NHL 2017-18

[The_Admiral]

I keep saying it, but not like this board isn't built on repeating one's pet causes: the Perds should wear the yellow set home and away and only wear white road uniforms (with a little less yellow and a little more blue) in cases where yellow doesn't provide enough contrast, or, in other words, only in Philadelphia and maybe Anaheim. I suppose for sorting out scrums they could wear blue buckets at home and yellow on the road, too. 

[habsfan1]

22 hours ago, Shachihoko said:

The fans are noticing the ugly collars in action now...

 

http://www.bardown.com/fans-aren-t-thrilled-with-some-of-the-collars-on-the-new-nhl-jerseys-1.864477

 

I'm glad people are speaking up.

 

It's not just us from this board who don't like those hideous collars.

[docrocket]

2 hours ago, habsfan1 said:

 

I'm glad people are speaking up.

 

It's not just us from this board who don't like those hideous collars.

 

The collars with the laces are the worst!  The laces need to be above the NHL logo...

[coltravesty]

oilers away jersey is like a dirty white, the helmet is noticeably lighter.

[M4One]

2 hours ago, coltravesty said:

oilers away jersey is like a dirty white, the helmet is noticeably lighter.

 

I don't think it's just an Oilers thing.  Looks like the Leafs, Kings. and Canadiens are like that too.  Going through highlights of other games and it looks like a league wide thing.  Until you pointed it out, I didn't even notice it.  And now that I see it, I can't unsee it.  This is going to bug me until I get use to it.

[andrewharrington]

13 hours ago, coltravesty said:

oilers away jersey is like a dirty white, the helmet is noticeably lighter.

 

11 hours ago, M4One said:

 

I don't think it's just an Oilers thing.  Looks like the Leafs, Kings. and Canadiens are like that too.  Going through highlights of other games and it looks like a league wide thing.  Until you pointed it out, I didn't even notice it.  And now that I see it, I can't unsee it.  This is going to bug me until I get use to it.

 

White fabric has literally never matched white plastic, in any sport. Bugs the heck outta me!

 

[Ark]

Winnipeg and Edmonton have the collars exactly right

 

[CreamSoda]

35 minutes ago, Ark said:

Winnipeg and Edmonton have the collars exactly right

 

 

Edmonton: yes

Winnipeg: NO

 

That giant white blob just to show off the NHL logo ruins the front of the Jets sweater.  

[joepro]

18 hours ago, Morgo said:

The Predators went from a middle of the pack look with potential to one of the leagues worst.  In the case of the road, a uniform that is primarily yellow and white with razor-thin navy accents just doesn't work.

Absolutely not. The Predators jerseys are my favourites. They’ve made yellow their main colour and they have just enough blue. My only qualm is the one shoulder patch. There should be two.

[Toronto206]

I don't like making orange the home, but I am really liking navy for the Oilers- good progression. Makes me want to see the Canucks go navy.

[AstroCree]

I love lace collars but I think everyone who uses them are better off without it. Adidas did a terrible job. They were clearly an afterthought.

[andrewharrington]

1 hour ago, insert name said:

I love lace collars but I think everyone who uses them are better off without it. Adidas did a terrible job. They were clearly an afterthought.

 

Afterthought? If you have a better design for a lace-up collar that is both flat/non-stand up and holds the NHL shield in the front, then you have a ton of NHL uniform fans interested in subscribing to your newsletter.

[chcarlson23]

Does anyone know why the Oilers have only worn white at home during the preseason? I mean I love their road look, but why haven't they worn the Orange jerseys?

[IceCap]

32 minutes ago, andrewharrington said:

 

Afterthought? If you have a better design for a lace-up collar that is both flat/non-stand up and holds the NHL shield in the front, then you have a ton of NHL uniform fans interested in subscribing to your newsletter.

I thought the Reebok lace-ups worked well, at least aesthetically. Much better than the Adidas attempt.

 

What's baffling is that it's all the same company. The same manufacturer went from using perfectly fine lace-up collars to something that not only wasn't functional but also ugly. In my opinion at least. 

[andrewharrington]

2 minutes ago, Ice_Cap said:

I thought the Reebok lace-ups worked well, at least aesthetically. Much better than the Adidas attempt.

 

What's baffling is that it's all the same company. The same manufacturer went from using perfectly fine lace-up collars to something that not only wasn't functional but also ugly. In my opinion at least. 

 

The old ones weren’t really functional, either. Even if you could move the laces or tie them or whatever, the neck was more or less a fixed hole either way.

 

The main benefit of the new collar is that it lays flat and doesn’t kick up to rub against the sides of the neck, which is something that the players love. Achieving that is not exactly possible with the lace-ups as they were, combined with the pre-determined location of the NHL shield. The ideal solution would be to forego lace-ups, because they’re not necessary with today’s stretch fabrics, but teams like the look of them, so the solution is to do the best you can to achieve the team’s desired look while maintaining the functionality that works well for the athletes. No offense to any of us, but what’s not acceptable is putting out a product that sacrifices the athletes’ comfort and/or performance because certain fans  prefer the old way.

[IceCap]

2 hours ago, andrewharrington said:

The old ones weren’t really functional, either. Even if you could move the laces or tie them or whatever, the neck was more or less a fixed hole either way.

The old ones weren't functional lace-ups but they looked better. 

 

2 hours ago, andrewharrington said:

The main benefit of the new collar is that it lays flat and doesn’t kick up to rub against the sides of the neck, which is something that the players love...No offense to any of us, but what’s not acceptable is putting out a product that sacrifices the athletes’ comfort and/or performance because certain fans  prefer the old way.

"Sacrificing comfort" is a bit of an exaggeration.

I have played hockey competitively, and we wore lace-ups. Old, pre-Edge lace-ups at that. The "kicked up" collar was never an issue. 

So I can't see how the Edge lace-ups, which as you said were mostly ornamental, would be any worse. 

 

This is all subjective. And I realise that you're coming from a place where you have a company line to hold. 

Still? I find the new Adidas collars to be ugly and a huge step down from the Reebok collars. Which is made even more frustrating because, again, it's the same manufacturer. 

 

I also don't find the "player comfort" line especially convincing as someone who has played hockey competitively. I'm sure many of the advancements in material and cut since I played have been for the better. I remember myself lamenting the cut of the old CCM/Koho sweaters on occasion.

I can't say I ever thought about the collars though. The only time I ever thought, or think, about collars is within the realm of aesthetics. And on that point? The new collars just *look* bad. I don't feel as if that opinion is "unacceptable."

 

If you're truly interested in what people think? Here's my take. 

The shot of the Jets and Oilers above is a great contrast. The Oilers' collars look fine. The Jets' collars, with the huge splash of silver, look terrible.

The halfway coloured collars, like the Penguins have, looks awful. It creates a polo-shirt effect, which isn't flattering. 

The lace-ups with the new collars are awful. The last Reebok lace-ups were ornamental, but they at least looked great. These don't even have that going for them. 

 

I realize you're just one guy. And I realize that in addition to that the manufacturer still has to bow to team preference (ie if Toronto wants bad lace-ups they're going to have bad lace-ups regardless of what you or anyone else says). 

 

Still? That's my honest assessment as both someone who's played hockey and as a fan.

I don't even expect you take my "feedback" to heart in any meaningful way. It would just be nice to have a conversation about this stuff without you or another pro designer going "well you just don't get it."

Others and myself know a bit more than you may think. And constantly having our opinions waved off by someone on the "inside" repeating corporate platitudes doesn't help the discussion. 

[twi]

Also never had an issue with the fit of a collar on a jersey, skater or goalie cut. Only time I've really given a second (or even first) thought to one on a jersey I actually play in was when I noticed a white one got discolored almost instantly on a team set we used to have. And that's an aesthetic thing.  

 

Never thought about it before, but interesting how a feature that exists for pure aesthetic reasons has endured through the current trend of minimizing everything for speed or weight reduction. Granted a few eyelets and some lace don't weigh all that much! 

 

Edit: I do own a few Adidas team issue practice jerseys from the World Cup and they feature the new color. I do believe it makes the top of the jersey fit tighter/closer to the chest, but it's hard to say as most jerseys are pretty tight against the chest of my C/A. 

[CreamSoda]

Here’s my take on the collars.  There is not a single team that has a better look with this new collar over the Reebok ones.  

 

Some maybe a lateral move but on some teams the collar is hideous and ruins an otherwise fine sweater.  

[AnPheitseog]

7 minutes ago, CreamSoda said:

Here’s my take on the collars.  There is not a single team that has a better look with this new collar over the Reebok ones.  

 

Some maybe a lateral move but on some teams the collar is hideous and ruins an otherwise fine sweater.  

I'd say the oilers white collar improved.

 

That's it.

[IceCap]

I admit I loved the Oilers' last set of collars before the Adidas switchover.