Are You Kidding Me?
Eat it up, kids. That could be the newest alternate jersey for the New York Islanders, and, if it indeed finds its way to the ice, this jersey will continue a tradition of alternate jersey eyesores from the Long Island franchise. If anyone wants to take a guess at why the Islanders decided to unveil a black uniform, I want to hear it. Personally, if these hit the ice, the Islanders should be demoted to the AHL.
Props go out to Puck Daddy's Greg Wyshynski for digging these up on a Flickr account, and for getting the tweet from the Islanders that these uniforms are being considered as an alternate for the 2011-12 season. All of this leads me to wonder whether anyone at the Islanders' compound actually watches games involving the Islanders?
Forget the orange alternates that made the Islanders look like pylons on the ice (and that's not saying anything about how they played during that era). Forget the original Rbk Edge designs that the Islanders rolled out when Reebok took over CCM and the NHL contract. These new "concepts" automatically rank in at the bottom of the barrel when it comes to all of the laundry that the Islanders have ever worn because of their collegiate look and choice of black as the primary colour.
I realize that the Islanders can use the extra revenue from jersey sales. They are always near the bottom of the attendance rankings, and I'm pretty sure that there aren't a lot of Tavares, Moulson, and Grabner jerseys outside of the Long Island area. That being said, I can't see any legitimate Islanders fans rushing sporting goods stores for these new conceptual jerseys.
Why would anyone in design replace the Islanders logo with a wordmark across the chest? I like the Islanders logo, and it really is a sharp image representing the team. Four Stanley Cups were won under that logo, so I see no reason to replace it with anything else, let alone a wordmark. STUPID.
Why is everyone copying the Flyers in having a contrasting nameplate for the player's name on the back? The Islanders have never worn a contrasting nameplate in their history, so why is it being used here? Buffalo used the idea on its alternate jersey last season, and now the Islanders are doing the same. Do any designers have an original thought when it comes to a hockey jersey? STUPID.
Black jerseys are, in my view, idiotic in hockey for teams that don't use black as a primary colour, and this is especially true for the Islanders after they already went back in time to bring back a classic look. There is simply no comparison between the two looks as the classic Islanders jersey is infinitely better. Heck, even my beloved Fishermen uniforms are exponentially better than the black monstrosity above. STUPID.
If this is truly one of the finalists that the Islanders are considering for an alternate jersey, I also have a "conceptual" jersey that the Islanders should consider. I have always maintained that the Fishermen jerseys were way ahead of their time, and I think this would be a chance for the Islanders to introduce a piece of their history the right way if they used the wave jersey once again with the current logo as they did from 1996 to 1998.
What say you, readers? What suggestions would you make for the Islanders in regards to their 2011-12 alternate uniform?
Until next time, keep your sticks on the ice!
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4 comments:
Whatever the Islanders decide for a third jersey, I would certainly hope that the black jersey is not it.
As for why the Islanders are even considering this jersey, one theory says that it's to connect to Knicks and Mets fans. I don't know about you, but the last I checked, the Knicks play at MSG, where the rival Rangers also play, and the Mets...well, they're the Mets, who themselves are digging out of a financial hole, not unlike the Islanders.
I get sick of these new jersey designs....There needs to be more teams like Detroit, you have a home jersey and an away jersey. Two CLASSIC sweaters! I was really dissapointed to see Dallas change their jerseys to the "Dallas" wordmark, considering how good their star logo looks. Why don't the Islanders just bring back the fisherman jerseys? I'd like to see that. Another dissapointment of mine is that recently, teams have gone away from the stripes on the lower part of the jersey. For a few years the Leafs did this and their white jerseys looked awful. (They brought them back last year) I don't approve of this new Islanders look at all.
@Doc - I heard this theory as well, but it makes almost no sense. I get that the Mets and Isles are second-class citizens in NYC, but adding a black, collegiate-style uniform only makes the team more forgettable.
@Justin - I'm ok if the alternate jerseys are a variation of the team. For example, I'm ok with throwbacks being used (Pittsburgh, Buffalo), and I was a huge fan of the old McFarlane-designed Oilers uniform. But you're right about the Fisherman jersey in that it should be brought back! ;o)
Hate to blaspheme, but as an Isles fan I really liked the orange alts (and, {gasp} didn't mind the RBK versions too much either). I would love to see a modernized orange alt, but these black ones better not make it onto the ice.
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