Minnesota Whites

If you want something done right, go to the place where tradition is held sacred. Hockey, as most people know, is a way of life in the hockey-mad state of Minnesota, and the Minnesota Wild did very right with their new road uniform's unveiling at the Minnesota State Fair. As seen above, Josh Harding and Zach Parise look good in their new road sweaters, and this bodes well for the Minnesota franchise. HBIC will break down the new sweater below, but, at first glance, these are going to rate high on my scale.

First off, the Wild went traditional with their hockey look. They incorporated the hem stripes found on all traditional hockey looks. They worked in a shoulder yoke that looks good despite being squared off on the corners. They have good sleeve striping to accentuate the uniform, and they have made use of two colours in white and green that allow the logo to stand out on the chest. If there are any gripes, I'm not a fan of the lace-up collars as it seems every team in the NHL uses them now, and the moon stands out as the brightest colour on the uniform when staring at the logo. But if those are the two biggest complaints I have, the Wild have designed a very good road jersey.

The road jerseys have excellent balance now, and the darker green works well against a white background. The shoulder yoke gives the white jersey a good start, and the green stripes along the hem and on the sleeves break up the all-white look extremely well. The dark green also allows the red on the logo to pop a little more, and it draws the eye to the logo. If there are any advertising students out there, this ability to draw the eye into the center with the use of colour is a skill that is highly underutilized in the sports world. Kudos to the Wild for directing the fans to stare at their brand!

The accoutrements are little different from what we've seen, but still rank high. I like the shoulder patch as it stands out from the green extremely well. The green captaincy designation fits into the overall scheme nicely, but still stands out thanks to the dark-green-on-white colours. While I was questioning the red numbers at first, it actually helps to make the numbers stand out as well when looking at the overall uniform. I know that HBIC has always mandated that players play for the logo on the front and not the name on the back, but the red numbers will really help fans and some TV play-by-play men identify players when on the ice. I see nothing but pluses on these accoutrements!

The back of the uniform offers a comparison between the green and red. The name is spelled out in green, and, like the captaincy designation, stands out in so much that you know who the player is. However, the red numbers below draw your eye to them once again thanks to the use of colour. As I said above, he red numbers will really help fans and some TV play-by-play men identify players when on the ice. The subtleties of using the red in combination with the green highlights and the white background form a fantastic-looking and clean uniform!

The overall look, when combined with the breezers and socks, give the Wild an upgrade over their previous uniforms. I liked the old road uniform, but the new look is excellent. For all the teasing that the Wild did in leading up to this uniform unveiling, it was worth the wait!

Until next time, keep your sticks on the ice!