2013-2014 NHL Uniform & Logo Changes

[Funky Bunky]

Here's a quote from an SBNation article about the Kings-Ducks Outdoor game:

In other news, our mostly retired friend Robby was able to have a chat with a team official about the Ducks' jerseys for the Coors Light Stadium Series, or as we call it the "We Don't Have a Winter, Classic." Naturally there wasn't a lot of information to be given, but she did say that the Kings will be wearing grey and the Ducks jersey "looks like a Ducks jersey," as opposed to the Kings'. Robby said that while she didn't confirm, he gets the feeling that orange will at least be heavily featured on the Ducks' jerseys.

What was confirmed? The jersey will be a unique, never before seen design. The Ducks will only wear theirs for that one game and the jerseys will NOT be available for purchase before Christmas. That seems like a missed opportunity to me, but what do I know about marketing?

Take it with a grain of salt, since it's SBNation

[M4One]

How about the most important uniform change for the whole league...MAKE WHITE THE HOME COLOR!

Sorry, no. That's just not practical in the era of the third sweater.

I disagree. Have third jerseys worn on the road for the one-game road trips.

But the incremental expense for wearing them on longer road trips really wouldn't be that much either. No matter what the owners say. 20 extra jerseys, pants, and socks don't make a team bankrupt.

It's not so much about the expenses as much as it's about the logistics of it all. Alternates sweaters are, almost always, dark. Yet teams prefer to wear them at home to give fans an in-person look at them. This is not only ment to boost sales but it's also sort of fitting in the sense that if any team is going to wear a "special" uniform it's the home team.

If whites are the standard home uniform then extended road trips might require the team to pack both their white and dark sets, as it's a pretty good chance they're scheduled to play against a team that wants to wear their alternates at home. This costs a bit more, but the real headache falls on the equipment managers. Which may not seem like a big deal to some people, but why create that headache if it can be easily avoided by making the darks the primary homes?

Plus the home/road sweater setup should be steadfast in the minds of the fans. If whites are the standard home uniforms then it's not really that steadfast because teams will likely opt to wear their dark alternates from time to time. If darks are the standard home uniforms then it's more universal in its application.

This is a good post, Ice, and you make valid points ...but look at the NBA. Everything is white at home (yeah I know Lakers). By your logic of teams wearing the special jerseys at home and showing them to the fans and boosting sales, the NBA should be dark at home and white on the road (note that I'm disregarding the volume of equipment here) . But the NBA is not dark at home for some reason.

The NHL can certainly be white at home. It's worked before. Logistically it is possible.

you can't disregard equipment in this case, the nba just has to bring jerseys and shorts, the NHL has to bring, jerseys, breezers, socks, and in some cases gloves and helmets to match the jerseys too. the amount of equipment needed for hockey is so much more than it is for the NBA that is makes more sense for them to wear dark jerseys and alts at home and white aways

It's really not that much more equipment. Sounds like a lot...but volume wise, it's not a ridiculous amount. Jerseys and socks are nothing to pack. Breezers aren't much. Helmets and gloves might change, but in the vast majority of cases, they stay the same. In total, it's likely about 20 10-pound duffel bags more.

but when they are already carrying the shoulder pads, elbow pads, goalie pads, shin pads, skates, sticks, pucks, training gear, medical equipment, coaches gear ect... it becomes a lot, basketball is just jerseys, shorts and sneakers, med equipment, coaches gear, warmups, shooting shirts, its significantly less, and the nba owners still complain about not making money.

Yeah but you're going to pack all that stuff anyway. The marginal (additional) equipment isn't that much. The chartered flight isn't going to cost $1000000000 more because you have an additional 200 lbs on the plane. The equipment managers might have to work an extra hour per road city.

But in the end, I do understand that it is indeed more equipment than the NBA. I'm not trying to disprove that. All I'm saying is all the extra stuff that sounds like a lot really doesn't take that much room when you lay it out. The equipment that you HAVE to bring anyway is about 90% of the equipment.

The NBA owners still complain about not making money because of bigger problems than equipment logistics. Check out the operating incomes on Forbes.

Just read a story about the Canucks and how much stuff they are taking with them on their 7 game road trip. They are taking 24 jerseys plus 10 or 11 more for players they could call up if needed and 5 blanks in case there is a trade. As far as it being another hour or so for the trainers to pack that gear up, when you are already staying until very late in the night and needing to get up early the next morning, a hour adds up, no? The cost of bringing extra gear might not be that much, but the hassle of lugging that extra stuff around doesn't really justify it for the few people who really care about this.

[wildwing64]

Here's a quote from an SBNation article about the Kings-Ducks Outdoor game:

In other news, our mostly retired friend Robby was able to have a chat with a team official about the Ducks' jerseys for the Coors Light Stadium Series, or as we call it the "We Don't Have a Winter, Classic." Naturally there wasn't a lot of information to be given, but she did say that the Kings will be wearing grey and the Ducks jersey "looks like a Ducks jersey," as opposed to the Kings'. Robby said that while she didn't confirm, he gets the feeling that orange will at least be heavily featured on the Ducks' jerseys.

What was confirmed? The jersey will be a unique, never before seen design. The Ducks will only wear theirs for that one game and the jerseys will NOT be available for purchase before Christmas. That seems like a missed opportunity to me, but what do I know about marketing?

Take it with a grain of salt, since it's SBNation

Welp, that's my prediction out the window. This should be interesting.

[BJ Sands]

I used to cover the CeHL, and while that league was far from progressive it did one thing right with uniforms. Teams would wear white at home before the All-Star game, and dark after. It allowed people to see both sets of uniforms and simply provided variety.

The NHL could flip that since the break (or Olympics) comes well info the second half. White at home in the second half would mean less time with logistical hassles and allow for more time to plan.

[The_Admiral]

I believe the NHL did that in the 75th anniversary season. I suppose it could work but I would really just prefer they go back to white at home and just not worry about alternates so much.

[wildwing64]

I can see benefits to both ways, so I have no real preference over which way round it is. Although I lean slightly more towards team colour at home for the third jerseys.

[FGM13]

My revised opinion on the canes jerseys. They look great, but they don't look like the Carolina Hurricanes, which is the most important part of a uniform. If you don't look like the team you are, then the uniform doesn't work, no matter how nice it is.

[Teal]

Love the Ducks throwback!!

[BrianLion]

I believe the NHL did that in the 75th anniversary season. I suppose it could work but I would really just prefer they go back to white at home and just not worry about alternates so much.

They did, this was also before the existence of third jerseys. Too much money to be made now.

[Sport]

I've watched a couple periods of the Hurricanes' new uniforms in action.

Still hate them. If anything I like them less now than I did at the unveiling.

[monkeypower]

The WHL does the half year jersey thing. Dark at home until the Christmas break and then white at home until the end of the season.

I like it and I could see the NHL doing it to compromise.

[Nordiks_19]

The entire CHL does it. Not only the WHL

[monkeypower]

The entire CHL does it. Not only the WHL

From what I've just quickly looked at, the OHL is wearing white at home now and the Q is wearing dark at home. I only watch the WHL so I don't know if the other leagues happen to switch during the year.

I know for the Memorial Cup the home teams wears white, so they all end up with white at home eventually.

[Dante_X]

LHJMQ switch from dark at home to white at home on January 1st (was the opposite 2 or 3 years ago) and for the playoffs it's back to dark at home. I'ts been like that since I follow that league (1988).

[Nordiks_19]

Well in the QMHJL, they wear white at home and after christmas, they switch to dark at home

[kw11333]

Put up a pole on NHL.com, and let the fans just vote on it FFS. They claim to put the fans first, yet they never get their input on anything!

[IceCap]

Put up a pole on NHL.com, and let the fans just vote on it FFS. They claim to put the fans first, yet they never get their input on anything!

Fans almost never think about the logistics and costs involved in something like this. Why would they put the decision in the hands of people who don't really know everything about the issue they're voting on?

[spartacat_12]

I think dark jerseys at home all season makes the most sense logistically. But I think that at the beginning of the playoffs teams should be able to elect any one of their uniforms as the "home" uniform. If the team you're facing decides to wear white at home than you just bring the coloured set on the road instead of the standard away set. This would allow fans of teams like Phoenix and Winnipeg to participate in "white outs" without look like idiots for wearing the visiting team colours. Teams like Calgary, Washington, Philadelphia, etc. would be able to keep their coloured themes (C of Red, Orange Crush) as well. It's win-win.

[habsfan1]

A quick fix to Calgary's soon-to-be-unveiled alternate jersey...

[WSU151]

Put up a pole on NHL.com, and let the fans just vote on it FFS. They claim to put the fans first, yet they never get their input on anything!

Fans almost never think about the logistics and costs involved in something like this. Why would they put the decision in the hands of people who don't really know everything about the issue they're voting on?

Because that's how we hold elections.