Hello, everyone! I'm Paul, known as "cityhockeyfever" at thenhl Arena community and write my own hockey blog at Cup Crazy's National Hockey League blog. As your newest contributor to Thenhl Arena Program blog, I thought I would use this "face time" opportunity to discuss a hockey topic that has been on my mind lately.Given this is the absolute quietest time of the entire calendar year when comes to any news or activity involving the National Hockey League, chatter in cyberspace about the return of the third jersey program is about as exciting of a topic as you’re going to find these days. I know, for some people, it’s basically a reaction of "who cares", right?Well, I am one of those who do care. You don't like it, you don't need to read what I think of what has been talked about in recent days by hockey fans across the United States and Canada. But if you're interested in hearing what I think about the rumors and speculation of what is in store for this next money grab bynhl teams, plop your rear end into that cozy office chair in front of your computer and listen to what is on my mind.First of all, there are traditionalists that hate the idea of the existence of alternate jerseys. Yeah, we know, it takes away from the long-standing look of their teams. A lot of that noise could especially come from those fans of the Original Six.Ever since Howard Berger of CJCL-AM (The Fan 590) in Toronto had written an extensive blog entry at the radio station's web site on Sunday that provided detailed information about rumored logos and designs for 18nhl team alternate jerseys, it has gotten fans talking. Sure, it may be just jerseys to some people, but jerseys are the "flag" of their teams. I remember Minnesota Wild president and general manager Doug Risebrough making that exact reference during a speech to a crowd gathering eager to see that franchise's very first jersey (the original home white one) unveiled on November 18, 1999. So what that flag looks like identifies with the fans, with the team and even an entire city.The reaction to the RBK Edge uniform system that has been in place for one full season now has gotten mixed reviews from both the media and the fans. Since Reebok had introduced them to all 30 teams, the third jersey program was suspended at least partly due to the company needing to get up to speed in production of the home and away jerseys first. But now, alternate jerseys are back in time for the upcoming 2008-2009 season.So in Berger's blog entry, he of course addressed the hometown Toronto Maple Leafs first in saying how much it really won't change from what that team wore from 1998 to 2007, a white heritage jersey with blue shoulder piping and a 35-point blue leaf crest logo with the team name written inside it. Okay, nothing really worth talking more about.Then there were at least three teams he mentioned that seem to be headed onto a lazy path by just sticking a team name on the front of their rumored alternate jerseys, two in which are abbreviated nicknames. You have the Ottawa Senators possibly putting "SENS" on theirs and the Tampa Bay Lightning trying to emulate the New York Rangers by writing "BOLTS" diagonally across the front of a blue jersey. And the Atlanta Thrashers want to put "THRASHERS" on a burgundy or dark red jersey (not sure if that’s a similar color shade as the Phoenix Coyotes, but I doubt it). Berger did not mention the Wild, who are rumored to be throwing "MINNESOTA" on a green jersey.Let me say this about these four teams first. I friggin' hate it... THIS (if true) is the best they can come up with?! In my mind, only the Rangers are the only ones that can pull off the classic diagonal text alignment and letter font of their team name across the front of a jersey. The Pittsburgh Penguins also did it in their earliest years of existence, but I don't care for it. Atlanta appears to be following Dallas' lead if this rumored look is the direction they're going in. Un-friggin-believable. Why can't the Lightning just simply put out a blue version of their home jersey? WHY NOT? It may be boring to some, but at least it'll look a hell of a lot better than this ugly "BOLTS" plastered on the front! The Senators ended up with nice newly revised looks last season and they want to take the lazy man's way out with their alternate jersey? What an uninspired effort from these teams. My 3-year-old little cousin could've come up with this crap in two minutes!I will thank the Dallas Stars for this possible bad trend if Atlanta, Ottawa, Tampa Bay and Minnesota follow what they did last year. These aren't basketball jerseys, they're hockey jerseys! There is enough room to place team logos on the front as the crest. I cannot say the same for the hoopsters. Yet Dallas just to grab a few extra bucks from their fans only wants to put out a white version of the home black jerseys with "DALLAS" on it. Yawn.I won't even bother with talking any more detail about my dislike for the Vancouver Canucks putting "VANCOUVER" above a re-colored Orca logo on their jerseys. Just not liking that part of their jersey says enough.On the other side of the jersey spectrum, it looks like at least there are other teams that stuck with tradition or honor their past in some way that recaptures their more popular old looks like the Buffalo Sabres, Chicago Blackhawks, Edmonton Oilers, New York Islanders, Philadelphia Flyers and Pittsburgh Penguins (think of those Winter Classic jerseys they wore). I'm not too keen of the Islanders using orange numbers AND nameplate lettering for theirs, I prefer white with thin orange trim.The Sabres are expected to go back to their vintage 1970s look with the classic circular logo with the white bison and swords, but some minimal modernizing detailing will be done. The Blackhawks plan to just bring back their black alternate from two years ago. The Oilers may unshelve a look from their 1980s glory years with the classic royal blue jersey containing orange shoulder piping. The Islanders' plan to wear their inaugural 1972 road jerseys that were also worn a few times during the 2006-2007 season. The Flyers are supposed to resurrect a look from their firstnhl season. Will the look be complete with a white nameplate on an orange jersey? Very possible.How will the reception to teams that will introduce additional new logos to their franchise identities remains to be seen. Speculation has it that the Coyotes will unveil a new full body coyote for the crest and new secondary logos for a black jersey. The San Jose Sharks are also expected to wear a black alternate jersey for the second time in team history, but this time, it may or may not be the full body shark that was introduced with the other team logos prior to last season. I'm certainly very curious as to what each of these two teams’ alternates will look like.Then there are the Carolina Hurricanes and St. Louis Blues. I don't know what to think because Carolina supposedly will be yet another team donning black, but will their secondary logo be on the front? With the Blues, they might add a new alternate logo where the Gateway Arch is a part of it.Not all teams are participating in the third jersey program as two have yet to do so since its inception. That would be the Detroit Red Wings and New Jersey Devils. The Hurricanes are the third team, but they will have an alternate jersey for the 2008-2009 season. But, the Red Wings will wear for the second Winter Classic a heritage jersey. Notably the Rangers aren't a part of it this time around. Their "Lady Liberty" jerseys (at least the navy blue one) should be brought back at some point. They were among the best well-designed alternates I've seen (except that ugly jazzed up shoulder logo).Also, Howard Berger had added that the Montreal Canadiens will not be participating in the alternate jersey program during the upcoming season, but instead for a select amount of games could be wearing four different sets of uniforms to commemorate the franchise's centennial anniversary. On all uniforms, the Canadiens will have the 2009nhl All-Star Game patch on the front of the jerseys. This is a very good move on their part. Being the New York Yankees of hockey, the Canadiens going the heritage jersey route will score big with long time fans and that includes the old timers.Then during this week, we have seen the Icethetics blog show some leaked new alternate logos (whether they are the real thing, we don’t know for sure) and readers created mockups based on Berger's descriptions. One thing I do fear is how disappointed I will be and appalled by the ugliness. I have seen it since the third jersey program began in 1995. I've been disappointed with others that were really good and ended up getting dropped.But the one thing I realize now, there will never be a season in which all the teams will have TO ME logos and jerseys that look good at the same time. Whether it is a number font or how the striping looks to the logo themselves, it is tough not to criticize and demand improvement or a return to a more popular design. Case in point, the Sabres. Ever since they started using that "Buffaslug" logo as Sabres fans call it, I have wished for them to bring back the classic blue and gold. How about the Islanders reverting back to just two years ago instead of the downgrade from last season?All I know is that there is surely something I won't like and I just hope it doesn't happen to be a team I passionately root for. There's nothing worse than putting up with an ugly logo and jersey for YOUR team! Whether it is the never-used Blues alternate, the Anaheim Ducks' leaping masked duck, their ugly striped shoulders on their home and away alternates in 1997, the cartoonish purple-haired king of the Los Angeles Kings, the Pooh bear for a Boston Bruins crest logo on a gold jersey, the strange raindrops and lightning bolts for Tampa Bay in the 1990s, the fiery horse head for the Calgary Flames (God I hated that logo), the strange "COLORADO" font written on the Colorado Avalanche alternate or those infamous mustard Nashville Predators jerseys, those not-so-popular looks cannot continue to happen. Fans deserve a very sleek, very well-thought out and creative alternate jerseys with team logos that fans can be proud to wear, not embarrassed.My fear is, a good number of what Berger has described has cast much doubt they all will provide that "wow" reaction from the fans, let alone have jerseys that will be popular to keep around for at least the foreseeable future.As I've quoted some of what I said here from my own hockey blog, given as fact those teams on Berger's list have not unveiled their alternate jerseys, it is unofficial information at this point. Berger is a journalist that does have inside knowledge of happenings around thenhl, so it's safe to say that he wouldn't put his job on the line if he wasn't reporting legitimate information. I'm taking what he passed along for what it is.Source
Monday, August 4, 2008
Upcoming alternate jerseys leaked... will they be worth waiting for?
Hello, everyone! I'm Paul, known as "cityhockeyfever" at thenhl Arena community and write my own hockey blog at Cup Crazy's National Hockey League blog. As your newest contributor to Thenhl Arena Program blog, I thought I would use this "face time" opportunity to discuss a hockey topic that has been on my mind lately.Given this is the absolute quietest time of the entire calendar year when comes to any news or activity involving the National Hockey League, chatter in cyberspace about the return of the third jersey program is about as exciting of a topic as you’re going to find these days. I know, for some people, it’s basically a reaction of "who cares", right?Well, I am one of those who do care. You don't like it, you don't need to read what I think of what has been talked about in recent days by hockey fans across the United States and Canada. But if you're interested in hearing what I think about the rumors and speculation of what is in store for this next money grab bynhl teams, plop your rear end into that cozy office chair in front of your computer and listen to what is on my mind.First of all, there are traditionalists that hate the idea of the existence of alternate jerseys. Yeah, we know, it takes away from the long-standing look of their teams. A lot of that noise could especially come from those fans of the Original Six.Ever since Howard Berger of CJCL-AM (The Fan 590) in Toronto had written an extensive blog entry at the radio station's web site on Sunday that provided detailed information about rumored logos and designs for 18nhl team alternate jerseys, it has gotten fans talking. Sure, it may be just jerseys to some people, but jerseys are the "flag" of their teams. I remember Minnesota Wild president and general manager Doug Risebrough making that exact reference during a speech to a crowd gathering eager to see that franchise's very first jersey (the original home white one) unveiled on November 18, 1999. So what that flag looks like identifies with the fans, with the team and even an entire city.The reaction to the RBK Edge uniform system that has been in place for one full season now has gotten mixed reviews from both the media and the fans. Since Reebok had introduced them to all 30 teams, the third jersey program was suspended at least partly due to the company needing to get up to speed in production of the home and away jerseys first. But now, alternate jerseys are back in time for the upcoming 2008-2009 season.So in Berger's blog entry, he of course addressed the hometown Toronto Maple Leafs first in saying how much it really won't change from what that team wore from 1998 to 2007, a white heritage jersey with blue shoulder piping and a 35-point blue leaf crest logo with the team name written inside it. Okay, nothing really worth talking more about.Then there were at least three teams he mentioned that seem to be headed onto a lazy path by just sticking a team name on the front of their rumored alternate jerseys, two in which are abbreviated nicknames. You have the Ottawa Senators possibly putting "SENS" on theirs and the Tampa Bay Lightning trying to emulate the New York Rangers by writing "BOLTS" diagonally across the front of a blue jersey. And the Atlanta Thrashers want to put "THRASHERS" on a burgundy or dark red jersey (not sure if that’s a similar color shade as the Phoenix Coyotes, but I doubt it). Berger did not mention the Wild, who are rumored to be throwing "MINNESOTA" on a green jersey.Let me say this about these four teams first. I friggin' hate it... THIS (if true) is the best they can come up with?! In my mind, only the Rangers are the only ones that can pull off the classic diagonal text alignment and letter font of their team name across the front of a jersey. The Pittsburgh Penguins also did it in their earliest years of existence, but I don't care for it. Atlanta appears to be following Dallas' lead if this rumored look is the direction they're going in. Un-friggin-believable. Why can't the Lightning just simply put out a blue version of their home jersey? WHY NOT? It may be boring to some, but at least it'll look a hell of a lot better than this ugly "BOLTS" plastered on the front! The Senators ended up with nice newly revised looks last season and they want to take the lazy man's way out with their alternate jersey? What an uninspired effort from these teams. My 3-year-old little cousin could've come up with this crap in two minutes!I will thank the Dallas Stars for this possible bad trend if Atlanta, Ottawa, Tampa Bay and Minnesota follow what they did last year. These aren't basketball jerseys, they're hockey jerseys! There is enough room to place team logos on the front as the crest. I cannot say the same for the hoopsters. Yet Dallas just to grab a few extra bucks from their fans only wants to put out a white version of the home black jerseys with "DALLAS" on it. Yawn.I won't even bother with talking any more detail about my dislike for the Vancouver Canucks putting "VANCOUVER" above a re-colored Orca logo on their jerseys. Just not liking that part of their jersey says enough.On the other side of the jersey spectrum, it looks like at least there are other teams that stuck with tradition or honor their past in some way that recaptures their more popular old looks like the Buffalo Sabres, Chicago Blackhawks, Edmonton Oilers, New York Islanders, Philadelphia Flyers and Pittsburgh Penguins (think of those Winter Classic jerseys they wore). I'm not too keen of the Islanders using orange numbers AND nameplate lettering for theirs, I prefer white with thin orange trim.The Sabres are expected to go back to their vintage 1970s look with the classic circular logo with the white bison and swords, but some minimal modernizing detailing will be done. The Blackhawks plan to just bring back their black alternate from two years ago. The Oilers may unshelve a look from their 1980s glory years with the classic royal blue jersey containing orange shoulder piping. The Islanders' plan to wear their inaugural 1972 road jerseys that were also worn a few times during the 2006-2007 season. The Flyers are supposed to resurrect a look from their firstnhl season. Will the look be complete with a white nameplate on an orange jersey? Very possible.How will the reception to teams that will introduce additional new logos to their franchise identities remains to be seen. Speculation has it that the Coyotes will unveil a new full body coyote for the crest and new secondary logos for a black jersey. The San Jose Sharks are also expected to wear a black alternate jersey for the second time in team history, but this time, it may or may not be the full body shark that was introduced with the other team logos prior to last season. I'm certainly very curious as to what each of these two teams’ alternates will look like.Then there are the Carolina Hurricanes and St. Louis Blues. I don't know what to think because Carolina supposedly will be yet another team donning black, but will their secondary logo be on the front? With the Blues, they might add a new alternate logo where the Gateway Arch is a part of it.Not all teams are participating in the third jersey program as two have yet to do so since its inception. That would be the Detroit Red Wings and New Jersey Devils. The Hurricanes are the third team, but they will have an alternate jersey for the 2008-2009 season. But, the Red Wings will wear for the second Winter Classic a heritage jersey. Notably the Rangers aren't a part of it this time around. Their "Lady Liberty" jerseys (at least the navy blue one) should be brought back at some point. They were among the best well-designed alternates I've seen (except that ugly jazzed up shoulder logo).Also, Howard Berger had added that the Montreal Canadiens will not be participating in the alternate jersey program during the upcoming season, but instead for a select amount of games could be wearing four different sets of uniforms to commemorate the franchise's centennial anniversary. On all uniforms, the Canadiens will have the 2009nhl All-Star Game patch on the front of the jerseys. This is a very good move on their part. Being the New York Yankees of hockey, the Canadiens going the heritage jersey route will score big with long time fans and that includes the old timers.Then during this week, we have seen the Icethetics blog show some leaked new alternate logos (whether they are the real thing, we don’t know for sure) and readers created mockups based on Berger's descriptions. One thing I do fear is how disappointed I will be and appalled by the ugliness. I have seen it since the third jersey program began in 1995. I've been disappointed with others that were really good and ended up getting dropped.But the one thing I realize now, there will never be a season in which all the teams will have TO ME logos and jerseys that look good at the same time. Whether it is a number font or how the striping looks to the logo themselves, it is tough not to criticize and demand improvement or a return to a more popular design. Case in point, the Sabres. Ever since they started using that "Buffaslug" logo as Sabres fans call it, I have wished for them to bring back the classic blue and gold. How about the Islanders reverting back to just two years ago instead of the downgrade from last season?All I know is that there is surely something I won't like and I just hope it doesn't happen to be a team I passionately root for. There's nothing worse than putting up with an ugly logo and jersey for YOUR team! Whether it is the never-used Blues alternate, the Anaheim Ducks' leaping masked duck, their ugly striped shoulders on their home and away alternates in 1997, the cartoonish purple-haired king of the Los Angeles Kings, the Pooh bear for a Boston Bruins crest logo on a gold jersey, the strange raindrops and lightning bolts for Tampa Bay in the 1990s, the fiery horse head for the Calgary Flames (God I hated that logo), the strange "COLORADO" font written on the Colorado Avalanche alternate or those infamous mustard Nashville Predators jerseys, those not-so-popular looks cannot continue to happen. Fans deserve a very sleek, very well-thought out and creative alternate jerseys with team logos that fans can be proud to wear, not embarrassed.My fear is, a good number of what Berger has described has cast much doubt they all will provide that "wow" reaction from the fans, let alone have jerseys that will be popular to keep around for at least the foreseeable future.As I've quoted some of what I said here from my own hockey blog, given as fact those teams on Berger's list have not unveiled their alternate jerseys, it is unofficial information at this point. Berger is a journalist that does have inside knowledge of happenings around thenhl, so it's safe to say that he wouldn't put his job on the line if he wasn't reporting legitimate information. I'm taking what he passed along for what it is.Source
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2 comments:
Hello....this is Chris who runs The NHL Arena Program. If you kindly would....list us as the source of this story and "The Gretzky Trade at 20" blog if you please. Either that or take these two posts entirely off. Without any links or anything...this is pretty much plagiarism and needs to stop. Thanks.
Hi Paul, thanks for calling the Podcast last week it offered some great insight.....
Wait your not Paul. This is not the NHL Arena Progrom. Dude word of advice before you start stealing people's shit, don't leave there name in it first. If they do give you permission to use it give them credit for it. Did you even read what was written before it was posted LMAO!!!!!! The first line of this post is an introduction by a real blogger!!! I almost said another, but that would insinuate that you use your own material.
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