1/27/2016

GOING OLD SCHOOL


Dave Babych and Mike Sillinger back in the day when the Canucks looked cool.

According to ESPN, the Vancouver Canucks are going old school against the Toronto Maple Leafs on February 13. Even if just for one game, it is sure nice to see this jersey making a comeback. It was worn between 89-97 (the logo dates back to 1985) and is one of the most iconic jerseys ever to appear in the NHL. For the 97-98 season, the Vancouver Canucks would scrap not only the logo but also the team colors.

Change isn't always good. Markus Näslund and the Sedins looking unhappy.

Why anyone would choose this whale-logo monstrosity over the awesome skate-logo is a total mystery to me. But one thing is certain, changing your team logo and jersey like underwear isn't the best way to create a strong team legacy, though it is a sure way to piss off a lot of fans.

Why Original Six era teams like Detroit, Montreal and Chicago don't change their uniforms every five minutes seems like a no-brainer. They have been around for eons, they have won a bunch, and you don't change a winning concept. Through the years even these teams have made changes to their look, but they are always minor tweaks that don't mess with the overall concept. 

Here are some notable examples of good and bad decisions concerning the team jerseys:


New York Islanders:

Clark Gilles, Bryan Trottier and Mike Bossy circa 1977-78.

During 1972-1995 the Islanders made close to no changes to their uniform only to suffer a total breakdown in 1995 where they changed everything and created what is surely one of the ugliest jerseys in NHL history. 

Darius Kasparaitis and Travis Green in the infamous "Fish sticks" jersey.

Fortunately, in 2010, they came to their senses and reverted back to their original design save for some minor changes.


Pittsburgh Penguins:

Entering the NHL in the 1967 expansion, the Penguins primary color was baby blue. In 1980 they changed it to black and yellow (while keeping the design). A change for the better if you ask me. The team was actually sued by the Boston Bruins, who claimed they had patented the color gold (yellow). Nothing came of that and the Penguins stuck with their colors until 2002, when they traded in the yellow for a faded and extremely dull goldish color. 

The Penguins 2007-2016 or...

In 2014, the Penguins brought back the old design and colors for their third jersey. Hopefully they will realize this is the way they should look in the future.

...the Penguins 2015-16 alternate jersey. You be the judge.

New Jersey Devils:

The Devils have been around since 1982 (when the Colorado Rockies were relocated to New Jersey), and since then they have made the least amount of changes to their jersey of all the teams in the NHL. In 1992 they swapped the green for black (the red helmet was also changed to black) and haven't messed with it since then. Also, the logo is unchanged since it was created back in 1982. Consistency is key.

Scott Niedermayer in red and green. 
Scott Niedermayer in red and black.

For more on this topic, this article by Paul Lukas is spot on: