Sneak Peek at L.A. Prototypes?
Wednesday · Oct 6 · 2010 | 8:20 AM PDT
Kings prototype jerseys?A couple of Los Angeles Kings fans say they got a sneak peek at what might be prototype jerseys.
One reader sent in this photo (right) in which we see two white jerseys draped over a couch in Luc Robitaille's office at the team's practice facility in El Segundo.
Robitaille is the Kings' president of business operations. And the sweaters feature the logo currently in use on the team's black third jersey. The anonymous shutterbug included the following in his email to me:
They're white versions of the Kings current third jersey. One is an inverse version and the other has the colors reversed on the arm bands. I actually think the silver band with black trim looks really sweet.
You can see a pair of matching socks underneath as well. Looks like maybe the Kings are thinking of switching their black thirds to full time home jerseys at some point, with these as the road version. I sure hope so; these look great.
If these are in fact actual NHL prototypes, the Kings wouldn't be the first team to be going retro, as that's become a welcome fad as of late. When this crest was introduced in 2008, it was meant to evoke the team's black-and-white era of the late '80s and '90s. So what's going on here? Are the Kings looking to drop the purple again?
Here's another theory: Maybe the NHL is considering going back to whites at home. Many fans want it. The league designated white jerseys for road games beginning in 2003. (That was also the year that broke hockey — they switched the jerseys, my Lightning won the Stanley Cup and then all NHL hockey ceased for more than a year!)
If the league were to go back to whites at home, it might be wise for some teams to have a white alternate uniform as an option. And if these jerseys do ever see the light of day, it will be until 2011-12 at the earliest. By the way, I have absolutely no basis for this theory.
Photo by Kasey SpatzIf anyone can make out details in the photo and wants to take a shot at some concept art, I'd be happy to get it on the site.
One more Kings thing. While they still haven't given us any official details, there's more evidence that that team will be wearing throwbacks on Saturday night for the season opener in Vancouver.
In this photo (right), presumably taken at the same facility as the one above, Kings D-man Matt Greene is breaking in his purple and gold gloves during training camp.
Thanks to Josh for sending this in!
By the way, in case you missed the link earlier, there's an article in the New York Times today about the return of retro sweaters to NHL hockey. I was interviewed and quoted in the piece, and Icethetics gets a shoutout!
Reader Comments (42)
Rich Hammond (I believe), the Kings official blogger, said they were breaking in their new gloves and pants at practices and whatnot.
A very interesting note though: ironically, Greene's injured and won't even be on the ice for that game in Vancouver, leading further evidence to suppose that the Kings will be wearing this specialty uniform multiple times throughout the season. No other reason for Greene to be breaking them in, right?
Oh, and as for the jersey... that looks nice, although if true, I'm a bit disappointed they're removing the purple from their scheme full-time. IF (and that's a big "if") they do make this switch, there has to be purple in the alternate. Either a full-purple jersey (like pre-Rbk), the current home as the alternate, or use the purple jersey they wore pre-Gretzky.
Even though their only Finals appearance was sans-purple, the Kings just wouldn't look right without it in their color scheme.
I know people love that 3rd Kings jersey, but I for one hate it. That logo is horrible. I understand the origin of it blah, blah, blah, but I just don't think it's anything special. Maybe because I hated the Gretzky-era silver unis as well. Am I alone here? I LOVE the black, purple and silver look of the crown and shield. Those were/are some of the best jerseys I've seen in a long time.
It's interesting to note that those supposed prototypes aren't simply just a white version of their current alternate. If you look closely at the bottoms, they have horizontal bars similar to the old 80s and 90s sweaters, while the black alternate simply has two thin silver and white lines running along the bottom.
I think that the Kings would be smart to go this route as I've always thought that the black, purple, and silver colour scheme looked awkward. Now if only my Oilers would get rid of their pajama-like white away jerseys in favour of a white version of their orange and blue one.
Pretty sure one the Jr Kings teams uses that jersey.
About people wanting white at home. White at home really is not traditional. They originally wore color at home. The only reason people think its traditional is because thats what they saw growing up. The Rangers should be wearing blue at the Garden, they're the Broadway Blueshirts. Another idea is to do things like soccer and let the home team pick what jersey they wear at home
For more pics from the person who shot that one of Matt Greene shown above, please feel free to visit my Flickr account.
Maybe we'll get the 4th jersey program up again like Anaheim did in the 90s?
there is a professional roller hockey team out of the LA area that uses a white version of the kings 3rd jerseys as one of their jerseys... LA Pama cyclones... reebok sponsors them as well so that could be where these jerseys are from
Dan -
You're not alone. I happen to be one of the few people to own one of those new-fangled color TVs. I like the Bruins and Hawks in their black/gold and black/red/yellow respectively, but other those those two...color please. I would be happier if they would go back to Lakers colors permanently.
Scotty Snowman-
Those aren't full stripes around the waist. What you see on the bottom is the two silver and black lines. It looks like the full stripes because it's one jersey on top of another.
Possibly, there are even more prototypes underneath. I think this will be a permanent change in a year or so, we have already had one sign with the players wearing the thirds in the playoffs (even though it was the players choice.
THANK you, Quisp. My sentiments exactly. It's my main beef with the NFL, also. What did I get a color hi-def TVfor, to look at navy blue, dark green, black and brown? I don't think so.
Using the third full time would be a big mistake for the Kings. Im all for going back to those colours but the current third is a trainwreck of bad design starting with its simplistic clip arty logo. The shield is embarassingly simplistic and the crown that serves as their current primary is way too detailed to shrunken down to such a degree. If they are going to jump on the throwback bandwagon they should do it right and bring back the Gretzky era jerseys.
I think I must be the only one who DOESN'T like the black/white thirds, and I especially don't like the purple/gold. I think the current black/purple set is great, especially the crown. Trust me, I'm all for traditional looks in the NHL, but nothing says "Los Angeles" better than a huge crown and sparkly-silver letters and numbers. I think the Kings current set is great, and like I said, I know I'm in the minority with that.
I think this would be a great move for the Kings. I love their thirds and a white version would be nice.
The only problem is the logo on the thirds. I am not a huge fan of it. However, it doesn't bother me. Maybe a crown logo on the black/white set would look good?
Looks like there is another `prototype` in between the two jerseys. You can just see the top of a logo. I could be wrong though.
The crest is bland, i hate the Reebokified elements. Why don't they just go back to the original crown, or gretzky era crest?
My biggest issue with the Kings' design has been the same since its inception in 1998: the fonts. I've always hated those numbers, and the NOBs look weird. And the font used in the shield logo and on the bottom of the front of the current regular jerseys... no, just no. Bring back classic block numbers, or go with something that doesn't look like it was scrawled on the back of some high school metalhead's notebook.
The third logo itself is not very good, either. I get that they're trying to invoke the original 1967 banner logo (which was never a uniform logo), but that "LA" in that font totally wrecks it.
@Kent S.
It's hard to tell, but that third prototype looks like the current home and away logo on a Washington Capital template.
I liked the silver and black era kings uni's. Understand though the need for color in the NHL. But if they do decide to go back to the black and silver "raiders" uni's I agree on just go full boat and bring back the 90's jersey logo and all.
Hey guys I hate to burst your bubbles but I know first hand from a very reliable source within the Kings that these jerseys are in fact jerseys for the LA Jr. Kings Peewee AAA team that goes to Quebec every year. The Kings have no plans to change their jerseys anytime in the near future. Sorry to ruin the fun.
@JR KINGS regardless that does not mean it could be in the cards and these are a product test if thats the case. Look at the pens winter classic, that design (well 99% of its elements) are from a peewee/ Jr. team... and guess what, now its gonna be a NHL jersey. ;)
Aside from the fact that the players themselves last season said they like sporting the black and silver thirds over the normal home uni's.
I'd love to see the Kings lose the purple. I prefer the Raider's template over the Lakers.
Also, I'd rather have teams where their colors at home. It makes sense. You wearing your teams colors to support them. The C of Red in Calgary would suffer.
I still love the 2000s purple jersey the most out of any Kings jersey, but their current set is just fine. Honestly, I wouldn't mind seeing them flip the purple and black on the home unis (black yokes and armbands, purple jersey) and then keep the white and alternate as-is. The Kings need a purple jersey AND a black jersey, not 2 black jerseys. I do agree with most people here, though, on the alternate. Love the design, iffy on the logo. But as an alternate, it does the job. Just make the home a purple version of the current home and be done.
I don't really care for them. Call me old fasioned, but I think the KIngs should go back to the purple and yellow.
White at home? Heck no. Red at home for the Hawks!
Purple and yellow for me too.
while it's not a bad jersey, i think LA's current black/purple/silver is too unique to let go. if LA changed the black alt to home, and this prototype to the away, then we'd have another bland black and white team with a drab design in front (in the pacific division no less - thanks Dallas).
also, no need to go back to purple and yellow full time, that's really the Laker's identity. LA really doesn't need to change a thing imo.
I think the black and white/silver 3rds are horrible, in large part due to the atrocious logo. It ruins a jersey set that would otherwise be among the best in the league, IMO. However, for some reason I like this white one a lot. If they could somehow redesign the black jersey to be more appealing (i.e. removing the atrocious shoulder striping and adding more striping on the bottom to break up the black) I could go for a return to the Gretzky-era colors.
I've never been a fan of that black and white logo. It looks like something a kid would draw. The crown is actually more retro than that hideous thing, even if it is more modernized than the yellow and purple one from long ago.
Ugh, bland as hell, give us some color! At least keep the purple, and go back to using the shield or at least the crown. I've been arguing for years that the NHL should do jerseys the Premier League way. Let a team make two jerseys, any two colors, let the home team pick which they want to wear, and the away team chooses as well, making sure not to match color with the home team. Simple as that.
Bleys, that's not too big of a deal in the Premier League because they're not travelling as far or as often as NHL teams. One of the reasons they switched to "colors at home" is so that equipment managers didn't have to bring both dark and whites on the road, should the home team want to wear their alternate.
Black and white is the look. They just need to put a decent crest on the front of the third jersey.
Just another poster confirming that these are indeed the jerseys worn by the Pee Wee AAA Jr. Kings.
I do not believe these are actually the Jr. Kings jerseys, because at least one (the one with the large black sleeve stripes) appears to have black Edge piping on the sleeves (visible above the stripes). The uniforms the Jr. Kings wore in Quebec were not Edge jerseys, but had the traditional cut, and no piping down the sleeves, as seen in the Quebec galleries here: http://www.flickr.com/photos/jrkings/sets
Something is being considered here, whether it be an Edge set for the Jr. Kings, or a new uniform for the NHL club, because there wouldn't be multiple designs otherwise. And say what you want, that jersey on the right is not the same as the one on the left.
I much prefer the coloured jerseys at home. The visitors can don the very generic white jerseys.
They look like the 90's jersey
So if the League is planning on switching back to having white at home and dark for the road, would it be safe to think that perhaps when that happens the Canucks might take their 40th anniversary jersey and use that as their alternate or perhaps change it up a little where they have the modern retro logo version instead of the original logo, although I don't know if that will be the case that white alternates will take over, cause if memory serves, was it not still during the era where dark was the away jersey, that alternates were born and during this time alternates were used on the road anyway. So to me it would seem more of an indication that the kings might in a couple years be switching to the silver black and white as their primary jersey? I mean considering that during last years playoffs they wore nothing but the black alternate at home, and it seems to be a very popular jersey among the fans. but this is just my 2 cents.
2 players for the Beach City Lighting Bantam B hockey team in Anaheim California were wearing these last night at practice... apparently the Kings gave them to them for participating in an on ice comp at a recent game.
They were the White with Black arm bands.
VERY sweet jerseys in person, much better than the current black "pajama" version.
The Kings without Royal Purple? It would be all wrong. OK as a third or alternate as now, but only occasionally. The pre-Reebok white jersey was one of the best ever, not as good without the stripes at the base. And the pointed shoulders were much better than the Reebok rounded ones. The black home uniforms aren't as good, but as reversal of the whites, understandable. The return of the original purple and gold uniforms as an alternate shows just how good those uniforms actually were. Please keep them and wear them more often. Would be very pleased if those returned as main uniforms. I was actually a fan of the all-gold home uniforms of the 70's, but those probably wouldn't fly today. Hope to see them as an alternate sometime. Hope the commenter who said the jerseys in Luc's office were for the junior team is right, and that they have no plans to eliminate purple. The Reebok jerseys as a whole are a leaguewide disaster.
The current Kings uniforms (aside from the 3rd/alternate) are among the worst in the league...yes, right there with Anaheim, Atlanta, Nashville, and Columbus. They're way too busy, the logos and font are a tacky attempt to look modern/futuristic, and the "Los Angeles" on the bottom of the front is one of the most atrociously misplaced things to ever appear on any sports uniform ever. Also, why bother bringing in the purple without the gold? All I could think when I first saw these uniforms was Sacramento Kings/Colorado Rockies (also two of the worst uniforms in their respective sports).
Although Chicago is my favorite team, the Kings became my 2nd during the Gretzky years. Anything they wore prior to the current design would be better, and at least if they're going to move towards the current 3rd/alternate design it would be a step in the right direction.
Keep it simple. Less is more. Silver and Black would be best. No purple without gold.
Forum blue and gold, baby.