Good Tuesday morning, Uni Watchers. I hope you guys had a good Monday. By the time most of you read this, the MLB season will have begun! Yes, it’s the Dodgers and Cubs in Tokyo for the first of two games, and not league-wide Opening Day, but those games still count, so yay! Baseball! And there will definitely be some baseball articles coming later today.
But it’s Tuesday, which means Leo Strawn, Jr., for the past four weeks, has turned his attention to Ice Hockey (Volume 1, Volume 2, Volume 3 and Volume 4). If you are into hockey — particularly old school hockey and early expansion/WHA beginnings — these are well worth your time if you haven’t checked them out. We’ll close out the WHA today.
And now, here’s Leo with…
On Ice, Volume 5
by Leo Strawn, Jr.
I’m Leo…welcome to my world!
I’ll round out the WHA and add some miscellaneous items to this edition.
As was the case in the ABA, moving vans were in high demand in the WHA. After presumably being located but never playing in Miami as the Screaming Eagles, the Blazers made stops in Philadelphia and Vancouver before landing in Calgary where they played as the Cowboys.
Some franchises just folded. Even expansion teams in cities that had never been home to top level hockey didn’t fare well. The Phoenix Roadrunners were one of those teams.
Indianapolis was another. Playing off of the name of their ABA counterpart, the Racers had what I think was a pretty cool logo and sweater.
Even the legend-to-be teenaged Great One wasn’t enough to keep the franchise from folding 25 games into the 1978-79 season, during his first year in hockey on a major league level. Bleeding money, the Racers dealt Gretzky to the Oilers after 8 games with the club. The rest is history. Unfortunately for the Racers, within six weeks so were they.
I thought the Nordiques looked good in blue/red/blue in 1977.
My favorite WHA club was the Stingers. I loved Mike Liut’s mask.
No, I haven’t forgotten the Whalers. They had a great nickname. The WHAlers. A great logo came about as a result of their move to Hartford, but (segue to NHL…) that was after the merger. Hartford would make many hockey fans’ dreams come true by bringing Bobby Hull together with Gordie Howe (along with his sons and Leaf great Dave Keon) in the 1979-80 NHL season.
Here are a few other favorites of mine from the NHL. I loved the KC Scouts name and logo. That font was less than desirable, though.
Like the Stingers, this is one that was featured in my 50 favorite uniforms list, but it’s so nice, I’ll post it twice. The chevron forming a “V” for Vancouver was a great design, in my opinion.
Another of my favorite sweaters that doesn’t seem to get many props is this Isles 2015-17 alternate uniform. Clean look and the first use of their simplified alt logo on a jersey front. In my opinion, it looks much better like this than it does in their blue and orange, whether that’s with the original alternate logo or this simpler and cleaner alt logo version.
One last item that didn’t neatly fit anywhere but I think deserves a mention is this sweet Team Canada logo and sweater from the 1984 Sarajevo Winter Olympics.
One more hockey edition to go before we shoot some hoops again.
Until then…
Cheers!
Thanks, Leo — this was another awesome one. I don’t think I’d ever seen that particular photo of the Great One — thanks for sharing. Gonna have to disagree with your take on my Islanders, though. But really fun stuff again Leo!
Readers? What say you?
Gretzky as a Racer will never stop being a great trivia question.
GTGFTS
4 Sep 2011 at Comerica Park
Final score 18-2
Shane Lindsay has a story to tell his kids about giving up a home run to Miguel Cabrera.
Butch Deadmarsh! What a name!
Does anyone know why the cards feature here used a slash for the positions? L/W seems especially unnecessary. L/WING makes slightly more sense.
It’s funny so many people like the Canucks’ “V” monstrosity. I hate it. Ridiculous design, REALLY ugly color combination, etc. To each their own.
As a younger canucks fan (the current blue and green orca era is all I’ve ever known as a primary look), the V jersey is one of those “it’s so bad it’s good” to me. Like I have one in my collection that I’ll wear out to bars, and it would be a fun one or two games throwback, but I never want to see it on the ice as the main look ever.
I can see the “it’s so bad it’s good” idea. I’ve never been a fan of the flying skate logo either, but that really has more to do with the combination of colors. Somewhat like U of Maryland, black, red and yellow (at least they way they have it designed) is really off putting to me. Blue and green is muuuuch nicer. Don’t love the orca logo, but the stick in skate logo is nice. I really like the Johnny Canuck character, not sure they are allowed to consider using that though.
Vancouver used Johnny Canuck as a crest for their Reverse Retro unis back in 2022-23. I think it’s a much better logo than the Orca. And yes, I know why they use the orca as a logo but it still makes no sense to me.
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I get the monstrosity, but it brings back a lot of nostalgia, What guts they had to pull that off.
I loved the Canucks V era. The jerseys just had a pop to them. Perfect for that time and era. Just a super cool distinctive look. I also agree with everyone that the Racers blue jerseys were a fantastic look. Great stuff Leo again !
I think it’s more of a nostalgia factor for me. It’s one of the first hockey uniforms I remember from my youth, other than Detroit. It made quite an impression on 10 year old me. It’s possibly the hockey equivalent of the Astros and the rainbow guts uniforms. I like the colors and the design is definitely a thing of its time. I’m always on the lookout for one of those sweaters to add to my collection!
GTGFTU: 1973 AFC Championship Game at the Orange Bowl. Miami 27, Oakland 10
(That’s my best guess.)
Thanks, Leo. That Canada logo and sweater bring back memories. My favorite pic of this brilliant bunch (save the Isles in black) is the KC media guide cover: great uniform, great lack of front teeth. How hockey can you get?
Since we’re focusing on hockey I want to voice my displeasure with Sabres ownership. While many fans like the return of the royal blue and gold for their primary unis, I personally like the navy blue and gold they wore from 2011 – 2019.
With that being said keeping the royal blue and gold as throwbacks would seem to be a better fit.
Again my own opinion I think the royal blue and gold are too similar to the Blues color scheme.
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Loved the Nordiques uniforms, but not these with the these with the red pants. I feel any team except the Rangers look hideous that wear a blue jersey with red pants. Columbus Blue Jackets, Colorado Rockies, Kansas City Scouts, Winnepeg Jets. Columbus improved there look (temporarily) when they pulled out the blue pants. Keep the red on the Wings,
Agree to disagree. I love that look, especially with the large pants stripe.
And I like the red sweater/blue pants on that Canada ’84 Olympics uni!
One thing I really don’t like: the lettering on that Oilers Illustrated program. Woof.
I mentioned during the Stanley Cup that I don’t expect the Oilers to change their logo now. It’s been too long and I can live with it. But if they decided to ditch that early 70s font for something more timeless, I’d be happy.
Thanks again, Leo!
Thanks, Jimmer.
100% on the Edmonton font. I always thought the Oilers lettering was the weak point of that logo. Supposed to be a western look, I know, but…
Cheers!
Totally agree the red pants on Nords unis look out of place, and distract from the actual whole uniform.
I’m guessing the dramatic Sea of Hands Game in 1974 AFC playoffs. Oakland 28, Miami 26 -Dec 21, 1974 at Oakland.
Jarring to see Gretzky wearing a number other than 99. It’s like those photos of Dr. J wearing 54 with the Hawks.
Great stuff, Leo, as always! No one curates those classic uniform photos and turns them into the basis for an entertaining read quite like you!
As for that purported photo of Wayne Gretzky, are we really sure that’s him and not Rod Stewart (link)?
Thanks, BvK.
Odd seeing Wayne that young, isn’t it?
Cheers!
That logo for Canada in the 1984 winter games reminds me of the logo for the 1984 Summer games! Must have been all the rage back then.
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Really enjoying this series – the NHL (and WHA…) often seems to play second fiddle on this site. (admittedly, often a lot less new unis than other sports (looking at you, NBA, NFL, College football, MLB caps).
However, small point of order: the Islanders first use of the simplified NY was on their stadium series sweater from 2014, which was then used as an alt for a while. I understand the follow up black version with the move to Brooklyn, but that all black uni always felt like a step in the wrong direction to me (and subsequently corrected by the 2018 alt).
I’m surprised that no one has decried the the Isles use of a black uniform as BFBS. There is a reason why they wore that uniform for the time period they did and don’t wear it anymore. They were sharing the Barclays Center with the Nets – and the Nets wore a simplified black uniform at the time. link
I too like this uniform set for the Isles for its clean and simple design.
It did make some sense to match the Nets as the Isles and Nets both at one point played on Long Island in the Nassau Coliseum and were both owned by Roy Boe.
One of the great what ifs of history. The Rangers (and NHL) slapped the Isles with a huge indemnity fee at their founding. Boe couldn’t afford both the Isles, Nets, and to pay the fee to the Rangers (even though both teams were successful). So he sold Dr. J to the 76er’s for the money to pay the fee to the Rangers. Isles went on to win 4 cups. Nets have largely been in the wilderness ever since.