2016-17 NHL Uniform and Logo Changes

[Still MIGHTY]

19 hours ago, Ice_Cap said:

90s uniform design is terribly overrated. 

 

Michael, I'm hurt...

[Ark]

Either way, the modern Oilers look different from the 80s Oilers. The stripes and lines on the uniforms are a lot thinner, not to mention the weird collars. 

[IceCap]

16 minutes ago, Still MIGHTY said:

 

Michael, I'm hurt...

A lot of it is awesome...but really bad  

 

I've just been jaded, man. When you have to deal with kids who weren't actually around to see the Raptors' Barney uniforms tell you how awesome they are...it changes you

 

On a side tangent...it grinds my gears when kids born from, say, 1997 on go "I love [insert 90s uniform we all know sucks], I guess it's because I'm a 90s kid lol."

No. No! That's not how that works!

 

 

[Still MIGHTY]

3 minutes ago, Ice_Cap said:

I've just been jaded, man. When you have to deal with kids who weren't actually around to see the Raptors' Barney uniforms tell you how awesome they are...it changes you

 

Gimme the NHL in 1995, and that's how I want my NHL to look.

[IceCap]

2 minutes ago, Still MIGHTY said:

 

Gimme the NHL in 1995, and that's how I want my NHL to look.

That's not a bad lineup. Minus 1000000000 points for the Ballard leaf, but not bad all things considered. 

 

Things didn't get bad in the NHL until the Islanders' fisherman anyway. 

[Still MIGHTY]

Just now, Ice_Cap said:

That's not a bad lineup. Minus 1000000000 points for the Ballard leaf, but not bad all things considered. 

 

Things didn't get bad in the NHL until the Islanders' fisherman anyway. 

 

Notice I said just 1995 haha. I straddle the line between the 1994-95 season and 1995-96.

 

1994-95: We still have the Nordiques, the Islanders are in their classic look and no alternates.

1995-96: We get the slate blue eagle Capitals (which I adore), trade the Nords for the Avs (but I like the Avalanche look), but we do get the Islanders fisherman and all the crazy alts.

[IceCap]

5 hours ago, Morgo said:

 

The 90's had its fair share of trash for sure but overall, I think the good outweighs the bad.

Winners:  Florida Panthers, Carolina Hurricanes, Hartford Whalers, Colorado Avalanche, Anaheim Mighty Ducks (main set only), Ottawa Senators, Tampa Bay Lightning, San Jose Sharks (both sets), New Jersey Devils, NY Islanders (the darkening worked here), Vancouver Canucks.

Losers: Every Ducks alternate, the other third jerseys from 1995/96, Lightning Storm alt, Flames pedestal set, Dallas Stars (1994/95-1998/99), Oilers darkened set, Blues angular set.

Debatable: Buffalo Sabres, Phoenix Coyotes.

I would definitely put the Canucks in the loser column. I think that set was really what made them an " identity crisis" team. Before that? They had two real identities. The blue and green and the "Team Germany" look. Then they go full-90s. Mascot/snarling animal logo, silver everywhere, and a darkened colour scheme that put two dark colours next to each other. It added another identity to the mix, and worse yet? It was destined to have a shelf life because it was obviously an attempt to jump on a trend. Which just meant another redesign eventually, giving the team the reputation of just cycling through disparate identities. 

 

I'm also not in love with the Sharks' second set. It killed that gorgeous inaugural set before its time. 

 

I'm also not sure how I feel about the Isles in navy. And, well, my objections to the Senators, Avs, and Ducks' 90s looks are well documented.

[Morgan33]

1 hour ago, Ice_Cap said:

I would definitely put the Canucks in the loser column. I think that set was really what made them an " identity crisis" team. Before that? They had two real identities. The blue and green and the "Team Germany" look. Then they go full-90s. Mascot/snarling animal logo, silver everywhere, and a darkened colour scheme that put two dark colours next to each other. It added another identity to the mix, and worse yet? It was destined to have a shelf life because it was obviously an attempt to jump on a trend. Which just meant another redesign eventually, giving the team the reputation of just cycling through disparate identities.

 

Technically it was two identities but with the the wacky flying V's and the changing of orange to red, it felt like more.  I put them in the winning column because although it was definitely bandwagon jumping (they really ripped off the Avalanche), it still resulted in a better uniform set and a logo that is still (albeit recoloured) around today.  I thought the Haida inspired mark was really clever at the time and still don't see what's wrong with it.  The Spaghetti plate on the other hand is just dated.

[WSU151]

3 hours ago, GFB said:

Holy pubescent snickering.

 

Once it's seen, it can't be unseen.

[Bob5151]

On 3/15/2017 at 7:16 PM, Yippy said:

Another prime example.

I'm so tired of certain teams that once had original (arguably good-looking) uniforms deciding to play "Original 6 dress-up"

 

The new Hurricanes jerseys always make me think of a Walmart t-shirt jersey; the smaller logo and generic white stripes. Like something I would buy on the way to the game 'cause I got last-minute tickets from a guy at work and I don't have any merchandise to wear.

[Bob5151]

6 hours ago, Chromatic said:

I thought the Oilers 90s sets were great. If not for all the history in the orange and blue I think a lot of people would agree. The only real knock against them was that they were too dark, but at the same time I think its okay to have some dark teams, so long as the whole league does not look muddy and indistinguishable.

 

I agree with this. The new 1996-97 set was great for a team called the Oilers; kind of dark and murky especially with the thin copper accents. If it weren't for the immense history behind the bright blue and orange set, I'd be ok with the darker set as a replacement.

[The_Admiral]

There was no reason for the red on the Oilers, especially on the numbers. And I get what that secondary is going for, but a guy holding a hockey stick about as wrong as a hockey stick can be held without riding it like a hobby horse looks so derpy.

[habsfan1]

On 3/15/2017 at 7:16 PM, Yippy said:

Another prime example.

I'm so tired of certain teams that once had original (arguably good-looking) uniforms deciding to play "Original 6 dress-up"

 

They (management members) wanted a more simple jersey design because someone felt like the previous template was washed out and cluttery.

 

In a way, the contrast of the white stripes on a red base with hints of black...everything blends well together. It a fresh new look that's not muddy. There's a reason why they use 2 different templates, one for the home and one for the road. It's for the colors to stand out on each uniform.

 

The problem is that it would be a good look for a team that isn't the Carolina Hurricanes. The crest doesn't work very well on the home jersey. They had a dilemma. They wanted a classic look but they also wanted to keep the logo. So at the end of it all, they had to pick and choose. They chose to keep the logo but put in on a jersey that isn't a good fit, but the jersey would at least be full of bright colors.

 

In a way it feels lazy and feels like a change for the sake of change just to sell something new. But when ultimately deciding that the warning flags would be completely removed from the waist stripes, their other choices were rather limited. They did what they could. And that's why the team is now stuck wearing those things.

[cmm]

On 3/15/2017 at 5:08 PM, Gothamite said:

The Rangers can't (or won't) give up a home date at the Garden.  So when they play an outdoor game at Yankee Stadium, or Citi Field, it has to come out of the other team's home schedule.  Which made sense when that other team was the Islanders, but not for Buffalo.

They can't give up a home date at MSG without risking the arena's tax-exempt status.

https://www.nytimes.com/2014/01/25/sports/hockey/rangers-on-road-in-the-bronx-money-may-be-why.html?_r=0

[Gothamite]

Thanks - I had forgotten about the special favors those  ers get.  

 

This became an issue when they campaigned against the proposed NFL West Side Stadium as a mis-use of tax dollars, and then it was pointed out that they don't pay their own fair share.  Tax-exempt, indeed. 

 

 

[The_Admiral]

On 3/12/2017 at 0:00 AM, the admiral said:

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.

 

Hey look, it's Kabel Bold/Black looking good on, of all things, a WPA poster!

 

[Thertat43]

On 28/10/2016 at 4:15 AM, twi said:

As a fan, I'm not a fan. I don't mind the design and the quality is top notch, but a seemingly arbitrary change from the ever present blue to navy doesn't make sense. 

Hello mate, i am an fan of lightning and i want you to say what thats a great job you did like that verry much! only on their games i can concentrate without taking adderall xr.

[Morgan33]

On 2017-03-17 at 0:52 AM, habsfan1 said:

 

But when ultimately deciding that the warning flags would be completely removed from the waist stripes, their other choices were rather limited. They did what they could. And that's why the team is now stuck wearing those things.

 

The problem with that is that there was zero reason to eliminate the warning flag stripes to begin with.  The mark of a great uniform is when you can still recognize it without the logos applied and the Hurricanes had that with a championship connection to boot.  I respected the fact they came out of the Reebok Edge fiasco with their identity (almost) intact.  Even though the phantom yoke was unnecessary clutter.

As for the current set, it's one of the biggest downgrades in recent memory.  The homes are the better of the two but all they did was place a Hurricanes logo on a Team Canada jersey. Getting rid of the shoulder patches was a particularly bone-headed decision as well.  It complimented the primary logo perfectly.

[worcat]

On 3/16/2017 at 11:52 AM, Morgo said:

 

The 90's had its fair share of trash for sure but overall, I think the good outweighs the bad.

Winners:  Florida Panthers (agreed), Carolina Hurricanes (agreed), Hartford Whalers (agreed), Colorado Avalanche (agreed), Anaheim Mighty Ducks (agreed) (main set only), Ottawa Senators, Tampa Bay Lightning, San Jose Sharks (agreed) (both sets), New Jersey Devils (agreed), NY Islanders (the darkening worked here), Vancouver Canucks.

Losers: Every Ducks alternate, the other third jerseys from 1995/96, Lightning Storm alt, Flames pedestal set, Dallas Stars (1994/95-1998/99), Oilers darkened set, Blues angular set (GTFO).

Debatable: Buffalo Sabres, Phoenix Coyotes (Awesome).

The Blues fire truck jerseys are pretty bad from a 90's but they are huge fan favorites. You could take off the logo and you'd immediately say "That's the blues!" It's a great design if every other jersey was 100% worse. It's a design that fits the team and it actually works. Go to a game and a majority of the arena will be wearing this jersey.

 

[Fresno St. Alum]

The Oilers are Royal blue and orange, right. Why is all of their merchandise navy and orange?