12 Preseason Letters to NHL Teams
I'm about to step away from Icethetics for quick vacation to the Big Apple. So I put together this blog post to hold everybody over until I get back. And as an homage to Jimmy Fallon — whose show my wife and I hope to catch while in NYC — I've prepared preseason thank-you notes to 12 NHL teams.
Dear Anaheim Ducks,
Thank you for celebrating your 20th anniversary by making all your players wear an ugly patch. They'll never think twice about it. But I will die a little inside every time I see it.
Dear Viktor Fasth,
Thank you for this kickass mask. I eagerly await watching you wear it on October 13.
Dear Boston Bruins,
Thank you for turning 90 in style. Some people may not appreciate your simplistic anniversary logo, but I admire how it blends brilliantly into your brand and bears the six stars that signify your Stanley Cup championships. Here's to another six Cups and the next 90 years.
Dear Buffalo Sabres,
Thank you for proving to the conspiracy theorists that your new third jersey isn't a hoax by including it in your new media guide this year. And don't listen to all the haters. You have to have a little fun with your third jersey, or else what's the point? So let's give it a year or two and then try something else. Also, thanks for putting the captains' patches on the shoulder instead of the chest. Gives everybody a little something to freak out over.
Dear Carolina Hurricanes,
Thank you for looking just as generic as I expected in your new jerseys. It means I don't have to eat my words. Also, thank you for playing a red/white scrimmage so I only had to look up one photo.
Dear Dallas Stars,
Thank you for looking positively stunning in your new uniforms. It's about as good as a hockey team can possibly look. Like I told the Hurricanes, I appreciate not having to eat my words. In particular, thank you for bringing more green to the NHL. I'm forever grateful.
Dear Detroit Red Wings,
Thank you for wearing straight nameplates during the preseason. It's a huge burden off your equipment staff, who don't have to worry about cutting custom arches for more than 60 guys, two-thirds of whom won't even be with the team in a week. Also, it helps keep my email and Twitter stream filled with questions about why you're changing your uniform. Just like every September.
Dear Los Angeles Kings,
Thank you for changing the wordmark your players wear on their helmets. Sure, it may seem like the most innocuous thing in the world, but to some, you might as well have changed your colors to pink.
Dear Minnesota Wild,
Thanks for rocking those ravishing new road jerseys. Wouldn't change a thing.
Dear Montréal Canadiens,
Thank you for adding accent marks to your jersey nameplates. I'm sure Daniel Brière and other French speakers can appreciate it better than I can. But mainly, thanks for not posting any preseason game photos to your website. I really like having to scour dozens of video clips to find a clear, legible shot of this most minor of uniform changes.
Dear Nashville Predators,
Thank you for changing your socks and pants. You know what I always say: If there's room for blue, there's room for gold. (Admission: I've never said that before.)
Dear New York Islanders,
Thank you for wearing your special Brooklyn patch during your special Brooklyn game. I know it won't be long now before Brooklyn becomes your permanent home and you wear a permanent Brooklyn patch. Until then, I'll treasure this special Brooklyn patch from this special Brooklyn game. Brooklyn forever. Brooklyn.
Dear San Jose Sharks,
Thank you for going on that diet this summer. The weight you lost really shows. Really.
Sincerely,
Chris from Icethetics
Chris
It was inevitable in a post this long that I'd overlook somebody. Thanks to Twitter friend @JoeyLeizerowitz for reminding me I'd missed this one.
Dear Florida Panthers,
Thank you for wearing the Dos Equis logo on your sweaters this season. You may not be the most interesting team in the world, but at least you have bubble gum and two decades of history to look back on. Sorry for forgetting about you.
Sincerely,
Chris from Icethetics
Reader Comments (31)
Did you notice the Wild also went from plain green pants, to adding the primary logo to the right leg? Did it for the red at home and you can see it in the pic above from on the road at Winnipeg. They didn't have that in the promo pictures for the new road jerseys with Harding and Parise.
You really need to remind the Stars that you do NOT represent all hockey fans. Those hideous green cartoons leave so much to be desired, I'm frankly shocked anyone could like them.
Wine with your cheese?
I think the Ducks deserve at least a little thanks for finally upgrading their alternate logo to primary (http://news.sportslogos.net/2013/09/23/anaheim-ducks-swap-primary-logo-with-alternate-for-2014/). If only they'd scrap the wordmark from the homes and roads altogether.
So, you deride the Ducks' anniversary patch, but praise the Bruins' patch? Actually, the whole article has me scratching my head at the childishness.
Chris, this was awesome. Perfect summary and some great humor. Up there with one of the best posts.
Dear Ken,
Thank you for being the buzzkill. We all need people like you to remind us that life is not meant for having fun and we should all be a little less childish. Thanks for visiting a blog about hockey logos and trying to take it seriously. That takes special skills.
Chris, first off, great post. I agree on nearly all fronts. I am scratching my head a little as to why you like the B's anniversary patch and not the Ducks'. Do you feel that the Ducks' does not fit into their branding as well?
@NHLJeff: Yeah, that's part of it. I don't think Anaheim has a strong design and there's nothing that ties it into their look. Plus it's got gradients which you know I can't get enough of. To me, there's no comparison between the Ducks' and Bruins' anniversary logos. They have all the same elements — as all anniversary logos — but stylistically, they're completely different.
Scott Gomez is staring RIGHT INTO MY SOUL. And it's freaking me out. Can not unsee.
BrianB23, I don't know what you're looking at, because those Stars jerseys are nothing short of beautiful. Great, fun blog post Chris.
Seeing teams do things such as LA changing their helmet logo irks me to no end. "If it ain't broken, don't fix it." What is so hard to understand about that? Same goes for Nashville's socks, which now look ridiculous when they used to fit seamlessly into their uniform set.
The most powerful images included here are the Hurricanes practice and the Sabres' two third jerseys. Carolina looks super generic. Like, beyond generic...if that makes any sense. By the jerseys not having any character, the players suddenly seem as though they lost any personality they ever had.
The Sabres image just makes it so obvious that Buffalo can never quite do anything right. Even when they actually made the perfect third jersey a few years ago, they still found a way to screw it up
I may be in the minority on this, but I actually like the Red Wings' preseason NOB font more than the regular season one. I wish they'd just use it all year round.
I like the Perds sock and pants change. I think it adds a little more to the jersey kits.
I don't understand the Ducks' logos. So the 'D' is now the primary logo, but they're not going to use it on their home or road jerseys. So what makes it a primary logo, then?
Excatly what was wrong with the Duck 20 patch???
University of North Dakota Stars? Or Fighting Stars?
I think I like the new Shark unis a little more when I see it on the ice as opposed to before.
So the Hurricanes look generic, while the Wild and Stars have extremely similar white jerseys that get praised as amazing....hmm ok, that makes sense...
Still have no idea how you like the Bruins' patch but not the Ducks'.
I personally think the Bruins one is more dated and amateur looking, as well as more obtuse and doesn't fit their look as well.
To each their own I guess...
So the Red Wings nameplates are just for the preseason? Also, I still think the Sharks jersey looks incomplete (go back to the complete look from the 90s, blend the classic template with the unique colours) and that the Hurricanes look stepped way back.
Haha I love Fallon's thank you's too so this def cracked me up. Chris the Ducks patch isn't that bad however I totally agree it can be so much better, like they could've incorporated the Duck mask in there such as putting it in the "0" or using some elements from their alternate shoulder patch to tie in the past with the future. Anyway I'm very satisfied and relieved that we're finally going to see those purple/eggplant Mighty Ducks unis & that sick retro mask back in action. You really cracked me up with Red Wings pre-season name templates and I don't understand the logic behind the Preds sock change, looked better with more blue, however the stripe was a nice touch.
So you insult the Ducks for their 20th anniversary logo, then praise the Bruins for their 90th anniversary logo. Even though they are almost exactly the same, minus a couple tiny stars. Nice consistency.
I'm a puzzle.
@ Puckfan12: The Wild finally matched their sets a bit more. They get praised because traditional jerseys suit them. The Stars finally got rid of the collegiate look. They get praised for the same reasons as the Wild. The Canes threw away their unique look that was popular with the fans and others, for a fauxback look just for the sake of it. It's not the principle of traditional jerseys that's bad; it who uses them and how they are used.
@BrianB23, I'm with you on not liking those Stars Unis. While it is an upgrade, I'm not a fan of the logo and the elimination of gold.
@Goodsonsabres, I went to the Sharks game last Saturday, and after seeing the new unis on ice, I have to say I'm liking them more. I just can't get past the single orange stripe on the arm.
Why the sarcasm for the Isles Brooklyn patch? First game in a new building, seems appropriate. I'd agree with you if they were wearing it all season while still playing in Nassau, but it was just one game...
I personally like the ducks anniversary logo the most out of the three and i think the preds had one of the best sets in the league and i dot like the sock change because it doesnt match the striping on the jersey
Just my opinion
As a fellow Fallon fan, I'd love to see you incorporate an icethetics version of Late Night Hashtags
How about
Dear Calgary Flames,
Please make up your mind about the third jersey you may or may not be releasing this season as not only are we waiting but many of us with NHL 14 would be rather angry if we have to wait until the season to unlock all those nice new jerseys (Sharks home and away,Wild away,Sabres third) that are stuck behind a code when you decide to NOT get a new third.
So I Implore you to make an announcement and stick with it.
Dallas' set and Minnesota's away are some of the best in the league, but some people will keep drinking that haterade =P
Dear Los Angeles Kings,
I have 2 complains for you. The first one is that Frozen Fury XV is being played and you guys didn't wear a patch. You have the logo designed, so why won't you wear it. The last one is that you NEED to bring back purple. It's the heart of the franchise.
From,
Stephen