NHL 2011-2012: Possible Uniform Changes

[elliott]

I find the jersey design of the Sens alt to be just as atrocious as the script. The piping, the cut off striping, the weird wavy red patch going down to the hem, the hems horizontal striping that makes it even more random, and the poorly executed collar all complement the stupid "Sens" moniker, the gold outline in only one place, and the drop shadow. It's probably my least favorite jersey in the league.

[spartacat_12]

^so why was the Bolts third jersey not held in the same regard? As far as I can recall people don't seem to have much of an issue with that jersey as they do the Sens one. Both jersey templates aren't very traditional but if I had to make a choice, I would choose the Sens design as it looks meaner and more slick.

Don't get me wrong, I don't like the jersey but I don't hate it like the overwhelming mojority seem to.

The "bolts" jersey has been just as criticized as the "sens" jersey around these parts if my memory serves me.

Except for the fact that the Bolts jersey at least had the letters going the right way. Western English readers read from top left to bottom right. That's why jerseys with words on them diagonally usually follow this standard. The Sens sweater (and the redesigned NHL logo) go the opposite way so they eyes and the brain have to work just that little bit harder to comprehend what they are seeing. Perhaps that explains the discrepancy, if there is one, in the acceptance of both jerseys.

Are you serious? I highly doubt that anyone tried to read thisand got a headache because the script is slightly tilted.

[evanmaldonado]

^so why was the Bolts third jersey not held in the same regard? As far as I can recall people don't seem to have much of an issue with that jersey as they do the Sens one. Both jersey templates aren't very traditional but if I had to make a choice, I would choose the Sens design as it looks meaner and more slick.

Don't get me wrong, I don't like the jersey but I don't hate it like the overwhelming mojority seem to.

The "bolts" jersey has been just as criticized as the "sens" jersey around these parts if my memory serves me.

Except for the fact that the Bolts jersey at least had the letters going the right way. Western English readers read from top left to bottom right. That's why jerseys with words on them diagonally usually follow this standard. The Sens sweater (and the redesigned NHL logo) go the opposite way so they eyes and the brain have to work just that little bit harder to comprehend what they are seeing. Perhaps that explains the discrepancy, if there is one, in the acceptance of both jerseys.

Are you serious? I highly doubt that anyone tried to read thisand got a headache because the script is slightly tilted.

AHHH what a headache now

[Bayne]

^the angle of the sens wordmark is not a valid argument. Infact I prefer that over the steep downwards angle of the Bolts logo.

[IceCap]

The veined leaf is horrid and overly-detailed. We don't need yet another NHL team hopping on the full-time retro-for-retro's-sake bandwagon.

A team that's been around for almost a century wouldn't be going "retro for retro's sake."

I'd like the current Ballard leaf a lot more if they replaced the Kabel Bold font with the font from the 1967-70 leaf.

[BBTV]

^so why was the Bolts third jersey not held in the same regard? As far as I can recall people don't seem to have much of an issue with that jersey as they do the Sens one. Both jersey templates aren't very traditional but if I had to make a choice, I would choose the Sens design as it looks meaner and more slick.

Don't get me wrong, I don't like the jersey but I don't hate it like the overwhelming mojority seem to.

The "bolts" jersey has been just as criticized as the "sens" jersey around these parts if my memory serves me.

Except for the fact that the Bolts jersey at least had the letters going the right way. Western English readers read from top left to bottom right. That's why jerseys with words on them diagonally usually follow this standard. The Sens sweater (and the redesigned NHL logo) go the opposite way so they eyes and the brain have to work just that little bit harder to comprehend what they are seeing. Perhaps that explains the discrepancy, if there is one, in the acceptance of both jerseys.

I don't really see that as being a huge deal. They're panned because they use unofficial nicknames rather than the proper club name - like "fan" or "fashion" jerseys. They both look unprofessional.

[OMMF]

^so why was the Bolts third jersey not held in the same regard? As far as I can recall people don't seem to have much of an issue with that jersey as they do the Sens one. Both jersey templates aren't very traditional but if I had to make a choice, I would choose the Sens design as it looks meaner and more slick.

Don't get me wrong, I don't like the jersey but I don't hate it like the overwhelming mojority seem to.

The "bolts" jersey has been just as criticized as the "sens" jersey around these parts if my memory serves me.

Except for the fact that the Bolts jersey at least had the letters going the right way. Western English readers read from top left to bottom right. That's why jerseys with words on them diagonally usually follow this standard. The Sens sweater (and the redesigned NHL logo) go the opposite way so they eyes and the brain have to work just that little bit harder to comprehend what they are seeing. Perhaps that explains the discrepancy, if there is one, in the acceptance of both jerseys.

I don't really see that as being a huge deal. They're panned because they use unofficial nicknames rather than the proper club name - like "fan" or "fashion" jerseys. They both look unprofessional.

Didn't say it was. Just suggesting why one might be slightly more accepted than another, per the original statement.

[Gothamite]

Could be, but like BBTV I think the original statement was in error.

[Sport]

At least "sens" is an abbreviation of the nickname. "bolts" is a nickname of a nickname. Putting that on an official team uniform was bad form. If you want to be called the bolts then change your name to bolts.

Itd be akin to the Cleveland Indians wearing a jersey that read "tribe" or the diamondbacks wearing an alternate with the word "snakes" on it.

[BigBubba]

The Leafs will go back to their 1967 unis

Lightning will become the Tampa Bay Maple Red Wings

Kings will wear their 2011 alternate at home, a white version away, and have the 2011 home as their third along with the purple throwbacks

Pens will wear Winter Classic as their third

Isles are apparently gonna put *gulp* BLACK into their third next year. When the finally got it right, they'll just screw it up again...

[BigBubba]

I'm not really feeling that. IMO, it would have been nice if they went with this sweater:

...with the fonts from this one:

Brings back too many Harold Ballard memories

[IceCap]

This wouldn't be to bad....

[knnhrvy16]

This wouldn't be to bad....

And there's our winner. I think that'd be a great change for the Leafs. I like that font better than the current, personally.

[Gothamite]

This wouldn't be to bad....

And there's our winner. I think that'd be a great change for the Leafs. I like that font better than the current, personally.

As do I. The current font is generic; this one is so much more interesting.

I'd really prefer they go back to this:

The shape, with its clearer point and vertical orientation, is far more pleasing to my eye. But at a minimum, the old wordmark would by itself be a huge upgrade.

[uniformity]

if people are going to get up in arms over the jets using a maple leaf because there is already a team called the maple leafs, why does columbus get a free pass to use a star as their logo?

A million teams in the US use a star in their logo. A star is incredibly generic. It's not the same thing as using a maple leaf. Personally I find it annoying when any team in Canada feels the need to add a maple leaf to their logo. It's like they're reminding us that Canada has no culture other than beer and hockey.

Reading is fun and informative!

Reaction to the Jets logo is pretty funny, we've heard it's round, blue with a two toned silver jet, and has a maple leaf and everyone is saying it's the best thing ever. lol, let's see it first. I agree with one of the above posters about feeling disappointment over the fact they're relying on the maple leaf design element crutch. It's becoming as played out as the Texas state flag and lone star motif is done in Texas. An air force inspired look would be awesome though. The Air Force ice hockey team and the Houston Aeros have shown that some pretty good looks can be pulled off with that theme.

Well if they're going the Air Force route they kind of have to use a maple leaf since, you know...

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Roundel_of_the_Royal_Canadian_Air_Force_%281946-1965%29.svg

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:RCAF-Roundel.svg

I mean if you want to see them go the air force route it kind of has to reflect the Canadian air force, no?

Again, how is the maple leaf motif overplayed in the NHL? Toronto has it. It's relegated to the back of Ottawa's helmets (a logo that, according to the team, isn't even official). Calgary's use of the flag is stupid for reasons unrelated to the maple leaf as a design element. Montreal, Vancouver, and Edmonton don't use it. So where is this "they're overusing the leaf" sentiment coming from?

Yes, McDonalds Canada uses a maple leaf on the golden arches, and yes it's stupid. How that effects the NHL is beyond me, however.

Yeah my post doesn't read at all like I meant when I re-read it. lol

What I'm trying to say is I think the air force theme could work really well. My (separate) point about the maple leaf being it seems to be lazily slapped into a lot of logo packages...

Well if the Jets go with a RCAF/CFAC theme then the maple leaf wouldn't be lazily slapped on, would it? The maple leaf is the central emblem on the RCAF/CFAC roundel. From all reports the Jets' new logo is a homage to the RCAF/CFAC roundel, so the leaf works. You say the Blue Jackets get a pass on using a star because the flag of Ohio features stars prominently. Well the emblems of Canada's air force feature a maple leaf prominently. Consistency, man. Consistency.

...not exclusive to the NHL but across all levels of hockey. A contingent of fans do lap it up though so I guess you can't fault someone for playing to the crowd.

First of all, NHL teams and teams in the minors do not play each other. From a design standpoint each league exists within its own vacuum. Who cares if the leaf is overused in the minors? It's not in the NHL, and further the Jets' use of the leaf would entirely be justified if the logo homages the emblems of Canada's air force.

Secondly, is the leaf overused in other levels of hockey? Turns out it isn't.

The AHL has four Canadian teams. Hamilton, Toronto, St. John's, and Abbotsford. Toronto uses the leaf (two actually), but then again they're the farm team of the Toronto Maple Leafs, so can you blame them? Hamilton doesn't use the leaf at all, St. John's hasn't unveiled their identity yet, and like their parent club Calgary, Abbotsford's use of the Canadian flag doesn't integrate the flag into the team's identity, it's stupid for unrelated reasons. So only 1 of 4 AHL Canadian teams use the leaf, and their parent club is the Maple Leafs.

The ECHL doesn't have any Canadian teams.

The C(entral)HL doesn't have any Canadian teams.

The LNAH has 7 Canadian teams. Not a single one uses the maple leaf as a design element.

The OHL has 18 Canadian teams. Not a single one uses the maple leaf as a design element.

The QMJHL has 17 Canadian teams. Not a single one uses the maple leaf as a design element.

The WHL has 17 Canadian teams. Two use the leaf. Vancouver and Victoria. Victoria could be given a pass, given their patriotic name, but we'll include them anyway.

So across the primary minor leagues there are 63 Canadian franchises. 3 of them use the maple leaf as a design element. 4.76% of minor league Canadian hockey organizations use the leaf. Even across "all levels of hockey" use of the "design crutch" that is the Canadian maple leaf is rare. Even if the St. John's AHL franchise does use a leaf, it wouldn't raise that percentage substantially. So I ask you again, where is this "the maple leaf is overused" sentiment coming from?

As an experiment I counted all the American teams across these leagues, noting the ones that made use of patriotic American imagery.

The AHL has 26 American teams. 2 make use of American imagery as a design element. Houston and Rochester. Houston's is understandable, as like the new Jets, they're going with an air force theme.

The ECHL has 20 American teams. 1 makes use of American imagery as a design element.

The C(entral)HL has 17 American teams. 1 makes use of American imagery as a design element.

The LNAH doesn't have any American teams.

The OHL has 2 American teams. 1 makes use of American imagery as a design element.

The QMJHL doesn't have any American teams.

The WHL has 5 American teams. 1 makes use of American imagery as a design element. Like Abbotsford we won't count Spokane's use of a flag.

So across the primary minor leagues there are 70 American franchises. 6 of them use American imagery as a design element. 8.57% of minor league American hockey organizations use American imagery. As it turns out American imagery is more of a design crutch then the Canadian maple leaf.

What does this all mean? The "the maple leaf is a design crutch" complaint has lost all validity, at least until that 4.76% comes up a bit

The notion that a large number of Canadian hockey teams use the leaf as a design crutch is unfounded.

I gave my opinion about Canadian teams using the maple leaf. I still don't know why you think your useless survey is relevant to MY OPINION or why you always have such a smug attitude. I hope for your sake that you are not as rude in real life as you are on this forum.

[Morgan33]

I gave my opinion about Canadian teams using the maple leaf. I still don't know why you think your useless survey is relevant to MY OPINION or why you always have such a smug attitude. I hope for your sake that you are not as rude in real life as you are on this forum.

Yeah Ice Cap is really smug and rude... the way he disparages an entire country by saying it's only culture is hockey and beer...

[Sodboy13]

I gave my opinion about Canadian teams using the maple leaf. I still don't know why you think your useless survey is relevant to MY OPINION or why you always have such a smug attitude. I hope for your sake that you are not as rude in real life as you are on this forum.

I blame Asperger's Syndrome.

[IceCap]

*hard numbers and facts that apparently count only as "opinion"*

I gave my opinion about Canadian teams using the maple leaf. I still don't know why you think your useless survey is relevant to MY OPINION or why you always have such a smug attitude. I hope for your sake that you are not as rude in real life as you are on this forum.

Opinion has nothing to do with it. My "useless survey" uses hard facts, numbers, that are not subject to your opinion. This isn't up for debate. The numbers indicate that less then 5% of Canadian hockey teams use the leaf. So your opinion is wrong. End of discussion.

As for being rude, you claimed my entire country's culture is nothing more then beer and hockey. I simply did some research and crunched numbers to see how common a particular design element is among our hockey clubs. I'd say you were the rude one.

[troy_3223]

Protip: Simply highlight unwanted text from quotes and delete to save screen space!

The notion that a large number of Canadian hockey teams use the leaf as a design crutch is unfounded.

I gave my opinion about Canadian teams using the maple leaf. I still don't know why you think your useless survey is relevant to MY OPINION or why you always have such a smug attitude. I hope for your sake that you are not as rude in real life as you are on this forum.

You're entitled to your opinion, but if you don't want it subjected to simple logic or analysis, keep it to yourself. Opinions can be wrong, if they are based on fallacy. Pointing these fallacies out is not smug or rude. That opinion is wrong as well. I hope for your sake that you are not as childish or illogical in real life as you are online.

Example - a racist may base an OPINION about a race of people based on his encounters with two or three members of that race. He uses inductive logic to extrapolate an opinion about the race in question.

We all know (most of us, I assume) that this OPINION is WRONG. (I'm using bold letters because you seem to understand that. And yes. Now I'm being RUDE and SMUG)

Now go learn something else.

[IceCap]

I gave my opinion about Canadian teams using the maple leaf. I still don't know why you think your useless survey is relevant to MY OPINION or why you always have such a smug attitude. I hope for your sake that you are not as rude in real life as you are on this forum.

I blame Asperger's Syndrome.

Tourette Syndrome, actually.