Nike Unveils Olympic Team Jerseys

All images from Nike

United States gets classy new look for 2014

Nike has been using this week to unveil the hockey jerseys slated for use during the 2014 Winter Olympics. Today, they revealed the new look of the United States. Team USA will be sporting these classy numbers. They're minimalist in their overall aesthetic and very tasteful.

I particularly like how they swapped out the tired collegiate text for a beautiful new crest. Another feature of the jersey is the slogan "land of the free, home of the brave" printed inside the collar. I suppose that's just a feature for the players to see as they pull their jerseys over their head before they hit the ice. There's no other way to see it, really.

It turns out even Nike isn't immune from Reebok's "hanger effect" trend. The inside of the collar pays tribute to the years the U.S. brought home gold medals. It's a nice touch, even if it's only visible when it's hanging on a rack in a store. Still, it's probably a good reminder for the players when they walk into the locker room.

We'll wrap up with the feature that was exploding Twitter at last check. The same effect used to create the twinkling stars on on the shoulders has been fashioned into a fake lace-up collar. I guess the point is that the lace-up collars on hockey sweaters are strictly for appearances. So Nike figures, why not make them even more pointless.

But if that's the worst thing these jerseys have to offer, I think we're in pretty good shape. Some might question the lack of sleeve and waist striping — a problem I noted for the San Jose Sharks not long ago — but there's a different aesthetic to national team jerseys. They don't need bells and whistles. They need to be classy. I think Nike hit the mark for Team USA.

But wait, there's more...

All images from Nike

Russia revises uniforms for Sochi

As the host country of the 2014 Winter Olympics, Russia was first to show off its new uniforms. The designs were revealed by Nike on Monday, and once again, we get a solid pair of jerseys.

The red one features the Russian flag wrapped around the sleeves while the white one has an entirely different feel — both with lots of Russian iconography. In fact, that's addressed in Nike's media release:

Taking inspiration from Russia’s national emblem of the two-headed eagle, the jersey has been redesigned with streamlined design lines, lighter graphics and a modern neckline reinforced with Nike Flywire. The result is a lightweight, breathable jersey that moves naturally with the body, and is steeped in hundreds of years of history and heritage.

Featured on the shoulders of the red jersey are eight stars — four on each side — commemorating what Nike refers to as "past successes." A similar feature is on the white jersey but in the form of eight gold crowns on the right sleeve. But by my count, Russia/Soviet Union has only won seven gold medals in Olympic hockey. What am I missing? Anyone know what the eighth star references?

UPDATE: I was forgetting about 1992 Olympics and the Unified Team, for which Russian players suited up. That accounts for the eighth gold star/crown. Thanks to Corbin LeGrand for pointing that out.

Speaking of the white uniform, here's a look at some of the detail. That faux lace-up collar shows up again — on both jerseys, in fact. Too bad, and Nike had such a good thing going otherwise. The other thing that got some negative feedback, at least through Twitter, was the eagle wing graphics on the shoulders.

I may be in that group. It doesn't really feel like it belongs with the rest of the jersey. Especially when you see it on Alex Ovechkin. Check out these shots.

The red one looks incredibly cool. The white one... well, let's just say I hope they get to play more games while wearing red. Both designs are very Russian, but I'm partial to the red, obviously.

How about you? How do you feel about what Nike's done for the U.S. and Russia?

Wild Reveal First Jersey Teaser

Image from Minnesota Wild

Photo shows green shoulders and two-tone collar

Photo from Minnesota Wild (via Twitter)The Minnesota Wild will unveil their new road uniform this Sunday, Sept. 1 at the Minnesota State Fair. Until then, though, they're releasing new teaser images every day on their website and social media platforms.

A new splash page on their official website (above) shows this first image, which you can also find on Facebook and Twitter.

The first of seven images was released this morning. So what does it tell us? First, based on the marketing slogan, "White Hot.", it's probably a safe bet this will be a white jersey — and not wheat-colored or anything.

And yet, there's not a speck of white in the photo released today (right). It's all green and red. So we know the shoulders are green and the collar is two-toned, green and red.

The other thing we can tell from the cut of the collar is that this will be another lace-up jersey. They already have the ties on their home and alternate jerseys, so it was just a matter of time for this one.

But there's something else about this jersey. It looks to me like an oversized shoulder yoke. On most Reebok Edge jerseys with the yoke/lace-up combo, the yoke ends at the corner of the collar or just above it. See these close-up examples from 2007.

Reebok Edge jerseys / Minnesota Wild & New York Islanders

The yoke on this new Wild jersey continues down. How far, we can't tell from this photo. I don't think this jersey or its template will look much like anything that's come before it. Just a hunch. I could be proved wrong tomorrow with the next teaser image.

What's your take on it? Are you excited to see what the Wild have planned?

Update on Tuesday · Aug 27 · 2013 | 9:34 AM PDT by Chris

Tuesday's teaser confirms new jersey is white

Photo from Minnesota WildThe Wild shared their second of seven teaser photos this morning en route to the unveiling of their new road jersey.

Two critical elements are confirmed with this one. It's definitely a white jersey — despite the fact that the teaser we saw yesterday had no white in it at all — and just as suspected, there is a lace-up collar. And the laces are green.

So far, the preview pictures show just what I'd expect from the Wild, apart from the two-tone collar. Wasn't expecting that.

But it seems they're leaning heavily on the green, a color which is slowly but surely making its way back into the NHL. It never should have left, but that's beside the point. Just happy to have it back.

We'll get five more of these teaser before Sunday's official unveiling at the Minnesota State Fair. If any Minnesotan readers plan to be there that morning, feel free to send any photos my way. I'd love to help get them out the community.

Update on Wednesday · Aug 28 · 2013 | 10:36 AM PDT by Chris

Third image: Reebok and the hanger effect

Photo from Minnesota WildIt's Wednesday and that means the Wild have released the third image in their series of sneak peeks leading up to Sunday's unveiling.

Today, we go back to the collar (seen nothing below the laces still). But the primary feature they're showing off this time is that new Reebok trend, the hanger effect.

Inside the collar reads "Minnesota" — an element pulled straight from the club's wordmark. I get teams using inspiring slogans here, but what's with the Stars and Wild just using the name of the place where they play?

Maybe the good news is that this means we won't get a wordmark on the chest or the shoulders. If that's the case, I don't mind a bit.

By the way, I've read a lot of comments on this post complaining about the way teams have been unveiling jerseys this summer — through sneak peeks here and there.

I said in the comments that I don't understand where the issue is. This sort of thing is fun. The Wild set their unveiling date as Sept. 1. Fine. There's probably a good reason for that — having to do with marketing or manufacturing or logistics, all probably having something to do with when the jersey can go on sale to fans. Unveil too soon and you lose some steam when it finally does hit the racks.

Here's the thing. Because Twitter and websites like Icethetics exist in this world, we get the same knowledge as everybody. Really, these sneak peeks are just intended for Wild fans — to get them pumped for the new look. Maybe no one else will care about the teasers, but why does that matter?

One person said, these sneak peeks wouldn't have happened 20 years ago. To which I say, why couldn't they have? If these teams had the sort of marketing focus back then they do today, you don't think they'd try to hype up a new look? Why not come up with a few teaser photos and put one in the newspaper everyday?

Nobody but the local fans have to know about it. That's how this would've gone 20 years ago. Anyway, I've said what I have to say. I'm just surprised at some of the moaning — as if every team should cater to your wants, even if you aren't a fan. Why?

Anyway, I can only speak for myself when I say I'm looking forward to every day's teaser just as much as the final product on Sunday.