barbour thinks that “On the Canucks, the blue and green colors look good, and the stick-in-rink logo is simple, but effective. “C” for Canucks, right? Add the shoulder logo with Johnny Canuck’s head and this is really cool.” Jim Thorburn feels they “Should have switched to this uni years ago instead of going with Shamu the Whale. Very nicely done, colorful, and unlike Toronto, they know how match logos on their pants. Glad to see Johnny Canuck makes an appearance on the shoulders as he is always welcome to show his face. Seeing they use these colors in their normal unis, they should have paid homage to another era of their history and made a third of the flying skate days and brought back the black, red, and yellow. I would have loved to see the ‘Flying V‘ jersey, but I think I am the only person on the face of the earth to be a fan of those.” Matthew Lepke concedes “Vancouver has always had loud unis, so this just harkened back (with slight tweaks) to the team’s early days at Pacific Coliseum. What I love about this sweater is the return of the Johnny Canuck character, featured on the shoulders inside the letter ‘V.’ Not only is this a nod to the city’s pre-NHL days, it’s a great alternate logo. You get the city name, a character associated with the team name (and Canadians, to some degree as well), and he’s even wearing a toque! I’m glad this is on the shoulders rather than as the main logo, though — perfect.”

#7: St. Louis Blues: Teebz really likes these jerseys. They have that same potential that Edmonton’s alternates had from a few years ago. The new logo has that old-time hockey feel, and the incorporation of the St. Louis Arch into the logo really gives it a distinct St. Louis feeling. As an alternate, this is the standard in which other teams should look to when they are designing something new. Jim Borwick feels St. Louis has a “Nice classy uniform that eschewed all the gawdy doo-dads that festoon most new Edge jerseys. However, if they wanted to pay homage to the arch why couldn’t that have been the whole crest? You don’t need the word mark (home fans generally know who they’re cheering for) and they already got a blue note on each shoulder. Overkill.” Andrew Merritt feels “Using the arch was an absolute coup. With the Blues’ resume of disastrous looks, this is the easy winner for all-time best Blues jersey. It’ll be the home sweater soon, I feel. Great touches, like the subtle color of the arch behind the logo to keep it from overwhelming it, and great, small uses of the yellow to give the sweater some vibrance.” Daniel McCue adds that “The Blues already have an iconic sweater, the featured eighth note (technically it’s a sixty-fourth note). While past prototypes echo the Ducks’ disastrous third sweater from 1995, the crest look is iconic and classy. I like incorporating the arch, though it makes me want McDonalds.”

#6: Philadelphia Flyers: The Flyers already had a black home jersey, so they had to go back to the orange. Selecting the orange jersey from the Broadstreet Bullies’ days was a step that was unexpected. However, it’s a great step, and a good look for this team rich in history. Keeping the white nameplates like they did in the 1970s is an amazing addition to the historical aspects of these jerseys, but the Flyers need to decide on a font and stick with it. Jim Wooley says you “Gotta love the fact that they actually went FROM black TO orange — added marks for the white nameplate.” Sammy Barbour feels “Philly’s biggest mistake was choosing black uniforms to be their primary during the Edge transition. The orange is far superior, and the black should be their alt. As for these, I’m not a fan of the white nameplate. It’s not endearingly dorky or cool in a kitschy kind of way to me, just kinda stupid. It would be cool for a game or two, but over the course of a season, or multiple seasons, if this design sticks, people will probably get tired of it.” Luke Mohammed thinks it’s a “Great throwback, nice to see the orange back. But they look too new age/silly. I don’t know why. When I pictured the Broad Street Bullies, I think of big heavy orange sweaters, not thin, somewhat shiny jerseys. Nothing the flyers could do about that, though.”

#5: Edmonton Oilers: Edmonton gradually transitioned themselves away from the blue-and-orange of the 1980s into a blue-and-copper look by the mid-1990s. They had an extremely popular alternate uniform at the turn of the century, but the Oilers decided to stick with tradition on their new alternate jersey and go back to the look they wore in the 1980s. High marks for tradition and colour in this new alternate, and this new alternate jersey is nearly identical to what was worn by Gretzky in Edmonton. Jim Borwick objectively states that “Having grown up in Calgary watching Gretzky and his boys wear these to beat my Flames, I can’t help but hate them.” Jay Palmer also has memories of the Great One: “This brings back memories of watching Gretzky make his appearance at the Nassau Coliseum. This is back when I was young and stupid enough to think he wore ‘99‘ because his contract ran through 1999 (yes, I was young and stupid.)” Andrew Merritt loves them, stating, “You don’t mess with history, and when your history is particularly spectacular, you hold on to it. Beautiful colors, perfect hockey font, an absolutely great look, top to bottom. The Oil’s home and away sweaters are among the prettiest in the league, and this provides a perfect complement.”

#4: Chicago Blackhawks: They’ve worn a black alternate jersey before, so the Blackhawks went down the safe path and reproduced that look again. There have been other examples of black sweaters/jerseys worn by the ‘Hawks throughout their history, so they do have tradition on their side. The didn’t mess with their timeless logo either, and that’s huge. Overall, simple is better than tacky. Sammy Barbour feels “They didn’t take too much of a risk here. Black uniform, as they had before the Edge, symmetric to their red and white uniforms. Still, they look sharp. The primary logo is always great, and I’m a big fan of the shoulder logos — a “C” with crossed tomahawks.” Daniel McCue agrees: “Another classic sweater, Chicago commits to the Indian. It would have been interesting to see that as a shield (like St. Louis, Pittsburgh, Buffalo and Minnesota), but that might be sacrilege. It’s good to see the NHL back in Chicago again.” Matthew Lepke feels “The black alternate has been a staple since the heady days of the mid-90s when Starter and Nike roared into the game and started encouraging teams to go new directions with their sweaters, even if it just meant slightly different materials. I don’t consider Chicago to be on the black bad-boy bandwagon of the early 90s because black has long been one of their colors. The Indian Head will always be a classic, even if I grew up a North Stars fan hating Roenick and Belfour.”

#3: Toronto Maple Leafs: Toronto has worn these alternates before, and, like Chicago, they went down the safe route with their new alternate jerseys. But to be honest, these are timeless as well. Teams with a rich history such as the Leafs should bring back their older jerseys for new fans to enjoy. Jay Palmer feels the Leafs are “PERFECT!!! The socks, the laces, the modern leaf on the pants (breezers) with the retro leaf as the crest is all great. When you pair that with a shoulder yolk (sic) and horizontal arm and waist stripes…it’s a thing of beauty.” Jim Wooley is a “Big fan of the retro style crest and this is a step up from the bland current style.” Jim Thorburn says “They have always used this version of a third so it was no big surprise when they released the design. One of only two teams to have only two colors on their unis and their third jersey is no different. Once again, the classic shoulder yokes make for a very easy uni to look at and I love that they stuck with the menage a trois of stripes on their socks. Little annoyed that they have a historic logo on the jersey but still have the modern logo on the pants. Wake up people; it’s a fashion faux pas not to match!”

#2: Montreal Canadiens: The number of historical jerseys worn by the Canadiens this season can be summed up with one word: beautiful. These jerseys are precisely how hockey uniforms should look, and the Canadiens have always had a classy, timeless look. Montreal has certainly earned their place on this list. Matthew Lepke asks, “Has Montreal ever had a sweater that wasn’t classy? I can’t remember any. They’re ultra-clean, the rouge numerals stand out with the bleu/blanc outlines, and there aren’t any weird, out-of-place adonrments on the breezers or socks that don’t look traditional. In short, they’re everything we’ve ever expected from a Habs sweater.” Sammy Barbour agrees that “Pretty much any uniform that this team wears is classic and beautiful. It’s hard to go wrong with red, white and blue along with a legendary logo, and all the throwbacks are good to see. A historic team, and historic uniform.” Likewise, Jim Thorburn states, “I swear your put that logo on a tree stump and I’d buy it. Such a classic and historic organization when I heard they were coming out with a line of jerseys for their 100th season celebration I had no worries because you know they’d go historic and they would be done accurately and beautifully. All the thirds were done so nicely that it makes me want to tune into every MON game to make sure I don’t miss any action.”

#1: Pittsburgh Penguins: Another team that has used history to their advantage. The Penguins were nothing more than an easy two points when these jerseys were worn in late 1960s, but they were resurrected at last season’s Winter Classic, and they have been flying off the racks in Pittsburgh stores ever since. They are gorgeous, and completely different than Pittsburgh’s normal black-and-Vegas-gold look. As an alternate jersey, the votes in the informal poll show that this jersey is the winner. Well done, Penguins! Luke Mohammed loves them, but “Being a Pens fan I’m a little biased, but these jerseys are perfect. They represent such a different third look for the team (hence the name, third jersey) and they reflect their history. The baby blue is sharp and as much as the joke of a franchise Atlanta Thrashers would like to think so, baby blue belongs to the Penguins. However, I hope this stays only a third jersey and black and gold remains the primary.” Jim Borwick feels that “Even though they went retro they made a gutsy move by sticking with a decidedly unmanly colour. Just try selling a batch of baby blue in this day and age.” Johnny Flanagan says, “I love this jersey. If I didn’t hate some of the current cast members of the team, I might even purchase one. When I first heard “baby blue,” I wasn’t so sure how well it would look. However, this jersey is an absolute home run. I generally like classic-looking circle shield logos.”

OK. That’s it. Let’s hear your thoughts. And tell us what you really think!

 
  
 
Categories
NHL
Comments (127)

    This weekend’s entries are phenomenal. We don’t get to view much hckey here in the midwest and I miss it. It’s a beautiful game and as has been pointed out, some of the teams look beautiful playing it too.

    Okay, so yesterday teams were berated for having black as their alternate jersey, especially if the black jersey was essentially the same as their primary jerseys. The Dallas Stars were berated for having a third jersey which was the same design as another jersey, just in a different color.

    Yet, the Blackhawks have both of these factors (black jersey, same design as their other jerseys) and score highly on the rankings? Why? Because “they had black before everyone else had black”? Is that was it is?

    I thought I’d post these for anyone inspired to any sort of hockey-related DIY by these two great days of discussion.

    link

    link

    Nice job, guys.

    —Ricko

    The white numbers on the Isles’ uniforms are consistent with te 73/4 version of the uniform, through to it’s alteration.

    Also, the sleeve stripes had changed by the time had become a dynasty.

    [quote]The Canucks brought back a highly-popular look with the stink-in-rink jersey.[/quote]
    That certainly describes their power play last night.

    link

    living in texas, you get funny looks if you wear a hockey jersey (especially if you’re wearing a non-Stars jersey and/or you live outside of Dallas)

    Even so, I might just order that Maple Leafs sweater… the looks i’d get would be looks of admiration of the beauty of that thing!!!

    [quote comment=”306734″]Okay, so yesterday teams were berated for having black as their alternate jersey, especially if the black jersey was essentially the same as their primary jerseys. The Dallas Stars were berated for having a third jersey which was the same design as another jersey, just in a different color.

    Yet, the Blackhawks have both of these factors (black jersey, same design as their other jerseys) and score highly on the rankings? Why? Because “they had black before everyone else had black”? Is that was it is?[/quote]

    i found it interesting myself…remember, these rankings were taken from a sample of about a dozen readers — they’re not what teebz’ and i would necessarily have chosen…maybe it’s because the blackhawks have “tradition” on their side, maybe because the newer teams, particularly those who went BFBS, were placed lower…maybe they ranked higher because they had “black” in their name, and the black sweater was thus viewed as more a more “appropriate” black

    [quote comment=”306739″][quote comment=”306734″]Okay, so yesterday teams were berated for having black as their alternate jersey, especially if the black jersey was essentially the same as their primary jerseys. The Dallas Stars were berated for having a third jersey which was the same design as another jersey, just in a different color.

    Yet, the Blackhawks have both of these factors (black jersey, same design as their other jerseys) and score highly on the rankings? Why? Because “they had black before everyone else had black”? Is that was it is?[/quote]

    i found it interesting myself…remember, these rankings were taken from a sample of about a dozen readers — they’re not what teebz’ and i would necessarily have chosen…maybe it’s because the blackhawks have “tradition” on their side, maybe because the newer teams, particularly those who went BFBS, were placed lower…maybe they ranked higher because they had “black” in their name, and the black sweater was thus viewed as more a more “appropriate” black[/quote]
    The way I took it was that the overall look of the jersey is good, mainly due to the Indian head crest and the crossed-tomahawk C shoulder patches. Plus, what other color would the Blackhawks make their third sweater?

    Anyway, as a Hawks fan, I think there are several things they got wrong.

    1) Wrong shoulder patches: they use the same ones that they have on the red jersey. They should use the ones from the white jerseys (link) or even go with a third version — red blades with green or white handles. At any rate, the shoulder patches should have red in them.
    2) Numbers: should be red outlined in white, not vice-versa.
    3) Lace-up collar: in general, I’m really not a fan of the lace-up look unless it’s on a throwback (or fauxback), but this is really just an inverted version of the white sweater, so how ’bout something a bit different?

    Wait, who liked the Oilers away sweater? The piping makes them look like complete ass.

    I’m looking at you as well, Florida Panthers.

    It’s not “baby blue”.
    It’s “sky blue”.

    Jeez. Didn’t you people have crayons as a kid?

    :)

    [quote comment=”306743″]It’s not “baby blue”.
    It’s “sky blue”.

    Jeez. Didn’t you people have crayons as a kid?

    :)[/quote]
    I have a baby who’s wearing that exact color right now.

    Hence, baby blue.

    Perpsective is a funny thing, isn’t it. In football and hockey powder blue is “unmanly” to so many. Yet in basketball more and more teams are going to it, or a version of it.

    Of course, in those baggy basketball “pants” (hey, they’re at or below the knee, lol) they pretty much look they’re wearing skirts anyway, so I guess that ship has already sailed.

    —Ricko

    [quote comment=”306744″][quote comment=”306743″]It’s not “baby blue”.
    It’s “sky blue”.

    Jeez. Didn’t you people have crayons as a kid?

    :)[/quote]
    I have a baby who’s wearing that exact color right now.

    Hence, baby blue.[/quote]

    But he’s still manly, I’ll bet. :)

    [quote comment=”306746″][quote comment=”306744″][quote comment=”306743″]It’s not “baby blue”.
    It’s “sky blue”.

    Jeez. Didn’t you people have crayons as a kid?

    :)[/quote]
    I have a baby who’s wearing that exact color right now.

    Hence, baby blue.[/quote]

    But he’s still manly, I’ll bet. :)[/quote]

    Must be a cool looking baby. Everyday is Easter is my closet…I subscribe to the preppier the better thought process!

    [quote comment=”306747″][quote comment=”306746″][quote comment=”306744″][quote comment=”306743″]It’s not “baby blue”.
    It’s “sky blue”.

    Jeez. Didn’t you people have crayons as a kid?

    :)[/quote]
    I have a baby who’s wearing that exact color right now.

    Hence, baby blue.[/quote]

    But he’s still manly, I’ll bet. :)[/quote]

    Must be a cool looking baby. Everyday is Easter is my closet…I subscribe to the preppier the better thought process![/quote]
    I almost posted a pic of him yesterday (probably should have, since I posted pics of my other two kids; third child gets the short shrift again) because he was wearing a “hockey jersey” that for some reason featured Scooby-Doo dunking a basketball.

    When the Leafs first introduced the retro jersey, the policy was they wore it ten times a season: once at home and once away against each of the other Original Six teams.

    Is that still how they’re doing things?

    [quote comment=”306750″]When the Leafs first introduced the retro jersey, the policy was they wore it ten times a season: once at home and once away against each of the other Original Six teams.

    Is that still how they’re doing things?[/quote]

    Each team is allowed to wear their alternates up to 16 times during this season. No rules on who they have to wear it against, either.

    I wouldn’t mind seeing lace-up collars on all Original Six teams. With Chicago, for example, you should have a black collar on both the red and white sweaters (maybe red on the black alternate). I’d even consider making the Winter Classic sweater the third (the “barberpole” can’t be done with the Reebok Edge jerseys). I definitely think Detroit should make the Winter Classic sweater their full-time third.

    [quote comment=”306752″]I wouldn’t mind seeing lace-up collars on all Original Six teams. With Chicago, for example, you should have a black collar on both the red and white sweaters (maybe red on the black alternate). I’d even consider making the Winter Classic sweater the third (the “barberpole” can’t be done with the Reebok Edge jerseys). I definitely think Detroit should make the Winter Classic sweater their full-time third.[/quote]

    We decided to leave those jerseys out of it simply because they’re only being worn once this season.

    And Detroit, along with New Jersey, are kind of special simply because they haven’t worn an alternate jersey at all in the modern NHL. I don’t know if the Wings should break tradition. But it is a gorgeous jersey – I’ll give you that.

    Would hell freeze over if the Devils started wearing one? LOL

    [quote]We decided to leave those jerseys out of it simply because they’re only being worn once this season.[/quote]

    that…and we’ll be previewing those before the winter classic

    Never used flickr before, but for those of you who liked Benchies, I’ll post this today because it’s relevant. If you didn’t like Benchies, don’t look. LOL

    —Ricko

    link

    I was wondering similar things about why have the Blue Note in the crest AND the arch AND the name around. Remove one of the elements, and you’re looking at a much cleaner design (though the arch must stay. Also, could they have done something successful with integrating the arch and note better?

    The Blackhawks were one of the first in the alternates, if I remember correctly, so people hate that they went black early on in the 90’s. I didn’t like it as much, but then when it triggered all the others, and all the black “fashion” jerseys, which then was overkill (remember in the 90’s when the PURPLE Chevy Blazer was popular?).

    I couldn’t disagree more about the current home and road jerseys from the Oilers (and Panthers). They have stripes start and end for no reason and have apron strings on the front. Having design elements just because it’s a panel border that Reebok is enforcing doesn’t mean that it’s necessary or good.

    I’m extremely glad that the Flyers went back to the orange. That was one team that I didn’t like, but I can say now that they looked good. The black alternates there were another respectable look (when used sparingly). My only complaint/wish is that the arm stripes were wide enough to house both digits instead of having them overlap into the orange, but a great improvement overall.

    Finally, I’m surprised that the Leafs don’t have shells for their breezers to incorporate the old leaf (like what the Sabres use with their alternates).

    Again, thanks to Phil and Teebz for running this ranking and series; it’s great to see us talk about the sport with the most design freedom (for better or for worse).

    [quote comment=”306734″]Okay, so yesterday teams were berated for having black as their alternate jersey, especially if the black jersey was essentially the same as their primary jerseys. The Dallas Stars were berated for having a third jersey which was the same design as another jersey, just in a different color.

    Yet, the Blackhawks have both of these factors (black jersey, same design as their other jerseys) and score highly on the rankings? Why? Because “they had black before everyone else had black”? Is that was it is?[/quote]

    I’m kind of with you. I had the Blackhawks #11 out of 19, which is a bit different than the rankings, for the exact reasons you stated.. Goes to show they could put that wonderful logo on just about anything, and someone would like it. Keep it simple, and many will like it. I think it could have been much better.

    I also had the Blues a little higher up. I think that’s a pretty sweet jersey. They did a wonderful job with that circle logo. Same goes for Vancouver’s jersey. I love the classic look of that logo. Those 2 jerseys were #’s 4 & 5 on my list. In my opinion, they should both be far ahead of the black Blackhawks one.

    To Teebz & Phil, wonderful job. This was one heckuva weekend of posts. Thanks Paul, for letting us hockey fans play for a bit.

    [quote comment=”306762″]
    To Teebz & Phil, wonderful job. This was one heckuva weekend of posts. Thanks Paul, for letting us hockey fans play for a bit.[/quote]

    You would have been surprised at some of the rankings, Johnny. I believe I had the Blackhawks at #10, but they did rank in top-5 more often than not on most people’s lists. I guess it goes to show that jerseys with history are more accepted than newer, contemporary jerseys.

    But as I said yesterday, that’s what makes this discussion fun – everyone is different!

    [quote comment=”306763″][quote comment=”306762″]
    To Teebz & Phil, wonderful job. This was one heckuva weekend of posts. Thanks Paul, for letting us hockey fans play for a bit.[/quote]

    You would have been surprised at some of the rankings, Johnny. I believe I had the Blackhawks at #10, but they did rank in top-5 more often than not on most people’s lists. I guess it goes to show that jerseys with history are more accepted than newer, contemporary jerseys.

    But as I said yesterday, that’s what makes this discussion fun – everyone is different![/quote]

    You said it! I’m sure we’ll begin to see some very interesting input throughout the day. Yesterday’s discussion was a blast…for the same reasons. (Even if there was a time or 2 in which we had to call off the attack dogs..hahaha).

    The Blackhawks @ #4 is probably the biggest surprise for me, in the entire rankings.

    Still, it is an awesome job. Let the debates continue.

    I “heart” hockey jerseys.

    great article

    you should do the same thing with football 3rd unis (idk if this has already been done). i would like to see where the ravens 3rds rank (the ones with white pants), which i particularly liked. but i’m from b-more, so……

    [quote comment=”306764″][quote comment=”306763″][quote comment=”306762″]
    To Teebz & Phil, wonderful job. This was one heckuva weekend of posts. Thanks Paul, for letting us hockey fans play for a bit.[/quote]

    You would have been surprised at some of the rankings, Johnny. I believe I had the Blackhawks at #10, but they did rank in top-5 more often than not on most people’s lists. I guess it goes to show that jerseys with history are more accepted than newer, contemporary jerseys.

    But as I said yesterday, that’s what makes this discussion fun – everyone is different![/quote]

    You said it! I’m sure we’ll begin to see some very interesting input throughout the day. Yesterday’s discussion was a blast…for the same reasons. (Even if there was a time or 2 in which we had to call off the attack dogs..hahaha).

    The Blackhawks @ #4 is probably the biggest surprise for me, in the entire rankings.

    Still, it is an awesome job. Let the debates continue.

    I “heart” hockey jerseys.[/quote]
    Despite the flaws I mentioned above, I’m not surprised one bit at the high ranking. It’s kinda like the Habs logo on a tree stump — it’s hard to make those logos look bad.
    ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
    link.

    Interesting – of the top 9, 6 are throwbacks to earlier, beloved jersey, 2 are repeats of earlier thirds, and only one (STL) is a new design.

    The remaining teams that haven’t done a third yet need to think about that when they’re deciding whether they should (a) do something new and wacky or (b) bring back something from the past.

    Ok is it me or is the top half of the list teams that have gone “retro” for the third jersey.

    Personally I love that idea and thinks that someone should send the NHL a copy of the top half of the list with a cover sheet in big capital letters saying “This is how you do a third jersey”

    One more thought – I’m sure the NHL and Reebok won’t ever disclose this but I’d love to know the sales rankings for this years thirds.

    I’d love it if the sales rankings matched the aesthetics rankings and the league got the message about what the real fans like, but I have a deep fear that the top sellers will be Atlanta, Ottawa and Tampa and next years thirds (including my Flames) will be even goofier.

    Why is it that teams are lauded for historical accuracy, and then when the Flyers use the white nameplates people don’t like it?

    Of course, I know if the Flyers made the same jersey without the white nameplate they’d be chided for not following the historical counterpart.

    Other than that I agree with all the assessments. Rankings are a bit odd but the comments are spot-on.

    As a Blues fan, I love the new “alts”… if for no other reason than they don’t use the (expletive) link design. Prior to the Edge takeover, the Blues had link clean design, with a unique use of both royal and navy blue. Why change that? The franchise started with link back in the ’60s; sometimes your first idea is the best idea!

    [quote comment=”306770″]Ok is it me or is the top half of the list teams that have gone “retro” for the third jersey.

    Personally I love that idea and thinks that someone should send the NHL a copy of the top half of the list with a cover sheet in big capital letters saying “This is how you do a third jersey”[/quote]
    Is it really, though?

    I’m sorry, but I tend to see the throwback as a team’s attempt to capitalize on the happy memories that fans have of the past. It’s a team’s failure to create a brand of their own, so they have to rekindle some old flame to score some cheap points. This is especially evident with the Islanders – a team that has failed its fans over and over and over again. They’re brand right now stinks; Islanders is synonymous with bad hockey. So what do they do? Introduce a “throwback” uniform to when the team was actually good. They’re tricking us into forgetting how bad their current brand is. Ahhhh, look at those beauties, just like when I was a kid and Bossy was hoisting the Cup! Let’s conveniently forget that the team wearing them right now… well, they’re not so good.

    [quote comment=”306771″]One more thought – I’m sure the NHL and Reebok won’t ever disclose this but I’d love to know the sales rankings for this years thirds.

    I’d love it if the sales rankings matched the aesthetics rankings and the league got the message about what the real fans like, but I have a deep fear that the top sellers will be Atlanta, Ottawa and Tampa and next years thirds (including my Flames) will be even goofier.[/quote]

    Send this picture into the Flames decision-makers, and tell them not to eff it up.

    link

    Man, I’ve just realized how crotchety I’ve sounded the past couple of days. Despite my disagreements with some of the rankings and whatnot… GREAT job highlighting hockey one again… and on the weekend! Sometimes we on UniWatch get so obsessed with the minutia and the mundane that we forget to stop and talk about what brought us here in the first place… the uniforms! It makes for good discussion, so thanks!

    “The Oil’s home and away sweaters are among the prettiest in the league”

    That quote sent shivers down my spine.

    …and why do people here like the previous spawn-designed Oiler thirds? They look like a bad IHL sweater from the mid 90’s. Bad logo, bad font.

    Can’t argue with much in today’s rankings. But I think too much praise is lavished on the Blues. It’s too dark, almost black, to my eyes.

    And…here’s where I may stand alone in my obsessiveness…but I HATE that the Canucks altered the original logo and “animated” the stick. That looks so…so…wrong. Either respect the past, honor it, or come up with something different.

    It’s like if the Blackhawks furrowed the eyebrow of the Indian head crest….what gives?

    [quote comment=”306775″]
    I’m sorry, but I tend to see the throwback as a team’s attempt to capitalize on the happy memories that fans have of the past. It’s a team’s failure to create a brand of their own, so they have to rekindle some old flame to score some cheap points. This is especially evident with the Islanders – a team that has failed its fans over and over and over again. They’re brand right now stinks; Islanders is synonymous with bad hockey. So what do they do? Introduce a “throwback” uniform to when the team was actually good. They’re tricking us into forgetting how bad their current brand is. Ahhhh, look at those beauties, just like when I was a kid and Bossy was hoisting the Cup! Let’s conveniently forget that the team wearing them right now… well, they’re not so good.[/quote]

    I agree with what your saying Jim, I would much rather see great new designs appear on the ice. The problem is the Reebok designers are absolutely bonkers. If we don’t force them to pump out retros, reebok will continue to flood the league with black half-moon vertical piped bib sweaters.

    [quote comment=”306779″]”The Oil’s home and away sweaters are among the prettiest in the league”

    That quote sent shivers down my spine.

    …and why do people here like the previous spawn-designed Oiler thirds? They look like a bad IHL sweater from the mid 90’s. Bad logo, bad font.[/quote]

    Since they were the best-selling alternate of all-time, there’s a lot of people you need to ask that question to. LOL

    Honestly, it was different and gave the Oilers a futuristic look. The colour scheme of navy blue-and-silver accented each other nicely.

    But it was popular according to merchandise sales so Todd McFarlane did something right in his design.

    We had my wife’s holiday work party last night, so I DVRed the Pens/Leafs HNIC telecast on NHL Network. I haven’t had a chance to watch much more than the first five minutes yet, but with both teams sporting their classy, retro alts, I imagine it’ll be about the best looking game I see all year.

    [quote comment=”306784″]We had my wife’s holiday work party last night, so I DVRed the Pens/Leafs HNIC telecast on NHL Network. I haven’t had a chance to watch much more than the first five minutes yet, but with both teams sporting their classy, retro alts, I imagine it’ll be about the best looking game I see all year.[/quote]

    Evgeni Malkin’s play yesterday was… well, you’ll see. ;o)

    Phil,
    As usual, an awesome week of uniwatch.

    While I don’t agree with the order of all of the choices, I was glad to see that everyone’s choices were well thought out.

    Instead of listing my full list in order, you can view my thoughts and favorites link.

    I also want to thank Phil for all of the great shots of me when I was “link

    Hey Guys. Wow, Teebz, Phil, this is like a holiday gift in itself. Great work!! I missed the inital call for feedback, so here’s some thoughts.

    First, my caveats…I’m a Bruins fan and grew uo a hockey fan in the 70’s, so that’s definitely my preference, but I can definitely appreciate a modern style too (I say that, but most of my preferences lean toward traditional styles).

    San Jose Sharks – The corporate sponsorship thing doesn’t bother me because I don’t see any evidence of it on the uniform itself. My issues with the jersey are the same issues I have with a lot of the new style jersey….it’s a more traditional form, but it’s too minimalist. The lack of hemline stripes with solid color pants make this hockey’s version of the unitard. I’d like to see some contrast on the collar, and the chest numbers are a bad idea in every version I’ve seen. C+

    Atlanta Thrashers – So many bad ideas brought together in one place. The socks, the jersey…extraneous piping, color blocks under the arms. Combines bad design with none or the visual cues that define a hockey uniform. F

    Carolina Hurricanes – I agree that it’s a gratuitous use of black, but it is one of their primary colors. The flag trim on the hem looks wrong, and the blacked out sleeve patches are just dumb (socks look stupid. What was it that was wrong with hockey socks that required such a radical change?). But overall I don’t find this a bad look at all. B-

    Ottawa Senators – Bad wordmark, bad color blocking, half striping on the sleeves (destroying another standard visual cue for a hockey jersey). So this is a new style, but what does it bring to the table? is it iconic? I say no. It looks like a temporary barnding campaign, that will get changed within the next 4 years. Really disappointing for a team with a lot to work with historically and in their current graphic look. D

    Phoenix Coyotes – After such a nice job rebranding and simplifying their look last year, what does this do for them? Black for no reason, a new logo that connects poorly to the primary, without offering anything really different. D

    Tampa Bay Lightning – Not a good look, but when do the Lightning get to look good these days (I actually liked the old black jersey with the white shoulder yoke). I like the blue jersey, but hate almost everything else (hemline striping and logo, underarm piping, inane wordmark)…almost as bad as Atlanta. F+

    Dallas Stars – I think the first rule in this game should be, when in doubt, do no harm. I think Dallas mostly does this with the alt jersey…few teams in the NHL have a classic white jersey anymore. The arched wordmark is simple and classic…my biggest gripe is that the look’s more like a college team to me. No hemline stripes, but the contrast with the pants makes this look better than it would otherwise. B-

    Los Angeles Kings – I have mixed feelings. I give them credit for trying to incorporate some new ideas, like the sleeve stripes along the arms. The overall look is kind of minimalist, but has some detail and contrast that a lot of new style uniforms lack, I also like the thin striping along the hemline, and I think it’s better than either of the kings other jerseys. On the other hand, I don’t think the wide arm stripes entirely work, and the number style and font work even worse than on the other jerseys. B-

    Buffalo Sabres – Again, if nothing else, do no harm…why give hockey fans something to remind them how good the Sabres used to look, but bastardize it in ways that seem so unecessarily stupid…which is most offensive? The outline around the logo? the grey blocking under the arms? the grey pinstriping around the chest? adding grey stripes to the sleeve and hemline (to reduce contrast, and reduce the impact of gold on blue? stupidly adding chest numbers to something that started as a classic style? again, looks better than the other jerseys, but they did their best to make this look much worse than it should. D

    Boston Bruins – I’m a Bruins fan, and I like it. I would have liked a gold alternate, which is a distinct and classic look if it’s executed properly, but I’m not sure I entirely trust the team to do it right.
    Digression: I like the Bruins current uniforms but have a couple of issues (related to their uniforms). The black home uniforms are a nice update of the 1968-74 unis, but the old uniforms had a different logo with a gold B that had a really nice contrast. The White away unis are nice, but the white unis from 1968-74 had different hemline striping and had the yoke color/highlight reversed (gold yoke/black highlight). Is it stupid and nitpicky, sure….but what was the reason for changing this? does it look better? does it connect to something else historically? no on both.
    Back to the alts…I like them mostly because they evoke the late 70’s early 80’s jerseys. Did the league need another black jersey? Well no, but the real problem is black jerseys for teams that don’t otherwise wear them. The B’s would be wearing black anyway. I like that the chest logo has that gold on black contrast, and the logo itself is rooted in the team’s style from the early years. I love that the numbers and lettering have a single white outline instead of the gold/black/white that’s on the current jerseys. Also would be improved with some kind of hemline stripe. A-

    New York Islanders – Awesome, a classic style, and a nice update. A couple of comments…seems like the striping on the sleeve and hemline is really wide relative to what I remember (which seems to happen a lot with throwback styled unis). Also, wasn’t one of the intents of the Reebok Edge system that they wanted to streamline the way teams looked? Are today’s jerseys any less baggy than they used to be pre-Reebok? Again a great jersey, but maybe points off for a straight throwback. B+

    Vancouver Canucks – Do no harm. I love the 70’s canucks jerseys, and these have a lot to like. Great use of colors that are often unused today. Great shoulder patch introducing the Johnny Canuck logo. The main logo on the chest looks a bit like a cartoon version of the original…I ask, is it better or is it stupid? B

    St. Louis Blues – I agree with Teebz….this is what a modern design should look like. Connects well to the teams current and historic identity, but adds some new elements. Overall, it looks like a hockey uniform (as it should). B+

    Philadelphia Flyers – A classic design that’s not well served by the Edge template (still waiting to see any design that does work well with it). I like the white nameplates, though I can see where this might get old. I also don’t like how the sleeve numbers hang off the white striping, so you have ornage numbers against an orange jersey.

    Edmonton Oilers – A great update of a classic. Like the Islanders. Nothing new though. B+

    Chicago Blackhawks – If the Hawks are going to have a black alternate jersey this is what it should look like, but any game where the Hawks wear this instead of their classic design makes me wonder why some teams have alternates at all. B

    Toronto Maple Leafs – Again, a classic style, perfectly updated. Doesn’t bring anything new, but it is awesome. B+

    Montreal Canadiens – Do the Habs jerseys count as alternates? I thought they were wearing them as a part of their 100th year celebration. Each of the jerseys is absolutely awesome though… straight throwbacks, so no points for originality, but they get points for the organization’s constantly staying true to their classic style, and never messing it up…so seeing these on the ice really is a celebration rather than a novelty. A

    Pitsburgh Penguins – Love the style, the color, the logo. The white yoke is awesome. The design is a throwback, but the update is meticulous. I can’t see any way they could make it better as a current design. A

    As someone previously mentioned, the one that just astounds me is the different in ranking between the Sharks and Blackhawks. Both teams did basically the exact same thing, but people love Chicago and hate San Jose. I understand Chicago has history, but what other color WOULD the sharks use? They already have one of the best color jerseys in the league (teal), so pretty much it they had the option of black..or orange.

    Was it really just all over the stupid BlackArmor thing?

    [quote]Phil,
    As usual, an awesome week of uniwatch.[/quote]

    thanks jay, but i only work weekends here (although i did spend about 8 hours putting this together, which may have been more time than i spent doing actual work at work this week ;) )

    hopefully, agree or disagree (and that’s the beauty of UW), people at least have something to discuss…and thank you (and the others) who submitted your thoughts and rankings to me…which made this all possible…and of course teebz, who, as hockey wing president, did yeoman work as well

    The next progressive step for the Canucks should be to replace the Ocra Bay Sports whale crest with the old school running Johnny Canuck. Imagine a dashing Johnny Canuck with the arched VANCOUVER floating above. Brilliant.

    Disregard:
    link

    I don’t know much of anything about hockey, but I’ve read these last two entries and taken them for what they’re worth. Anyway, I seriously thought you were joking when you mentioned the turn of the century Oilers alternate that everyone loved… It seems to be everything that people around here hate. I cartoony, (and I think downright ugly) logo plastered on a black uniform. I’m not being whoosed here, am I? People actually like these??

    link

    [quote comment=”306789″][quote]Phil,
    As usual, an awesome week of uniwatch.[/quote]

    thanks jay, but i only work weekends here (although i did spend about 8 hours putting this together, which may have been more time than i spent doing actual work at work this week ;) )

    hopefully, agree or disagree (and that’s the beauty of UW), people at least have something to discuss…and thank you (and the others) who submitted your thoughts and rankings to me…which made this all possible…and of course teebz, who, as hockey wing president, did yeoman work as well[/quote]

    You want to talk about Uni-Watching and yeoman work, check this stud out:

    link

    Regarding that Texas State football chamiponship:

    One of the teams has AHMO on their nose bumper.

    Supposedly AHMO is a Texas abbreviation for Ima gonna kick yer ass.

    My cousin, who is an ARkie now but is originally from Texas wrote this riddle on a piece of paper for me five minutes after I met him and laughed at his drawl. It took me an hour to decipher and have never forgotten it and never will:

    MRDUX

    MRNTDUX

    OSAR

    CMWANGSNMEDBDIS

    LIB

    MRDUX!

    Picture two Texans in a rowboat fishin’. That would be the dialogue bewteen them…Y’all figure it out.

    odd picture i saw on NFL.com
    Brandon Marshall is wearing TURF TAPE on a GRASS FIELD
    is this a new fashion statement

    link

    Still stinging from that defeat last night to Toronto so I’ll take the consolation prize of having the best third jersey!!!

    [quote comment=”306793″]
    You want to talk about Uni-Watching and yeoman work, check this stud out:

    link

    Matt, it’s -1C (-9C with the wind) in Buffalo, and +2C (-3 with the wind) in NYC. That’s a heatwave in the prairies. LOL

    It looks like you’re heading out into the Antarctic with that get-up. I do like the perfectly manicured driveway though. That would be a prime location for a street hockey net. Well done on driveway grooming, sir! :o)

    [quote comment=”306791″]I don’t know much of anything about hockey, but I’ve read these last two entries and taken them for what they’re worth. Anyway, I seriously thought you were joking when you mentioned the turn of the century Oilers alternate that everyone loved… It seems to be everything that people around here hate. I cartoony, (and I think downright ugly) logo plastered on a black uniform. I’m not being whoosed here, am I? People actually like these??

    link

    Except that it’s link, not black. I own one, and it looks very sharp.

    The five rivets and gear teeth around the oil drop signify the five Stanley Cups that the Oilers have won.

    Merchandise sales seem to indicate that a lot of people liked them. When I was in Edmonton for the playoffs in 2002, everyone in that city had an Oilers jersey, and I’d guess-timate that between 65-75% of the crowd at Game Three had the new alternate.

    I can’t comment on what happened outside of Edmonton, but merch sales seem to indicate that there was a number of people who liked them.

    [quote comment=”306800″][quote comment=”306791″]I don’t know much of anything about hockey, but I’ve read these last two entries and taken them for what they’re worth. Anyway, I seriously thought you were joking when you mentioned the turn of the century Oilers alternate that everyone loved… It seems to be everything that people around here hate. I cartoony, (and I think downright ugly) logo plastered on a black uniform. I’m not being whoosed here, am I? People actually like these??

    link

    Except that it’s link, not black. I own one, and it looks very sharp.

    The five rivets and gear teeth around the oil drop signify the five Stanley Cups that the Oilers have won.

    Merchandise sales seem to indicate that a lot of people liked them. When I was in Edmonton for the playoffs in 2002, everyone in that city had an Oilers jersey, and I’d guess-timate that between 65-75% of the crowd at Game Three had the new alternate.

    I can’t comment on what happened outside of Edmonton, but merch sales seem to indicate that there was a number of people who liked them.[/quote]

    This goes back to the question: Is a successful design considered successful based on sales (particularly locally, amongst the team’s fanbase)?

    I had mentioned I thought the new “2 sock” cap in Boston would be a HUGE seller. Paul busted my chops a bit, stating that my “huge seller” prediction and others alike were not relevant to the topic. I mean, we can sit back and say how ugly the Hurricanes alt is (which, as you know by now, I have deemed it “hideous”). However, if the fans in the triangle (hah) decide they like it…and buy it…is it a success? Another example are the damn black Mets jerseys. Many of the fans I know, hate the black. However, spend an afternoon at the park and you see black jerseys EVERYWHERE.

    There are probably MANY answers to this question, but it provides interesting message board fodder.

    What do you think?

    ….shoot, that was anti-climactic. I can’t find a link that works now…. oh well, back to hockey….

    [quote comment=”306789″][quote]Phil,
    As usual, an awesome week of uniwatch.[/quote]

    thanks jay, but i only work weekends here (although i did spend about 8 hours putting this together, which may have been more time than i spent doing actual work at work this week ;) )

    hopefully, agree or disagree (and that’s the beauty of UW), people at least have something to discuss…and thank you (and the others) who submitted your thoughts and rankings to me…which made this all possible…and of course teebz, who, as hockey wing president, did yeoman work as well[/quote]

    I meant “your” week, not the “whole” week, but I forgot to thank Teebz for his hard work as well.

    Teebz, even though your taste in link is crap…you’re still a great uni-guy.

    Seeing as it’s a hockey weekend…

    I mentioned this a long time, but only found it today (and, yes, it’s huge, but I figured you can download it manipulate the size to your liking)

    link

    Found this, too (it’s also huge, for same reason)

    link

    —Ricko

    [quote comment=”306805″]Seeing as it’s a hockey weekend…

    I mentioned this a long time, but only found it today (and, yes, it’s huge, but I figured you can download it manipulate the size to your liking)

    link

    Found this, too (it’s also huge, for same reason)

    link

    —Ricko[/quote]

    Nice links, Ricko!

    I meant to say it before, but I suppose this as good time as any… Your “Benchies” strips are WONDERFUL. Please, keep them coming. Do you plan on having an organized book/webpage where us UW fans can see them?

    Keep up the good work, and please keep us up to day on new ones. Love it!

    I coludn’t get a picture, but in todays Patriots vs. Cardinals game. Randy Moss wasn’t seen wearing his cleats he endorsed by PONY. But instead, he wore Nikes. I wonder if he’ll get his deal with Pony terminated.

    Fist time I have seen this…the Cowboys’s DeMarcus Ware’s #4 last night appears to have been ripped, and then mended for his game jersey. However they mended it in white instead of blue.

    link

    I’m watching the Vikings and Falcons.
    I’m proud of myself for my ability to watch this game without ill feelings. Truly a terrible combo of unis.
    I just realized that the horn blowing sound in Minnesota is probably representing that of a Viking’s horn.I’m slightly embarrased, but I’ll admit that I thought it was from Planet of the Apes.

    [quote comment=”306796″]odd picture i saw on NFL.com
    Brandon Marshall is wearing TURF TAPE on a GRASS FIELD
    is this a new fashion statement

    link

    maybe he has to cover up a tattoo like lebron had to in high school

    link

    [quote comment=”306775″][quote comment=”306770″]Ok is it me or is the top half of the list teams that have gone “retro” for the third jersey.

    Personally I love that idea and thinks that someone should send the NHL a copy of the top half of the list with a cover sheet in big capital letters saying “This is how you do a third jersey”[/quote]
    Is it really, though?

    I’m sorry, but I tend to see the throwback as a team’s attempt to capitalize on the happy memories that fans have of the past. It’s a team’s failure to create a brand of their own, so they have to rekindle some old flame to score some cheap points. This is especially evident with the Islanders – a team that has failed its fans over and over and over again. They’re brand right now stinks; Islanders is synonymous with bad hockey. So what do they do? Introduce a “throwback” uniform to when the team was actually good. They’re tricking us into forgetting how bad their current brand is. Ahhhh, look at those beauties, just like when I was a kid and Bossy was hoisting the Cup! Let’s conveniently forget that the team wearing them right now… well, they’re not so good.[/quote]

    The Isles in particular are why alts are good. They have a hideous uni history as of 1995
    link
    Sorry Teebz, but that’s why the term “fugly” was coined.

    But the new alts have thick stripes on the sleeves because that’s what the 74 unis had:

    link

    By the time Bossy, Potvin, Trotier et al were lifting cups, the stripes were thinner:

    link

    SB

    [quote comment=”306794″]Regarding that Texas State football chamiponship:

    One of the teams has AHMO on their nose bumper.

    Supposedly AHMO is a Texas abbreviation for Ima gonna kick yer ass.

    My cousin, who is an ARkie now but is originally from Texas wrote this riddle on a piece of paper for me five minutes after I met him and laughed at his drawl. It took me an hour to decipher and have never forgotten it and never will:

    MRDUX

    MRNTDUX

    OSAR

    CMWANGSNMEDBDIS

    LIB

    MRDUX!

    Picture two Texans in a rowboat fishin’. That would be the dialogue bewteen them…Y’all figure it out.[/quote]

    help, please?

    A: Them are ducks!
    B: Them aren’t ducks.
    A: Oh, yes they are!
    A: See them wings and them itty-bitties? (I might be wrong about this)
    b: Well, I’ll be!
    B: Them are ducks!

    [quote comment=”306813″]A: Them are ducks!
    B: Them aren’t ducks.
    A: Oh, yes they are!
    A: See them wings and them itty-bitties? (I might be wrong about this)
    b: Well, I’ll be!
    B: Them are ducks![/quote]

    Well done!

    Except:

    See ’em wangs an’ ’em itty biddy eyes

    Just want to point out that the Red Wings have in fact worn an “alternate” at points in the past. They’ve done several throwback jersey nights, mostly in the late 90’s.

    link

    That uni was pat of the NHL’s 75th anniversary celebrations. All the original six teams. wore throwbacks. So did the all star teams.

    SB

    At least the Falcons aren’t wearing black pants today.

    In the snow at Foxboro, did anyone notice in the closeups of the field/snow/shoes…the Pats white shoes had even whiter shoestrings!? Looked like the equipment manager broke out new shoestrings for the game!

    And that was a great weekend hockey alt series, I must say. I’m not much of a hockey puck, but that’s something I can get in to.

    [quote comment=”306801″][quote comment=”306800″][quote comment=”306791″]I don’t know much of anything about hockey, but I’ve read these last two entries and taken them for what they’re worth. Anyway, I seriously thought you were joking when you mentioned the turn of the century Oilers alternate that everyone loved… It seems to be everything that people around here hate. I cartoony, (and I think downright ugly) logo plastered on a black uniform. I’m not being whoosed here, am I? People actually like these??

    link

    Except that it’s link, not black. I own one, and it looks very sharp.

    The five rivets and gear teeth around the oil drop signify the five Stanley Cups that the Oilers have won.

    Merchandise sales seem to indicate that a lot of people liked them. When I was in Edmonton for the playoffs in 2002, everyone in that city had an Oilers jersey, and I’d guess-timate that between 65-75% of the crowd at Game Three had the new alternate.

    I can’t comment on what happened outside of Edmonton, but merch sales seem to indicate that there was a number of people who liked them.[/quote]

    This goes back to the question: Is a successful design considered successful based on sales (particularly locally, amongst the team’s fanbase)?

    I had mentioned I thought the new “2 sock” cap in Boston would be a HUGE seller. Paul busted my chops a bit, stating that my “huge seller” prediction and others alike were not relevant to the topic. I mean, we can sit back and say how ugly the Hurricanes alt is (which, as you know by now, I have deemed it “hideous”). However, if the fans in the triangle (hah) decide they like it…and buy it…is it a success? Another example are the damn black Mets jerseys. Many of the fans I know, hate the black. However, spend an afternoon at the park and you see black jerseys EVERYWHERE.

    There are probably MANY answers to this question, but it provides interesting message board fodder.

    What do you think?[/quote]

    There are many, MANY reasons why merch sales figures are irrelevant to Uni Watch. Here are a few:

    1) Popularity doesn’t equal quality. If it did, we’d all be hailing Britney Spears as a musical genius, to give one very simple example.

    2) Just because something looks good on the field, that doesn’t mean it looks good on a fan. And vice-versa.

    3) The year the buffaslug design debuted, it was the top-selling design in the NHL. Why? Because it was the NEWEST design, and lots of Saberes had bought it whether they loved it or not. Very misleading stat.

    4) The demographic that tends to buy jerseys (which is, roughly speaking the 18-to-34-year-old segment) is only one segment of the overall fan constituency. My father LOVES baseball and football, but he’s never gonna buy or wear a jersey because he’s more than 80 yrs old. That doesn’t mean that he doesn’t have opinions about uniform design, however, or that those opinions don’t matter. Focusing on jersey sales distorts the views of the larger fan base.

    5) There’s a difference between style (the components of which are eternal) and fashion (which, by definition, is always changing). If you judge the success of a design on its merch sales, you’re basically letting fashion be the tail that wags the design dog. What sells today will may not sell tomorrow, and vice-versa. But that doesn’t mean that the design got better (or worse). People’s buying tastes are fickle; standards of good design aren’t. Or shouldn’t be.

    I just noticed that the Eagles seem to have varying spacing on the back of their helmets. I definitely saw a major difference between Westbrook’s and McNabb’s helmets. It seems like McNabb has a line of text above the helmet safety sticker on the back of his helmet that I can’t quite make out.

    Anyone have some insight on this?

    There have been several examples in the past of a NHL 3rd jersey being adopted as a primary jersey, after a period of time. Philadelphia’s first black jersey started as a 3rd jersey, the Minnesota Wild’s red jersey also started as a 3rd jersey. These are just two examples.

    Thus the question – are any of the current batch – likely to be adopted on a full time basis. If I was to guess two, I would guess St Louis Blues and maybe Carolina. Carolina, because their current flushing toilet logo could use an upgrade. St Louis, because the 3rd jersey is sleak. The other possibility would be the Flyers. My sense is the fans like the Orange, although it seems a much lighter/brighter shade than in the past, which is alluded to in the ratings.

    [quote]If you judge the success of a design on its merch sales, you’re basically letting fashion be the tail that wags the design dog.[/quote]

    if that weren’t such a truism, it’d be a cliche…well said, paul

    i think pure aesthetics can no longer be considered the sole factor in the definition of “what constitutes a good uni” (and of course personal opinion will always dictate that anyway)…and im frightened to both see and say that we may be encroaching on somewhat uncharted territory in how we view uniforms in america

    to wit, according to the (very informal) hockey thirds poll, the sharks placed LAST, and with all other factors being equal (all made by rbk), it appears many of those who voted obviously placed some value in the fact that the sweaters were, at least to some degree, a new and insidious form of advertising/marketing by seagate

    judged solely on the merits, atlanta should have won lost hands down, but obviously those voting chose to include this little detail (lets call it seagate-gate) in their consideration of jersey ranking…that won’t make a damn bit of difference to most people, but it did here, and i say “kudos” to everyone who blasted the sharks based on their relationship with seagate through their “blackarmor” sweater

    they will sell, and sell well, and i fear this is now the beginning of a very slippery slope in future jersey design, introduction and use

    have the sharks actually put any outward advertising on their thirds? no…but i fear that is not far down the road…and if the NHL or any major sports league sees another chance at ca-ching, who’s to say they won’t change the rules to permit this in the future?

    this is the shot across the proverbial bow…i just hope it missed the mark

    Mine eyes! Mine eyes!

    Color on color with Southern Miss (all big banana yellow) vs. Troy (all maroon).

    They should outlaw football uniforms of all one color … they both look ridiculous.

    Screen-grab request: When the Giants kicked off after their field goal, the tackle on the runback was made by Zak DeOssie, and it looked like he had a yellow strip of tape on the bak of his helmet. Can anyone get a shot of this?

    On second thought it’s possible that DeOssie’s “yellow strip of tape” was actually just a reception glitch on the screen of the very old, very analog TV on which I’m watching the game (I’m not at Uni Watch HQ at the moment).

    [quote comment=”306818″]
    Lots of phenomenal info from Paul and Johnny F in this dialogue…[/quote]

    Does that mean that the Oilers’ previous alternate was, in fact, a terrible design despite the fact that it was the highest selling alternate of all-time?

    If that’s the case, Pittsburgh’s new alternate will surely take that crown based on sales figures. Personally, I like Edmonton’s previous alternate look because it is so different that their other uniforms, but it also incorporates a number of historical aspects.

    Also, Detroit did not wear an alternate. They only wore their barber shop throwback when they played the other Original Six teams as per mandated by the NHL.

    [quote comment=”306828″][quote comment=”306818″]
    Lots of phenomenal info from Paul and Johnny F in this dialogue…[/quote]

    Does that mean that the Oilers’ previous alternate was, in fact, a terrible design despite the fact that it was the highest selling alternate of all-time?

    If that’s the case, Pittsburgh’s new alternate will surely take that crown based on sales figures. Personally, I like Edmonton’s previous alternate look because it is so different that their other uniforms, but it also incorporates a number of historical aspects.

    Also, Detroit did not wear an alternate. They only wore their barber shop throwback when they played the other Original Six teams as per mandated by the NHL.[/quote]

    I could have sworn they wore it again the next year against Chicago…but I can’t find any evidence so I’ll chalk it up to my being an idiot.

    Is it me, or do the nameplates for the Giants seem quite inconsistent? Manning’s name seems to have compressed letters compared to Ward, Boss, Cofield, etc.

    Great posts on the NHL third jerseys. I like to consider myself in the hockey wing of Uniwatch, but alas I did not comment as I am firmly in the camp of the New Jersey Devils when it comes to third jerseys. Hate ’em. Never should have an alternate look. Throwbacks from time to time or in celebration like the Habs this year? Super. Bring it on. A third jersey to try and entice more money out of a fan base that shells out so much to these teams already? Disgusting.

    [quote comment=”306799″][quote comment=”306793″]
    You want to talk about Uni-Watching and yeoman work, check this stud out:

    link

    Matt, it’s -1C (-9C with the wind) in Buffalo, and +2C (-3 with the wind) in NYC. That’s a heatwave in the prairies. LOL

    It looks like you’re heading out into the Antarctic with that get-up. I do like the perfectly manicured driveway though. That would be a prime location for a street hockey net. Well done on driveway grooming, sir! :o)[/quote]
    Matt,

    Nike + Carhartt = Fail. Pick a lane, Motherfucker. *wink*

    Anyway… that getup looks vaguely similar to the one I was wearing for shoveling/snowblowing this morning, except that I had a hood rather than the skull condom.

    link

    Ahhh… link.

    (And Teebz, that’s a lil’ F next to the number, not a C. Also, That temperature gauge reads high.)

    [quote comment=”306832″]
    (And Teebz, that’s a lil’ F next to the number, not a C. Also, That temperature gauge reads high.)[/quote]

    Whether it be Celcius or Fahrenheit, it was still a lovely day in New York. ;o)

    In my neck of the woods? It’s a balmy -14F, but it feels like -36F with the wind. If that’s reading higher than usual, does anyone have a spare room I can shack up in? LOL

    [quote comment=”306832″][quote comment=”306799″][quote comment=”306793″]
    You want to talk about Uni-Watching and yeoman work, check this stud out:

    link

    Matt, it’s -1C (-9C with the wind) in Buffalo, and +2C (-3 with the wind) in NYC. That’s a heatwave in the prairies. LOL

    It looks like you’re heading out into the Antarctic with that get-up. I do like the perfectly manicured driveway though. That would be a prime location for a street hockey net. Well done on driveway grooming, sir! :o)[/quote]
    Matt,

    Nike + Carhartt = Fail. Pick a lane, Motherfucker. *wink*

    Anyway… that getup looks vaguely similar to the one I was wearing for shoveling/snowblowing this morning, except that I had a hood rather than the skull condom.

    link

    Ahhh… link.

    (And Teebz, that’s a lil’ F next to the number, not a C. Also, That temperature gauge reads high.)[/quote]

    re: Photo of masked man.
    The Taliban has snowblowers?

    [quote comment=”306833″][quote comment=”306832″]
    (And Teebz, that’s a lil’ F next to the number, not a C. Also, That temperature gauge reads high.)[/quote]

    Whether it be Celcius or Fahrenheit, it was still a lovely day in New York. ;o)

    In my neck of the woods? It’s a balmy -14F, but it feels like -36F with the wind. If that’s reading higher than usual, does anyone have a spare room I can shack up in? LOL[/quote]
    Yeah, we’ve got it easy here. The winds are only in the low 20s mph range, so the wind chill is a mere -20F.

    Bears vs. Pack should be fun tomorrow night.

    OK, so this is what I’ve learned about hockey fans (and I use the first person because I’m as big a hockey fan as they come):

    We hate black jerseys because they show a lack of creativity (the great preponderance of blue and red jerseys doesn’t bother us at all), but we scream bloody murder when teams introduce novel colors like yellow or purple. We love it when a team’s “new” jersey is nothing more than an unaltered vintage jersey from the past (lots of creativity there), and we hate it when a team does something new like putting a nickname on the front (Bolts or Sens). So do we like creativity or not?

    Any old jersey is good, regardless of its actual design merits. And any new jersey is probably bad, unless it’s just so bloody good that we’re embarrassed to say otherwise (St. Louis). We hate most of the new alternates, but 50 years from now, we’ll want them back because then they’ll be “vintage”.

    And finally, we love to whine. We claim to be lovers of uniforms (hence the existence of this blog), but we spend the majority of our time getting angry over every new uniform that offends our sensibilities.

    Basically, we’re pathetic. It’s a shame, but it’s true.

    [quote comment=”306834″]but teebz, you live in a igloo[/quote]

    Precisely why I could use that spare room if anyone has one!

    Does Moose Muhammad have one or two yellow stars on his captain patch? He was a captain last year with the Bears, so does that carry over to this year as well?
    ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
    Gee, I’m sure glad I didn’t start Derrick Ward on my fantasy team tonight.

    [quote comment=”306839″]OK, so this is what I’ve learned about hockey fans (and I use the first person because I’m as big a hockey fan as they come):

    We hate black jerseys because they show a lack of creativity (the great preponderance of blue and red jerseys doesn’t bother us at all), but we scream bloody murder when teams introduce novel colors like yellow or purple. We love it when a team’s “new” jersey is nothing more than an unaltered vintage jersey from the past (lots of creativity there), and we hate it when a team does something new like putting a nickname on the front (Bolts or Sens). So do we like creativity or not?[/quote]

    We do. Adding a nickname to a professional sports franchise’s uniforms screams lack of creativity. St. Louis introduced a new logo and look with the navy blue, and they were celebrated. The amount of black in hockey has grown exponentially since 1995, so it’s not like adding a black alternate jersey is something new and creative.

    Tradition in hockey is enormous, especially for a fledgling league trying to attract fans. The NY Yankees have a look that is recognizable around the world. If you asked someone to describe the Washington Nationals, do you think they could?

    [quote comment=”306839″]Any old jersey is good, regardless of its actual design merits. And any new jersey is probably bad, unless it’s just so bloody good that we’re embarrassed to say otherwise (St. Louis). We hate most of the new alternates, but 50 years from now, we’ll want them back because then they’ll be “vintage”.[/quote]

    It’s funny you say that, considering that San Jose had a black alternate a few years ago and were ranked low yesterday.

    The reason we like the throwbacks is because we grew up with them. It’s what we remember from the “good ol’ days” of the NHL when it was still relevant. Would you prefer if every team went monochrome white and black only?

    When it comes to design, I’ve learned one thing from this board: “Keep It Simple, Stupid”. And the majority of the lower-ranked jerseys don’t follow that tip.

    [quote comment=”306839″]And finally, we love to whine. We claim to be lovers of uniforms (hence the existence of this blog), but we spend the majority of our time getting angry over every new uniform that offends our sensibilities.[/quote]

    Who is angry? We’re passionate because we feel the lower-ranked teams can do better. And they should be able to do better being professional franchises. If you think we’re whining, that’s your opinion, and you’re welcome to it.

    I call it an expression of opinion which, from the last time someone brought up Amendments, is still allowed. The discussions had over the last two days have been very sophisticated, and I can’t say anyone on this board has whined at all. Kudos to everyone who posted on here in the last two days.

    [quote comment=”306839″]Basically, we’re pathetic. It’s a shame, but it’s true.[/quote]

    You can be pathetic all you want, but don’t include the rest of us in your situation. You might be pathetic, but I’d say a large number of us are passionate about hockey.

    Hello all! Well, one thing is for certain…I’ll go to bed happily in my big blue flannel pj’s.

    I’d love to respond specifically to Teebz, Phil & Paul (and other great comments)… but I’m f-ing exhausted. I would just like to point out that you all made wonderful points during the discussion (just finished catching up, right after the Giants game).

    This has been a great weekend at UW, and I am looking forward to Paul’s usually awesome Monday contribution.

    See ya tomorrow. GO GIANTS.

    [quote comment=”306733″]This weekend’s entries are phenomenal. We don’t get to view much hckey here in the midwest and I miss it. It’s a beautiful game and as has been pointed out, some of the teams look beautiful playing it too.[/quote]

    I take it you don’t live in the Upper Midwest…

    Does anyone out there have my back on the disgrace that is the ridiculous tweaking of the Canucks’ stick in the rink? Anyone?

    [quote comment=”306849″]Does anyone out there have my back on the disgrace that is the ridiculous tweaking of the Canucks’ stick in the rink? Anyone?[/quote]

    It’s a “modernized version of the throwback logo from Canucks’ days”.

    You have no idea how much I am stifling the laughter.

    It’s ok, but I like the old one too, TC.

    First of all, I wanna know how I get elected into the hockey wing.

    I’ve got good credentials…

    I used to draw all the logos in the margins of my notebooks…I used to carry around the current year hockey encyclopedia in middle school…My grade school pics from 7th and 8th grade were in hockey jerseys (Montreal and Pittsburgh, respectively)…I still wear my eleven year old Erie Otters jersey to games, even though most people have upgraded. (Most people probably haven’t played roller hockey all those years in it either, but eh…) Hell, my nickname is still “uke” because I was such a big hockey fan (Canadian, Yukon, get it?).

    That being said, I’ll comment on my local NHL teams.

    Buffalo’s is easy. It sucks. I’m sorry, but it sucks. They had a great jersey set that Rob Ray bloodied many a time…the Buffaslug just sucks so bad. The alt is okay, but just go back to what they had before 1997, okay, Julie?

    Pittsburgh’s is a little more complicated. I say that the Pens ought to go back to the baby blue all the time. Make the home jersey white in the “stanley cup years” design. The only reason the Pens were ever changed from that to the current black and gold was the fact that the Pirates (yeah, remember, the baseball team?) and Steelers won championships in the same year. Plus some garbage about the city flag, whatever. The skating ‘guin is still black and gold.

    So there you go. Teebz, keep your stick on the ice! Great article.

    @ Teebz,

    What I would prefer is to see some more color in the league. Almost every jersey is either white, black, blue, or red. I’d like to see a yellow, purple, or green jersey that doesn’t get ripped for being “garish” or “not traditional”.

    I’d like to see somebody recognize that there’s too much blue and red in this league instead of just always hammering on the anti-black bandwagon.

    I’d like to see teams stop bringing back vintage jerseys as an excuse for a “new” third jersey. Some of them look great (Philly & Pittsburgh), but it shows an abominable lack of creativity and design effort.

    And when a team updates a vintage look (like Buffalo), I’d like to see fans recognize it as a commendable effort to do something new and interesting instead of viewing at as “ruining” a great old jersey.

    I’d like to see teams try new striping ideas (like a lot of the new RBK Edge jerseys) without getting ripped apart by the fans because they don’t look like the jerseys from 30 years ago.

    Hockey fans seem to be stuck in the past more so than fans of other sports (except maybe baseball). Whenever a team comes out with a uni design that’s a little wild or bizarre, we have a fit because it doesn’t look like what we saw when we were kids. Why can’t we be a little more optimistic and open-minded? You know, all those old “traditional” designs we like so much were new and different at one time too.

    [quote comment=”306851″]First of all, I wanna know how I get elected into the hockey wing.

    I’ve got good credentials…

    I used to draw all the logos in the margins of my notebooks…I used to carry around the current year hockey encyclopedia in middle school…My grade school pics from 7th and 8th grade were in hockey jerseys (Montreal and Pittsburgh, respectively)…I still wear my eleven year old Erie Otters jersey to games, even though most people have upgraded. (Most people probably haven’t played roller hockey all those years in it either, but eh…) Hell, my nickname is still “uke” because I was such a big hockey fan (Canadian, Yukon, get it?).

    That being said, I’ll comment on my local NHL teams.

    Buffalo’s is easy. It sucks. I’m sorry, but it sucks. They had a great jersey set that Rob Ray bloodied many a time…the Buffaslug just sucks so bad. The alt is okay, but just go back to what they had before 1997, okay, Julie?

    Pittsburgh’s is a little more complicated. I say that the Pens ought to go back to the baby blue all the time. Make the home jersey white in the “stanley cup years” design. The only reason the Pens were ever changed from that to the current black and gold was the fact that the Pirates (yeah, remember, the baseball team?) and Steelers won championships in the same year. Plus some garbage about the city flag, whatever. The skating ‘guin is still black and gold.

    So there you go. Teebz, keep your stick on the ice! Great article.[/quote]

    Tony, we have lots of room. Set up camp!

    You have a pretty good assortment of local teams in that area. Lots of good junior teams, and some great tradition with Rochester in the AHL being somewhat near you.

    [quote comment=”306853″]@ Teebz,

    What I would prefer is to see some more color in the league. Almost every jersey is either white, black, blue, or red. I’d like to see a yellow, purple, or green jersey that doesn’t get ripped for being “garish” or “not traditional”.

    I’d like to see somebody recognize that there’s too much blue and red in this league instead of just always hammering on the anti-black bandwagon.

    I’d like to see teams stop bringing back vintage jerseys as an excuse for a “new” third jersey. Some of them look great (Philly & Pittsburgh), but it shows an abominable lack of creativity and design effort.

    And when a team updates a vintage look (like Buffalo), I’d like to see fans recognize it as a commendable effort to do something new and interesting instead of viewing at as “ruining” a great old jersey.

    I’d like to see teams try new striping ideas (like a lot of the new RBK Edge jerseys) without getting ripped apart by the fans because they don’t look like the jerseys from 30 years ago.

    Hockey fans seem to be stuck in the past more so than fans of other sports (except maybe baseball). Whenever a team comes out with a uni design that’s a little wild or bizarre, we have a fit because it doesn’t look like what we saw when we were kids. Why can’t we be a little more optimistic and open-minded? You know, all those old “traditional” designs we like so much were new and different at one time too.[/quote]

    Valid points, and I respect the clarificationm, Daniel. Thanks for this.

    I think the problem is that these jerseys could be so much better if they weren’t on the Rbk template.

    Useless piping? Get rid of it.

    Stripes that end at the back of the leg? What’s the point?

    Panels of colour for the sake of colour? C’mon… we’re better than that.

    While I agree with you that everyone going vintage might be a little much, there were good designs that made the cut. St. Louis, for example, ranked high on the list for me. I really like how they got rid of all the crap, and stuck to a traditional style.

    Minnesota, Edmonton, and Ottawa, for example, all had really great alternates in the pre-Rbk era, and I fail to see why they couldn’t return to them. However, we’re stuck with what we have.

    The bizarro-alts like the Kings’ Burger King jersey and the Ducks’ Wild Wing jersey are not hockey jerseys by traditional means, and I don’t think we should herald them for “forward thinking”. Heck, I’m not an Islanders fan, and I know the Fisherman is ugly. I just like bringing it up because it really is a bad design.

    Overall, I agree that a colour like green should be used more. Minnesota had a long history with green, and they should have never scrapped their green home jersey, IMO. But sales figures showed more people bought the red, so they stuck with what sold.

    The Kings should use the yellow and purple again, but they moved away from that after Bruce McNall got his hands on the franchise. While purple is still used, their old purple alternate just didn’t sell.

    While I think that hockey is open-minded, there is a large amount of respect in the hockey industry for the history of the league. New is good, but it can’t deviate from being “hockey-ish”. Know what I mean?

    I just wonder if I’m the only guy that thinks that PGH oughta go back to those link

    Lighten up that blue, I think it’d really be sharp. I’m totally serious.

    Too many “tough guy” colors going on in the NHL. Baby blue looks just as macho with blood on it as forest green does.

    [quote comment=”306856″]I just wonder if I’m the only guy that thinks that PGH oughta go back to those link

    Lighten up that blue, I think it’d really be sharp. I’m totally serious.

    Too many “tough guy” colors going on in the NHL. Baby blue looks just as macho with blood on it as forest green does.[/quote]

    The baby Pens of the AHL are wearing jerseys similar to that this season. Maybe it has a chance in the future?


    While I think that hockey is open-minded, there is a large amount of respect in the hockey industry for the history of the league. New is good, but it can’t deviate from being “hockey-ish”. Know what I mean?

    Sean Avery’s mouth is a perfect example. Respect the game. Now if we can only get Dallas to make their jerseys respectable too…

    Anybody else notice how the sleeves on the Panthers are different for those who wear tighter fitting jerseys? The Reebok logo is aside the Panthers logo on the tight jerseys:
    link

    And vertically stacked on the loose fitting jersey.
    link

    [quote comment=”306762″][quote comment=”306734″]Okay, so yesterday teams were berated for having black as their alternate jersey, especially if the black jersey was essentially the same as their primary jerseys. The Dallas Stars were berated for having a third jersey which was the same design as another jersey, just in a different color.

    Yet, the Blackhawks have both of these factors (black jersey, same design as their other jerseys) and score highly on the rankings? Why? Because “they had black before everyone else had black”? Is that was it is?[/quote]

    I’m kind of with you. I had the Blackhawks #11 out of 19, which is a bit different than the rankings, for the exact reasons you stated.. Goes to show they could put that wonderful logo on just about anything, and someone would like it. Keep it simple, and many will like it. I think it could have been much better.

    I also had the Blues a little higher up. I think that’s a pretty sweet jersey. They did a wonderful job with that circle logo. Same goes for Vancouver’s jersey. I love the classic look of that logo. Those 2 jerseys were #’s 4 & 5 on my list. In my opinion, they should both be far ahead of the black Blackhawks one.

    To Teebz & Phil, wonderful job. This was one heckuva weekend of posts. Thanks Paul, for letting us hockey fans play for a bit.[/quote]

    Don’t look at me. I had the Stars 2nd and the Hawks 5th.

    Co-winner should be Detroit, for never caving in to making an alternate jersey just to try and sell more. I hope the Winter Classic doesn’t prompt them to re-think it. I was never a fan of the D Cougars logo, but to watch a game once with them wearing it will be a nice change, but ONCE.

    I’m no hockey fan, but I’ve loved the articles and debate on here the last few days, great stuff and what Uni watch is all about.

    I recently saw the Oklahoma City Blazers of the CHL, and my, they have lovely uniforms. If hockey jerseys weren’t so ill fitting I’d have one.

    [img]http://merch.okcblazers.com/common_files/images/photogallery/regular/OKC-Colorado%2011-23-05-241.jpg[/img]

    [quote comment=”306845″][quote comment=”306843″]link

    the road to link runs thru the link[/quote]

    Screw you…[/quote]

    If last year’s any indication, homefield don’t mean diddly.

    @ Teebz,

    I agree with you about the piping on the Edge jerseys. There’s something about it that just doesn’t look right. I also don’t like the little chest numbers (San Jose, Dallas, Islanders, etc.) because they make the jersey look cluttered.

    But, at the same time, I appreciate the effort to try new design elements. Over time, the ideas that the fans like will stick around and the ones that aren’t popular will go away.

    I don’t know if it’s fair to talk about the “Edge template” as though all the new jerseys are the same design. There are some elements that have appeared on several jerseys (the vertical piping, for example), but overall I think you have to admit that the 2008-09 NHL has much more design diversity than, say, the 1990-91 NHL (when every team had a set of horizontal stripes around the sleeve and another set around the bottom of the jersey).

    And I’m not knocking the early-90s jerseys (most of them looked pretty good). I’m just commenting on the lack of diversity.

    Watching some teams in the retro gear – Edmonton, Philly, etc… actually made the game more pleasurable for me. It makes you realize how drab many of these teams have become. The current 1st Edmonton look is so lame, IMO – crappy, dull colors. It’s like these new designs are trying to be ‘stylish’ with sophisticated color schemes, but are really missing the point.

    They’ve gotta ditch that stupid curved hem too, ugh…. Everybody looks like they’re wearing a nightshirt.

    [quote comment=”306937″]Berrian’s purple Nikes from last week vs. Cardinals.

    link

    Although the ones yesterday seemed to be fully purple, right up to and including the lace eyelets.

    As a habs fans myself it sure feels great to cheer for a team that always look so good on the ice. And I have to say that the 1915-16 throwback they wore the other night was so beautiful that I immediately started shopping for one online and I own a total of zero jerseys. But one thing which no one seems to be mentioning is the pathetic attempt the habs made on their 1970-71 throwback. It is literally the exact same as their present away jersey. The original jersey had laces on the collar and the team couldn’t even bring themselves to do that. If they weren’t willing to make a genuine effort then they simply should have chosen another set of jerseys to wear as throwbacks. Otherwise, I think they did a bang-up job and I am REALLY looking forward to seeing the BARBER JERSEY from 1912-1913 as well as their first ever jersey from 1910, on the ice.

    The only thing missing on that BEAUTIFUL Penguins jersey is the scarf that the original Penguin wore around his neck, with the tail blowing in the wind……

    I cannot believe anyone would think the oilers current home/away jerseys are among the nice jerseys in the league. They could not be more boring, in design and the drab “copper/navy” colours. The drill bit alternate is boring too.
    Their move to the blue and orange is awesome, and I hope they go all the way and get rid of the navy.

Comments are closed.