Canada's Olympic Jerseys Unveiled
Tuesday · Oct 8 · 2013 | 10:48 AM PDT
All photos from Nike
Official photos reveal differences from leaks
Canada's 2014 Olympic jerseys leaked not once but twice this summer. First, Jonathan Toews was caught modeling it in a photo shoot, then another photo popped up showing all three sweaters in a retail setting. So the official unveiling today from Nike was just a formality, right? Not exactly.
What we couldn't tell from those early photos is that the large chest and sleeve stripes don't extend all the way around the jersey. They stop at the player's side. There's a practical reason for this. A completely different (and more breathable) material makes up the side panels of the jerseys.
Another difference seems to be between the retail and game-worn versions of the jersey. In the retail store shot posted two weeks ago, 12 gold maple leaves are visible on the front, toward the bottom. (They represent the combined gold medals won by the Olympic and Paralympic teams, according to Nike.)
On the game version, the gold leaves are on the inside of the collar. Look closely and you'll notice that telltale faux lace-up collar protruding through. Not quite Reebok's "hanger effect" fad, but it does have something in common with the American jerseys now.
Another new detail is the shoulder applique. It's a maple leaf within a maple leaf pointing out of the collar. So far, only the Czech Republic has escaped this feature — what many here would likely call a scourge. Under those bright TV lights, it'll probably be more noticeable than you'd expect. We'll find out in February.
At this point, I'm counting 19 individual maple leaves on this jersey. Maybe going a bit overboard, Nike? In any case, these are the sleeve features. On the left is the Canadian flag — which we've seen before, and on the right are the Olympic rings — which we haven't.
Finally, there's the black jersey. This won't be the first time Canada has worn black, but all the gold makes it a bit odd. According to Nike's press release, it's there to "remind the world of Canada’s goal to win gold medals in Sochi." Everyone needs a reason for existing.
Many of you have probably said your peace on the previous leak posts, but if you have anything else to add, now's the time to do it. Do these slick photos from Nike make you like the new jerseys any better? To those who hadn't made up their mind today, what do you like/dislike most about the new designs?
Reader Comments (47)
They really look more like a long sleeved t-shirt as opposed to a hockey jersey. I can't see people flocking to buy one of these as the majority of all comments from multiple web sites suggest these are a complete failure. A real shame considering we only get one of these new Canadian jerseys every 4 years......all of a sudden, Carolina's jersey's no longer look like Team Canada. Coincidence?
Out of 10......2 at best.
Looks like a bike shirt company made hockey jerseys.
I think they look SLIGHTLY better than when I saw the leaks. I'm not sure if I'm a fan do this style of jerseys in general that Nike has been putting out. They look a bit too much like European soccer jerseys. That being said, I'm curious to see how they look on TV with players in full uniform. I do like the simplicity.
I guess the takeaway is that I'm not crazy about them at the moment (much like the US jerseys), but I'm open to see how they will look IRL.
You know what? They're all really growing on me, mostly because all new NHL jerseys are starting to look the same -- "retro," with nice straight, simple waist and elbow stripes, laces, and a shoulder yoke (but maybe it'll be square!). These are genuinely innovative for hockey jerseys, and that isn't easy to pull off without just looking stupid (see 90s thirds, Reebok's apron template, and most of Buffalo's uniform choices in the past decade). Not to mention simple, which Dallas and now San Jose showed can also be tricky. And I really have to think that the league is at peak retro saturation, and maybe something like this is next. I could definitely appreciate that.
The black ones are very slick, I really like them.
Is Nike purposely trying to make hockey jerseys look dumb?
They are starting to grow on me as are all of the other Olympic ones. Very crisp and clean. As I posted initially these remind me of '72 and how could that be a bad thing? Still not sold on the Canadian flag on the left sleeve, seems redundant to me, i do however like the Olympic rings and the clean back without the stripe extending around.
Lastly, is anyone going to care what they wore if they win Gold, not likely….
Average at best. Will the pants have stripes on them? If not, the black pants will look really out of place.
Still don't like them...but in looking at the close up photos of the actual game sweaters, I do notice some details that are definitely Nike trademarks. The main material looks like a Storm-Fit fabric they use on jackets and it looks like nothing is sewn onto them, either. Will numbers and nameplates add too much weight?
The photos on the top of the page (Mannequins?) make it look like these are slim fitting...has everyone forgotten that lots of use large people love hockey sweaters because they AREN'T tight??
I actually really like the main crest on the front of the two main jerseys, but that's about all that's good about these threads. I don't mind the idea of a black third but this one just looks so bland and boring. The single armband on each looks awkward to me, especially since they don't wrap all the way around. The crest looks great, which is a shame because the rest of the jersey is so bad.
My god, Nike really dropped the ball on this one. And I'm talking all the Olympic jerseys revealed thus far. The 2010 jerseys were fantastic, but these 2014 jerseys are just awful. They just look so... cheap I guess. The faux lacing just kills me. If they scrapped lacing to make the jerseys more "lightweight" then what's the point of having anything there at all? Anything screen printed just looks and feels cheap to me, like a fake jersey you'd buy at Walmart. Really disappointed, the 2010 jerseys (especially Canada's) were great.
I'm curious as to where the sleeve numbers will be placed?
Is Nike making hockey jerseys or mountain bike/cycling jerseys? So far every country's set that has been released has a great foundation, then it gets screwed up with all these new tricks Nike is presenting. Some work, some don't but overall I'm not impressed with any of the final designs.
The sleeve number will be on the shoulders (which looks dumb) instead of on the side of the arm (where they should be). Nike has been doing that since the swift jerseys. That is their thing i guess. I wish their thing was having good jersey designs.
I love them. Would I buy one no, I'd never pay $100.00 for any team souvenir but these are sharp, way nicer than last olympics which I hated!
I don't mind them. Of course the shoulder applique and faux laces are dumb. I'm still unsure about the asymmetrical sleeves on the red and white. I like the black, but that should be symmetrical - the one red arm band looks like the Nazis.
I thought that Reebok's ideas were bad at first, (Ottawa and old Tampa template, Edmonton old jersey etc.) But now Nike is ruining every countries sweater as if they are specifically trying to destroy hockey's aesthetics. At the very least the Canadian jerseys are simple and classy-ish compared to Russia and the Czech Republic's set.
I LOVE all 3. I'm so tired of people complaining that they look like soccer jerseys, as if thats a bad thing. Soccer jerseys are constantly updating and staying modern, with new technologies. Hockey fans seem to have one of the most old school mentalities when it comes to jersey design, always praising the same old school look. I use the new Dallas Stars jersey as an example. Shoulder bars and horizontal stripes on the sleeves and jersey bottom, the only thing new about that stye of design is the bright green colour. But everyone's been going crazy about them like they are the second coming of hockey jerseys. At least Nike is trying something different here, Just like they have done with a lot of college and NFL football jerseys, and I think it works. People are just to afraid of change.
Also its probably not easy to design brand new jerseys for 12 olympic teams when 10 of the teams have a colour palette of red and white, or red, white and blue. So far all 4 sets of jerseys have been unique and very distinguishable to which country it represents. Which I think Nike should be getting credit for. Remember the 1998 Olympic jerseys Nike made for Canada and the USA that were identical cuts with the red and blue swapped and different crests? Come on, BORING! You definitely can't describe any of these jerseys as boring.
One question about the Canada jersey though. Why is the Nike swoosh on the white jersey black? It bothers me, clearly it should be Red. Aside from that I'm really looking forward to the name bars and numbering on all these new uni's as I'm sure they will all be unique as well.
Bring on the booooooooooo's!
The way it see it, everyone is overreacting. These jerseys will likely only be worn for one tournament so I don't see what the huge deal is. Also I think that they represent Canada well. I Ike the front of the jersey especially, the bold stripe and the crest look good. But what I would like to know is their reasoning behind not having stripes on both sleeves. I think that with that they could've made the jersey a lot better overall. Still the best I've seen out of the ones that have been unveiled.
We'll Gary and Nike have dictated our countries hockey sweaters, sad day for Canadian Hockey Fans!
OK. Now that I've see them on the ice, I have to admit that I have changed my opinion of them.
..............THEY'RE WORSE THAN I THOUGHT! Never, EVER, let Nike anywhere near a hockey jersey redesign again!
Matt, the sleeve numbers go up on the shoulders, like a football jersey
Crap the first time we saw them, crap the second time, but for some reason now that we see them a third time......nope still crap.
Nike has successfully made the worst hockey jerseys I have ever seen, and an entire set at that. Not a single one of these Olympic teams have jerseys that look decent, and certainly none of the sweaters actually look like hockey jerseys. Please, Nike. Stick to football. Don't taint our sport any longer.
All of these look like utter and complete crap. They look like raglans/henleys. AND CHEAP! Like made at a boardwalk stand cheap.
The thing I don't like about these jerseys are the one armband feature. It's very "1940's." Besides, it makes them look uneven.
I'm not a huge fan of these sweaters, though I think they may end up looking pretty good on television.
I also did an interview about them on the radio show I host. Here's the link.
http://www.cbc.ca/airplay/episodes/2013/10/08/new-hockey-sweaters-garner-mixed-reviews/
These comments are so repetitive like i dont know how many people have said " It's a sad day for Canada " ... Stop your whining , These jersey dont even look much different some anything we have worn before LOL They are Red and white its pretty simple like was the stripe not big enought for you ? awwwwww and you dont like the Faux laces that you wont even be able to see when watching a game ( probably cause its for the players not you)
This isn't funny anymore, Nike.
Yyyyyyyyyyyyuck!!!
The shoulder leaves are not new. If you look closely to the retail picture and the Teows picture, the leaves are there.
Horrible, just horrible.
Its a bloody disgrace. Team Canada's hockey team should wear sweaters that look like hockey sweaters and never change. The 2010 set was the standard.
Would make a good t-shirt or sweatshirt, but as a hockey jersey it just looks wrong. The folks at Nike need to remember what it is they are designing when they are designing it.
I'm going out to get myself one of the discounted old ones now. All the new Nike ones are just so bad...
I went and checked them out at a local sports store. They suck. The faux laces are the worst idea.
The ONLY positive I can see coming from these is that it might make older, nicer jerseys less expensive.
after all the not so great reviews, icethetics should have a contest to let users design their own ideas of Team Canada jerseys?
At first i wasnt a big fan, but i saw them in the store and tried all 3 on. They are actually very nice jerseys and i think they will look great on the ice! Everyone hates change at first but i can guarantee by the time christmas comes these will be flying off the shelves. I will be buying a black one for sure! I think if eveyone seen one in person they will change their minds for sure! Go Canada
@JORDANB - can you please explain how the fake laces are "for" the players? How could they benefit a player? They can't possibly have any functional effect. They are strictly a design element which, love them or hate them, have no practical purpose whatsoever.
@ANDREW O - Nike has ruined football jerseys too IMHO. They don't even have sleeves anymore. They look like they are wearing their little sisters' cheerleading uniforms they are so tight.
IMO, Canada should boycott these Olympics! It's the only thing that can be done; the future of Canadian international hockey depends on the jerseys! If not, it's only a matter of time before Canada is relegated to the "B" tournament in Olympic hockey and the Worlds and World Juniors! OH, THE HUMANITY!!! X^C
I keep hoping that Nike is going to hold a news conference in a few weeks and say all the uniforms they've released so far are a joke and then show the real uniforms...
But as time goes on I'm beginning to realize it's not going to happen.
All of these comments that people dislike these jerseys because they are "new, modern or futuristic" are ridiculous. This is a website based on jersey concepts. Every single day we see new concepts and they often step out of the box. Many of these concepts that are "non-traditional" get rave reviews.
The hate for these jerseys have nothing to do with being afraid of change--it has to do with the fact that they are awful. Almost every person has pointed out the same flaws in these sets of jerseys, and simply negating these points with, "You're just scared of change" is ridiculous.
Conversely, to the small minority that do like the sets, it seems that most haven't actually pointed out what they do like. Everybody is entitled to an opinion, so instead of bashing others, why don't you point out what you like.
Can't wait to see all the Luge athletes wearing- wait, these are for hockey? Oh man...
If Canada wins a medal, and doesn't take gold, I hope they're not wearing their black jerseys at the time...that would look silly...silly-er....
I saw a set up of all three complete kits on mannequins in Yorkdale Mall yesterday and I must say that they look way better in person than any of the photos look, especially when just seeing the sweater alone. The black pants somehow make it work and the socks look good. (The red stripe on the black socks are too thin though).
The only major problem here (ignoring the face laces) is the asymmetrical sleeve stripes. They have been tried before and failed every time. It has never worked, does not work here, and will never work. If the sleeves matched, then this could be a good set. I think a lot of people will slowly warm up to them once they see the players in full uniform on the ice.
The black and gold jersey is the best one. The red and whites are too simplified, and too 'soccer-esque.' The Americans and Russians have beautiful jerseys. Why not throw on the Canadian coat of arms somewhere like a shoulder patch? The maple leaf is obviously a main focus, but Canada has other symbols too.
These make me ashamed to be a Canadian and a member of the human race. They're borderline criminal. Its absolutely shameful that Nike has done this to our hockey sweaters.
In regards to these jerseys, I really like the hat based on the 3rd jersey, but not much else.
Just for the record, the oval with the maple leaf and the Olympic rings is the logo for the Canadian Olympic Association. It's on everything having to do with Canada and any Olympics.