By Phil Hecken, with The President of Canuckistan, Teebz
Today, in this “Olympic Special” kickoff post, I’m joined by the President of the Hockey Wing, Teebz, who is helping bring you the review of the olympic hockey uniforms we’ll be seeing on ice in Vancouver shortly. Let’s get right into it — Here’s Teebz (with my uni commentary interspersed):
We see the jerseys of the various national teams more and more often now with the IIHF World Championships, the IIHF World Junior Championships, and the World Cup of Hockey being covered by media and bloggers alike. While there is no doubt that wearing your national team’s jersey evokes feelings of pride and patriotism, there is some concern about the way these jerseys are starting to look. In particular, there seems to be an abundance of “flair” on these jerseys that wasn’t seen in the past. Whether this is due to Nike’s competition with Reebok in the world of hockey jerseys or simply a lack of good taste in the people who approve of these designs from each country’s hockey governing body, the fact is that some international jerseys are starting to slide. Today, I’m proud to partner with Phil in looking at the 2010 Winter Olympics Men’s Hockey Tournament from a uniform perspective.
I’m not ranking the jerseys in terms of who should be awarded the gold, silver, or bronze medal in terms of the design. I simply want to run through each team so that you will be able to identify who is playing who when you happen upon a game on TV. I’ll run through the tournament in alphabetical order, and both Phil and I will provide some commentary on each country’s look after a brief introduction on the country’s Olympic hockey history.
Also to be noted: the images provided from the IIHF website show some significant differences as compared to some of the jerseys worn in the pictures. I’ve located the most recent pictures I could find in each case, but the Olympic jerseys may still be different.
BELARUS: The 2010 Winter Olympics will mark only the third time that the former Soviet state has qualified for an Olympiad in men’s hockey. Belarus’ best showing at a Winter Olympics came in 2002 in Salt Lake City where they finished in fourth-place after the Swedes and Tommy Salo took the upstart Belarussians for granted in the quarter-finals. They finished in seventh-place in Nagano in 1998.
Teebz: The picture from the IIHF website shows some serious problems. Truncated sleeve stripes? Check. Superfluous armpit colours? Check. I do like the logo, however, and that adds some life to the jerseys.
The Belarussians looked pretty good in their Nike Swift jerseys in the pre-Olympic exhibition games. I’m not fond of the vertical stripes on the arms and shins that do nothing except to add a little flair, but overall the look isn’t that bad. However, the back of the jerseys leave a lot to be desired. What is with the band of material under the numbers? Did Nike outsource their jerseys to some Grade Seven Home Economics class? The red jersey has the green hem, and I really like how sublime it is.
Phil: It’s Christmas in Canada. Wait, no it’s not. Actually, I don’t have too much of a problem with this jersey. That will be a pattern, surprisingly.
CANADA: Canada has competed in every Winter Olympiad in men’s hockey with the exception of 1972 and 1976 when a protest was staged against the Soviet squad. Because the Soviet players were trained year-round, the Canadians protested that the Soviet squad was a professional squad, and refused to send teams to those games. Canada has won gold medals seven times, the most recent in 2002 in Salt Lake City.
Teebz: I had lots of thoughts in my August 17, 2009 article when the new uniforms were debuted. I like the artistic incorporation of the First Nations’ symbols into the Maple Leaf, and the jerseys themselves are clean and simplistic. There are no unnecessary armpit colours or trendy colours. They even did away with the black jersey! Personally, I like the look of the Canadian team in these jerseys. I can even live with the truncated sleeve stripes on these jerseys.
Phil: I like this one, and I like the little pattern thingy inside the maple leaf. AND, they didn’t do BFBS. Can the Canadians actually win gold in an Olympics they have hosted (which, they’ve never done in any sport, in any season, btw)? This could be the year, and this could be the sweater in which they’re finally gold.
CZECH REPUBLIC: Since the dissolution of Czechoslovakia in 1993, the Czech Republic has played in the past four Winter Olympiads. Their best showing was at the 1998 Nagano Winter Olympics where they won the gold medal. They have finished no lower than fifth-place in all four Olympic years.
Teebz: I’ll be honest – stripes that go nowhere and end with no reason bother me. As a result, the stripes on the front and back of the Czech Republic’s jerseys bother me. The blue stripes end unceremoniously half way up the sides of the players. Why can’t they go all the way around the body following the hemline? The superfluous blotches that run from biceps to pectoral on the jerseys also serve no real purpose. I do like the Coat of Arms logo, though.
Phil: This is actually one of my least favorite — I like the Coat of Arms, and that’s about it. Too many bumper stickers on this one.
FINLAND: Since 1952, the Finns have played in every men’s hockey tournament at the Winter Olympics except one – 1956. Their best showing was a silver medal performance twice, in 1988 and in 2006. They have never finished lower than seventh-place, and have brought home two bronze medals along with the two silvers in their history.
Teebz: If you notice, the two Finnish jerseys actually differ quite a bit. The blue jersey has the dark blue running up the arms into the armpit panel. The contrast doesn’t look that bad, but the white jersey doesn’t have any contrast on the underside of the arms. What does bother me are different sleeve and shin stripes. The blue jersey looks normal, but why does the white jersey have arm confetti that ends at the elbow? Vertical stripes look dumb if they go nowhere. This needs to stop. The traditional horizontal stripes of the blue jersey look much better.
Phil: I’m not generally a fan of two toned jerseys, but for some reason, powder (for lack of a better word) blue and navy blue work really well together. That being said, they really did NOT need the pit stripes on the dark sweater. But the rest of it is very nice. Well, except for the vertical stripes on the shins. That bothers me.
GERMANY: From 1928-1948, Germany was a decent team, finishing with a bronze medal in one of their four Olympic appearances. In 1952, the West Germans played in the Olympics as the country began its split into West and East Germany. However, 1956-1964 saw the two countries unite and play as the Unified German team. 1968-1988 saw the two teams separate and play as the West and East Germany, respectively. With the fall of the Berlin Wall, though, the Germans returned as a unified squad. Since 1992, the Germans have finished no higher than sixth-place, and no lower than tenth-place.
Teebz: Everything is right about these jerseys. Traditional horizontal stripes, great colour contrasts, and a solid logo. I’m not a fan of black hockey jerseys, but this is one country that pulls it off quite well. I even like the sublimated design on the sleeves. High marks for the German squad for their look.
Phil: Like Teebz, I’m rather fond of this one. I actually like the sleeve design and since this is one instance where the uni is NOT BFBS, I can live with it. On the white sweater, I would do without the black piping under the arms and the pits, but it’s not so obnoxious as to really ruin the look. Good stuff from Deutschland.
LATVIA: Latvia’s Olympic history is a little strange. They first participated in 1936, placing 13th. Their next appearance didn’t occur until 2002 where they finished in ninth-place. In 2006 in Torino, Italy, the Latvian’s finished 12th. The Latvians are looking to place higher than ninth-place in the 2010 Winter Olympics.
Teebz: There’s a lot going on across these jerseys, but they incorporate some interesting aspects. The name is made part of the hem stripe, so it doesn’t stand out but is still conspicuous. The logo is just noticeable enough to draw you away from the maroon-and-white, but it doesn’t really stand out either. The stripes are traditional, and that deep maroon colour is very distinct. Overall, I really like the contrasts on these jerseys, and Latvia’s look ranked high enough that I bought one of the old-style Latvian jerseys. If there was one issue, it’s those wavy side stripes that do nothing. I just can’t support that.
Phil: This could be my favorite jersey, at least the dark sweater, because I love the color. But what’s that “cream/gold” wavy pattern next to the two bold white stripes down the side? I’m not sure why that’s there, but it’s totally unnecessary. Overall, it’s a pretty nice looking uniform however, and I like the contrasting black breezers paired with the white and maroon (or is that burgundy) top.
NORWAY: Norway’s first appearance in men’s hockey came in 1952 where they placed ninth. They didn’t qualify again until 1964, but only missed once between 1964-1994. The 2010 Winter Olympics will be Norway’s first appearance since 1994. They have never finished higher than ninth-place, and have finished as low as 12th once.
Teebz: I don’t like the Norwegians’ lack of imagination on these jerseys. Norway had a very interesting logo with a polar bear in earlier tournaments, and I like that much better than the Rangers-esque diagonal name. The sleeves are a little busy on the old jersey, so the new sleeve design with the traditional stripes are a plus. The red jerseys aren’t overly outstanding, but the colour does stand out. These are middle of the road for me.
Phil: Once again, I agree with Teebz in that Norway’s previous unis with the bear thingy were better. But this is the Olympics, and you pretty much need your name or some kind of National crest (or tre kroners) on your uniform. So we get “Norge” which is fine. There really aren’t enough red, white and blue jerseys in the game today, however. At least their dark jersey is red over blue pants, so that’s a bit different. Kind of a yawner, but nothing awful either. No bumper stickers and nice striping make up for the bland design.
RUSSIA: Since the dissolution of the Soviet Union, the Russian squad has played in four Winter Olympic Games since 1994. They have never finished lower than fourth-place, bringing home a silver medal from Nagano in 1998, and a bronze medal from Salt Lake City in 2002.
Teebz: The one thing that struck me as odd is how the armpit panel runs into the shoulder panel, creating a tank top look for the Russians. However, if the same jerseys are used as what was seen in the IIHF World Championships, the Russians should be ok. Again, nothing overly spectacular about these jerseys, but the yellow logo does stand out against the red very well. I just hope those shin triangles don’t show up at the Olympics.
Phil: OK … not a fan of the blue half-loops on the shoulders with the numbers, and I don’t like the blue pit patches and underarm stripes, either. But I do like the sublimated design on the jersey itself. Usually, I’m not a fan of these kinds of Nike uni-machinations, but in the instances where that appears on the Olympic uniforms, I can live with it. I love the crest and the funky font for spelling out “Russia” in cyrillic (?) as well.
SLOVAKIA: Slovakia hasn’t has the same success that the Czech Republic has had since the dissolution of Czechsolvakia in 1993. The Slovaks have played in four Winter Olympiads, and have finished no higher than fifth-place, but no lower than 10th-place. Slovakia is looking to build on its fifth-place finish from the 2006 Winter Olympics.
Teebz: I’ve never really been a fan of Slovakia’s jerseys. If the jersey is supposed to represent the country, it feels as though Slovakia is simply trying too hard to be noticed. While I prefer the Slovakian white jersey due to how good the logo appears on it, the blue jerseys just seem way too busy. I just don’t like the look of Slovakia.
Phil: Again with the bumper stickers. Ugh. And the red, white and blue again. I mean, if it’s a nation’s colors, I can’t really complain, but these could be my least favorite of all. I like their sock stripes though.
SWEDEN: The Swedes have had a men’s hockey team at the Winter Olympics since 1920, and have only not participated twice – 1932 and 1976. In that time, they have won two gold medals, two silver medals, and four bronze medals. They have never finished lower than fifth-place in their history.
Teebz: Honestly, this is a traditional national jersey. The Tre Kronor hasn’t changed very much since Sweden began using it as their jersey design, and it has stood the test of time. While some may argue that each hockey team should have a white and a dark jersey, I say Sweden’s uniqueness in wearing yellow as the home team is what makes them special. High marks for Sweden for not giving into gaudy designs and “en vogue” fashion.
Phil: You gotta love Sweden, right? Well, yes and no. I like that they’ve kept a very traditional uniform. Surprisingly, however, what bugs me is actually the yellow jersey — not because it’s yellow, but because it’s the ONLY yellow (versus white) in the Games. You want yellow? Fine, replace the blue jersey with the yellow, and you’re gold (no pun intended). And wear a white sweater as your “light” jersey. I DO like how the yellow and blue jerseys are basically inverses of each other, and there are no annoying superfluous stripes or shapes anywhere. Overall, one of the best. I think the gold jersey may be my favorite of all in the Games — just swap the blue for white and we’re good to go, ok?
SWITZERLAND: Switzerland has been in and out of the Olympics with some regularity. They did not participate in 1932, 1960, 1968, 1980, 1984, 1994, or 1998. However, they have had some success since 1920 as they have two bronze medals to their names, won in 1928 and 1948. The Swiss have never finished higher than third-place, and have finished as low as 12th-place.
Teebz: The Swiss actually had excellent jerseys in their pre-Olympic exhibition games, so I’m not sure why they wouldn’t wear these jerseys without the billboards at the Olympics. The white jersey is simply too white for me to say “that’s Switzerland”. What I don’t understand is that if the pictures of the jerseys from the IIHF website are true, why is there so much blank space on the jerseys? Perhaps the Swiss are following Atlanta’s lead with a football number in the middle? Not a very good set, Swiss, if the pictures are true. Not at all.
Phil: Red and white…but no blue. Well, the jerseys are nothing if not neutral. Kind of a bland jersey set, but of course, why would they want to ally themselves with any jersey pattern? Pretty independent thought involved in seeking to offend no one, but overwhelm none either. Perhaps the timing is off, but they could be one to watch.
USA: The USA have participated in men’s hockey since 1920. The only year that the USA didn’t field a team was at the 1928 Winter Olympic Games. The Americans have won the gold medal twice – 1960 and 1980 – in stunning fashion, and have also brought home seven silver medals and one bronze medal. The Americans have never finished lower than eighth-place.
Teebz: This might be the best-looking American men’s hockey team in a long time. I love the simplicity of the home and road jerseys, and the throwback alternate representing the 1960 USA team that won gold is magnificent. The sublimated design that the USA will be sporting on their uniforms looks like this. If I’m Team USA, though, I’m wearing the throwback every chance I get. Overall, though, the Americans rank very high with their design.
Phil: USA! USA! USA! Ok, enough of that. It’s hard to say “I love this uni” and not sound like a homer, so, at the risk of sounding like a homer, I like this a LOT. I really love the Squaw Valley throwback, and they should wear that like, oh, every game they can. But I guess Nike wants to move the merch, so that’s why the USA has an alt (which is totally unnecessary in this sort of tournament). Nevertheless, all three looks are good, with the 1960 unis (in which they won the Gold at Squaw Valley) being tops! Go USA, Go! (sorry)
There you have it, folks. Now that you’ve read all that, hunker down in front of your television set, and watch the best players in the world battle for Olympic gold! This tournament should be an absolute beauty, eh!
Great stuff from Teebz, eh? We’ll close the opening ceremony of the Olympic Post with Teebz’ signature sendoff: Until next time, keep your sticks on the ice!
From The Squiddie Files: After a long hiatus, Lance Smith, aka “Squiddie” is back to regale us with a wonderful bit covering the 1960 Olympics. He checks in with this:
“It happened in Squaw Valley and it happened long ago”
(with apologies to Glenn Miller and his orchestra)
by Lance Smith
Squaw Valley hosted the 1960 Olympics, edging out Innsbruck, Austria who would host the 1964 games. The Squaw Valley offered some innovations (like an opening an closing ceremony by Walt Disney) but lacked some of the infrastructure of later Olympics. Thirty nations competed in twenty-seven events. Absent was the bobsled events that were held later in the year.
Carol Heiss, who would win gold in figure skating, takes the Olympic Oath
Squaw Valley was the first Olympics to feature women’s speed skating and a refrigerated rink.
The mascot wasn’t quite as cute as Quatchi
Equipment, athletes and spectators were moved around by sno-cat.
Mickey Hargitay and Jayne Mansfield meet US speed skater Bill Disney who silvered in the 500m (Jayne is obviously impressed with the Canadian Olympics patch.)
Penny Pitou (silver medalist in downhill and giant slalom) prepares for event. After the downhill, Penny poses with bronze medlist Traudl Hecher and gold medalist Heidi Biebl. (Who’s covering the event for CBS?)
Roger Staub won the gold medal in the giant slalom (Austrians Piepi Stiegler and Ernst Hinterseer join him on the medal podium.)
Barbara Wagner & Robert Paul, in their Hudson Bay Co. point jackets, win the gold in pairs figure skating. At Squaw Valley, the judges still sat on the rink.
All sorts of glamorous spectators
Japanese skier passes through the feed station Even the event fixtures were simpler then.
The dining hall: Land of a thousand sweaters
It’s Sweden vs. Canada in hockey. Note the Captain arm band on the Swedish player on the right. Also the Canadian sweater featured two maple leaf insignia above the number. The tall Swede by the goalie is one of the few wearing a helmet and the goalie is wearing a beanie.
If you ignore the colorful prospector in the foreground, you will notice the IBM data processing center behind him. An IBM 305 RAMAC was used to handle the results.
Few people realize that President Lincoln took in the Olympics.
Jim “I’d Wear That” Vilk is back with his Olympic fashion critiques and other random thoughts, all ten of them. Here’s Jim:
Ten random thoughts from the opening ceremonies:
1. It’s even sadder when you have a small contingent and you lose one of your own. Rest in peace, Nodar Kumaritashvili of Georgia.
2. Give those native dancers credit for keeping it up throughout the whole parade of nations.
3. A lot of impressive effects for the ceremonies, even when they don’t go exactly as planned.
4. Outfits even I wouldn’t wear: Finland’s and the Czech Republic’s. No wonder Slovakia broke away from the Czechs…
5. Mrs. V doesn’t even know “I’d wear that” is a catchphrase of mine, but she used it when she saw the USA’s hats. I’d wear one, too.
6. When your country is best known for Bermuda shorts, you wear them proudly, even at the Winter Games (and you’re glad you’re in a dome).
7. No, the Canadians aren’t flipping you the bird, that’s a maple leaf on their mittens.
8. They may be some of the nicest people in the world, but push the Canadians too far and they’ll use the bat signal to summon the giant polar bear.
9. Ladies, I would never expect you to wear shoes like these. By the way, dozens of photos of Nelly Furtado and Bryan Adams and only one good one of Sarah McLachlan? That’s just wrong.
10. Wayne, your hockey stick’s on fire! Oh, my bad, that’s the torch.
Enjoy the games!
Cap Contest, Revisited … Remember the “Design A Cap” contest held all those months ago? Coach Nemanich selected Dan Grieve as the winner of that contest, and all that hard work has now come to fruition. The cap has been produced!
What started out like this, after a couple revisions, became this. Well, from concept to reality, Coach Nemanich is proud to share with us the final results! Awesome, yes?
Got the following email from Jerome:
Sartell hats are complete. See enclosed pic. The kids and I really like them.
Don’t know if you can post but if you or anyone would like to order apparel. Our store is at rambow.com code: sartellbb
Thanks again,
JN
So there you go? You want a Sartell Sabres cap? Now you can own one. Thanks again to everyone who participated in the contest, and to winner Dan Grieve.
Guess The Game From The Scoreboard: Special scoreboard today, because it’s not really a guess the “game,” but more a “guess the event.” Same rules apply, and there is a final score, just not between two teams. Unclear enough? Good. Guess The EVENT From The Scoreboard. Date, location and final score, please, and be sure to link to your answer. And, as always, if you enjoy the game, please send me some new scoreboards! Drop me a line. Thanks!
Back again with more Uniform Tweaks, Concepts and Revisions today. Taking a look at all sports from here on out, so, if you have a tweak, change or concept for any sport, send them my way.
Starting off the show today is Jason Rypkema, with some new ideas for the Seahawks and Vikings:
Phil,
I think the Seahawks uni’s are a travesty. And since I live in Vancouver, that’s our “home team.” Unfortunately, that means we see them on TV/In person every week and have to witness the horror. Of course, I’m a Bills fan so good uniforms are alien to me.
I’ve changed them a bit so they are easier on the eyes.
First and foremost, I completely rid them of the monochrome look.
I changed the color of the helmets to silver/gray (to represent the weather we get, and it looks better).
I got rid of the two-tone sleeves and kept them the same as the jersey.
As much to the shigrin of most, I DID keep the neon green.
I changed the pants color to the same color as the helmets.
I feel that these combine the feel of the old uniforms and the new uniforms while keepin’ it classy. Not to mention that if they wore these, when I go to Qwest for a game, I won’t puke from the sight.
I’ve also added a Vikings tweak:
Again, these uni’s are gawd awful so a change is needed.
I removed all of the ridiculous white and yellow piping and took it back to their previous style.
I reversed the pants striping pattern for the side of the jersey (dunno if I like but whatevs) so it aligns with the pants stripes.
I went back to the old “purple” because I think the new purple is a bit, well, girly.
The name font is the same and so is the number font.
The stripe pattern on the home and away are the same style as they previously wore.
I also added color to the collars (say that 34 times in a row).
I toyed with the idea of adding a yellow pants alternate but thought better of it. Maybe another time.
This again, combines the old with some new without ruining our eyes.
Thanks,
Jason Rypkema
Next up is James Hayden, with tweaks for the Baltimore Ravens and Maryland Terrapins, plus an ‘updated’ Washington football concept:
“Uni-Tweaks 2 – Charm City Boog-a-loo”
I figured I’d take a shot at the Baltimore Ravens this time.
I’ve retained the current sleeve patch and the current font (although the font I’ve depicted is closer to the Steelers really) with a contrasting outline and no shadow effect. Another alternative would be the number fonts from 1996 (see Earnest Byner, middle of the top row). The TV numbers remain on top of the shoulder -”“ I was just too lazy to draw them this time.
In addition, I’ve retained the current helmet logo, although I’ve chose to delete the somewhat redundant cursive “B” in the current logo. Although the helmet is depicted with regular stripes, the current “feather” effect could be retained.
DARK: Dark Blue jersey with Gray pants, they could be metallic (i.e. Silver — but a shade darker than the Raiders — although they’d be too much like the CFL Baltimore Stallions, in my opinion), but I think plain Gray might look better — sort of like the Falcons circa 1980 (and the 1983 Colts, for that matter). The pants have Dark Blue stripes outlined with White. Dark Blue socks with Gray stripes.
WHITE: Dark Blue pants have a Gray stripe outlined with White. White socks with Dark Blue/Gray/Dark Blue stripes.
HELMET: Dark Blue with a Gray stripe outlined in White (the Colts had a Dark Blue helmet for a couple years back in the 50’s, before they changed to the White they’ve worn ever since).
NOTES: The Blue/Gray scheme reflects Maryland position during the Civil War (it is the 150th Anniversary over the next few years after all) and has been a fairly common design element in Maryland for years (the US Army 29th Division patch or 1st Generation B&O Railroad diesel locomotives, for example).
AAFC THROWBACK: Harking back to the AAFC/NFL Colts — Dark Green jerseys with modern “truncated” Northwestern-style stripes, Silver pants and matching Northwestern-striped Green socks. Based on this jersey
THROWBACK HELMET: Metallic Silver with a single Green stripe.
AAFC THROWBACK WHITE: White jersey version — same pants, socks helmet.
NOTES: The Ravens have very limited choices when it comes to throwbacks — they simply aren’t going to dress as the Browns or the current Colts and they lost a lawsuit over their original 1996 helmet logo. I feel this would be an excellent way of recognizing Baltimore ’s football heritage without causing too many problems.
In the process of designing the new Ravens unis, I experimented with a few other color combinations and one of them was basically a Black uni using the Maryland Flag colors from their sleeve patch. Although nothing about the design indicated “Ravens”, I feel the result would be an excellent new design for University of Maryland.
The helmet features the Calvert Cross ”“ a long used symbol for Maryland. The Ravens-style patch would omit the “B” and “R” substituted quarters of the flag for the normal flag and say “MARYLAND” across the top. Contrasting socks would be worn with of course — no leotards in College Park please!
One last thing, and here’s a clearer and more complete version of my Redskins tweaks which now include several helmet designs and a much better Old Gold shade.
And closing down the tweaks today is Matt Sajna, a man of few words, but four new concepts:
Phil,
Here are a couple of NFL Uni tweaks I’ve come up with:Enjoy!
–Matt Sajna
That’s all for today. Seems like we’ve still got a few NFL teams to get to, but there are other sports on the horizon. Any and all sports are welcome, now that the NFL season is over. Send them my way.
That’s all for today folks. Had LOTS and LOTS of computer problems (viruses and such) so this post took even longer than usual to ready. And now I hope it uploads.
Even if you’re not a fan of the Olympics, there’s sports on the tele for you today. Don’t forget the NBA’s All-Star festivities (including the ever-popular slam dunk contest) and more, including golf. And then, there’s always the winter festival taking place up in Canada.
Everyone enjoy your Saturday. Cheers.
Nice job on the tweaks, especially Ravens and Pats.
Here’s the guess the event answer
link
Bart Connor, what a lucky guy.
You missed the best looking hocky uniform:
Switzerland.
Several of the ‘Olympic’ jerseys you have reviewed appear to be last year’s IIHF jerseys. The Olympic releases can be seen here, a link from this blog yesterday:
link
[quote comment=”377612″]Several of the ‘Olympic’ jerseys you have reviewed appear to be last year’s IIHF jerseys. The Olympic releases can be seen here, a link from this blog yesterday:
link
Ignore this post; I’m an idiot.
looks like the German goalie decided to debut his Olympic jersey ahead of everyone else
link
Matt, love those Patriots and Lions tweak. That’s neat what you did for the Broncos on the sleeves. I don’t think you need to give everyone the same pants stripe, especially the Broncos.
Jason, I agree that the Seahawks jersey needs to be one color, I hate those panels. I wish you had left the helmet alone, that color is so different and neat. I know what you were doing and it looks good, but I don’t think it was necessary. Also, those Vikings are great.
James, that is a great idea for a Raven’s throwback and really makes up for the Raven’s tweak. I admit I didn’t real the rationale and I thought you were crazy for trying to throwback to something for the Raven’s, a 14 year old franchise with nothing really to throw back to. I’m glad I read that description and now understand that great idea!
I agree completely that USA hockey should wear the throwbacks full time. I was just discussing with my brother how jacked up any olympic hockey team would get donning the same look of a team that won a gold medal in dramatic fashion. Why change that look EVER? Oh, right, money…
Am I just missing something? I don’t see the Sartell baseball cap on the Rambow page.
link
Dammit, I knew that link wouldn’t work. Just go here link and type in sartellbb in the store code box. I liked the beanie but would actually love to order a baseball cap.
Some authentic (Canada) and replica Olympic jerseys
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If you change Canada’s sweaters to Royal Blue and White rather than the Red and White what do you have? A Toronto Maple Leafs sweater! Team Canada should have gone with the Leafs’ triple-stripe socks. Makes the whole package look much better. GO LEAFS GO!
Question, do sports teams still take official “team photos”, the kind they used to put in the Sunday Paper years ago? Haven’t seen one lately and was just curious.
We all can’t be Eagle Scouts, but, I’m sure we’ve all earned a couple of these
link
[quote comment=”377611″]You missed the best looking hocky uniform:
Switzerland.[/quote]
How the hell did I miss the part about Switzerland? I had a whole write-up about how the Olympic jerseys differed greatly from the pre-Olympic jerseys they wore in their exhibition games.
I’ll add it to the comments in a few seconds. Good catch, Peter.
Best uniforms on parade last night…
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Canada is by far the best of these designs. I would follow that with the NORGE. Simple. Pretty.
I miss the word mark on Finland’s sleeves. I don’t like that the Thrashers do it, but I always liked it on the Fins.
I can’t wait until 2030 when USA throws back to the 1980 set. That white uni is one of my favorite looks of all time. That simple white star on the blue yoke. Outstanding.
That strip on the Swift jerseys is actually a mesh panel so that there’s airflow to the player’s back. Can’t have a bunch of sweaty players on the ice or anything.
[quote comment=”377620″]Question, do sports teams still take official “team photos”, the kind they used to put in the Sunday Paper years ago? Haven’t seen one lately and was just curious.[/quote]
I think they still do, yes.
In what should have been above (and Phil can add his comments later)…
link: Switzerland has been in and out of the Olympics with some regularity. They did not participate in 1932, 1960, 1968, 1980, 1984, 1994, or 1998. However, they have had some success since 1920 as they have two bronze medals to their names, won in 1928 and 1948. The Swiss have never finished higher than third-place, and have finished as low as 12th-place.
Teebz: The Swiss actually link in their pre-Olympic exhibition games, so I’m not sure why they wouldn’t wear these jerseys link at the Olympics. The link for me to say “that’s Switzerland”. What I don’t understand is that if the pictures of the jerseys from the IIHF website are true, why is there so much blank space on the jerseys? Perhaps the Swiss are following link in the middle? Not a very good set, Swiss, if the pictures are true. Not at all.
[quote comment=”377625″]That strip on the Swift jerseys is actually a mesh panel so that there’s airflow to the player’s back. Can’t have a bunch of sweaty players on the ice or anything.[/quote]
It still looks dumb. And if that’s Nike’s justification for it? They’re dumb too. :o)
Re. the Norwegian polar bear: That logo belongs to the Norwegian Ice Hockey Association, just as the superimposed skater and maple leaf belong to Hockey Canada. The IOC are being complete jerks about using logos trademarked by other organizations (to the point that they asked the Australian team to take down a Boxing Matilda banner at the Athletes’ Village) so none of the national federation logos are supposed to be used this year (in any sport). That’s definitely played a role in the design of some of these uniforms.
switzerland now added…sans any comments from me
my computer completely crashed after i uploaded this post, so i am now, very slowly, beginning the recovery process…please bear with me
The truncated stripes, arm pit swatches, vertical stripes, swishes, superfluous waves, the advertisements….ugh. With the exception of the old USA jersey, I find them all hard to look at. Hockey jerseys suffer from recent…um…innovations. Yes, even Sweden and Canada look somehow compromised.
It’s too bad, really, because those crest and logoss are so beautiful and interesting and dynamic. The crests get lost amid the clutter.
Watching the NBA All-Star practice. Commentators just mentioned the East team’s shoe’s. They called them “teal” and said they looked like the color of the Charlotte Hornets. Also, David Lee’s name and number are different from everyone else’s. Guess that’s what happens when you are a replacement.
Phil, don’t mess with Sweden. The unis are the best of this tournament and one of the all-time classics.
Also liked Slovakia. Yeah, I’m biased there, but I gave them points for not sublimating. Never understood the point of that when you can barely see it.
Canada gets my uni bronze. The US could have medaled if they would have just gone throwback.
usa throwbacks are just awsome!!! nice to see some respect toward the “forgotten miracle” too bad the game vs canada saturday will have to be watched on msnbc replaced by ice dancing!!!!! usa!!! usa!!! usa!!!!
Jason, good tweaks. Your Vikings side stripe reminded me of this year’s Olympic torch, but that’s okay.
James, really liked the Ravens design, but don’t see the need to switch to blue. Good choice of fonts. As for the Terps, I like their current white helmet, but if they feel the need to go to black they’d look good in your unis.
Matt, the Lions were my favorites from your good bunch of tweaks.
Thanks, guys!
NO, NO, NO!!!! Why must everyone who tweaks the Ravens change the colors? Ravens are black with a purple and green sheen. Although I love the blue and gray (former 29er) the stadium has purple seats, everyone wears purple on Friday down here and it is a unique NFL color. Loved the removal of the B from the raven but I always thought the B should be on the helmet alone (like old school teams: Chicago, Green Bay)
[quote comment=”377629″]Re. the Norwegian polar bear: That logo belongs to the Norwegian Ice Hockey Association, just as the superimposed skater and maple leaf belong to Hockey Canada. The IOC are being complete jerks about using logos trademarked by other organizations (to the point that they asked the Australian team to take down a Boxing Matilda banner at the Athletes’ Village) so none of the national federation logos are supposed to be used this year (in any sport). That’s definitely played a role in the design of some of these uniforms.[/quote]
Yeah, that’s true. I still think they could have worked that polar bear in somewhere, but I guess the IOC rules all when it comes to the Olympics.
A reluctant jingoist am I, but I agree with the sentiment that the USA has been trotting out some good duds lately. World Cup soccer kit is fine, though I’m not crazy about the diagonal white stripe. All three Olympic hockey sweaters are winners; my favorite is the new dark-blue model, better even than the Squaw Valley throwback. And the Ralph Lauren Olympic opening ceremony outfit was restrained and classy enough that the hyper-cute hat provided a nice, friendly counterpoint. Four stars.
Can’t wait for the speed skating.
recommend tightening the u and a to the s in our other than that sweet jersey. although riders’ unis hard to see, check out mavericks surf contest happening nowza on web…
[quote comment=”377636″]NO, NO, NO!!!! Why must everyone who tweaks the Ravens change the colors? Ravens are black with a purple and green sheen. Although I love the blue and gray (former 29er) the stadium has purple seats, everyone wears purple on Friday down here and it is a unique NFL color. Loved the removal of the B from the raven but I always thought the B should be on the helmet alone (like old school teams: Chicago, Green Bay)[/quote]
I agree – I just wanted to pretend the Ravens decided againt Purple for some reason. I actually had made up a huge lot of possible tweaks utilizing a whole rainbow of colors (Blue/Silver ala’ the Stallions, Blue/White ala’ the Colts, The Black/Gold/Red I “donated” to U of MD (BTW the Calvert Cross was “borrowed” from the 175INF DI), and even an Orange/Black to match the Orioles (who, ironically, used to be Browns too) – but I’ve always figured that the Ravens were pretty much stuck with Purple when they went in business (i.e. to avoid looking like some other team previously in or near Baltimore, or that they used to be).
Coincidentally – I did design a cursive “B” logo helmet (although in Blue w/White), I agree that a nice simple Purple/Gold “B” on a Black helmet would look pretty cool!
A few years ago, the IIHF standardized the helmet colors for international hockey. For some reason, the USA got stuck with white and Canada got black. I like the USA blue throwbacks, but they don’t look as good with a white helmet. I’d prefer the dark blue that we wore in Lake Placid, but I think Sweden gets that color. I’m pretty sure that there are multiple reds (Russia/Switzerland), not sure why there can’t be multiple countries that wear dark blue.
Let’s not forget link. He’s one of the three mascots of the Vancouver Olympics.
Never seen that Squaw Valley bear mascot before — I like him too.
I’m still looking through some photos from the 1948 and this is some sort of sweater exchange between the link.
One of the things I noticed is that members of the US team are wearing eye black. When some of the players at this year’s Winter Classic wore eye black it drew some attention. Of course back then more games were likely to be outdoors.
Anyone know who Canada (RCAF Flyers) are playing link?
I wanted to buy a Sartell cap, also….sigh…
I did an article about the USA jerseys if anyone is interested (only posting because it’s relevant to the post):
link
[quote comment=”377637″]
Yeah, that’s true. I still think they could have worked that polar bear in somewhere, but I guess the IOC rules all when it comes to the Olympics.[/quote]
At least the Aussies were able to stand their ground. The giant boxing kangaroo banner still flies proudly.
[quote comment=”377636″]NO, NO, NO!!!! Why must everyone who tweaks the Ravens change the colors? Ravens are black with a purple and green sheen. Although I love the blue and gray (former 29er) the stadium has purple seats, everyone wears purple on Friday down here and it is a unique NFL color. Loved the removal of the B from the raven but I always thought the B should be on the helmet alone (like old school teams: Chicago, Green Bay)[/quote]
Because Baltimore has an unfortunate tendency to get exceptionally stupid with black in their color scheme. Guarantee me that they will never do link again and I’ll never suggest dumping black again.
Nice work LI, Teebz, Squiddie, and JimV. I was pleasantly surprised to see grabs of pageantry that occurred just a few hours previous (read: that I couldn’t stay awake for :)). Lot of phallic symbols in that opening, no?
As for this:
4. Outfits even I wouldn’t wear: Finland’s and the Czech Republic’s. No wonder Slovakia broke away from the Czechs…
What do you expect from the country that brought us these:
link
Really, today’s edition has kept my lips moving for some time and I’m sure I’ll reference Game On again as the Olympiad continues.
And a Jayne Mansfield photo!
The Ralph Lauren hats you and the wife would wear ARE nice, as well as the other Lauren line Team USA is wearing.
Just don’t look at the prices for the stuff. You’ll have to mortgage your house for what old Ralph wants for the USA olympic apparel!
Love the Swedes! (Only kit with no red). The German black sweater looks as good as could be with that much red. Too bad the Swiss can’t borrow the colors of the canton of link.
One more from the 1948 Olympics in San Moritz
link
This was from the Italy v. Switzerland game that Italy lost 16-0. In their 8 games, Italy would be outscored by 132 goals.
The goalie is wearing a different sweater than the rest of the team ala football/soccer. The player on the left (tiny #9) is wearing the Italian sweater.
The goalie’s pads also seem to be made out of thick felt.
Nice cap, too.
[quote comment=”377636″]NO, NO, NO!!!! Why must everyone who tweaks the Ravens change the colors? Ravens are black with a purple and green sheen. Although I love the blue and gray (former 29er) the stadium has purple seats, everyone wears purple on Friday down here and it is a unique NFL color. Loved the removal of the B from the raven but I always thought the B should be on the helmet alone (like old school teams: Chicago, Green Bay)[/quote]
Green sheen?
[quote comment=”377652″][quote comment=”377636″]NO, NO, NO!!!! Why must everyone who tweaks the Ravens change the colors? Ravens are black with a purple and green sheen. Although I love the blue and gray (former 29er) the stadium has purple seats, everyone wears purple on Friday down here and it is a unique NFL color. Loved the removal of the B from the raven but I always thought the B should be on the helmet alone (like old school teams: Chicago, Green Bay)[/quote]
Green sheen?[/quote]
well, yeah…sorta
I would also like the chance to own a Sabers cap. The design came out pretty sweet!
Great post today.
Highlight of the opening ceremonies: Azerbaijan in their MC Hammer pants. Can’t find photos online unfortunately.
Lowlight: Wayne Gretzky looking like he’d rather be somewhere else.
[quote comment=”377628″][quote comment=”377625″]That strip on the Swift jerseys is actually a mesh panel so that there’s airflow to the player’s back. Can’t have a bunch of sweaty players on the ice or anything.[/quote]
It still looks dumb. And if that’s Nike’s justification for it? They’re dumb too. :o)[/quote]
Christ Teebz, when was the last time you played hockey rather then watched it? Anything for player comfort is fine by me.
Besides, something odd is happening in that photo, it’s actually barely visible in person. And the swift jerseys have had ’em for a while. Say, their entire existence.
The player socks have kevlar strips along the back to prevent skate cuts. Are you going to complain about the seams from those too?
Paul mentioned recently that Georgia’s basketball team had worn Gray alternates. Apparently they were more than alternant they’re part of a new set Nike SOD of uniforms.
Here’s what they’ve worn so far this season:
Home White: link
Road Red: link
Road Black:
link
On Feb. 3 they wore the new “Alternate” Gray but these were not in style of the current jersey but a new SOD uni: link
Then on Feb. 10 they debuted a new SOD Black uni that matched the new Gray unis: link
Today they were back to the regular\old home whites. It looks like they eventually have a complete SOD set. Not sure why they don’t just go ahead with the full new set of unis. I like the old ones (sans the collar bone slashes) so the SOD set is an improvement to me.
I am watching the olympics the I noticed that at least one of the women’s mogul skiers for the USA is wearing a belt on her pants.
[quote comment=”377658″]I am watching the olympics the I noticed that at least one of the women’s mogul skiers for the USA is wearing a belt on her pants.[/quote]
was that heather mcphie?
[quote comment=”377653″][quote comment=”377652″][quote comment=”377636″]NO, NO, NO!!!! Why must everyone who tweaks the Ravens change the colors? Ravens are black with a purple and green sheen. Although I love the blue and gray (former 29er) the stadium has purple seats, everyone wears purple on Friday down here and it is a unique NFL color. Loved the removal of the B from the raven but I always thought the B should be on the helmet alone (like old school teams: Chicago, Green Bay)[/quote]
Green sheen?[/quote]
well, yeah…link[/quote]
Oopsies.
I thought he was referring to the uniform. I didn’t realize it was the bird itself.
I’m not so sure green would look that good with black and purple.
I personally think the black and purple work. Every league needs a purple team two.
However, I would prefer the third color to be gray. Not gold.
I’m boiling beets right now to mash with my potatoes. The steam coming off is pink. It’s pretty neat.
[quote comment=”377659″][quote comment=”377658″]I am watching the olympics the I noticed that at least one of the women’s mogul skiers for the USA is wearing a belt on her pants.[/quote]
was that heather mcphie?[/quote]
No, it was Kearney
[quote comment=”377662″][quote comment=”377659″][quote comment=”377658″]I am watching the olympics the I noticed that at least one of the women’s mogul skiers for the USA is wearing a belt on her pants.[/quote]
was that heather mcphie?[/quote]
No, it was Kearney[/quote]
yeah…soon as i saw you post i flipped over (watching nba — don’t ask — and women’s puck on cnbc…so missed the beginning of the moguls)
[quote comment=”377663″][quote comment=”377662″][quote comment=”377659″][quote comment=”377658″]I am watching the olympics the I noticed that at least one of the women’s mogul skiers for the USA is wearing a belt on her pants.[/quote]
was that heather mcphie?[/quote]
No, it was Kearney[/quote]
yeah…soon as i saw you post i flipped over (watching nba — don’t ask — and women’s puck on cnbc…so missed the beginning of the moguls)[/quote]
I have to give Under Armor a huge fail on the USA kit being worn by the women for the moguls.
The biggest reason being the neon green douche-baggery logos.
I do have to say the the Canadian womens hockey kit looks better than the Slovaks, maybe not 12-0 worth though…lol
Do they have mercy rules at the Olympics?
[quote comment=”377663″][quote comment=”377662″][quote comment=”377659″][quote comment=”377658″]I am watching the olympics the I noticed that at least one of the women’s mogul skiers for the USA is wearing a belt on her pants.[/quote]
was that heather mcphie?[/quote]
No, it was Kearney[/quote]
yeah…soon as i saw you post i flipped over (watching nba — don’t ask — and women’s puck on cnbc…so missed the beginning of the moguls)[/quote]
Looks like the Slovak women’s team is jsut there for the Athlete’s Village sex.
[quote comment=”377663″][quote comment=”377662″][quote comment=”377659″][quote comment=”377658″]I am watching the olympics the I noticed that at least one of the women’s mogul skiers for the USA is wearing a belt on her pants.[/quote]
was that heather mcphie?[/quote]
No, it was Kearney[/quote]
yeah…soon as i saw you post i flipped over (watching nba — don’t ask — and women’s puck on cnbc…so missed the beginning of the moguls)[/quote]
What a ass whooping in women’s hockey. Can’t wait for curling to start on Tuesday.
[quote comment=”377666″]Can’t wait for curling to start on Tuesday.[/quote]
you & me both
make sure you check out tomorrow’s post
To be fair, As the CTV guys mentioned, Canada draws from 30K or so players, Slovakia draws from under 300 and this is their first Olympics.
Slovakia’s goalie (Women’s hockey vs Canada) is wearing Olympic stickers on various places on her mask, two on her right side, one on the chin, and a bunch around the outside of the backplate.
What is odd about this is that they don’t look the least bit artistically placed, but that they’re covering something. Sponsors logos, perhaps? Any ideas? Can anybody get a screen capture?
[quote comment=”377667″][quote comment=”377666″]Can’t wait for curling to start on Tuesday.[/quote]
you & me both
make sure you check out tomorrow’s post[/quote]
I will. I never miss one.
[quote comment=”377668″]To be fair, As the CTV guys mentioned, Canada draws from 30K or so players, Slovakia draws from under 300 and this is their first Olympics.[/quote]
There is still a massive gap between the have’s and the have nots in women’s olympic hockey. I always try to remember that for over the 90 percent of the athletes making it there is their medal.
Good job today by teebz JimV squiddie,Phil etc.
The Trompe Loeil employed by the Caniadian Short Track team’s uniform can best be described as “self-soiling”
And I am partial to Slovakia uniforms. But I have to say I do not dislike any of the hockey uniforms
Canada is now leading the Slovaks 18-0. Shots are 62-9
There’s no mercy rule, but at one time the tiebreaker was based on goal differential only against teams that made the medal round, so there was no incentive to run it up against weak teams.
Two notes on Canada’s look:
1. I’d prefer red pants and helmet over black
2. There’s a narrow gold thread around the maple leaf logo. Looks very sharp. I think its only there on the white jersey.
BTW – it was only 16-0 when I started writing this post.
[quote comment=”377656″][quote comment=”377628″][quote comment=”377625″]That strip on the Swift jerseys is actually a mesh panel so that there’s airflow to the player’s back. Can’t have a bunch of sweaty players on the ice or anything.[/quote]
It still looks dumb. And if that’s Nike’s justification for it? They’re dumb too. :o)[/quote]
Christ Teebz, when was the last time you played hockey rather then watched it? Anything for player comfort is fine by me.
Besides, something odd is happening in that photo, it’s actually barely visible in person. And the swift jerseys have had ’em for a while. Say, their entire existence.
The player socks have kevlar strips along the back to prevent skate cuts. Are you going to complain about the seams from those too?[/quote]
Actually, I am going to complain about them. The kevlar socks could have been made a long time ago. It wasn’t until there were major injuries that a company approached the players with them. However, it wasn’t Nike or Bauer or Easton. Because, y’know, how many people would buy them?
Jeff, if you knew anything about me, you’d know that I play at least twice per week. And I’ve worn a Nike Swift jersey. They suck more than Hoovers. In fact, only the Rbk EDGE v1.0 was worse.
Why is it that every multi-billion dollar corporation can come along and think they can make the game better by making the jerseys lighter, faster, whatever? It’s all a load of BULLSHIT, Jeff. It does nothing for the players. Ask Reebok how many teams are still wearing the old EDGE fabric? Hell, there were teams that demanded the old air-knit fabric within the first year of the EDGE’s debut, so don’t tell me that Nike’s “innovation” is any better.
Unless someone can do better than the air-knit fabric so that it doesn’t look like the players are wearing some sort of patchwork secondhand hand-me-down, it fails the “is it dumb or is it stupid” question.
And that’s what this site is all about.
NBC just showed a closeup of the Slovak Tender’s mask. Those stickers really have got to be covering something up. Corporate logo from a club team sponsor perhaps?
The kevlar socks WERE made a long time ago. When the Swift was first debuted in 2002 for the Olymipcs, Gretzky insisted on the kevlar panel in the back. They’ve been there since. Nike didn’t invent it, the icon of Canada did.
And since airknit fabrics are BS, I presume you’re advocating the Durene or dazzle they used to use. I’ve played in that shit. No thank you. It’s heavy, it absorbs water, making it heavier, and it’s hot as hell. You can play in those. I’ll take something else, like an airknit CCM or a swift.
The reason the Edge 1.0 was criticized was because the fabric didn’t breathe too well and the players were hot (and the water thing, which affected some players and not others). The swift is designed to keep players cool.
Since you hated both, it must have been for a reason completely unrelated to that. Care to explain what it was? If it was the fit, then I would remind you that for pro players, the slim fit works just fine and doens’t make it uncomfortable for them.
Yes, this site is about form. But form should follow function in sports. As a player myself, I have a very different opinion. Wicking undershirts are much, much nicer then cotton tees. And things like swift jerseys are much, much more comfortable for playing then a durene or dazzle jersey that may look great on TV.
Watching mens luge. So far seems the US unis, other than the helmets, are the only ones that don’t show a form of national identification
[quote comment=”377678″]The kevlar socks WERE made a long time ago. When the Swift was first debuted in 2002 for the Olymipcs, Gretzky insisted on the kevlar panel in the back. They’ve been there since. Nike didn’t invent it, the icon of Canada did.
And since airknit fabrics are BS, I presume you’re advocating the Durene or dazzle they used to use. I’ve played in that shit. No thank you. It’s heavy, it absorbs water, making it heavier, and it’s hot as hell. You can play in those. I’ll take something else, like an airknit CCM or a swift.
The reason the Edge 1.0 was criticized was because the fabric didn’t breathe too well and the players were hot (and the water thing, which affected some players and not others). The swift is designed to keep players cool.
Since you hated both, it must have been for a reason completely unrelated to that. Care to explain what it was? If it was the fit, then I would remind you that for pro players, the slim fit works just fine and doens’t make it uncomfortable for them.
Yes, this site is about form. But form should follow function in sports. As a player myself, I have a very different opinion. Wicking undershirts are much, much nicer then cotton tees. And things like swift jerseys are much, much more comfortable for playing then a durene or dazzle jersey that may look great on TV.[/quote]
Perhaps you should read what I wrote instead of spouting off.
The white glove Apolo Ohno was wearing tonight was a FootJoy golf glove… it even still had the ballmarker on it! How AWESOME is that!?!?
James, I LOVED the Maryland tweaks! I’m not an alum, but they are my home state team, and I always keep an eye on them. I wish they would use more yellow in their uniforms – there is so much they could do with yellow, red, black, and white – but they too often take the easy way out. I’m usually not big on black helmets, but yours definitely works. Nice job!
[quote comment=”377675″]Canada is now leading the Slovaks 18-0. Shots are 62-9
There’s no mercy rule, but at one time the tiebreaker was based on goal differential only against teams that made the medal round, so there was no incentive to run it up against weak teams.
Two notes on Canada’s look:
1. I’d prefer red pants and helmet over black
2. There’s a narrow gold thread around the maple leaf logo. Looks very sharp. I think its only there on the white jersey.
BTW – it was only 16-0 when I started writing this post.[/quote]
And Marian Hossa just had to leave tonight’s Blackhawks/Thrashers game, so prospects could be grim for the men’s team as well.
Time to take it back to the, “I should stop talking days.”
uh oh…mcphie fall down..go boom
will canada say sieg heil?
[quote comment=”377685″]uh oh…mcphie fall down..go boom
will canada say sieg heil?[/quote]
Nope.
[quote comment=”377655″]Great post today.
Highlight of the opening ceremonies: Azerbaijan in their MC Hammer pants. Can’t find photos online unfortunately.
Lowlight: Wayne Gretzky looking like he’d rather be somewhere else.[/quote]
Yeah, I didn’t see the AzerbaiHammer pants until after I sent my piece. Saw them on the late-night replay.
Guessing my Slovak women’s team would rather be somewhere else right now. Well, the men will have to take the gold, then.
[quote comment=”377647″][quote comment=”377636″]NO, NO, NO!!!! Why must everyone who tweaks the Ravens change the colors? Ravens are black with a purple and green sheen. Although I love the blue and gray (former 29er) the stadium has purple seats, everyone wears purple on Friday down here and it is a unique NFL color. Loved the removal of the B from the raven but I always thought the B should be on the helmet alone (like old school teams: Chicago, Green Bay)[/quote]
Because Baltimore has an unfortunate tendency to get exceptionally stupid with black in their color scheme. Guarantee me that they will never do link again and I’ll never suggest dumping black again.[/quote]
But that’s the one team where it works. This link looks like this, link no?
[quote comment=”377680″][quote comment=”377678″]The kevlar socks WERE made a long time ago. When the Swift was first debuted in 2002 for the Olymipcs, Gretzky insisted on the kevlar panel in the back. They’ve been there since. Nike didn’t invent it, the icon of Canada did.
And since airknit fabrics are BS, I presume you’re advocating the Durene or dazzle they used to use. I’ve played in that shit. No thank you. It’s heavy, it absorbs water, making it heavier, and it’s hot as hell. You can play in those. I’ll take something else, like an airknit CCM or a swift.
The reason the Edge 1.0 was criticized was because the fabric didn’t breathe too well and the players were hot (and the water thing, which affected some players and not others). The swift is designed to keep players cool.
Since you hated both, it must have been for a reason completely unrelated to that. Care to explain what it was? If it was the fit, then I would remind you that for pro players, the slim fit works just fine and doens’t make it uncomfortable for them.
Yes, this site is about form. But form should follow function in sports. As a player myself, I have a very different opinion. Wicking undershirts are much, much nicer then cotton tees. And things like swift jerseys are much, much more comfortable for playing then a durene or dazzle jersey that may look great on TV.[/quote]
Perhaps you should read what I wrote instead of spouting off.[/quote]
So you endorse air knit but hate the air knit in the swift? You’re spouting off about the benefits of a fabric that you criticized in earlier posts and the entry itself. The (real) swifts ARE made of a stretchy air knit. The part that you’re complaining about is a looser air knit.
What you said didn’t make much sense. I was responding more to the ‘newer is evil’ sentiment that did come through loud and clear. May I quote, “It’s all a load of BULLSHIT…”.
No, it’s not. It’s not all marketing. I’ve tried a good few of these high tech things and have NO idea where you’re getting these issues from. The ones I’ve tried have felt like there’s nothing there- noticeably cooler and lighter, even to the point of disconcertingly so (easton biodry- felt like nothing. And for just dicking around, didn’t keep me warm at all. That’s a good thing for competitive play though.)
So yeah, I don’t trust much of what you say in this matter because it directly contradicts my own experiences. And I play hockey on a pretty regular basis too.
[quote comment=”377689″][quote comment=”377680″][quote comment=”377678″]The kevlar socks WERE made a long time ago. When the Swift was first debuted in 2002 for the Olymipcs, Gretzky insisted on the kevlar panel in the back. They’ve been there since. Nike didn’t invent it, the icon of Canada did.
And since airknit fabrics are BS, I presume you’re advocating the Durene or dazzle they used to use. I’ve played in that shit. No thank you. It’s heavy, it absorbs water, making it heavier, and it’s hot as hell. You can play in those. I’ll take something else, like an airknit CCM or a swift.
The reason the Edge 1.0 was criticized was because the fabric didn’t breathe too well and the players were hot (and the water thing, which affected some players and not others). The swift is designed to keep players cool.
Since you hated both, it must have been for a reason completely unrelated to that. Care to explain what it was? If it was the fit, then I would remind you that for pro players, the slim fit works just fine and doens’t make it uncomfortable for them.
Yes, this site is about form. But form should follow function in sports. As a player myself, I have a very different opinion. Wicking undershirts are much, much nicer then cotton tees. And things like swift jerseys are much, much more comfortable for playing then a durene or dazzle jersey that may look great on TV.[/quote]
Perhaps you should read what I wrote instead of spouting off.[/quote]
So you endorse air knit but hate the air knit in the swift? You’re spouting off about the benefits of a fabric that you criticized in earlier posts and the entry itself. The (real) swifts ARE made of a stretchy air knit. The part that you’re complaining about is a looser air knit.
What you said didn’t make much sense. I was responding more to the ‘newer is evil’ sentiment that did come through loud and clear. May I quote, “It’s all a load of BULLSHIT…”.
No, it’s not. It’s not all marketing. I’ve tried a good few of these high tech things and have NO idea where you’re getting these issues from. The ones I’ve tried have felt like there’s nothing there- noticeably cooler and lighter, even to the point of disconcertingly so (easton biodry- felt like nothing. And for just dicking around, didn’t keep me warm at all. That’s a good thing for competitive play though.)
So yeah, I don’t trust much of what you say in this matter because it directly contradicts my own experiences. And I play hockey on a pretty regular basis too.[/quote]
Air-knit fabric does not employ a panel of air conditioning. Ever. The reason it doesn’t is because the material ALREADY BREATHES.
What “high-tech things” are you referring to? Nike’s Swift technology makes no difference in how the game is played. Rbk’s EDGE does not make the players 8% faster in real world.
HOW MANY JERSEYS ARE MADE IN EASTON BIODRY MATERIAL?
Apples to apples, pal. Otherwise, shut your trap.
I want everyone to view the greatest buy-in to marketing bullshit.
“The swift is designed to keep players cool.”
Speed = cool. They named the jersey technology in a name that evokes speed – swift – because it keeps everyone cooler.
Bullshit. All of it.
[quote comment=”377691″]I want everyone to view the greatest buy-in to marketing bullshit.
“The swift is designed to keep players cool.”
Speed = cool. They named the jersey technology in a name that evokes speed – swift – because it keeps everyone cooler.
Bullshit. All of it.[/quote]
Oh, come on… you can’t knock Nike too much… without them, I wouldn’t be able to afford school! (Sadly, the last sentence is true.)
It’s truly amazing to observe the power of marketing in action.
[quote comment=”377692″][quote comment=”377691″]I want everyone to view the greatest buy-in to marketing bullshit.
“The swift is designed to keep players cool.”
Speed = cool. They named the jersey technology in a name that evokes speed – swift – because it keeps everyone cooler.
Bullshit. All of it.[/quote]
Oh, come on… you can’t knock Nike too much… without them, I wouldn’t be able to afford school! (Sadly, the last sentence is true.)
It’s truly amazing to observe the power of marketing in action.[/quote]
I can knock Nike around like Mike Tyson knocking around a white kid in the early-1990s. And don’t think I won’t.
[quote comment=”377693″][quote comment=”377692″][quote comment=”377691″]I want everyone to view the greatest buy-in to marketing bullshit.
“The swift is designed to keep players cool.”
Speed = cool. They named the jersey technology in a name that evokes speed – swift – because it keeps everyone cooler.
Bullshit. All of it.[/quote]
Oh, come on… you can’t knock Nike too much… without them, I wouldn’t be able to afford school! (Sadly, the last sentence is true.)
It’s truly amazing to observe the power of marketing in action.[/quote]
I can knock Nike around like Mike Tyson knocking around a white kid in the early-1990s. And don’t think I won’t.[/quote]
God, I suck at that sarcasm thing. Knock them all you want.
[quote comment=”377694″]
God, I suck at that sarcasm thing. Knock them all you want.[/quote]
Goblin, you’re alright with the sarcasm. :)
But if I came out with the Teebz Icebox, how many would you buy if I told you that it made your food 8% faster?
You’d tell me “Teebz, GFY and your claims of faster food. Does it keep my food cold?” LOL
[quote comment=”377695″][quote comment=”377694″]
God, I suck at that sarcasm thing. Knock them all you want.[/quote]
Goblin, you’re alright with the sarcasm. :)
But if I came out with the Teebz Icebox, how many would you buy if I told you that it made your food 8% faster?
You’d tell me “Teebz, GFY and your claims of faster food. Does it keep my food cold?” LOL[/quote]
Maybe if you told me I’d be able to find my food 8% faster, I’d consider it.
[quote comment=”377688″][quote comment=”377647″][quote comment=”377636″]NO, NO, NO!!!! Why must everyone who tweaks the Ravens change the colors? Ravens are black with a purple and green sheen. Although I love the blue and gray (former 29er) the stadium has purple seats, everyone wears purple on Friday down here and it is a unique NFL color. Loved the removal of the B from the raven but I always thought the B should be on the helmet alone (like old school teams: Chicago, Green Bay)[/quote]
Because Baltimore has an unfortunate tendency to get exceptionally stupid with black in their color scheme. Guarantee me that they will never do link again and I’ll never suggest dumping black again.[/quote]
But that’s the one team where it works. This link looks like this, link no?[/quote]
Maybe so, but is that a good thing? Why should a team named for an animal have to be the same color as that animal?
I’ve never seen a blue and orange bronco or bear. Blue and silver lion? Green eagle? Blue and lime green osprey (or whatever a seahawk is)? Blue and gold ram? Et cetera, et cetera.
[quote comment=”377696″][quote comment=”377695″][quote comment=”377694″]
God, I suck at that sarcasm thing. Knock them all you want.[/quote]
Goblin, you’re alright with the sarcasm. :)
But if I came out with the Teebz Icebox, how many would you buy if I told you that it made your food 8% faster?
You’d tell me “Teebz, GFY and your claims of faster food. Does it keep my food cold?” LOL[/quote]
Maybe if you told me I’d be able to find my food 8% faster, I’d consider it.[/quote]
But that would change the game is played altogether, JTH, not how it makes no effing difference whatsoever. LOL
[quote comment=”377697″]
I’ve never seen a blue and orange bronco[/quote]
apparently ricko has
[quote comment=”377695″][quote comment=”377694″]
God, I suck at that sarcasm thing. Knock them all you want.[/quote]
Goblin, you’re alright with the sarcasm. :)
But if I came out with the Teebz Icebox, how many would you buy if I told you that it made your food 8% faster?
If it kept my beer 8% colder, I’m buying it.
You’d tell me “Teebz, GFY and your claims of faster food. Does it keep my food cold?” LOL[/quote]
[quote comment=”377700″][quote comment=”377695″][quote comment=”377694″]
God, I suck at that sarcasm thing. Knock them all you want.[/quote]
Goblin, you’re alright with the sarcasm. :)
But if I came out with the Teebz Icebox, how many would you buy if I told you that it made your food 8% faster?
If it kept my beer 8% colder, I’m buying it.
You’d tell me “Teebz, GFY and your claims of faster food. Does it keep my food cold?” LOL[/quote][/quote]
Quote fail. Twice, no less.
This is what I was trying for:
If it kept my beer 8% colder, I’m buying it.
[quote comment=”377697″][quote comment=”377688″][quote comment=”377647″][quote comment=”377636″]NO, NO, NO!!!! Why must everyone who tweaks the Ravens change the colors? Ravens are black with a purple and green sheen. Although I love the blue and gray (former 29er) the stadium has purple seats, everyone wears purple on Friday down here and it is a unique NFL color. Loved the removal of the B from the raven but I always thought the B should be on the helmet alone (like old school teams: Chicago, Green Bay)[/quote]
Because Baltimore has an unfortunate tendency to get exceptionally stupid with black in their color scheme. Guarantee me that they will never do link again and I’ll never suggest dumping black again.[/quote]
But that’s the one team where it works. This link looks like this, link no?[/quote]
Maybe so, but is that a good thing? Why should a team named for an animal have to be the same color as that animal?
I’ve never seen a blue and orange bronco or bear. Blue and silver lion? Green eagle? Blue and lime green osprey (or whatever a seahawk is)? Blue and gold ram? Et cetera, et cetera.[/quote]
There’s room for both – you can have blue lions and green eagles, as well as black/purple ravens and red cardinals.
Now if there were 5 or 6 black/purple teams already in the league, then the Ravens came along and used the “but they’re the colors of the raven,” I’d suggest they go with city colors or some other scheme.
Like them or not, the Ravens’ all-blacks make sense – a lot more than the Falcons’ all-blacks. Let’s leave Baltimore alone and work on Atlanta instead.
[quote comment=”377702″]There’s room for both – you can have blue lions and green eagles, as well as black/purple ravens and red cardinals.
Now if there were 5 or 6 black/purple teams already in the league, then the Ravens came along and used the “but they’re the colors of the raven,” I’d suggest they go with city colors or some other scheme.
Like them or not, the Ravens’ all-blacks make sense – a lot more than the Falcons’ all-blacks. Let’s leave Baltimore alone and work on Atlanta instead.[/quote]
Well, since the Cardinals were named for the color of their jerseys, they certainly should be wearing red.
As for the Ravens, when the Browns relocated to Baltimore, there were already 7 other teams with black jerseys and/or helmets.
[quote comment=”377703″][quote comment=”377702″]There’s room for both – you can have blue lions and green eagles, as well as black/purple ravens and red cardinals.
Now if there were 5 or 6 black/purple teams already in the league, then the Ravens came along and used the “but they’re the colors of the raven,” I’d suggest they go with city colors or some other scheme.
Like them or not, the Ravens’ all-blacks make sense – a lot more than the Falcons’ all-blacks. Let’s leave Baltimore alone and work on Atlanta instead.[/quote]
Well, since the Cardinals were named for the color of their jerseys, they certainly should be wearing red.
As for the Ravens, when the Browns relocated to Baltimore, there were already 7 other teams with black jerseys and/or helmets.[/quote]
But those blacks were matched with different colors. They weren’t all black/purple. I’m just glad they didn’t go with blue, since 12 other teams had that at the time, and now Houston also has blue.
Don’t get me wrong – although I think the Ravens should keep the all-black look, they’re the ONLY team that should.
Possible new Seahawaks unis?
link
[quote comment=”377704″]Don’t get me wrong – although I think the Ravens should keep the all-black look, they’re the ONLY team that should.[/quote]
Yeah, I got that. I just don’t agree that since the bird is black, the football team should mimic the look.
[quote comment=”377687″][quote comment=”377655″]Great post today.
Highlight of the opening ceremonies: Azerbaijan in their MC Hammer pants. Can’t find photos online unfortunately.
Lowlight: Wayne Gretzky looking like he’d rather be somewhere else.[/quote]
Yeah, I didn’t see the AzerbaiHammer pants until after I sent my piece. Saw them on the late-night replay.
Guessing my Slovak women’s team would rather be somewhere else right now. Well, the men will have to take the gold, then.[/quote]
Still haven’t seen any photos of Azerbaijan.
Also pretty funky: Czech Republic
link
(first I’ve seen of Jaromir Jagr in a couple of years)
Haven’t said this since I was a baby, but “I’d wear that bib.”
link
That’s the second most famous Pole (next to John Paul II), ski jumper Adam Malysz. Interesting look – blue helmet with red and white Polish flag emblem, all-black uni and red ski boots.
[quote comment=”377708″]Haven’t said this since I was a baby, but “I’d wear that bib.”
link
That’s the second most famous Pole (next to John Paul II), ski jumper Adam Malysz. Interesting look – blue helmet with red and white Polish flag emblem, all-black uni and red ski boots.[/quote]
link
[quote comment=”377708″]Haven’t said this since I was a baby, but “I’d wear that bib.”
link
That’s the second most famous Pole (next to John Paul II), ski jumper Adam Malysz. Interesting look – blue helmet with red and white Polish flag emblem, all-black uni and red ski boots.[/quote]
With that mustache, how could he not be popular in Eastern Europe?
I thought I had heard it all here on Uni Watch…that is until I heard that sheen green is one of the Baltimore Ravens colors!!!
Apolo Ohno wore a Footjoy golf glove on his right hand in his first races in the Olympics. I didn’t think anyone else noticed, but I was wrong:
link
[quote comment=”377629″]Re. the Norwegian polar bear: That logo belongs to the Norwegian Ice Hockey Association, just as the superimposed skater and maple leaf belong to Hockey Canada. The IOC are being complete jerks about using logos trademarked by other organizations (to the point that they asked the Australian team to take down a Boxing Matilda banner at the Athletes’ Village) so none of the national federation logos are supposed to be used this year (in any sport). That’s definitely played a role in the design of some of these uniforms.[/quote]
That’s why the United States is going with the simple “USA” on the chest too instead of the USA crest they’ve had for the past several years.
[quote comment=”377649″]The Ralph Lauren hats you and the wife would wear ARE nice, as well as the other Lauren line Team USA is wearing.
Just don’t look at the prices for the stuff. You’ll have to mortgage your house for what old Ralph wants for the USA olympic apparel![/quote]
Yeah, I agree. I went online yesterday to see if I could find one of those hats (I was sold when I saw the Moose) and couldn’t believe it when I found them.
They wanted $75 for the hat and wanted $425 for the sweater the US athletes were wearing under their jackets ($325) for the opening ceremony. Yikes! I’m not sure I want a hat that bad.
[quote comment=”377688″][quote comment=”377647″][quote comment=”377636″]NO, NO, NO!!!! Why must everyone who tweaks the Ravens change the colors? Ravens are black with a purple and green sheen. Although I love the blue and gray (former 29er) the stadium has purple seats, everyone wears purple on Friday down here and it is a unique NFL color. Loved the removal of the B from the raven but I always thought the B should be on the helmet alone (like old school teams: Chicago, Green Bay)[/quote]
Because Baltimore has an unfortunate tendency to get exceptionally stupid with black in their color scheme. Guarantee me that they will never do link again and I’ll never suggest dumping black again.[/quote]
But that’s the one team where it works. This link looks like this, link no?[/quote]
Agree, black for the sake of black (I am looking at you Eagles and Lions) is wrong. But when your mascot is an all black bird what else should you go with. I always thought gray would be a beeter accent color for the Ravens, as did the designer of the stadium as they used Gray seats in the club level:
link
[quote comment=”377711″]I thought I had heard it all here on Uni Watch…that is until I heard that sheen green is one of the Baltimore Ravens colors!!![/quote]
You misread that. It’s not a “Baltimore Ravens” color, it’s what an actual raven looks like.
Not digging the USA wearing white helmets with the blue unis.
Latvia’s spotty Olympic history probably has something to do with being a Soviet Republic for a few decades in the middle there…