2023-24 NHL Jersey Changes

[Morgan33]

This might belong in the unpopular opinions thread, I'm not sure.  But in my opinion there was no reason to change either of these things...  They got it right the first time and everything since has been a downgrade, starting with the decision to promote the navy alternate to primary status.

[tBBP]

1 hour ago, Morgan33 said:

This might belong in the unpopular opinions thread, I'm not sure.  But in my opinion there was no reason to change either of these things...  They got it right the first time and everything since has been a downgrade, starting with the decision to promote the navy alternate to primary status.

 

I'm inclined to agree with you...to a point. 

 

I DEFINITELY agree with you about the leaping panther. I feel the basic essence of that could have been updated more in the artistic style of the current (read: less detailed, more refined)—which is pretty much exactly what they did with their 30th anniversary logo.

 

 

I don't dislike their current primary crest; I'd have preferred one more like the above. 

 

Secondly, the tawny brown definitely adds something that the former yellow did not, but least among which is of course the fact that a number of the panthers found in Florida are that color (or close to it)—although the tradeoff is losing the "brightness" of the sun. Eh...design considerations.

 

Where my point stops, however, is with the sweaters themselves. I do agree that the triangular yoke could have become a staple feature of their look (along the triangular shape of the leaping panther). That said, something about triangular yokes and normal horizontal stripe never has seemed "right" to me—but that's also relatively minor. The big thing to me dealt with the backs of those jerseys—especially the white ones—and in going back to the Year of the Rat and working back up,  it really jumped out at me how Walmart-esque they looked:

 

 

 

Now they eventually tightened that up by the turn of the century, but for some reason they kept the offset outlines on the white sweaters, which didn't help the "cheap-ish" look at all:

 

 

(That was a good-looking sweater)

 

 

 

(Those...not so much.)

 

That said, that era also gave us one of my favorite (and I believe one of the best) third jerseys/alternate uniforms ever in life:

 

 

Look at that...simply gorgeous.  

 

Now, with all that said, even though I feel the Panthers may have overdone it with the 101st Airborne branding direction, I'll give them credit for at least jumping in with both feet and really owning it. It did create some rather unique cues in NHL aesthetics that as of right now only they can claim, chief among them being the shoulder-mounted TV numbers, but then also their unique way of designating their captain and alternates via the "ranger tabs" above their sleeve patches.

 

 

 

 

 

 

I also really like, clever as it is, how the scripts switch between FLORIDA and PANTHERS depending on placement on the jersey itself and between home and away jerseys. 

 

I actually REALLY like their current look, but the one part I don't care for is how that broad stripe doesn't wrap around the back. (To be sure, I can't stand that on soccer jerseys, either, though I understand the reason for it.) 

 

 

 

 

I do wonder how different the white sweaters would look with red numbers in place of navy... though I'm sure that choice for better legibility. But with all that's rolled into this look I don't know that there's a more cohesive(ly complex yet streamlined!) brand, top to bottom, in the NHL right now than this one. 

 

(And now we may all dig ourselves out of the weeds on this one...lol.)

[JuicedSportsNow]

10 minutes ago, tBBP said:

 

I'm inclined to agree with you...to a point. 

 

I DEFINITELY agree with you about the leaping panther. I feel the basic essence of that could have been updated more in the artistic style of the current (read: less detailed, more refined)—which is pretty much exactly what they did with their 30th anniversary logo.

 

 

I don't dislike their current primary crest; I'd have preferred one more like the above. 

 

Secondly, the tawny brown definitely adds something that the former yellow did not, but least among which is of course the fact that a number of the panthers found in Florida are that color (or close to it)—although the tradeoff is losing the "brightness" of the sun. Eh...design considerations.

 

Where my point stops, however, is with the sweaters themselves. I do agree that the triangular yoke could have become a staple feature of their look (along the triangular shape of the leaping panther). That said, something about triangular yokes and normal horizontal stripe never has seemed "right" to me—but that's also relatively minor. The big thing to me dealt with the backs of those jerseys—especially the white ones—and in going back to the Year of the Rat and working back up,  it really jumped out at me how Walmart-esque they looked:

 

 

 

Now they eventually tightened that up by the turn of the century, but for some reason they kept the offset outlines on the white sweaters, which didn't help the "cheap-ish" look at all:

 

 

(That was a good-looking sweater)

 

 

 

(Those...not so much.)

 

That said, that era also gave us one of my favorite (and I believe one of the best) third jerseys/alternate uniforms ever in life:

 

 

Look at that...simply gorgeous.  

 

Now, with all that said, even though I feel the Panthers may have overdone it with the 101st Airborne branding direction, I'll give them credit for at least jumping in with both feet and really owning it. It did create some rather unique cues in NHL aesthetics that as of right now only they can claim, chief among them being the shoulder-mounted TV numbers, but then also their unique way of designating their captain and alternates via the "ranger tabs" above their sleeve patches.

 

 

 

 

 

 

I also really like, clever as it is, how the scripts switch between FLORIDA and PANTHERS depending on placement on the jersey itself and between home and away jerseys. 

 

I actually REALLY like their current look, but the one part I don't care for is how that broad stripe doesn't wrap around the back. (To be sure, I can't stand that on soccer jerseys, either, though I understand the reason for it.) 

 

 

 

 

I do wonder how different the white sweaters would look with red numbers in place of navy... though I'm sure that choice for better legibility. But with all that's rolled into this look I don't know that there's a more cohesive(ly complex yet streamlined!) brand, top to bottom, in the NHL right now than this one. 

 

(And now we may all dig ourselves out of the weeds on this one...lol.)

This was awesomely thorough. As a Panthers fan since the 90s I appreciate the depth you went into and then realized you're a Knights fan, which certainly surprised me. Congrats on the Cup. I agree that the system is surprisingly layered and complex while looking simple and I appreciate how the Panthers have a more polished color scheme. I do think eventually they'll throw the modernized cat on the jersey, but I also sense they're wary of it being more popular than the shield and are trying not to reignite that discussion.

[BurdBranding]

I don't know if it is unpopular or not, but I feel like the Panthers have never had a bad look. The closest they came to bad would be with the unnecessary piping on their jerseys between 2007 and 2011, but even that was a result of Reebok having fun finding ways to mess up every team in the league. I much prefer their original jerseys and logo, but their current set is a somewhat close second. The only problem with their current look is the fat sock stripes that stick out like a sore thumb. Seriously, the primary color of this sock is far closer to white than it should be. I get that it is the same thickness as the stripe on the jersey, but I feel like the sock stripe's thickness should be based on the stripe to arm ratio of the jersey, if that makes sense.

 

[DTConcepts]

Am I the only one who thinks the Panthers' current look is the best one they've had?

[gosioux76]

This is almost certainly generalizing, but I have to think that whether you like or dislike the current Panthers uniforms is in proportion to how much you like or dislike their attempt at military cosplay. 

[tBBP]

4 hours ago, gosioux76 said:

This is almost certainly generalizing, but I have to think that whether you like or dislike the current Panthers uniforms is in proportion to how much you like or dislike their attempt at military cosplay. 

 

I think that's a fair point to consider.

 

Having said that, I find myself in the unique position of really liking the overall brand identity despite the overdone military cosplay, so I don't know what that says about me, a former soldier. 

[Ark]

8 hours ago, Morgan33 said:

there was no reason to change either of these things... 

 

There was. The Reebok Edge debacle.

[Survival79]

On 7/30/2023 at 4:37 PM, Survival79 said:

If only it were that simple. The feet on this panther are a :censored:ing travesty.

 

 

13 hours ago, andrewharrington said:

I dunno. Adding a bunch of detail back there doesn’t seem right, either.

 

 

I didn't think that the old feet were all that bad.

 

[Kevin W.]

9 hours ago, DTConcepts said:

Am I the only one who thinks the Panthers' current look is the best one they've had?

No, you're not. I agree with you.

[tBBP]

7 hours ago, Survival79 said:

 

 

I didn't think that the old feet were all that bad.

 

 

As long as we're scrutinizing this with a fine-toothed comb, the bigger issue is that tail...why does it come out of one of the legs? To be real, though, this may be one instance where the tail may not even be necessary; if it wasn't there, would anyone notice considering the forward-leaping perspective?

[Mingjai]

1 hour ago, tBBP said:

 

As long as we're scrutinizing this with a fine-toothed comb, the bigger issue is that tail...why does it come out of one of the legs? To be real, though, this may be one instance where the tail may not even be necessary; if it wasn't there, would anyone notice considering the forward-leaping perspective?

I assume they’re trying to avoid this phenomena:

 

[logo-maker]

I think the current Panthers uniforms would be improved by switching the placement of the numbers and insignia (i.e having the insignia on the shoulders and the numbers on the sleeves). I wish they would also add consistency by making the sleeve cuffs navy to match the hem stripe.

[Echo]

13 hours ago, Survival79 said:

 

 

I didn't think that the old feet were all that bad.

 

 

The one on the right looks like it was drawn by Rob Liefeld.  At least the feet.  (Could probably use a few pouches)

[Ridleylash]

We have hat leaks for the Knights and Kraken Winter Classic;

[VikWings]

On 7/31/2023 at 1:14 PM, Morgan33 said:

This might belong in the unpopular opinions thread, I'm not sure.  But in my opinion there was no reason to change either of these things...  They got it right the first time and everything since has been a downgrade, starting with the decision to promote the navy alternate to primary status.

 

I liked this logo so much as a kid that I had a pillow with it on it and I'm not a Panthers fan and even though there were still a few other logos I liked more (Red Wings, Whalers, Mighty Ducks)

[ruttep]

2 hours ago, Ridleylash said:

We have hat leaks for the Knights and Kraken Winter Classic;

 

I am glad that the Kraken seem to be trying to be creative here rather than completely ripping off the Seattle Metropolitans

[Morgan33]

On 7/31/2023 at 2:24 PM, DTConcepts said:

Am I the only one who thinks the Panthers' current look is the best one they've had?

 

Judging from the amount of Likes your comment got, far from it.  I don't share that opinion and here's why...

My biggest gripe with the Panthers new look is that they replaced a logo with a wholly unique visual style that was charming & fun with something overtly corporate and arguably bland...  Not unlike what the Penguins did in 1992, except that change at least retained the basic idea of the original (penguin in a triangle) and contained a clever civic reference to the Three Rivers.  The new Panthers logo is contained in a generic shield that is more evocative of MLS than NHL, with the civic part spelled out.



Beyond the logo, the jerseys don't fare much better...  The way the overtly thick sleeve-stripes coalesce with the chest stripe makes the design look claustrophobic & cluttered.   And I've never seen a design with a more confusing & unbalanced colour hierarchy.  On the logo it's Navy > Gold > Red and on the sweater it's Red > Gold > Navy.   To me, the colours on the original jerseys look significantly better balanced and there's no confusion about the hierarchy of Red > Navy > Yellow > Gold.

Lastly, the new shade of gold just looks so drab compared to the bright yellow used on the originals.  As their wildly popular Reverse Retro design proved: bright, vivid colours scream Florida.   The perfect Panthers set, IMO, would be the jerseys on the left with the recent Reverse Retro as a full-time alternate.  They could lose the double-outline on the road numbers as advocated by @tBBP but besides that, I wouldn't change a thing.

[spartacat_12]

14 hours ago, Ridleylash said:

We have hat leaks for the Knights and Kraken Winter Classic;

 

While they aren't going full Metropolitans, I'm still hoping they use barberpole striping on the jerseys.

 

*EDIT: I just realized that the Vegas logo is two swords forming the V

[SenatorJake]

The Florida Panthers and the Seattle Metropolitains. Two teams that got it right the first time around.