Good morning, Uni Watchers. It’s Friday … we made it.
Today, we have an an article by our own Jamie Rathjen, who will be giving us his review of the new uniforms for the Professional Women’s Hockey League (PWHL), as the entire six-team league unveiled home and away unis for the 2024 season. After Jamie’s article, I’ll have a Jaguars design concept, as well as the GTGFTS and GTGFTU. So let me turn it over to Jamie here. Enjoy!
by Jamie Rathjen
The PWHL released its teams’ uniforms for next season yesterday. You might remember that last season, with the six teams playing under “PWHL _______” placeholder names, they wore largely similar designs with the city name diagonally across the chest and some variation around the sleeves and shoulders.
When the teams’ names and logos were revealed in September, the definite feeling of sameness was still there, even though they now have their own identities. All six teams have acted as a unit throughout all these reveals, even posting pretty similar explainers for their logos, colors, and wordmarks. It’s basically a top-down way of running a sports league. That’s continued in its uniform designs, which all have similarities and use the same quirks. But I’m not saying they’re bland because if you’re a fan of contrasting shoulder yokes and stripes — a lot of stripes — the PWHL definitely has something for you.
Each team also has a small pattern on the inside of their common number font, such as the speed lines from Ottawa’s logo or a fleur-de-lis for Montréal. There is always the PWHL logo on the right shoulder and an ad on the left shoulder. Every team has black or dark blue pants as well as socks that match each jersey, but there were no helmets shown.
While the color schemes are not exactly the same as last season’s, each team at least kept what you could call its primary color so there is continuity. I think all six color schemes really make these uniform sets pop. They’re full of character and there is not a heavy reliance on basic red and blue.
Let’s look at each of the teams individually.
Boston Fleet
The green-clad Fleet use sky blue more than white as an accent color, but both appear in the two-color stripes down the ends of the sleeves and the bottom of the jerseys. Dark blue really sneaks in there as another accent on the logo’s shadow and coloring the pants.
They’ve really leaned into the stripes a lot more than the other teams and there are no contrasting solid-colored parts besides the shoulder yoke. That raises some interesting possibilities: a sky blue jersey? Some form of barberpole? We can always hope there’s more to come.
The pattern on the Fleet’s numbers is the waves from the inside of their logo.
Minnesota Frost
The Frost deal in two shades of purple, which again is an uncommon but good-looking combo. However, the purple jersey’s shoulder yoke is white instead of the light purple, of which I’m not as big of a fan — that jersey could easily have used two colors with minimal white. The stripe patterns on the sleeves and bottoms are also noticeably different from each other. In all of these designs they’re not really the same in both places, but in this case it’s almost like the powers that be couldn’t decide which one they liked more.
The pattern on the Frost’s numbers is supposed to be a minimalist version of their logo.
Montréal Victoire
Montréal has my favorite color scheme of the bunch, as they did last season. They’re again the only team that doesn’t have a white away jersey, using a light cream or tan color instead. That combined with maroon, dark blue, very small amounts of light blue, and the angular wordmark gives me vintage vibes. The jersey crests are really big, though, using both the logo and the wordmark, and I’m wondering if they couldn’t have used a more minimal version of the logo.
As I mentioned earlier, inside their numbers are fleurs-de-lis. Additionally, the league logo sleeve patch is in French (“LPHF,” Ligue professionnelle de hockey féminin).
New York Sirens
It really seemed like the Sirens were going the direction of the WNBA’s Liberty last season, wearing turquoise with navy blue and not bringing much else. But the shade used this season is much less pale and adds orange-ish and grey accents. The result is as attractive as any of these designs and I’d love to see a navy blue jersey. The striping patterns across both jerseys are pleasingly near enough to consistent and the shoulder yokes on both are dark blue.
Inside the Sirens’ numbers are vertical lines, which may be borrowed from the sides of the logo.
Ottawa Charge
Both the logo and the color scheme are going to bring instant Flames comparisons. Grey and black accents do just enough to make the red jersey stand on its own but aren’t there as much on the white jersey, which I think could have benefited from having a shoulder yoke in the same dark grey. A white jersey with a red shoulder yoke and gold accents just looks too much like Calgary for my liking. The logo to me can’t decide whether it’s an O or a C and somehow looks like both at once, but whether this is intentional isn’t stated.
As I said above, the Charge have the speed lines from the O/C logo inside their numbers.
Toronto Sceptres
Toronto now looks a little bit like New York with a more conventional shade of blue, though the Sceptres were the ones who also wore that shade last season. The team name has come in for a bit of controversy because of its colonialist overtones, i.e. its borrowing of monarchial imagery used in Canada to represent the colonial state’s power.
But like with the Sirens, two shades of blue together is never a bad idea. The white jersey mixes them up a little too much in my view: the sleeve stripes are the lighter blue next to the dark blue stripe pattern on the jersey’s bottom, which the blue jersey doesn’t do. It’s another small inconsistency leading to two uniforms that aren’t quite color swaps of each other, which I suppose the league was eager to avoid anyway after using color-swapped uniforms across the board last season.
Toronto and Boston are the only teams that don’t use white numbers on their colored jerseys, the Sceptres preferring gold in this case.
Inside Toronto’s numbers is the top bit of the logo.
Readers? What say you?
GTGFTS: 1964 Orange Bowl, Nebraska 13, Auburn 7. The last Orange Bowl played in the daytime and the last Orange Bowl appearance by Auburn, to date.
The Boston logo is really a sideways Whaler.
Sideways Whaler? That would make the logo more closely resemble Hartford’s old farm team – Binghamton Whalers.
I love hockey jerseys but the PWHL sweaters leave me kind of meh. Other than Montreal’s they’re look too similar. I do like the the little touches in the numbers though. Yes, I realize you likely won’t be able to see them on the ice, but it’s nice detail, IMHO.
I dig the Boston jersey. They all have some nice elements, but none of them really stand out to me a great uniforms. I’d like to have seen the backs of each jersey, and will have to wait until I see them in the ice to decide if I really like them or not.
Love the Jags alternate! Nice job!
Really impressed with the PWHL uniforms.
Love the mock up Jacksonville Jaguars gold helmet – Nice work! It would be an outstanding addition to their uniforms in conjunction with other gold accoutrements.
Overall, not bad for PWHL. Some colour schemes that aren’t common when they start mixing in 3 colours. I like the Boston colour scheme.
Minnesota would have worked better with purple equipment but it appears the league may have been limited in the choice for colours for pants and gloves.
Minnesota would have been a knock out with purple equipment. I think Boston and Ottawa are in the same boat. The black/navy gets a little boring, but this is still a new league trying to gain footing.
I LOVE that gold Jags helmet. Well done!
I love the PWHL color schemes, especially New York and Minnesota. One quibble, the Minnesota logo leaves a big asymmetrical blank space on the jersey.
GTGFTU is super hard but I believe that’s Tommy Sweeney for the Bills in their throwback. He only played for them in 2019.
Bills 37-20 over Dolphins on 9/20/2019 but I’m not 100%.
I think you’re correct about Tommy Sweeney, but the date can’t be right (Bills wore color rush at home against Miami that year, not white) – and he also played in 2021 and 2022 for the Bills.
“New” Dolphins logo, Bills in white at home, more likely Halloween 2021 (I was at that game, but don’t remember anything memorable…)?
I’m getting Carolina as well as Calgary with the Ottawa logo.
These are okay. Some of the logos are pretty “meh,” like the Frost. And I’m not a big fan of SSSIRENSSS.
The Frost logo appears heavily influenced by the Junior “A” MJHL Winnipeg Freeze logo.
link
link
I get the plural definitions of “Sirens” (police car klaxon/Tales of Brave Ulysses) for New York’s entry. Still, I wish they’d gone with “Mermaids”, as powerful an identity for a women’s team as imaginable.
There’s a lot to like here!
Colors that are unique and/or underused in pro sports.
Stripes!
Pretty traditional without feeling like they just ripped off existing teams. (Too many start up leagues try to get a unique look and end up looking silly)
Patterns in the numbers are subtle, but cool.
Uniform release featuring the actual athletes wearing the full uniform!
I may pick up a Victoire jersey
The only thing I don’t like about the uniforms is the strange empty space that the Frost logo leaves on the bottom of the jersey. The picture of the player in white makes it look almost like a practice jersey because she’s covering up part of the logo with her glove.
I really like the Montreal and Toronto unis, though they aren’t perfect (Montreal could simplify the sleeve cuff color blocking). But other than the victoire, I think these identities fall short of replacing the NWHL. The NWHL definitely had some dud unis in the mix, but they also had some really nice ones. The Connecticut Whale white uni was a great one, and the Riveters had two nice designs that were only let down by a weak logo design (good concept but looks too much like they ran the Rosie the riveter image through a “cartoon” filter), the Beauts and Pride also had solid designs if not amazing. The sirens is a good identity, but woof, totally let down by bad design.
Montreal would easily have the best uniforms if they dropped the light blue.
That Sirens logo is very Syracuse Crunch, and that’s not a compliment.
My ranking:
1) Montreal
2) Boston
3) Toronto
4) Minnesota
5) Ottawa
6) New York
Earlier in the week, the Oakland A’s rebranded to “The Athletics”. No City, with a team abbreviation of “ATH”. Will be interesting to see this evolve.
link
Would have liked to see them go with California A’s during their time in Sacramento before the move.
That locator ‘belongs’ to the Angels …I hope someday they’ll come back to their senses.
Fine with the A’s not utilizing their temporary home town in their branding ( would have loved to see them share space with Philly for a spell – oh well) …hoping they don’t mess with too much when they get to play in Vegas – all in favor of using Kelly Green, Fort Knox Gold and Wedding Gown White, say Aye!
“the definite feeling of sameness was still there”
Rob Manfred is taking notes.
Solid effort by the PWHL…vibrant colors, decent (‘familiar’ yet somewhat derivative) logos. Good striping.
This league should look great on-ice!
Toronto’s color scheme is simply fantastic, and Montreal’s bird-like logo is very cool.
While Boston is clearly trolling the Hartford market (TFPIC), the ol’ Whaler-esque crest translates well as an anchor.
Yes, the Frost sweater has a tad too much empty space. Sure, Ottawa has got Calgary NHL vibes. Overall – a good looking league.
Toronto’s jerseys give me Seattle Mariners city connect vibes
Looking at the lead photo, it doesn’t feel like all of the hockey unis were designed by one central organization. There is enough variety going around that if feels like these teams developed their identities on their own. Well done.
Jaguar face helmet needs to happen! But change it to a white facemask to represent the gaping maw with teeth!
Inspired!
For the six PWHL uniforms, when considering them without the front crest/logo they do well.
However, I’d say about half of those crests look like something pulled out of a 1990’s roller hockey team or perhaps one of those short lived Spring football leagues. Not even sure how I would described Ottawa’s logo, perhaps a bad pokemon idea that was trashed on first read through.
The Boston Fleet, while heavily Whalers inspired, is one of the top ones. Also like the Montreal Victorie; something about it connects with me. Toronto comes up lacking but is acceptable.
I generally like the whole set, and I think most of them would rank above the bottom third of the NHL. But as much as I think the Minnesota jerseys are basically well designed sweaters, F is just such a hard letter to make attractive as a sports logo. It’s an inherently unbalanced letter, and making it lean to the lower left/upper right accentuates the imbalance. Throw almost literally any other logo/crest on the jerseys, and I’d probably rank the Frost a B-plus. With the F, it’s C-plus at best for me.
These hockey uniforms are a pleasant surprise. My only quibble is the sleeve striping not going all the way around. Before I even saw the Montreal sweater I was wondering how they would work in a fleur-de-lis. I think it turned out well and I like that they use a cream instead of a white jersey. The NY one reminds me of the Islanders fisherman jersey. And that SSSirenSSS logo is horrible.