The most exciting new jersey in the NHL this season, and quite possibly the last 15 years, makes it's debut tonight when the Ottawa Senators new third jersey takes to the ice this evening against the Colorado Avalanche.
The jersey originated as a concept by a fan, Jacob Barrette, who possessed a combination of graphic design skills and an appreciation for hockey history. Inspired by the Senators new secondary shoulder logos, which were introduced in 2007-08, the new third jersey pays tribute to the sweaters worn by the original Ottawa Silver Seven/Ottawa Senators franchise which played from 1883 to 1933 while wearing their gorgeous red, black and white striped "barberpole" jerseys as they were awarded, won or defended the Stanley Cup 21 times.
A 1927-28 Ottawa Senators barberpole style jersey
The new alternate jersey is black with red and antique white striping, a lace-up collar and will feature with the 2012 NHL All-Star Game patch. The new jersey is also adorned with shoulder patches inspired by the shield shaped chest patch shown on the above 1927-28 Senators jersey, which was worn to commemorate the Senators 1927 Stanley Cup championship. The patch on the right shoulder of the new jersey is in English, naturally reading "Ottawa Senators", while the one on the left side is in French, a unique twist for the NHL, and reads "Senateurs d'Ottawa".
In keeping with modern aesthetics, it's not a true barberpole with horizontal stripes covering the full length of the body and sleeves, but a black jersey with a pair of equal width red and antique white stripes across the chest and arms as well as the waist.
The names are one color antique white, as are the numbers, which are also trimmed in black and outlined in red, which creates a color-on-color effect when the top half of the numbers overlaps the red striping similar to the Detroit Red Wings 1991-92 Turn Back the Clock jerseys.
The only feature from the original Senators jerseys not carried over to the new third jerseys are the white squares on the back which contained the numbers, but with modern numbers being quite a lot larger than their distant cousins, the attractive way the numbers intersect the stripes on the back, we have no complaints about the omission in this case.
The Senators unveil the jersey to their fans
Today's video section consists of the Senators official videos released in conjunction with the official release of the jersey.
The first video is a photo shoot in advance of the unveiling, including a comments from Senators team captain Daniel Alfredsson and fan/designer Barrette.
The second video shows the club getting dressed in their new jerseys for the first time, amid the sounds of as much velcro ripping as you've ever heard in your entire life.
The third video is a must see, as it shows photos of the original Senators and how their sweaters are the basis for the new heritage uniform. It then goes on to detail Barette's involvement with the project, something quite unusual, if not completely unheard of, for an NHL team to acknowledge and include a fan in the design process. Those involved even travel to the Hockey Hall of Fame to view several original jerseys housed in the hall's collection.
The Senators will wear their new heritage jerseys 12 times this season, including once on the road in Montreal. The dates are as follows;
Thursday, Oct. 13, vs. Colorado
Sunday, Oct. 30, vs. Toronto
Friday, Nov. 4, vs. Montreal
Wednesday, Dec. 14, vs. Boston
Friday, Dec. 16, vs. Pittsburgh
Tuesday, Dec. 27, vs. Montreal
Tuesday, Feb. 7, vs. St. Louis
Saturday, Feb. 11, vs. Edmonton
Friday, March 2, vs. Chicago
Wednesday, March 14, at Montreal
Friday, March 16, vs. Montreal
Saturday, March 17, vs. Toronto
Dasherboard: Also of note in jersey news today, in an effort to raise funds for the families of the players killed in the September 7th plane crash that wiped out the entire roster of the Russian club Lokomotive Yaroslavl, both the Washington Capitals and Pittsburgh Penguins will be wearing jerseys with a commemorative Lokomotive Yaroslavl logo patch.
Following the game all the game worn and team issued jerseys will be autographed by the players and then auctioned through October 27th at nhl.com with all the proceeds to benefit the players' children and families.
Russians Alexander Ovechkin and Evgeni Malkin will take part in a ceremonial opening faceoff.
Do you know if the Lokomotiv patch will be made available to fans? I'd love to get one.
ReplyDeleteFrom a post on the IceJerseys.com forums on 10/14:
ReplyDelete"I called this morning and the lady I talked to said she hasn't heard if they are getting the patches but they are getting the braclets that are being sold for the same cause. So, if anyone here goes to a Penquins game in the future and could check that would be great."
If anything changes, I'll post an update.