Tired of seeing annoying ads (like this one!) on Uni Watch? There’s a simple solution: Join Uni Watch Plus. You’ll get an ad-free site experience, plus exclusive access to our UW+ discussion forums, push notifications whenever a new blog post has been published, a special UW+ badge accompanying all your comments on the blog, and a 20% discount on our Teespring merchandise.
Sorry for the somewhat belated post. Been a busy weekend, but it’s almost over…
Happy Sunday Morning! Yesterday may not have been so happy for fans of Edmonton sports teams. It’s a new day today, though, so let’s all enjoy it.
We begin in that hockey hotbed of South Florida, where the Stanley Cup Final(ly) got underway with a *really* nice looking matchup between the Edmonton Oilers and the Florida Panthers.
__________
__________
Sure, you have two shades of blue competing against each other, and orange accents versus red. It works. Great contrast, and very easy on the eyes.
Both teams had the Stanley Cup patch on their sweaters. Edmonton had it on the players’ right side.
__________
___________
Florida had it on the players’ left, because the other side was taken by an ad patch.
___________
__________
The ad means that the Cup patch and Aleksander Barkov’s captain’s patch were crowded on his left side (thanks to rick and Patrick_in_Mi for pointing that out to me).
WAY back in April, when Phil and I picked the first round of the playoffs by the uniforms, I had the Panthers advancing and Phil didn’t. Then again, he had the Oilers advancing and I didn’t. I still think that while Edmonton should stand firm with their look, it’s a little too ’70s for me. I CANNOT believe I – the Yacht Rock fan on this website – just said that. And yet I stand by it. Even though the Oilers just became our own Wade Heidt’s (and almost every other Canadian’s) favorite team, Go Panthers!
London Calling to the Faraway Towns...of Philly and New York
Yesterday, Phil’s Mets and Philadelphia’s Phillies took the once Great American Pastime to the Home of Cricket. Manfred League Baseball resumed its London Series with the Mets and Phillies playing in London Stadium (I love that name…don’t change it!).
__________
__________
The onetime Olympic Stadium, now home to West Ham soccer, hosted this weekend’s events. You may ask, how do you convert a soccer pitch into a baseball field? Look no further!
Both teams reverted to the standard operating procedure of any overseas Manfred League contest. They added a sleeve ad that isn’t usually on their jerseys. For the Mets, it was below their Bud Harrelson memorial patch. Here’s a closer look, along with the London Series patch on the other sleeve.
__________
__________
They also added the same helmet ad.
__________
__________
Philly’s Bryce Harper seemed to have the most fun on the day, with a custom Philly Phanatic bat and shin guard. Here’s a closer look of the bat.
__________
__________
He also took advantage of being in a soccer stadium, finishing his home run trot with a very soccer-like celebration.
__________
__________
Other than that, it was a pretty standard MLB game…which means the Mets lost. Sorry, Phil.
One More Thing...Don't Forget Father's Day!
__________
Calling All Sons and Daughters (and Grandsons, Granddaughters, Nephews and Nieces)!
Father’s Day is coming soon (June 16), and I’ll once again be posting photos of Uni Watch readers’ “Dads In Uniform,” a tradition that began in 2013 (and has continued every year since then). This is always a very special day, and I’d love for as many readers as possible to participate — especially those of you who haven’t done so before. A few of you have reached out to Phil saying “I’ve run out of photos of my Dad” (from years’ past), so if you want to resubmit a photo used before, please do so!
To take part in this annual tradition, select one photo of your father (or grandfather or uncle) in uniform (it can be sports, military, work — as long as it’s a uniform) along with a short description of 100 words or less. Then email the photo — again, only one, please — and text to jimvilk@gmail.com with the subject line “Uni Watch Father’s Day 2024” by WEDNESDAY, JUNE 12, midnight Eastern. I’ll run all of the submissions on Father’s Day. Thanks!
And That Will Do It For Today
Sorry again for the later post. Hope it was worth the wait. Enjoy your Sunday, and take care, everyone!
“Even though the Oilers just became our own Wade Heidt’s (and almost every other Canadian’s) favorite team, Go Panthers!”
Definitely not cheering hard for anyone since the Canucks were ousted. I would be pleased if the Oilers win but also totally fine seeing the Panthers win their first Stanley Cup.
There is a difficult part about another Canadian team winning it that is not your own. You will never hear the end of it from the winning team’s fans. Imagine if the Maple Leafs won the Cup. It would be insufferable.
I totally get that point. As a Tennessee grad, people always assume I am cheering for other SEC teams when they are in the finals. Buck Fama, no, I am not cheering for them ever!
Tbh, I’m kinda reluctantly cheering for the oilers, but also will probably be equally happy if the panthers win. I’m a Canucks fan with a soft spot for the leafs (grew up in the states so I didn’t experience annoying leafs fans, so didn’t realize that was taboo until high end of high school and I was in too deep.
The problem with the oilers winning is that it’s not my team winning. But I’m also tired of hearing my American coworkers say “hur hur hur Canadian sport trophy belongs in ‘merica USA USA”. I’m just gonna cheer for an entertaining, 7 game series
Also kinda wish the oilers had made a white version of their navy and orange alt. I weirdly always picture McDavid in that jersey, and it would be nice to give this era of the oilers their own sorta look. The Gretzky had the classic set, the ‘06 had the darker colors, and then Mcdraistl have the navy n orange
“There is a difficult part about another Canadian team winning it that is not your own.”
Considering it’s been 31 years since a Canadian team won the Cup, you’d think you hosers would just be happy if _anybody_ from north of the border won it.
Imagine if the Maple Leafs won the Cup
That’s crazy talk. Next you’ll have me imagining the Browns winning a Super Bowl…
True hometown Winnipeg Jets fans, like myself, will never cheer for the Oilers. There’s too much scar tissue remaining from playoff losses in the 80’s.
There’s a theme to the comments so far. Media stories otherwise, we don’t just start cheering for whatever Canadian teams are left when our team gets knocked out of/doesn’t make the playoffs. No more reason for me to hope for an Edmonton win than for one by Florida.
Media stories otherwise
I listen to NHL Radio occasionally, and when I do, I get the impression that all of Canada wants their Cup back, no matter who does it. Sounds as if it’s just the announcers then.
Based on uniforms, I’d favor Florida. Based on sentiment, I’d favor Edmonton. In this case, sentiment wins for me. Bring the Cup back to Canada!
Watching the College World Series, it has bugged me about the inconsistencies of Nike logo location compared to MLB.
MLB: Front of jersey on right chest, back of pants on left leg
NCAA: Front of jersey on left chest, front of pants on left leg
Looking at UNC, they also had the Nike logo on the side of their hats which is consistent with the placement of the New Era logo on MLB caps. The irritating thing is that UNC did not have any kind of team logo on the back of hat, making it seem unbalanced.
I have a question, as you mentioned Harper had a Philly Phanatic bat. Are players allowed to do this in games? Or was this just a one off opportunity like a homerun derby. thanks
I believe players were given special dispensation to use special bats and other accessories for this series. Either that or players don’t care about any potential fines.
It has to be a special occasion thing or you’d see Harper doing it more often. Last time was the Little League Classic last year.
I know it’s not mentioned in the post, but can you believe the Twins reveal their City Connect uniforms tomorrow and we haven’t seen a leak of any of the elements. When was the last time that happened?
The Mets had to ditch their logo patch and their usual ad for the London ads.
I realize the Panthers aren’t an expansion team anymore, but before 2019, I would have rooted hard against them. Since the Blues finally won a Cup, I don’t mind the younger teams getting their glory.
On the flip side, I also lost a little bit of my passion now that we are no longer seeking the “impossible”.
Every time they showed Florida fans wearing Pouncing Panther sweaters was like a cross check face first into the boards. What a beautiful logo swapped out for Modern Meh.
If anyone wanted a photo of how the Panthers jersey looked with a captain patch since they have the ad on the left side
Thanks for that photo! I was trying to recall if the Panthers wore C and A patches in the regular season and if so how would it look in the Finals. Vilk, you should add this to your article.
Many hours later, I saw this and added a photo. Thanks for the suggestion.
“I still think that while Edmonton should stand firm with their look, it’s a little too ’70s for me.”
Nah, they’re perfect, almost as stuck in time as Edmonton itself. And I don’t super love the Panthers unis, especially the bland clip art crest and the lack of stripes on the pants, plus they get docked points for the ad. I don’t make the rules.
While I agree with basically everyone else that the Panthers should be playing closer to Miami, rather than Fort Lauderdale, I think the area has as much potential to be a hockey hotbed as anywhere else. It’s tempting to blame the warm-climate location for the Panthers’ lack of fan support, but I think the fact that the team has been pathologically bad for virtually its entire existence is a better explanation. If they win this year and continue to have some success over the next few years, I think you’ll see the fanbase grow.
Anyway, as someone who’s lived in Florida for 10+ years and generally finds the Lightning insufferable, I’m all in on the Panthers for this series. Plus, I got emotionally invested in them in the last round, as I enjoyed watching the Rangers lose way more than I’ll ever admit ;-)
And, to keep this comment uni-relevant, does anyone else wish the Oilers would bring the orange jerseys back? I really liked those.
“does anyone else wish the Oilers would bring the orange jerseys back?”
London swap is interesting too because the cricket championship is being played in new york right now!
The Mets having to forfeit their sleeve logo for another ad is a sign of the future. My Mets losing in the stadium of my favorite English football club (that also loses every game of importance) seems somehow fitting.
As for the hockey Finals: I prefer the Edmonton uniforms in many ways over the Florida one (I do not like their stripeless britches, their chest crest and their sleeve graphic, bring back the sun and stick logo). I can imagine other Canadian fans are not especially rooting for a team just because it is Canadian. In euro soccer I find it hard to cheer for other Dutch club teams than my own (who have not played an European game since 1984).
The “cheering for Canada’a team” is definitely media-created, & not reality. Cheering for my hometown Oilers…..but if any other Canadian team was in the final, not the Oilers, I wouldn’t be cheering for them. You NEVER cheer for a rival.
Does anyone know why the Panthers put the C and A on the chests now? Since they unveiled their current set, they’ve used the pseudomilitary rocker bar on the shoulder to designate captaincy. Which is unique but not in a good way. Now it’s redundant. And cluttered.
As far as the look of this series: I have hated the Oilers since they broke my heart in 1985 and 1987 but damn if those uniforms aren’t timeless as is. After years in the wilderness, they came back to their look. Royal and orange, double-outlined numbers. The Panthers? I want to like it, and the Montréalesque body stripes are nice. But the shoulder numbers look wrong on hockey sweaters, the nonsense with the sleeve flag and pseudomilitary elements are silly. Plus, the Pouncing Panther is bet
“Even though the Oilers just became our own Wade Heidt’s (and almost every other Canadian’s) favorite team, Go Panthers!”
Definitely not cheering hard for anyone since the Canucks were ousted. I would be pleased if the Oilers win but also totally fine seeing the Panthers win their first Stanley Cup.
There is a difficult part about another Canadian team winning it that is not your own. You will never hear the end of it from the winning team’s fans. Imagine if the Maple Leafs won the Cup. It would be insufferable.
I totally get that point. As a Tennessee grad, people always assume I am cheering for other SEC teams when they are in the finals. Buck Fama, no, I am not cheering for them ever!
Tbh, I’m kinda reluctantly cheering for the oilers, but also will probably be equally happy if the panthers win. I’m a Canucks fan with a soft spot for the leafs (grew up in the states so I didn’t experience annoying leafs fans, so didn’t realize that was taboo until high end of high school and I was in too deep.
The problem with the oilers winning is that it’s not my team winning. But I’m also tired of hearing my American coworkers say “hur hur hur Canadian sport trophy belongs in ‘merica USA USA”. I’m just gonna cheer for an entertaining, 7 game series
Also kinda wish the oilers had made a white version of their navy and orange alt. I weirdly always picture McDavid in that jersey, and it would be nice to give this era of the oilers their own sorta look. The Gretzky had the classic set, the ‘06 had the darker colors, and then Mcdraistl have the navy n orange
“There is a difficult part about another Canadian team winning it that is not your own.”
Considering it’s been 31 years since a Canadian team won the Cup, you’d think you hosers would just be happy if _anybody_ from north of the border won it.
Imagine if the Maple Leafs won the Cup
That’s crazy talk. Next you’ll have me imagining the Browns winning a Super Bowl…
True hometown Winnipeg Jets fans, like myself, will never cheer for the Oilers. There’s too much scar tissue remaining from playoff losses in the 80’s.
There’s a theme to the comments so far. Media stories otherwise, we don’t just start cheering for whatever Canadian teams are left when our team gets knocked out of/doesn’t make the playoffs. No more reason for me to hope for an Edmonton win than for one by Florida.
Media stories otherwise
I listen to NHL Radio occasionally, and when I do, I get the impression that all of Canada wants their Cup back, no matter who does it. Sounds as if it’s just the announcers then.
Based on uniforms, I’d favor Florida. Based on sentiment, I’d favor Edmonton. In this case, sentiment wins for me. Bring the Cup back to Canada!
Watching the College World Series, it has bugged me about the inconsistencies of Nike logo location compared to MLB.
MLB: Front of jersey on right chest, back of pants on left leg
NCAA: Front of jersey on left chest, front of pants on left leg
Looking at UNC, they also had the Nike logo on the side of their hats which is consistent with the placement of the New Era logo on MLB caps. The irritating thing is that UNC did not have any kind of team logo on the back of hat, making it seem unbalanced.
I have a question, as you mentioned Harper had a Philly Phanatic bat. Are players allowed to do this in games? Or was this just a one off opportunity like a homerun derby. thanks
I believe players were given special dispensation to use special bats and other accessories for this series. Either that or players don’t care about any potential fines.
There are a bunch of custom bats being used: link
thank you Phil
It has to be a special occasion thing or you’d see Harper doing it more often. Last time was the Little League Classic last year.
I know it’s not mentioned in the post, but can you believe the Twins reveal their City Connect uniforms tomorrow and we haven’t seen a leak of any of the elements. When was the last time that happened?
The Mets had to ditch their logo patch and their usual ad for the London ads.
I realize the Panthers aren’t an expansion team anymore, but before 2019, I would have rooted hard against them. Since the Blues finally won a Cup, I don’t mind the younger teams getting their glory.
On the flip side, I also lost a little bit of my passion now that we are no longer seeking the “impossible”.
Every time they showed Florida fans wearing Pouncing Panther sweaters was like a cross check face first into the boards. What a beautiful logo swapped out for Modern Meh.
If anyone wanted a photo of how the Panthers jersey looked with a captain patch since they have the ad on the left side
link
Thanks for that photo! I was trying to recall if the Panthers wore C and A patches in the regular season and if so how would it look in the Finals. Vilk, you should add this to your article.
Many hours later, I saw this and added a photo. Thanks for the suggestion.
“I still think that while Edmonton should stand firm with their look, it’s a little too ’70s for me.”
Nah, they’re perfect, almost as stuck in time as Edmonton itself. And I don’t super love the Panthers unis, especially the bland clip art crest and the lack of stripes on the pants, plus they get docked points for the ad. I don’t make the rules.
While I agree with basically everyone else that the Panthers should be playing closer to Miami, rather than Fort Lauderdale, I think the area has as much potential to be a hockey hotbed as anywhere else. It’s tempting to blame the warm-climate location for the Panthers’ lack of fan support, but I think the fact that the team has been pathologically bad for virtually its entire existence is a better explanation. If they win this year and continue to have some success over the next few years, I think you’ll see the fanbase grow.
Anyway, as someone who’s lived in Florida for 10+ years and generally finds the Lightning insufferable, I’m all in on the Panthers for this series. Plus, I got emotionally invested in them in the last round, as I enjoyed watching the Rangers lose way more than I’ll ever admit ;-)
And, to keep this comment uni-relevant, does anyone else wish the Oilers would bring the orange jerseys back? I really liked those.
“does anyone else wish the Oilers would bring the orange jerseys back?”
Yes. Either this
link
or this
link
Those should be the home and away sweater/pants.
Test
London swap is interesting too because the cricket championship is being played in new york right now!
The Mets having to forfeit their sleeve logo for another ad is a sign of the future. My Mets losing in the stadium of my favorite English football club (that also loses every game of importance) seems somehow fitting.
As for the hockey Finals: I prefer the Edmonton uniforms in many ways over the Florida one (I do not like their stripeless britches, their chest crest and their sleeve graphic, bring back the sun and stick logo). I can imagine other Canadian fans are not especially rooting for a team just because it is Canadian. In euro soccer I find it hard to cheer for other Dutch club teams than my own (who have not played an European game since 1984).
The “cheering for Canada’a team” is definitely media-created, & not reality. Cheering for my hometown Oilers…..but if any other Canadian team was in the final, not the Oilers, I wouldn’t be cheering for them. You NEVER cheer for a rival.
Does anyone know why the Panthers put the C and A on the chests now? Since they unveiled their current set, they’ve used the pseudomilitary rocker bar on the shoulder to designate captaincy. Which is unique but not in a good way. Now it’s redundant. And cluttered.
As far as the look of this series: I have hated the Oilers since they broke my heart in 1985 and 1987 but damn if those uniforms aren’t timeless as is. After years in the wilderness, they came back to their look. Royal and orange, double-outlined numbers. The Panthers? I want to like it, and the Montréalesque body stripes are nice. But the shoulder numbers look wrong on hockey sweaters, the nonsense with the sleeve flag and pseudomilitary elements are silly. Plus, the Pouncing Panther is bet