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2016-17 NHL Uniform and Logo Changes


TheGrimReaper

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22 hours ago, mcj882000 said:

Well, for what it's worth I've never seen Kabel as a 70's or 80's font at all, but instead more as a 20's/30's, pre-Depression and Depression-era font - that's when it was invented*, after all, and that's precisely why, just as an example, the board game Monopoly uses it for all of its branding.

And on that note, now that it's been almost a full season, I think I've settled on my opinion about the Leafs rebranding: I don't really like it at all. I'll concede that the logo's a slight upgrade - though I'll probably always prefer the simpler, modernised-without-being-outrageous Kabel leaf I grew up with - but the uniforms are just bland. To me it's like they took the old jersey template, one that itself was already a throwback to the 50's, and got almost every aspect of it - the new, only-slightly stylised font, every set of stripes except the arms, the shoulder patches - wrong.

It's like, the team has new management that's heavy on tradition, so they tried to bring tradition to something that largely already was very traditional, and they botched it as a result. All they really needed to do was put the new leaf on the existing jerseys and it would've looked great. But evidently that wouldn't have sold as well, which I guess brings us to the worst-case scenario of modern uniform design, doesn't it? A great uniform design is shelved for being too similar to past sets, in favour of something very similar; not as good but just different enough that it'll sell better with fans.

* - in fact, doing some slight research, I found that Kabel was first released in 1927 - the same year the St. Patricks renamed themselves the Maple Leafs. So, that font's actually as old as the team name itself! :o

 

Well, I know technically I can't argue with facts, but it's the internet, so I'm gonna do it anyway: while Kabel itself may date back to the Depression, and yeah, good call on Monopoly, but the extra-bold and black weights do seem to have entered into heavy usage in the late '70s through mid '80s. I guess a good equivalent would be the Futura family, where plain old Futura carries a definite WPA-through-postwar feel, but Futura Bold Condensed feels much more late '80s-early '90s to me. It screams "Desktop Publishing." If I never saw it again as long as I live, I wouldn't miss it. Also like Futura, Kabel at lighter weights is a fabulous geometric font that stands the test of time, but I can't bear the heavier ones. It just looks so dated and clunky, not to mention a little too irreverent for a stodgy organization like the Maple Leafs.

 

kabel_book_characters_45774.gif

 

vs

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Everything else you said is bang-on. Everything about the Leafs is just a little bit off for the sake of being a little bit off. The NOB font should be called Uncanny Valley Block for all its tiny contrived idiosyncrasies that fail to improve on plain old sports lettering. Other posters' points about the new-old Leafs logo being ill-suited to favicons, standings tables, and other small applications are also correct.

♫ oh yeah, board goes on, long after the thrill of postin' is gone ♫

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What was wrong with simply resurrecting the 1967 Leaf and the uniform set associated with it? That would translate well to small applications, have ties with team history, and be a logo that has connection to a winning past.

 

MapleLeafs19.pngfg1lx64zz806v9yqg32x559ec.png

 

If the font is an issue, maybe bringing in the Toronto Subway font that @the admiral talks about would be a good idea.

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Those look like the Sabres without yellow. It wouldn't surprise me if the original Sabres just took that design and changed a couple parts to yellow because Punch Imlach helped start up the Sabres. (See also: Rangers-cum-Jets general manager John Ferguson putting the Jets in Rangers surplus.)

♫ oh yeah, board goes on, long after the thrill of postin' is gone ♫

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5 hours ago, the admiral said:

Those look like the Sabres without yellow. It wouldn't surprise me if the original Sabres just took that design and changed a couple parts to yellow because Punch Imlach helped start up the Sabres. (See also: Rangers-cum-Jets general manager John Ferguson putting the Jets in Rangers surplus.)

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6 hours ago, SFGiants58 said:

What was wrong with simply resurrecting the 1967 Leaf and the uniform set associated with it? That would translate well to small applications, have ties with team history, and be a logo that has connection to a winning past.

 

MapleLeafs19.pngfg1lx64zz806v9yqg32x559ec.png

 

If the font is an issue, maybe bringing in the Toronto Subway font that @the admiral talks about would be a good idea.

I like the updated version of this jersey they did, I assume they'll bring it back sometime in the future, like the Flames did with their alt (which should just be the normal jersey).

sports-k_2272_39940590.jpeg

 

 

 

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11 minutes ago, Yippy said:

:love:

2918428.jpg

 
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My thoughts exactly.

If the Rangers bust out the Lady Liberty sweaters, I WILL buy one.  Still kicking myself for not buying the Stadium Series sweater when I had the chance to when I saw one at my former job three years ago.  Only reason why is I was still in school, working part time, and I did not have $185 to shell out for the Lundqvist sweater

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2 minutes ago, BrianLion said:

Why on Earth would you have a Winter Classic in freaking Queens and not have the Islanders in it?  :unsure:

 

Good question.

Also, aren't these games supposed to be between rivals?  That means Rangers-Islanders or Rangers-Devils.  Or you could get away with the Flyers.  Even the Bruins.

I'm the farthest thing from a hockey guy, so maybe I am off about this.  But I don't think that Buffalo outranks any of those other teams on the list of Rangers rivals.

logo-diamonds-for-CC-no-photo-sig.png

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5 minutes ago, Ferdinand Cesarano said:

 

Good question.

Also, aren't these games supposed to be between rivals?  That means Rangers-Islanders or Rangers-Devils.  Or you could get away with the Flyers.  Even the Bruins.

I'm the farthest thing from a hockey guy, so maybe I am off about this.  But I don't think that Buffalo outranks any of those other teams on the list of Rangers rivals.

 

Buffalo is in no way, shape, or form a rival of the Rangers. The teams were never even in the same division.  Outside of both being residents of NY state there is almost no connection between the two.   

 

I get we already had Rangers/Isles and Rangers/Devils at the Stadium Series at Yankee Stadium, so I can understand not wanting to repeat that but let the Rangers host something else that's closer to their traditional territory like West Point or something.   CitiField is on Long Island (geographically speaking) and the Islanders are even talking about building a new rink in Queens at either Belmont or Willet's Point so this move is totally confusing.  

 

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1 hour ago, insert name said:

The crazy part is that the Sabers will be the home team thanks to a stupid MSG contract. 

what is the deal with the MSG contract.  it's not like they can get a waiver for this one game.  

so long and thanks for all the fish.

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2 hours ago, Yippy said:

:love:

2918428.jpg

 

God I miss the 90's.  You actually saw designs that were creative and unique.  Now uniform design basically consists of taking sub-par logos from before the 70's and putting them on a click-and-fill template with a lace-up collar.

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23 minutes ago, Morgo said:

 

God I miss the 90's.  You actually saw designs that were creative and unique.  Now uniform design basically consists of taking sub-par logos from before the 70's and putting them on a click-and-fill template with a lace-up collar.

I compromised. I bought a red and grey hat w/ the Red C logo '47 brand for $10, and Red shirt w/ the black C. I've got 10 teams shirts and 9 teams hats including Nordiques and Whalers. I still need the North Stars. 

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