Leafs To Alter Game Jerseys - Plus Other Jersey Notes

This article originally appeared on The Fan 590 sports website.

Leafs To Alter Game Jerseys

By HOWARD BERGER

TORONTO (Dec. 13) – In the interests of marketing, the Maple Leafs will make slight alterations to their Reebok Edge jersey for next season; both the home/blue and road/white uniforms to be modified. When the Edge jerseys were introduced as part of a league-wide initiative with Reebok for the 2007-08 season, horizontal striping near the bottom of the jersey was eliminated for the first time, as was the “TML” shoulder patch that adorned the uniform since 2000. A league merchandizing source has told me that both will be returned to the Leafs’ jersey for 2010-11 – either a single or double horizontal stripe, and a shoulder patch of origin that has yet to be revealed. The club had a miniature Leafs logo as a shoulder patch from 1992-2000, then the “TML” design afterward.

The Leafs’ third jersey – a predominantly white replica of the mid-‘60s road uniform, with blue shoulder piping and the old-style 35-point maple leaf on the front – will remain in place, as it is both handsome in appearance and consistently marketable.

Other jersey notes, to this point, for next season:

BUFFALO is doing away with the so-called “slug” logo on both its home/blue and road/white jerseys, presumably returning, full-time, to the club’s original “cross-swords” logo, now in use on the throw-back third jersey.

PITTSBURGH will, somewhat unfortunately, retire its baby-blue third jersey – a replica of the late-‘60s/early’70s uniform – that came into vogue for the New Year’s Day outdoor game at Buffalo’s Ralph Wilson Stadium in 2008. The Penguins will introduce a new third jersey before next season. The baby-blue design, once worn by the likes of Andy Bathgate, Les Binkley, Jean Pronovost, Bob Woytowich and Glen Sather, was among the best throw-back jerseys in the league, but has apparently run its course as a licensing product.

NASHVILLE is said to be making a significant alteration to its original design – the dark-blue, gold, silver and white uniform it has worn since arriving in the NHL for the 1998-99 season [if the Predators find themselves in another city, the alteration could really be dramatic]. The Preds’ third jersey from a few years ago – a Dijon-mustard color – was widely ridiculed, but I thought it was rather striking. Details of the club’s new jersey to follow.

PHILADELPHIA is changing its current road/white jersey and will reportedly adopt the design used for the up-coming Outdoor Classic on New Year’s Day, a game against the Boston Bruins at Fenway Park. It is virtually identical to the home uniform worn by the Flyers during their championship seasons in the mid-‘70s, with orange piping on the exterior of the arm extending from shoulder to sleeve; large orange numbering on the back [outlined in black], and white-lettered name-plates on a black base.

NEW YORK ISLANDERS are apparently replacing their current white jersey, but no further details are yet available.

Comments

[Hockey Week]

Glad to see you back. Now that you're here, PuckDrawn is so much better than icethetics. Now that comments have to be approved before posting (and I've had my stuff edited before it got through), and Chris never gets around to approving anything, so that place isn't even good for discussion. Keep with it, hopefully people can flock to here.

[Mike Ivall Design]

Oh no I'm scared!!!!!!! What are they going to do to the leafs jersey next year?

[Ben]

I'm pumped for the Leafs jersey, just the other day i was complaining about how dull the leafs jerseys are, they're simple, but just too simple. They don't have enough character right now. I really liked the jersey they had before the RBK Edge era, and wish they had kept it. Glad to hear they're going back.

[Koho]

I read that the islanders are making their vintage third the home jersey and are making a matching vintage white jersey for away games, getting rid of the current set all together and having no third jersey.

[Ian]

I would love to see that Mustard Preds jersey make a comeback, I liked that thing from day one, and it does look a lot better in person than it does in pictures.

By the way, I have to agree with Hockey Week. Puck Drawn is far superior to Icethetics at this point. Chris barely updates and censors his comments because he got tired of getting called out.

Keep up the awesome work here at Puck Drawn!

[johnny griswold]

Guys, I appreciate the kind words, but I don't want this to be a sounding off board or a forum to put down Icethetics in any way. Chris does a really good job over there. It's hard to come up with daily content and he seems like a busy guy outside of the interwebs. Both websites can co-exist. Remember, it's just hockey art blogs.

[Ian]

Right there with you on both co-existing, I'm a regular poster on both. I simply think this one is better run. However, I still love and frequent both sites multiple times a day.

[Girls Games]

Thanks for the good article. I like this and I share this my facebook profile. My friends like this also..

Really Thanks..