2016-17 NHL Uniform and Logo Changes

[VikWings]

17 hours ago, Lafarge said:

It's amazing how a terrible design for one team is actually a pretty good design for another. One of the worst NHL designs of its era, but it makes for a perfectly good look for Army.

 

 

The font helps this too. As the Dallas one was just lifeless.

[Sport]

14 hours ago, hockey week said:

I think we're splitting hairs again. I think the difference in brightness is nominal. The shade is just different enough to realize that there IS a difference - it's a reference to the North Stars, not a resurrection.

 

This is why I like going back to green being the primary color for the dark jerseys. It's in their blood. They're supposed to wear green jerseys. Also I like the new Dallas green over the North Stars green in that photo which looks more olive while Dallas' skews to having more blue in it. Could just be the lighting, but I like Dallas' much better. 

 

Looking at the North Stars again I really wish Dallas would've used some stars on the pants. 

 

Or go back to these pants: 

 

[ColeJ]

the DALLAS pants were perfect.

 

i'd love see the stars switch to green helmets, rangers-style tri-color gloves (in green, white, and black), and bring back the DALLAS pants, with white/silver font.

 

 

but again, that's just a whim. the uniforms are basically perfect, and absolutely adored by the fan base.

[elliott]

3 hours ago, ColeJ said:

the DALLAS pants were perfect.

 

i'd love see the stars switch to green helmets, rangers-style tri-color gloves (in green, white, and black), and bring back the DALLAS pants, with white/silver font.

 

 

but again, that's just a whim. the uniforms are basically perfect, and absolutely adored by the fan base.

 

And that's what matters, as much as i agree with your assessment on the gloves and the DALLAS pants, they did a good job with this uni refresh. 

 

It's similar to Nashville, although some of us on this board may not be crazy about the piping on the unis (or the yellow alt helmets), the yellow has really resonated with the fanbase and everyone in Nashville seems to love them. The only problem that they might have is that no one buys the white unis  having been to a bunch of games in nashville i can tell you that the fans love the team's identity and that everyone seems to own a yellow jersey.

[BrianLion]

green helmets and black outlines around the numbers and names would elevate Dallas' home look to be one of the best in the league. 

[ColeJ]

i honestly think black outlines on the numbers would just annoy me more than help anything. there is no need for them as the white stands out perfectly fine, plus they'd be an awkward area where green touches black, which generally doesn't happen in this identity.

[M4One]

I hate that Dallas got rid of gold, but I think with the shade of green that they went with, the silver works better than gold.

[wildwing64]

1 hour ago, ColeJ said:

i honestly think black outlines on the numbers would just annoy me more than help anything. there is no need for them as the white stands out perfectly fine, plus they'd be an awkward area where green touches black, which generally doesn't happen in this identity.

 

The AHL Stars use a black outline on the back, and a green outline for the sleeve numbers which are on a black background. It really doesn't work.

[Morgan33]

Heres my ranking of the Stars uniform history...  It's been a slow day

 

06) 2007-2013 set

Both versions of the whites included.  This set is the worst because it so bland and completely void of any sort of creativity or vision.  The striping is almost non-existent and due to reproduction issues, the gold looks like three separate shades.  The generic script is better suited to a basketball uniform.

 

05) 2004-2007 Alternate (The Infamous Mooterus)

Hey, at least the concept was kind of clever, even if the execution fell completely flat.  The Stars on the sleeves were the uniforms one redeeming quality.

 

04) 1994-1999 Set

Too dark, especially on the black uniform where the green is all but invisible.  Blur your eyes and it's almost monochrome.

 

03) 1999-2007 Set (All Stars)

Green being the primary colour elevates it but it's still poorly put together and unoriginal.

 

02) 1993-94 Set

What a difference a lighter shade of green makes.  If the Stars must have an alternate, a black throwback to this set is the way to go.

 

01) 2013-Current Set

Not even a close matchup.  The Stars haven't looked this good since they were residing in Minnesota.

[Chewbacca]

3 hours ago, Morgo said:

Heres my ranking of the Stars uniform history...  It's been a slow day

 

06) 2007-2013 set

Both versions of the whites included.  This set is the worst because it so bland and completely void of any sort of creativity or vision.  The striping is almost non-existent and due to reproduction issues, the gold looks like three separate shades.  The generic script is better suited to a basketball uniform.

 

05) 2004-2007 Alternate (The Infamous Mooterus)

Hey, at least the concept was kind of clever, even if the execution fell completely flat.  The Stars on the sleeves were the uniforms one redeeming quality.

 

04) 1994-1999 Set

Too dark, especially on the black uniform where the green is all but invisible.  Blur your eyes and it's almost monochrome.

 

03) 1999-2007 Set (All Stars)

Green being the primary colour elevates it but it's still poorly put together and unoriginal.

 

02) 1993-94 Set

What a difference a lighter shade of green makes.  If the Stars must have an alternate, a black throwback to this set is the way to go.

 

01) 2013-Current Set

Not even a close matchup.  The Stars haven't looked looked this good since they were residing in Minnesota.

Can't say I disagree with this list.

[hockey week]

3 hours ago, Morgo said:

Heres my ranking of the Stars uniform history...  It's been a slow day

 

06) 2007-2013 set

Both versions of the whites included.  This set is the worst because it so bland and completely void of any sort of creativity or vision.  The striping is almost non-existent and due to reproduction issues, the gold looks like three separate shades.  The generic script is better suited to a basketball uniform.

 

05) 2004-2007 Alternate (The Infamous Mooterus)

Hey, at least the concept was kind of clever, even if the execution fell completely flat.  The Stars on the sleeves were the uniforms one redeeming quality.

 

04) 1994-1999 Set

Too dark, especially on the black uniform where the green is all but invisible.  Blur your eyes and it's almost monochrome.

 

03) 1999-2007 Set (All Stars)

Green being the primary colour elevates it but it's still poorly put together and unoriginal.

 

02) 1993-94 Set

What a difference a lighter shade of green makes.  If the Stars must have an alternate, a black throwback to this set is the way to go.

 

01) 2013-Current Set

Not even a close matchup.  The Stars haven't looked looked this good since they were residing in Minnesota.

 

I'd drop that 93-94 set to third for those very unique, very 90s, pretty universally loved star jerseys (sure it helped that they won a Cup in them). It was the perfect striping, at the time, for a team named the Stars. 

 

Plus, the super-thin stripes of 93-94

 

and the green numbers simply weren't readable enough. I would've hated to call games for them in that era, there simply isn't enough contrast between green and black to do that.

 

A simple drop in one spot to better highlight these beauts

 

Just look at that. There's a huge level of awesome there. You're the Stars, and you wear a star. And we might think of it as gimmicky now, but it was probably the best 90s-idea because it actually worked and didn't go overboard.

 

When you start to scrutinize it, logo lining up with stripes, number placement, little stuff, did it hold up? Well, not really. There's a lot of little issues. But as a whole thing, it was a really great look in its heyday.

[Bayne]

34 minutes ago, hockey week said:

 

 

 

 

Look at that. Bad ass design. Wouldn't get that with the current victory green.

[IceCap]

That's kelly green. Not that dissimilar from victory green.

[Bayne]

22 minutes ago, Ice_Cap said:

That's kelly green. Not that dissimilar from victory green.

 

Fair enough. 

[BrianLion]

17 hours ago, wildwing64 said:

 

The AHL Stars use a black outline on the back, and a green outline for the sleeve numbers which are on a black background. It really doesn't work.

 

Disagree. I think these look much better (the black outline separating the white numbers from the green), I could take or leave the green outlined numbers over black 

 

 

The Stars look like some amateurish house league team with their numbers haphazardly sewn on, especially given the 3D beveled logo. 

[BigBubba]

^Agreed. And as far as the claims that green never touches black on Dallas' jerseys?* That's not true. Green and black touch when the sleeves meet the gloves and where the pants meet the socks.

 

 

The Stars look like a beer league team that was too cheap to purchase double-layered numbers and just said "Ehh, whatever. White is good enough." Not using your secondary colour as a number outline always looks incomplete.

 

The Islanders separate blue and orange as much as the Stars separate green and black, but I haven't once heard anyone call for New York to go with single-layer numbers.

 

 

 

*EDIT: Sorry Cole; I misread your post.

[hockey week]

That's an extremely thin outline on the Texas Stars' numbers, and I think that's the ONLY reason why it works.

 

It's all a matter of blending, and what gets lost. There is a lot less contrast between green and black than there is between green and white. Despite all we've said about how bright the green is, green and black blend together a whole lot more than green and white do. Numbers have to be high-contrast to read, that's their purpose. If you question whether or not there's any validity to this, look at the green outline on the Texas home jerseys. It's barely visible. Enough so to question if it's there. This problem of muddling is especially problematic with the smaller sleeve numbers, which I argue are more essential to the play-by-play announcers than the ones on the back.

 

On the green jerseys, a black outline on the white numbers would work very well. It increases the contrast between the numbers and the jersey, with black and white as polar opposites. In the worst case scenario, the black outline would muddle with the green jersey, which is fine, because you still get those bright white numbers. They are not obscured, their shape is not altered via muddling, it works perfectly. 

 

But on the white jerseys, you start to have issues. There would be a black outline on the green numbers, and in the worst-case scenario, the black and green muddle, which DOES affect the shape of the numbers and reduces their legibility. To prevent that, you would have to do a gap between the number and its outline, like the Bruins do separating gold and white, and that would create two different looks for the numbers, further reducing the uniformity of the set.

 

I think the reason there are no number outlines is because of the white jersey, and I've yet to see a really good way around that issue. Those really thin outlines are the best I've seen yet, but you'd have to try calling a Texas Stars game to truly appreciate whether or not it works.

[hockey week]

And there's no way that the Islanders separate blue and orange. There's blue on either side of their orange stripe. The collar is orange on a blue jersey. Blue touches orange on the sock stripes, and ALL THROUGHOUT the logo. This is on top of the numbers being outlined in orange on a blue jersey.

 

If anything, the Isles embrace the contrast of blue and orange and PREFER to put them side by side.

[CreamSoda]

The more I see the Dallas victory green jersey, the more I think it's the best sweater in the NHL.

 

The shade of green, the stripping, and the balance are all perfect.

[Sport]

5 hours ago, hockey week said:

That's an extremely thin outline on the Texas Stars' numbers, and I think that's the ONLY reason why it works.

 

It's all a matter of blending, and what gets lost. There is a lot less contrast between green and black than there is between green and white. Despite all we've said about how bright the green is, green and black blend together a whole lot more than green and white do. Numbers have to be high-contrast to read, that's their purpose. If you question whether or not there's any validity to this, look at the green outline on the Texas home jerseys. It's barely visible. Enough so to question if it's there. This problem of muddling is especially problematic with the smaller sleeve numbers, which I argue are more essential to the play-by-play announcers than the ones on the back.

 

On the green jerseys, a black outline on the white numbers would work very well. It increases the contrast between the numbers and the jersey, with black and white as polar opposites. In the worst case scenario, the black outline would muddle with the green jersey, which is fine, because you still get those bright white numbers. They are not obscured, their shape is not altered via muddling, it works perfectly. 

 

But on the white jerseys, you start to have issues. There would be a black outline on the green numbers, and in the worst-case scenario, the black and green muddle, which DOES affect the shape of the numbers and reduces their legibility. To prevent that, you would have to do a gap between the number and its outline, like the Bruins do separating gold and white, and that would create two different looks for the numbers, further reducing the uniformity of the set.

 

I think the reason there are no number outlines is because of the white jersey, and I've yet to see a really good way around that issue. Those really thin outlines are the best I've seen yet, but you'd have to try calling a Texas Stars game to truly appreciate whether or not it works.

 

I'm having a hard time with this and I think you went a long way to justify a flawed premise. First, I think you're looking too deep for something that isn't there. The reason there are no number outlines is because around the time of the new Stars uniforms it was briefly en vogue to use single layer numbers (Sixers, Stars, Hornets come to mind) and on top of that the NHL was going through a period when the backlash to the EDGE resulted in overcorrecting and a lot of teams went with overly simplified uniform designs if not fully adopting direct throwbacks of old uniforms. The Stars single layer numbers were born out of that. I don't think there's anything more to it than that. 

 

Second, to your point about legibility - I don't buy that either because I've watched every San Jose Sharks road game this postseason and I love how their numbers look with that black outline separating the teal from the white. The argument against using an outline on the white jersey doesn't make any sense when I look at the rest of the NHL and see multiple instances of a team utilizing a dark outline against a color that is as dark or darker than the Stars' green. And not only can I read the number just fine, but it also looks better than a single layer number would have. I'm trying to see your point and then I look at teams like the Sharks (!), Senators, Devils, or Panthers or Coyotes who outline their numbers with a dark color on white and I just can't agree in any way. They all look good and that "victory" green is absolutely bright enough to work with black without being "muddled". 

 

If the Texas Stars are "muddled" then everyone who uses an outline on a number anywhere has "muddled" numbers. That's about as clean an outline as you can get. I've seen it in concepts and on the Texas Stars and it looks good. I don't think there's any excuse for looking like a house league team that had some quick jerseys made up with single layer numbers when there's evidence all over the place that it could work.