NHL changes for next year

[KrazyHorse]

An interesting read from Mike Heika of the Dallas Morning News...

http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dw...ka.30f658b.html

The final version of next year's jerseys will be at this year's All-Star game.

[fonz]

Oh no!

[ebod39]

the writer is wrong on one thing, it was not Reebok at the Torino olympics, it was Nike who rolled out their "SWIFT" jersey. He at least could've looked that up.

The comment by NHL executive Bill Dalys' comment, " horizontal striping is possible, but that it would probably negate some of the positive performance aspects of the new jersey. " is total bull$***. They can do horizontal stripes, it has absolutely NOTHING to do with the performance of the fabrics. It can be sublimated, which weighs nothing and can still have "wicking" properties. Which by the way, this whole "wicking" thing, means nothing if the fabric isn't against the skin to pull the actual sweat away. It may pull some away from the pads but what the fabric will do is stay drier and weigh less over the course of a game. They're talking about having a coating on the front, like stain resistant khakis, so when players drink water on the bench, it just runs off the jersey and not soak it up. They continue to put "dazzle" fabric on these jereys as evident on the Sabres unis, which is a horrible non-breathable fabric, so IMO, they're contradicting themselves

[Hat Boy]

The final version of next year's jerseys will be at this year's All-Star game.

These jerseys have been in development for almost 2 years?? I think it took NASA less time to build space suits.

[The_Admiral]

When you put it that way, it really seems ridiculous, doesn't it? At some point you just have to figure that the "performance-enhancing" qualities of a new hockey sweater are probably negligible.

[BBTV]

the writer is wrong on one thing, it was not Reebok at the Torino olympics, it was Nike who rolled out their "SWIFT" jersey. He at least could've looked that up.

The comment by NHL executive Bill Dalys' comment, " horizontal striping is possible, but that it would probably negate some of the positive performance aspects of the new jersey. " is total bull$***. They can do horizontal stripes, it has absolutely NOTHING to do with the performance of the fabrics. It can be sublimated, which weighs nothing and can still have "wicking" properties. Which by the way, this whole "wicking" thing, means nothing if the fabric isn't against the skin to pull the actual sweat away. It may pull some away from the pads but what the fabric will do is stay drier and weigh less over the course of a game. They're talking about having a coating on the front, like stain resistant khakis, so when players drink water on the bench, it just runs off the jersey and not soak it up. They continue to put "dazzle" fabric on these jereys as evident on the Sabres unis, which is a horrible non-breathable fabric, so IMO, they're contradicting themselves

He probably means that the jerseys would need to be untucked to display the horiz. striping, negating the "performance gain" that the tucked model would provide.

[Chazberg]

I love the line that says

"Hockey has historically had heavy jerseys that were baggy, which the league decided not only are hot and uncomfortable, but encourage defensive players to hold."

Like, oh, the league decided? So the fact that the actual guys playing in them hate them doesn't mean :censored:? This is such complete BS. I honestly think this could lead me to stop being a hockey fan.

[hecticbro]

How the hell could this lead you to stop being a hockey fan?

[kiwi_canadian]

Is it me or do the new Sabres socks kind of look like the swift style used in the Olympics?

[Jezus_Ghoti]

I honestly think this could lead me to stop being a hockey fan.

That sounds absurd at first, but I find that I am thinking the exact same thing. In fact, just thinking about how terrible this league-wide unveiling is going to be has made me try to distance myself from hockey.

I know that this is going to be the single worst event in the history of North American sports uniforms. As someone who cares deeply about uniforms (like many of us on these boards), I am dreading the day when we see how bad the league has messed this up.

[hecticbro]

If anything, it should improve the quality of play (which has needed improvement for quite a long time now) in the league. Sure, the teams probably won't look as good, but who cares when the games are more exciting?

[Jezus_Ghoti]

If you believe that changing jersey material will somehow make hockey (more) exciting, then PM me about some swampland I have for sale down in Florida.

[The_Admiral]

And I'll throw in the Brooklyn Bridge for free.

[cleckie]

Unless the existing uniforms are made out of chainmail will these performance enhancing materials really make a difference... I think not! I truly don?t understand the reasoning behind any of this. Quality designs sell jerseys not ?crazy? new fabric technology. And after all the craze over retro jerseys and designs do they not get that there is beauty in simplicity.

[spyboy1]

I would be really interested to see what the sales results were of the 2006 USA & Canada Swift hockey jerseys compared to something similar like the 2002 Salt Lake Jerseys or how each did compared to NHL jersey sales that year.

Not only were the Swift jerseys a departure in style and construction, they were a fairly noticeable increase in price as well. I'd like to know if they sold equally to 2002 or 50% less, etc.

The final version of next year's jerseys will be at this year's All-Star game.

Speaking of which...when do I get to see the new All-Star jersey anyway??

JeffB

[ElwoodCuse]

How the hell could this lead you to stop being a hockey fan?

Because it's yet another slap in the face of the true fans by the NHL in their retarded quest to "bring hockey to the masses" (i.e. make it mainstream in the U.S.).

The NHL is trying to fix stuff that isn't broken instead of realizing that they are and always will be a niche sport in America. They think they can laugh in the face of tradition because "the hardcore fans will always be there". No, NHL, I won't.

[Fred T. Jane]

Unless the existing uniforms are made out of chainmail will these performance enhancing materials really make a difference... I think not! I truly don?t understand the reasoning behind any of this. Quality designs sell jerseys not ?crazy? new fabric technology. And after all the craze over retro jerseys and designs do they not get that there is beauty in simplicity.

Then how come football kits are in the never-ending quest to be lighter, drier, and less wind-resistant than before? Need I bring up research regarding track and field uniforms and skin-suits in competitative swimming?

[ColeJ]

[Daly] said it was up to teams to decide what look they wanted for next season, when the NHL launches new sweaters for all teams.

that's fantastic news, because jim lites has already said that dallas will keep their uniforms conservative and old school, from this point forward.

he used to work for detroit, where he loved their old look... then went to the coyotes, and had a big part in sovietizing their sweaters.

maybe the stars can end up looking respectable.

but either way, i'm desperate to see the new all-star sweaters, myself.

[ElwoodCuse]

Then how come football kits are in the never-ending quest to be lighter, drier, and less wind-resistant than before? Need I bring up research regarding track and field uniforms and skin-suits in competitative swimming?

Because soccer players, swimmers, and runners

1. Do not wear bulky equipment

2. Do not wear skates

[ebod39]

Unless the existing uniforms are made out of chainmail will these performance enhancing materials really make a difference... I think not! I truly don?t understand the reasoning behind any of this. Quality designs sell jerseys not ?crazy? new fabric technology. And after all the craze over retro jerseys and designs do they not get that there is beauty in simplicity.

Then how come football kits are in the never-ending quest to be lighter, drier, and less wind-resistant than before? Need I bring up research regarding track and field uniforms and skin-suits in competitative swimming?

I would argue that footbal kits, track and field and swimming would gain from performance fabrics more because your skin is against the fabric and there's no padding or equpiment involved. There's no reason why a player won't play up to his potential whether his jersey is tucked in or out, baggy or tight. It's absolute hogwash to think that scoring would increase or the game would be faster if the jerseys were tight or tucked in. With hockey I see the merits to having a lighter weight fabric that doesn't soak up the moisture but to use that as a reason (or excuse) to radically alter the decorative aesthetic of a uniform is ridiculous. The Habs can still look like the Habs, the Thrashers can still look like the Thrashers without sacrificing horizontal stripes or the overall aesthetic for performance sake. I'll use the analogy of the Porsche 911. It's lines have remained the same while the performance has improved. You don't have to sacrifice good design

for performance capabilities.

The whole thing boils down to two reasons 1): Reebok is trying to put it's stamp on the NHL and history. They're paying a lot of cash for that contract and they're gonna make sure we never forget it. It's all marketing, they want to make sure everyone knows who outfits the NHL. 2): the NHL, as someone else stated is also trying to market itself to a broader fan base and move into the 21st century.