Chrome Logos for Stadium Series
Tuesday · Nov 12 · 2013 | 9:09 PM PST
Effected logos to represent seven participating teams
Today, in a bizarre move, the NHL unveiled a collection of what it calls "chrome-treated" logos for the seven teams participating in the 2014 NHL Stadium Series. In essence, it was the result of someone goofing around with Photoshop — a fact eluding exactly no one. But there were some interesting revelations to discuss.
First, a new version of the New York Islanders primary logo was added to the mix — without the map of Long Island, the wordmark or the classic blue circle. The team has never used the NY on its own before. But check out the graphic posted on the front page of the Isles' website today.
It shows us that the new logo — un-chromed — was designed to sit on a blue background. So it appears we should be anticipating a blue jersey for the Isles' Stadium Series appearance.
By the way, said jersey is now on sale to Islanders' season ticket holders — sight unseen, no less. I'm not sure I could bring myself to part with that much money to buy something I've never seen.
The chrome logo for the New Jersey Devils re-introduces an old color palette. Green is back! But does this mean the Devils will simply break out the throwback jerseys they've been wearing in recent years for St. Patrick's Day? Based on what I've been hearing, I'm not so sure. Read on, I'll explain.
The Isles and Devils will both face the New York Rangers at Yankee Stadium in late January. And while this chrome-ified shield would indicate a Blueshirts throwback to the 1970s, I understand this logo will be little more than a shoulder patch.
The Rangers are known for the diagonal text across the front of their uniforms, and it may well be "NEW YORK" on the chest rather than the club's nickname — not unlike their Heritage Jersey, which debuted in 2011. Something to keep an eye on as we wait for the unveiling.
Speaking of which, the Rangers' own press release tells us the league will reveal all of the Stadium Series jerseys together "in the coming weeks." When that is exactly is anyone's guess.
The Los Angeles Kings are going back to the crown for their Stadium Series logo. But note the conspicuous lack of purple. Perhaps a sign the Kings could sport a Gretzky-era look? Maybe, but again I'm not so sure. Stay with me here.
The Kings' Dodger Stadium foe will be the Anaheim Ducks. But didn't we hear recently that Mighty Ducks might be making another appearance this season? Not if we assume this logo is the crest of the team's new sweater. On the other hand, I do still expect it to be orange. This would allow the Kings to wear black or white.
The Chicago Blackhawks and Pittsburgh Penguins will wrap up the Stadium Series on March 1 at Soldier Field. But their fancy chrome logos give us nothing. They're exactly the same as their existing primary marks — you know except for all that fancy chrome stuff.
I swear I did a logo treatment like this for Icethetics several years back. I'll have to try to track that stuff down. It didn't last long because you guys told me it looked terrible. And it did. Guess no one told them.
Stadium Series aesthetics will not be inspired by tradition
Since 2008, we've become accustomed to outdoor NHL games requiring a certain historical aesthetic. It's right there in the name. The Winter Classic. The Heritage Classic (double there!). Teams wear throwback jerseys and the whole event is designed to evoke feelings of the game's origin out there on the frozen pond in a world that could barely imagine our immense 20,000-seat arenas.
But there's a reason they didn't call this the Stadium Classic Series. (And it's not just the extra syllables.) The word "classic" conjures old-time hockey thanks to the Winter and Heritage Classics. It's my understanding the NHL is going in the opposite direction for these events. In a way, the goofy chrome logo treatment is to get fans out of that retro mindset.
It's right there in the Rangers' press release, actually.
The NHL also unveiled today the NHL Chrome Collection, chrome-treated team logos specifically designed for use in connection with the 2014 Coors Light NHL Stadium Series™. The Chrome logo designs are unique to the NHL Stadium Series and inspired from the chrome details on the NHL shield, bringing a dynamic and modern perspective to conventional team identities.
We might be wise to read a little more into that last line. Bringing a "modern perspective to conventional team identities." Likely a frightening thought to the traditionalists among us, but probably an important idea to consider.
In fact, someone with knowledge of the Stadium Series jersey designs recently described them to me as "futuristic." Later, another source told me the NHL and Reebok took the lead designing them. The teams were merely "consulted" as opposed to being directly involved.
Think about that as we wait for the league to finally unveil the jerseys. What sort of futuristic ideas could you imagine Reebok incorporating into these new uniforms?
Reader Comments (57)
Coors Light NHL Stadium Series... chrome logos.... are all the teams going to look like Coors Light cans?
Sounds like we will not see the jerseys many of us were hoping for (like early 90s Pens jerseys).
I'm scared. Please don't butcher the Devils' look, would you just die already Reebok?!
Futuristic jerseys scare me when the Rangers and the Blackhawks are involved. They have no reason to change.
Also does it mean that in the future, all teams will have similar styles to these jerseys? Is there a need to put a modern twist on a jersey that is only a couple years old?
I guess the one saving grace is that the teams didn't have much input in the designs, so if they fail bad, then hopefully there is no chance of them infecting the rest of the league.
Orange versus black for the Kings-Ducks game would look so good on the ice.
Paul D., it won't be black, however, we think the Orange on "dark" will look awesome!
As far as the Kings logo is concerned, there's just something about pewter...
@Brandon
As a big Devils fan, those are my thoughts exactly.
I'm totally cool with the red & green throwback for this event, but it would be a punch in the gut to have anything else, let alone a "futuristic" reebok-tailored atrocity.
In that event I would voice my opinion by not opening my wallet for it.
I'm probably in a very small minority here, but this sounds like great news to me. Uniform design in the NHL has been completely saturated with traditional looks; as nice as matching, straight waist and elbow stripes look, it's getting boring to see every "new" jersey look like a throwback. Even if most of these are terrible, hopefully they'll be interesting, and maybe one or two can be great.
Dear Hockey Gods,
Please smite those who chose to revamp the design of hockey, league-wide. Please strike down those who attempt to reimagine hockey sweaters just as the Looney Tunes were reimagined for the future as "Loonatics!". Please lift the curse of the NHL itself having a piss poor record of ever designing a jersey that looked remotely good (see: every all-star game ever).
PS: If you could stop sport manufacturers from influencing team identity and design, that would be nice. Or just end reebok altogether. Thanks.
These are gonna be one off games, I'm hoping the teams go all out and try something new and exciting. I think the idea of futuristic jerseys is a great way to try and break the mould of current jersey design norms.
Scott is right, even if they are terrible as a group, one or two could be winners. I'm tired of throwbacks, give me a throw forward.
I'm a Devils fan and I'm hoping the jerseys don't break with tradition too much. That said, I think a jersey with green as the primary color would be cool.
If they did decide to go with a classic look, I'd suggest the Colorodo Rockes colors with a Devils logo.
When all is said and done, as long as the beat the Rangers, I don't care what they're wearing!!
As a fan of the throwback and fauxback looks, this is not exactly great news. When I think of "futuristic" hockey jerseys, I think of the new Buffalo alternate, the Atlanta Thrashers, the Buffaslug, the bad Edge templates (PIT, OTT, etc.), and the mid-90s sublimated alternates. These are not good jerseys.
But I'm still hopeful. That simplified Isles NY on blue could look amazing. And I don't think the Pens could look worse than their boring current home/away set.
And I'm glad this futuristic aesthetic doesn't apply to the Heritage Classic.
What sort of futuristic ideas could I imagine Reebok incorporating into these new uniforms?
My god. I can't imagine. It will probably involve borrowing the ugliest new details form the aesthetics of the other big 3 & NCAA sports uniforms.
Teams not in control of their looks? I foresee disaster. For course, one of these games should be a disaster, Wild Wing vs Burger King needs to happen.
As long as "fake laces" aren't part of the design....
I fear the word futuristic. There are so many ways that it can go bad.
I am sorry.
I can not get the image of the MLB Turn Ahead The Clock jerseys out of my head after reading this.
Cant wait to see the jerseys, especially what the isles bring us this time. Love or hate their changes they never fail to do something different. Perhaps the long island map will be part of the jersey design itself?
Also I'm pretty happy to hear about a new direction for jerseys. Ever since the induction of the winter classic in 08 the majority of teams progressively switched to classic teaditional looks where now most normal team sets are pretty much throwbacks. So maybe we're back full circle to the mid nineties and the third jersey and specialty jerseys will become non-traditional experiments. Would be cool and different, especially now that we will have the first outdoor game scheduled at night with isles and rangers.
I think the "Chrome" is more about advertising than hockey. It will relate to the Coors Light can / Silver Bullet. The NHL will ruin the idea of the Annual Outdoor Game with this stunt... BTW: havent we had enough of the Penguins in these outdoor games???
Not that I expect it to happen, but this would have been a prime opportunity for the rangers Statue of Liberty logo to be brought back into the fold. Those uniforms had a futuristic vibe to them.
"Later, another source told me the NHL and Reebok took the lead designing them. The teams were merely 'consulted' as opposed to being directly involved."
Last time that happened, Mike Keenan threatened to forfeit a game over those hideous St. Louis Blues alts. And now that same attitude is being applied to classics like the Devils and Blackhawks jerseys? I have a bad feeling about this...
Anybody here remember Major League Baseball's "Turn Ahead the Clock" uniforms? The Mariners in bizarre red-and-silver gradients instead of blue and green? The Pirates and Angels in eye-searing red vests? Gigantic logos? The Mercury Mets?
(Oh, and after the Fishsticks and the black 3rds, I'd never buy an Islanders jersey on faith.)
I bet $100 that says all the uniforms have the same template with only colors changes specific to each team... and that template looks something like an all-star game template... perhaps and all-star game template that didn't get used last year if you catch my drift....
Basically, if I understand correctly, all the teams will look like tin man ? Yeah, it's gonna suck the big one ! I now expect that I'll like a total of zero Stadium Series jerseys......GREAT
_Note that the Islanders logo on the NHL site is the only one with TM rather than ® next to it. This signifies that although it still receives trademark protection, it is not yet a registered trademark with the Trademark Office.
I know it is common practice to put TM on all marks, but I wonder if the Islanders see this as a distinct and new logomark, and not merely a zoom in on their existing logo for this one time event. I have a feeling this mark is going to have staying power.
Rod - it's all about the ratings & ticket sales (well, jersey sales too...) And the Pens are one of the league's "ratings" teams - just look at the Wednesday night "rivalry" games on NBCSports:
10/30 - Pens vs. Bruins
11/06 - Pens vs. Rangers
11/13 - Pens vs. Flyers
11/20 - Pens vs. Capitals
I'm a Pens fan, and I think it's ridiculous, but apparently casual fans only watch if Crosby or Ovechkin (or both) are on the ice; or at least that's what the NHL and NBC think...
This Isles mark has been used before sporadically on apparel, and is currently on the left side of Nabokov's mask.
All this is very scary. The league is diluting its brand with all these new childish logos and outdoor games. Bettman should have killed theses ideas right from the beginning. This is roller-hockey territory.
Reebok in control + futuristic = bad news, very bas news...
Chrome! Brushed aluminum! Inner bevels! Drop shadows!
It's like the early-mid 2000s all over again! All we're missing is the glass-bubble filter!
It'll be interesting to see "future jerseys" just once. And here 'a for hoping on the Ducks wearing chrome orange helmets!
Honestly as a lot of the comments have pointed out "futuristic" has already be done. I stunk then and it stinks for the All-Star sweaters. There is a third path which is modern or contemporary. Not bounded by tradition but not wacky for the sake of wacky. This would go nicely with a lot of the minimalist logos and uniforms that have been offered in recent years. It's also not without precedent, as one could argue that the 70s and 80s Leafs were an attempt as a modernist and minimalist hockey look. Make it look like it was designed by Mies van der Rohe not a 15 year old.
Nick, you are correct. The jerseys are said to be "cookie cutter", with slight exception on the LA Kings jersey.
Not sure where I heard it (somewhere from the Ducks camp) but I heard they were going to do something along the lines of the old jersey pattern with the new colors. Might have been from Adam Brady's twitter after they announced the stadium series.
When I first saw that Isle's mark I immediately thought Brooklyn. I thought the logo would be foresight into a future look with the orange stripes as a tip of the hat to the Long Island years, but after hearing other people I guess it's a rarely used alternative logo. The Devil's logo IMO looks great. I hope this results in them wearing their throwbacks, but white (the edgified white throwbacks have been in EA's NHL the past few years despite never appearing in real life). The Kings just updated the crown logo to exclude royal blue, and honestly I can hardly tell the difference between the chrome and standard version of the black, silver and white crown. This is a really bad gimmick, but at least it gives us an idea of the direction NJ and NYI will head.
We all know what happened last time Reebok went for "modern"... PIPING for you and you and for you too!
Although I wouldn't completely hate if the Penguins did a new gradient for ONE game. I think that could still qualify as futuristic.
I look at these and I can think of was that ProSet did all the current logos in "metal" way back in their 2nd series for the 90-91 season.
Loving that Devils with the green back.
yep, have to agree with the people who are worried about this, i can see sublimated 'euro' style jerseys (HATE those things) or something like the sharks plain as possible template, the lack of the team's input is also something i'm not a fan of.......
Remember when Vince McMahon tried to modernize football with the XFL? Look how that panned out Mr. Bettman, and tread carefully. I'm all for trying new things but I fear this will turn into just another cartoonish sideshow. With all the shiny stuff I'm going to have nightmares of the Coneheads on ice.
As long as no one has "He Hate Me" on their jersey we might be okay lol.
"the NHL and Reebok took the lead designing them" - "What sort of futuristic ideas could you imagine Reebok incorporating into these new uniforms?"
Just use the NHL and Reebok designed All-Star Game jerseys ('11-'12) as an example of a futuristic design. By the sounds of it, I think we'll see entirely unique jersey designs, with elements never seen before.
I scanned through most of the comments, and I think I'm in the minority. Assuming the stadium series jerseys are going to have a future look to all of them, then this is the perfect way to do it.
If ugly, the League would get the blame here, so no team is singled out for making a poor choice. And, if these things are the monstrosity everyone thinks they will be, so what? Tried it, hated it, moving on. It was just for a couple of games for a couple of teams. No big loss if they look horrible.
To those who say "But these are huge TV games! The League will look like idiots to the casual viewer." Anyone who only tunes in for just the stadium games is probably not going to notice the jerseys as an eyesore. They won't be that bad. You know what does look bad to a casual, non-hockey viewer? Some of the retro jerseys traditionalists like. Like the Christmas jerseys the Devils wear. To a old-school hockey man, those are classics. To a newcomer, they scream Christmas and can't be taken seriously.
Now, if the teams hit the ice and look awesome to all, then it allows for more concepts to be attempted in the future. The fact that seven teams will wear something new is great because it gives a good sample size. If they just did it for say the Kings and Ducks and both uniforms were horrible, it dies. On the other hand, if the Kings and Ducks "are bad but man those Rangers and Pens sweaters were amazing! I even liked the new Hawks jersey," then yay! Teams wanting a new look can go forth with some knowledge of what fan expectations are and what is possible with the new look.
Even if this turns out to be a bunch of games where it looks like a group of C-3PO's faced off against the Tin Men from Wizard of Oz and I cry and Chris cries and we all cry together, then the League won't do that again. Jerseys are an important money maker for the NHL, so they won't screw around with bad concepts League wide for long. A horrible black Islanders jersey now and again? Sure. A swing and miss Carolina boring red? Okay. The word Bolts? It will happen. But these are isolated to individual teams and they are making individual mistakes. There is not a system wide failure in the look of the NHL. Reebok template restrictions included.
Don't forget your history kids. The League will change the home to dark and the away to white for the sake of profit, but it will also curtail a St. Louis trumpet sweater. It cares about the direction of the look as much as profit. It's a fine line. This foot in the water is a great way to move forward if successful or quickly snuff out in the event of a failure. The NHL knows all too well that there would be riots if all teams were forced to move into the future with new looks. The Leafs won't do it. Same with the Habs and even Philadelphia. But for other teams, like the Sharks or Canucks, the Stars or the Sabres; all these teams have shown they will change course in looking for the new. Unleash them in a world of awesomeness, should they so choose. The NHL will still be a safe haven for traditionalists. For heaven's sake, they still play for a trophy that's been around since 1893! (sorta. I know, not the original bowl- I have Wikipedia, but you get my point.)
Now, as a NHL fan who lives in Atlanta, I will go back to sighing into my Thrashers' jersey as I read the latest standings at nhl.com from cities that still have hockey (beyond the ECHL). ...The blue jersey with Atlanta down the sleeve. Or the old road ones with the secondary logo and wings. Not that red BMX word mark thing. If only that stupid red jersey was the only thing Atlanta Spirit Group did that mad hockey fans in Atlanta vomit...
It's the NHL parroting the NFL Super Bowl logo.
I think you guys are getting carried away with the "chrome" and "futuristic" nods. I feel the chrome is mostly branding and advertising and won't be part of the actual game as much as you guys are thinking. As far as the "futuristic" hints, you guys gotta settle down first until you see them.
Like another post said, there's another path that's modern or contemporary. If these are one of jerseys, now's the time to do it. During the Coors Light Stadium Series.
Nobody said these were going to be XFL games. It's a chance to try something new without going completely overboard. Just try to think about the new Tampa Bay jerseys, or even the Pens back in the mid 90's. Those were modern reimaginings and they turned out just fine, only these will be used solely for 1 outdoor game, and maybe used as a 3rd for a year, provided fans like it and it gets good feedback.
The NHL has messed up in the past, but so have a lot of other leagues. It's par for the course. You get over it. If it turns out to be a permanent thing, it's usually not for very long, and that's when bigger and better improvements get done. Just look at the Maple Leafs Reebok Edge jersey history. You bite the bullet for a couple years, and then eventually you've got one of the nicest sets in the league.
It feels like Bettman can't trust the organizations to play ball with him and his insane plans. Sure Gary, they'll give you "Metropolitan" and not bring back S-N-A-P for divisions. But fool with an O6 sweater and you'll be shipped out. So, he somehow gets Reebok to team up against the league to make creative decisions. I agree with Rob S. that we leave them to their own devices, you end up with piping filled foolishness. I suppose making all of the sweaters look similar is one way to trick people like me who think the outdoor concept is being diluted, into the idea is really is one series and not in any way a money grab of tons of games.
I fear like Sweden feared Nike's submission.
@TJ, Edmonton's Heritage was played at night. Also, the one in Pittsburgh was delayed until nightfall, IIRC. It would be a return.
@Jesse: I'm with you on not putting the cart before the horse, but so it's clear, the "futuristic" description came from someone who actually has seen the jersey designs.
@chris Absolutely, and that's fine. But I'll argue that there are some people in the know that come up with these concepts that are not as invested in them as you and I would be. Therefore, when someone says "futuristic," their articulation of the design comes into question just a little bit.
@JYA any reason why the Kings jersey is a different design from the rest?
I'm just hoping that the Heritage game will still be done as a throw-back and not a flash-forward.
Chris, it's not stated in the article but do you know if the person with knowledge of the designs has seen anything for the Vancouver match-up?
Oh no, we might only see "traditional" and "classic" and "iconic" looks for 81 games plus playoffs! Somebody do something!
Count me among the blessed few who think actually seeing something new and different beats the umpteenth rehash of a design that already exists. At WORST, it should be a glorious disaster, and in all likelihood at least a few of the designs should look pretty sharp.
Assuming one can detach oneself from 1942 for a whole game, anyway.
I understand that the Stadium Series uniforms will supposedly be "Futuristic" however, when I see the Blackhawks in the Stadium Series knowing that they have always worn a traditional look, (Even the black third from the 90's had a traditional look as in the striping and the overall design since it was a black version of the white jersey.) I can't see the Blackhawks having a radically different look compared to the looks they have worn throughout their long history. I just can't see them doing anything crazy and IIRC, the Blackhawks had that black 90's jersey in their store recently and that makes me wonder if that might just be what they end up wearing. I'm pretty sure I'm wrong on that but, it would make some sense if they do. The same can be said for the Rangers. I know that they wore the 'Lady Liberty' jerseys for years but didn't they show a picture of beige-colored retro pads meant for the Outdoor Games? I can't imagine a "Futuristic" look with beige goalie pads. Finally, what about the Devils? Their logo is in red and green and Lou Lamoriello is against new uniforms but these are supposed to be brand new. Maybe the logos will be "Chrome"? I am out of guesses, I don't have a clue as to what they have got up their sleeves but man, I am curious to see what these look like.