2024-25 NHL Changes

[Klondyke]

19 minutes ago, Morgan33 said:

 

That's debatable.

Alternate jerseys were vastly superior in 2007 and there weren't advertisements muddling everything up.  You also didn't have 90's expansion teams trying to look like the original 6.  I'm looking at you Tampa Bay.

Generally agree with your counter points, but many aspects of the Edge rebrand were just lazy and not thought out. I think the Capitals were the only major rebrand that still exist

[Morgan33]

9 minutes ago, Klondyke said:

Generally agree with your counter points, but many aspects of the Edge rebrand were just lazy and not thought out. I think the Capitals were the only major rebrand that still exist

 

I was talking about 2006/07, the last season before the Edge takeover.  2007/08 was undoubtedly the worst the league has ever looked, advertisements or not.

[VampyrRabbit]

1 hour ago, WSU151 said:

 

Part of the issue was the black jerseys were pretty drab...they were essentially black and bronze (bronze stripes, bronze numbers) and very little blue. 

 

I don't think the RR/24-25 jersey makes things a whole  better (it's essentially a black and white jersey during the game)... though the stripes are blue, which is good. The blue jersey was pretty phenomenal. 

I think the other issue was that you would be hard pressed to find a more 90's hockey jersey than the Caps white Screagle. By the time the Edge template arrived, the set was  among the most dated in the league.

[spartacat_12]

2 hours ago, Morgan33 said:

That's debatable.

Alternate jerseys were vastly superior in 2007 and there weren't advertisements muddling everything up.  You also didn't have 90's expansion teams trying to look like the original 6.  I'm looking at you Tampa Bay.

 

Yeah I guess if we're including the ads you can make that argument. I do think Anaheim, Buffalo, and Ottawa are objectively better than they were pre-Edge. Depending on how you feel about throwback looks, you can argue that Calgary, Edmonton, Pittsburgh, Vancouver, and the Islanders have improved. The brick red & white Coyotes look was pretty much as generic as Utah's temporary set, and while I don't love the Jets 2.0 uniforms I think they're better than the mis-matched Thrashers set. Tampa, SJ, NJ, and Carolina are the only teams I think clearly looked better then.

 

There were also some not-so-great alternates in 2007. We had the orange Islanders, the chrome Flyers, and the mustard Preds.

[tBBP]

1 hour ago, VampyrRabbit said:

I think the other issue was that you would be hard pressed to find a more 90's hockey jersey than the Caps white Screagle. By the time the Edge template arrived, the set was  among the most dated in the league.

 

Challenge accepted! (And one of these was already mentioned...)

 

 

 

(Those were always a guilty pleasure of mine...)

 

 

 

 

 

(Those are THE single most '90s sports uniform to ever uniform right there...and they may ore may not also be a guilty pleasure of mine )

 

 

[ruttep]

3 hours ago, Morgan33 said:

 

That's debatable.

Alternate jerseys were vastly superior in 2007 and there weren't advertisements muddling everything up.  You also didn't have 90's expansion teams trying to look like the original 6.  I'm looking at you Tampa Bay.

 

I know it's a matter of opinion, but I do generally agree with @spartacat_12 that ignoring ads, the league overall looks better today. It's not intended as a knock on 2007 at all -  the league still looked pretty awesome overall at that time.

 

I mean, going team by team, again ignoring ads:

Anaheim: Upgrade I think, but TBD

Arizona (RIP): Upgrade

Boston: Upgrade

Buffalo: Big upgrade

Calgary: Upgrade (I know that this is somewhat controversial)

Carolina: Big downgrade

Chicago: Nothing changed

Colorado: Slight downgrade to the home jersey, more significant downgrade to the road jersey

Columbus: Upgrade

Dallas: Slight downgrade, I love the star jerseys

Detroit: Nothing changed

Edmonton: Upgrade

Florida: Downgrade

Los Angeles: Upgrade

Minnesota: Upgrade

Montreal: Nothing changed

Nashville: Downgrade (I do not like yellow home jerseys)

New Jersey: Downgrade

Islanders: Upgrade

Rangers: Nothing changed (the Lady Liberty alt was better)

Ottawa: Upgrade

Philadelphia: Slight downgrade

Pittsburgh: Upgrade

St Louis: Slight downgrade (I prefer yellow numbers on the home jersey)

San Jose: Upgrade

Tampa Bay: Downgrade

Toronto: Lateral move

Vancouver: Upgrade

Washington: Downgrade

Atlanta --> Winnipeg: Lateral move

Phoenix (2007) --> Utah: Upgrade

[ruttep]

8 minutes ago, tBBP said:

 

Challenge accepted! (And one of these was already mentioned...)

 

 

 

(Those were always a guilty pleasure of mine...)

 

 

 

 

 

(Those are THE single most '90s sports uniform to ever uniform right there...and they may ore may not also be a guilty pleasure of mine )

 

 

 

 

That first wave of alternate jerseys in 1995 was . . . something.

[tBBP]

6 minutes ago, ruttep said:

 

 

That first wave of alternate jerseys in 1995 was . . . something.

 

Okay...I retract my previous statement. Those fisherman jawns were the most 90s primary uniforms to ever uniform.  That Burger King, that Wild Wing...bruh, the 90s alternates were a time to be alive, that's for sure.

[Nordiks_19]

4 hours ago, spartacat_12 said:

 

It's taken us some time, but I think as a whole the league looks better now than it did in 2007.

Agreed, 2007-2008 was probably the worst season ever, aesthetically speaking

[Morgan33]

1 hour ago, spartacat_12 said:

Yeah I guess if we're including the ads you can make that argument.

 

1 hour ago, ruttep said:

I know it's a matter of opinion, but I do generally agree with @spartacat_12 that ignoring ads, the league overall looks better today. It's not intended as a knock on 2007 at all -  the league still looked pretty awesome overall at that time.

 

Well yeah, it's a debatable position with no clear-cut winner either way.  That being said, these are the teams that I think looked better in 2007...

Atlanta Thrashers.

They were slightly mish-mashed once the powder blue alternate became the primary, but not so much that you couldn't tell they were of the same brand.  I always thought the Thrashers looked really sharp when they had proper hem-stripes.  The colours were unique and the logo really stood out.  The Jet's 2.0 brand, by comparison, has aged horribly.  The colours are nice but the logo is atrocious.

Calgary Flames
This is an unpopular opinion but to me the 2004-07 jerseys will always be the pinnacle of the Flames aesthetic.  Loved the bold, chevron striping, blasty on the shoulders and the modern black C on the home.  The current set just doesn't have enough contrast and the homes can look particularly loud.

 

Carolina Hurricanes
I don't think anyone would argue this point.  This was a set that should have never changed.

 

Colorado Avalanche
The blue equipment sucks, so do the new numbers and shoulder patches.  It's not Black for Blacks Sake if black has been a part of your scheme to begin with.

Dallas Stars
I like what the Stars have in a vacuum but I just doesn't feel like the same team that lifted the cup.  The scheme simply needs gold.  The original logo was better too.

Florida Panthers

The red version should have been the primary but the Panthers were another team to get it right the first time.  I see no problem with a 90's expansion team having a detailed logo and bold, angular striping.  Never been a fan of the current, corporate logo, the half chest stripes or how they distributed the colors.
 

Nashville Predators
Don't get me wrong, I think it's great that Nashville owns gold.  But the uniforms are beyond bland and the guitar-string numbers have not aged well.  Their first reverse retro would be the perfect compromise between these two looks.  As it stands though, I give the edge to the original set.  It was bold, creative and still looked like a proper hockey jersey.

New York Rangers
Liberty alternates.

Phoenix Coyotes

Every Coyotes uniform is an improvement over the bland, non-descript jerseys Utah have now.  Perhaps when their real brand is unveiled this will change.  The 2004-07 set was definitely the best to feature the howling coyote.

Tampa Bay Lightning

The colours alone make this a vast improvement over what is used now.

Washington Capitals
I don't like that the black Capitol dome became the primary but it least it had a proper logo.  The CapiLals script is something that should have been permanently mothballed.  The striping is a relic of 2008.

[Klondyke]

2 minutes ago, Morgan33 said:

 

 

Calgary Flames
This is an unpopular opinion but to me the 2004-07 jerseys will always be the pinnacle of the Flames aesthetic.  Loved the bold, chevron striping, blasty on the shoulders and the modern black C on the home.  The current set just doesn't have enough contrast and the homes can look particularly loud.

 

 

Worked as an assistant manager at SportsChek in 2010. Almost every fan I talked to wanted the pre-edge version. People would just find the CCM models at outlets or Ebay and get us to put modern names on them instead of buying the newer ones.

 

 

[ruttep]

5 minutes ago, Morgan33 said:

 

 

Well yeah, it's a debatable position with no clear-cut winner either way.  That being said, these are the teams that I think looked better in 2007...

Atlanta Thrashers.

They were slightly mish-mashed once the powder blue alternate became the primary, but not so much that you couldn't tell they were of the same brand.  I always thought the Thrashers looked really sharp when they had proper hem-stripes.  The colours were unique and the logo really stood out.  The Jet's 2.0 brand, by comparison, has aged horribly.  The colours are nice but the logo is atrocious.

Calgary Flames
This is an unpopular opinion but to me the 2004-07 jerseys will always be the pinnacle of the Flames aesthetic.  Loved the bold, chevron striping, blasty on the shoulders and the modern black C on the home.  The current set just doesn't have enough contrast and the homes can look particularly loud.

 

Carolina Hurricanes
I don't think anyone would argue this point.  This was a set that should have never changed.

 

Colorado Avalanche
The blue equipment sucks, so do the new numbers and shoulder patches.  It's not Black for Blacks Sake if black has been a part of your scheme to begin with.

Dallas Stars
I like what the Stars have in a vacuum but I just doesn't feel like the same team that lifted the cup.  The scheme simply needs gold.  The original logo was better too.

Florida Panthers

The red version should have been the primary but the Panthers were another team to get it right the first time.  I see no problem with a 90's expansion team having a detailed logo and bold, angular striping.  Never been a fan of the current, corporate logo, the half chest stripes or how they distributed the colors.
 

Nashville Predators
Don't get me wrong, I think it's great that Nashville owns gold.  But the uniforms are beyond bland and the guitar-string numbers have not aged well.  Their first reverse retro would be the perfect compromise between these two looks.  As it stands though, I give the edge to the original set.  It was bold, creative and still looked like a proper hockey jersey.

Phoenix Coyotes

Every Coyotes uniform is an improvement over the bland, non-descript jerseys Utah have now.  Perhaps when their real brand is unveiled this will change.  The 2004-07 set was definitely the best to feature the howling coyote.

Tampa Bay Lightning

The colours alone make this a vast improvement over what is used now.

Washington Capitals
I don't like that the black Capitol dome became the primary but it least it had a proper logo.  The CapiLals script is something that should have been permanently mothballed.  The striping is a relic of 2008.

 

I can respect that.

 

Atlanta - I don't love the Jets 2.0 branding but I've never been a fan of the Thrashers branding, especially when they resorted to a gimmicky mismatching -sleeved jersey as their home.

 

Calgary - I think the 2004-07 Flames jerseys are great jerseys and I would love the team to bring them back as an alternate instead of Blasty, but the classic Flames design is my favorite non-Original Six design and I love the white-hot effect -- I don't think it's too "loud" at all.

 

Carolina - yeah

 

Colorado - I never understood Colorado's direction with the blue equipment. I actually don't think it looks that bad with the home jersey, but it was so poorly executed with the away jersey that it drags the entire set down.

 

Dallas - yep

 

Florida - agree

 

Nashville - I still love the guitar string numbers, but I don't like yellow home jerseys because it turns every game in Nashville into a yellow/white matchup. If anything, I'd support Nashville retaining the yellow jersey as the away jersey and creating a new navy one for home games, a la Los Angeles and Vancouver in the 80s. The original pre-Edge set is pretty underrated.

 

Phoenix - We give the Lightning crap for trying to look like an Original Six Franchise, but the Yotes tried the same thing with the howling coyote look:

(Yes, I know this was a very short-lived Leafs design but these are literally the exact same jersey)

The Leafs and Wings are the only two teams that can pull of a white/single color look.

 

Tampa - yep

 

Washington - I really don't like the black Capitol jersey (I would've liked the blue Screagle jersey to stick around as the home if they kept that set) but the current design has just aged so horribly that this isn't even a contest.

[SenatorJake]

1 hour ago, Klondyke said:

 

Worked as an assistant manager at SportsChek in 2010. Almost every fan I talked to wanted the pre-edge version. People would just find the CCM models at outlets or Ebay and get us to put modern names on them instead of buying the newer ones.

 

 

 

The 2007 design for the Flames was even worse than what you're showing here.

 

Truly one of the worst re-designs of 2007. Absolutely brutal.

 

My opinion is that the Flames uniforms never should've changed after winning the Stanley Cup in 1989. That's the perfect look for them.

[SenatorJake]

3 hours ago, ruttep said:

Colorado: Slight downgrade to the home jersey, more significant downgrade to the road jersey

 

Dallas: Slight downgrade, I love the star jerseys

 

 

CONTROVERSIAL OPINION INCOMING: These two teams (in their current cities) have never looked better than they do now.

[SFGiants58]

Colorado looks so much better with blue equipment and blue numbers, IMO. 
 

The  one controversial take I’ll have about Edge is that San José’s pre-Edge design wasn’t all that bad. It was very of its time, but silver was still prominent in the color scheme and the anime shark wasn’t there. I don’t like the Edge and post-Edge sets very much (too muddy-looking and a terrible crest design).

[ruttep]

4 hours ago, SFGiants58 said:

Colorado looks so much better with blue equipment and blue numbers, IMO. 
 

The  one controversial take I’ll have about Edge is that San José’s pre-Edge design wasn’t all that bad. It was very of its time, but silver was still prominent in the color scheme and the anime shark wasn’t there. I don’t like the Edge and post-Edge sets very much (too muddy-looking and a terrible crest design).

 

The Sharks' current uniforms are a welcome change from the Edge designs. They pay homage to the original set while removing silver from the color scheme (I think silver is unnecessary). I actually like that it has a custom font, I don't think the Sharks looked right in block (or block-adjacent) font. The one change I'd make is to make the helmet and pants black, especially since the road jersey has black numbers. 

[Morgan33]

2 minutes ago, ruttep said:

They pay homage to the original set while removing silver from the color scheme (I think silver is unnecessary).

 

I disagree.  The original scheme was perfection.

 

[YelichGraphics]

 

[Sport]

On 9/18/2024 at 5:10 PM, Morgan33 said:

 

That is an absolutely beautiful jersey.  Why they ever moved away from this is beyond me.

my favorite thing about it is how the stripe on the left sleeve is higher than the right so they line up with the different angles of the hem stripe. Small detail that most people wouldn't notice or care about, but demonstrates some extra thoughtfulness in the design. 

[PlayGloria]

38 minutes ago, YelichGraphics said:

 

 

Aeros??? That would be sick. One of my favorite hockey jerseys ever.