Sens Talk Black
Wednesday · Nov 19 · 2008 | 12:27 PM PST
There are a couple of new items on the Ottawa Senators' official web site regarding their new black third jersey. I posted a leaked picture of the new sweater last night.
The Senators have announced that the new alternate uniform will be unveiled to fans on Saturday at 3:04 PM when the Sens take to the ice against the New York Rangers. Hm, two jerseys with only text on the front.
An excerpt from the team's announcement outlines their third jersey past:
This is the club’s third alternate jersey. The first, which was primarily red, was introduced in November 1997 and then became the official away jersey for the 1999-2000 season. The second alternate jersey featured an updated version of the black road jersey and was first used during the 2000-01 season.
Sens alternate captain Chris Phillips had some interesting comments about the sweater.
"I think they look great," said alternate team captain Chris Phillips. "Simple – I love the black. I think they're doing a great job on them. Last year they sat the whole team down, had some different options to look at. They took input from the players and everyone around the organization from what they thought looked best, and this is what they came up with and they did a great job of it."
See? Not everybody hates black.
Along with the above news item, a feature was posted on the Senators' web site talking more about the jersey. The team's marketing VP had a little more to say about the decision to go back to black.
"We looked at a couple of different colours in terms of considering designs," said Jeff Kyle, the Senators' vice-president of marketing. "The feedback we received indicated black was the preferred choice, so we went in that direction." ...
New this time, though, are laces that tie together at the collar — a Senators first. It’s the ultimate in retro jersey styling.
"Doing that distinguishes it from the other jerseys that we’ve had in the past," said Kyle.
The Sens also confirm the jersey will be worn 15 times at home throughout the season, including the next four home games.
I'll be updating the sidebar calendar in the next day or so to reflect all the new third jersey schedules that have been released.
Reader Comments (9)
I'm pretty sure calling this jersey in anyway "retro" is a smack in the face of anyone who actually respects the history of this club.
They showed him the wrong jersey- nobody in their right minds would call that thing simple.
Craptastic. The tie-up collar is nice, but the "side panels" and random underarm striping are unforgivable. As someone else mentioned, this would have been a good time to bust out the barber pole "O". A missed opportunity.
Well of course management and players won't say bad things about the third jerseys when asked in public, they're the ones who are selling the brand and enticing the fan base to go out and spend their money on the new merchandise.
HOLD IT! Jeff Kyle? Alright, you and I need to have a chat. First off, what kind of marketing analysis did you look at? Sure, everyone likes seeing the Sens in black, but how many times, including the petition to have a black version of the "O" jersey, did fans want to see a retro version of the 1927 barber pole jersey? Look, I'm a Sens fan, born and raised in Ottawa, and I will NOT be buying this jersey! I supported the rbk edge look (buying BOTH the red and white versions) last season in hopes that a decent and respectable 3rd jersey would arrive this year. While I have yet to see it on the players, it will be the fans who are choosing to buy this or not. Back in Black? Sure. Back in Style? No. GO SENS GO!
Still hoping it turns out better on ice than in the leaked images...
The O jersey would've been awesome, but I'd even settle for our old black thirds over these new ones.
They already have these for sale @ Jersey City in Red Deer, Alberta!
Who the heck did Jeff Kyle take feedback from? Not the majority of Sens fans, that's for sure. The players on the Senators must be full of orginality to suggest black and a scripted logo to the organization.... They should read up on the history of the old Senators and the signifigance of the "O" logo for a change....
I will add one more thing. Living in Toronto the past 2 months, I have noticed that their third jersey is spotless...it (I hate to say it) looks awesome. Why? It has IDENTITY all over it! I mean, blue and white, simple enough, the only thing that they can change is the logo. For Ottawa, our red, black, and white scheme needs to be looked at, as it is the only thing tying our team from the past (up to the 30's) to the present. Solution? Bring back the white jerseys we had pre-edge era (the ones we wore to the finals) with the updated 2D profile logo, and make a black version of that as our home and then make a 3rd jersey honoring our past with the stripes and the "O"......Just to mention Kevin Lowe's statement regarding the Oilers new third jerseys this year honoring their past.....he said that it was the blue and orange uniform that they experienced the most success. Likewise, Ottawa has had the most success in their previous white jerseys, they've had those from the beginning and should continue to do so. Heck, maybe the Sens recent struggles aren't based on their play at all, maybe its the fact that they don't recognize each other out there on the ice! Bring back what worked and go sens gO!