2023-24 NHL Jersey Changes

[PlayGloria]

Re: The Devils - They have always had a fantastic logo with a meh sweater in my eyes. Red/Green, Red/Black, with or without the hem stripe... the sweater itself really doesn't do much. And maybe it's best that way. But the lack of hem stripe doesn't bother me because the sweater with the hem stripe is just ho-hum as well. 

 

[Bmac]

The Sens could definitely pursue something closer to an old time hockey club aesthetic with hints of the current identity. According to Icethetics, this idea was at last explored:

[WSU151]

1 hour ago, Bmac said:

The Sens could definitely pursue something closer to an old time hockey club aesthetic with hints of the current identity. According to Icethetics, this idea was at last explored:

 

Has anyone done a Peace Tower inside the O? Would it work? 

[Ark]

I don't agree with Ottawa pretending to be an Original 6 team. 

 

That example certainly doesn't look bad, but they have much better options. Same with the Lightning 

[IceCap]

1 hour ago, Ark said:

I don't agree with Ottawa pretending to be an Original 6 team. 

 

That example certainly doesn't look bad, but they have much better options. Same with the Lightning 

The difference is the Lightning started from scratch in 1992. Ottawa was, from day one, drawing on the legacy of a team that predates the Original Six as a concept. 

[Point1]

The updated 2D Senator logo is a really interesting case I think. I've long thought it was excellent and should have become their primary, but I can also see the case that it's very late-2000s and a bit soulless. The things that make the 90s one flawed are probably what makes Sens fans see it as stately and timeless I guess.

 

Ultimately, Sens fans seem to have disliked the updated version and desperately wanted the vintage one. So ultimately what can ya do.

[AFirestormToPurify]

5 hours ago, Bmac said:

The Sens could definitely pursue something closer to an old time hockey club aesthetic with hints of the current identity. According to Icethetics, this idea was at last explored:

That kinda really looks like a Panthers jersey. Hard pass

[BuckDancer]

1 hour ago, AFirestormToPurify said:

That kinda really looks like a Panthers jersey. Hard pass

I would rather Ottawa wear those and the panthers drop their current unis with that weird looking car shield emblem for a logo on a half way around the world chest stripe and go back to the leaping cat as their logo as it always should have been. At least the sens have some sort of historical grounds of wearing something like that, as dated as it may be, unlike the panthers and their current inferior look. 

[FinsUp1214]

12 hours ago, Bmac said:

The Sens could definitely pursue something closer to an old time hockey club aesthetic with hints of the current identity. According to Icethetics, this idea was at last explored:

As much as I really like what they have now, I think this would have been an excellent set if it had been adopted. That shield logo on the sleeve stripes is really nice touch.
 

I’d be curious to see a larger version of both that shield and the shield logo on the pants as well; all in all, this looks like it could have been a really cool, vintage-inspired identity.

[AFirestormToPurify]

7 hours ago, BuckDancer said:

and the panthers drop their current unis with that weird looking car shield emblem for a logo on a half way around the world chest stripe and go back to the leaping cat as their logo as it always should have been

True. We can definitely agree on that. Their RR1.0 would be the basis for their full time home and away uniforms if it was up to me

7 hours ago, BuckDancer said:

At least the sens have some sort of historical grounds of wearing something like that, as dated as it may be, unlike the panthers and their current inferior look. 

Nah, the current Senators are an expansion team from the 90s. They can claim those 1900s Stanley Cups all they want, it's not the same franchise. I've never liked any of the =O= stuff anyway. It's fun as an outdoors game jersey worn once every 5 years but definitely not as their full time look imo

[IceCap]

1 hour ago, AFirestormToPurify said:

Nah, the current Senators are an expansion team from the 90s. They can claim those 1900s Stanley Cups all they want, it's not the same franchise.

No they're not the same franchise. But they're clearly drawing on that legacy. The choice of the name "Senators" and the black, red, and white colour scheme were chosen for that reason. 

 

It's like the new Jets. They're the old Thrashers. They're not the old Jets. Still, they homage them with the name, with throwback jerseys, and with general celebrations of Winnipeg's hockey history.

 

No one's saying the current Sens are the old Sens, they're not. It's not some crazy or out there notion for them to lean into that legacy though. 

[Jer15]

53 minutes ago, IceCap said:

No one's saying the current Sens are the old Sens, they're not. It's not some crazy or out there notion for them to lean into that legacy though. 

To your point. If we're going to play "that game" there's a million examples of logos/uniforms/identities, ect for sports teams drawing on the history of that sport in that city. Why is it an issue for Ottawa? 

[Webhamster]

21 hours ago, gosioux76 said:

 

I'm going to split the difference here. 

 

@Chromatic's analysis is 100% right. I see no problem with the Sens leaning into the Roman motif.  It's just that in the Sens' case, the brand hasn't been resonant outside of their market, and maybe is even questionable within it.

 

To me, that gives the franchise justification for a wholesale rebrand. But I wouldn't necessarily place the blame on the fact that they chose this Roman imagery to build around. I could see a rebrand continuing down that path, only with more appealing design. 

 

 

 

And let's be honest, with the upcoming sale there is more of a chance of wholesale rebrand than at any point in the last 30 years.  The new owners are going to want to put their mark on the team and maybe make big changes to the identity in the coming seasons.  I wouldn't be surprised to see a whole new identity come with a new downtown arena around 2026 or 2027 (assuming the new owners don't mess up that opportunity like Melnyk did).

[Echo]

4 hours ago, Jer15 said:

To your point. If we're going to play "that game" there's a million examples of logos/uniforms/identities, ect for sports teams drawing on the history of that sport in that city. Why is it an issue for Ottawa? 

 

To take that even further, there aren't many (any?) defunct teams with the legacy of success of the Silver Seven/original Senators to draw on.  If anyone should be drawing on their history for a current identity it's the Sens. 

[MEANS]

ah seeing that rendering brings back that project, too bad it didn't go anywhere, lots of great marks and sweater designs.

[IceCap]

4 minutes ago, MEANS said:

ah seeing that rendering brings back that project, too bad it didn't go anywhere, lots of great marks and sweater designs.

What killed it? Just the team deciding to go in a different direction? 

[Ridleylash]

14 minutes ago, IceCap said:

What killed it? Just the team deciding to go in a different direction? 

I would imagine so. From where I looked at the time, at least, the prevailing sentiment among Sens fans was along the route the team ultimately chose in just going back to their original logo and jersey design was the #1 choice for a rebrand. The O was popular, but I think it was popular in the same way that other good-looking alternates tend to be when a team's main look is unsatisfactory.

 

Plus, I'd imagine the team was very, very hesitant to completely scrap the brand identity they'd spent close to 30 years with, which likely also played a part in nixing any Silver Seven-themed rebrands that got suggested.

 

That being said, I wouldn't be shocked if the Sens did eventually bring back some variant of the Silver Seven jersey, now that the main brand has settled into a much more satisfactory spot; maybe as a Heritage Classic design or even some kind of specialty alt ala the Whalers.

[monkeypower]

The issue I can see with that Senators concept is that the gold would get so lost in the red, especially with how thin that stripe is. I've seen it to an extent with the Ducks and the Hitmen where I think it would look muddy.

[monkeypower]

Also before we get too far off the Devils, underrated Stanley Cup Finals jersey matchup.

 

[AFirestormToPurify]

32 minutes ago, monkeypower said:

Also before we get too far off the Devils, underrated Stanley Cup Finals jersey matchup.

 

I miss those Mighty Ducks jerseys so bad

And for what it's worth, those Devils uniforms were basically perfect when you think about it. I wouldn't have changed a stitch, not even the weird squared off shoulder yokes. Maybe not the best looking jersey ever but there was absolutely nothing wrong with them, and no way to improve them either. The color balance was perfect. Down to the black fingertips on the gloves. Nobody cares probably but I thought that was a fun quirk. They only changed a few minor things and ended up ruining the whole uniform