Comments on: SweaterGate Update: Outraged Fans' Voices Grow Stronger

By: The Peerless

The Peerless — Fri, 15 Dec 2006 16:40:49 +0000

We’ve actually seen this movie before in other sports. Baseball played around with form-fitting uniforms some years ago . . . they’re back to the looser-fitting natural fabric style, and it looks better (watch any film clip of 1908′s baseball to see what it used to be like). Football? Well, here’s an every-Sunday look at what awaits hockey fans. Look at just about any offensive lineman and his virtually sprayed-on jersey. Now imagine the stands at hockey games filled with that look. Makes you want to pluck your eyes out with a fork, doesn’t it?
Gary, Ted, all you suits in the NHL marketing department . . . JUST SAY NO!

By: Chris

Chris — Thu, 14 Dec 2006 05:34:38 +0000

This is the greatest hockey travesty ever to occur to the greatest sport on earth. Execs need to get a grip on reality

By: pepper

pepper — Wed, 13 Dec 2006 21:58:49 +0000

Are you serious?! Lifetime Tim Horton’s donuts AND Nelly Furtado?! I’ll buy the whole inventory!
One point about safety: Obviously, the jersey does not have to be tucked in to the new shorts to provide greater protection to the player.
Interestingly, both the Ducks and Sabres unveiled new jerseys this year, and you’d think they’d be designed to accommodate the new jersey style, so as not have to make yet another modification after just one season. However, the Ducks jersey has stripes (though asymmetrical) on its new uni. Why would they do that if next year’s tucked-in style would obscure the stripe? Maybe they’ll just get rid of the bottom stripes, who knows.

By: pucksandbooks

pucksandbooks — Wed, 13 Dec 2006 20:49:56 +0000

bikng - this is a *slight* exaggeration on my part, but if you peruse the new-look international sweaters in the River City Sports catalogue or web site, you'll notice them priced at least $50-100 below the traditionals; and that as further inducement to purchase, buyers are generally offered a lifetime's supply of Timmy Horton donuts and a date with Neve Campbell or Nelly Furtado.

By: bikng

bikng — Wed, 13 Dec 2006 19:49:04 +0000

Unless I’m mistaken, the slimmer jerseys at the Olympics were designed by Nike, and the new NHL sweaters are being designed by Reebok; so I wouldn’t necessarily assume that what we saw in February is what we’ll next year. Maybe Reebok’s will be better, maybe they’ll be worse. And while the Nike jerseys weren’t exactly an incredible leap forward in jersey design, they weren’t really THAT different (in terms of size/cut), and if the NHL were to go with something like that, I think people would get used to it pretty quickly.
How many international jerseys do you ever see in the stands? I mean, there’s always a few, but I don’t think I’ve ever seen that many team USA jerseys, for example.

By: pucksandbooks

pucksandbooks — Wed, 13 Dec 2006 19:22:45 +0000

bikng – the new sweaters actually debuted at last February’s Olympics. Your observation about hockey fans wanting to wear the sweaters of their heroes obviously is right. So . . . how many of those international ones have you seen in the stands the past 10 months?

By: bikng

bikng — Wed, 13 Dec 2006 18:37:13 +0000

I think I’ll wait until I actually see the new jerseys before I decide whether or not to be outraged. If they don’t work, or the players don’t like them, or fans aren’t buying them (which I really, really doubt; fans want to wear what their team is wearing – see the new Buffalo jerseys), then the league will eventually go back to the old style. It won’t be a tragedy.