Friday 13 December 2013

Pretty Good-Looking Friday

It's rare when the hockey world produces a hat trick like we saw today. We've seen some great performances on occasion, and we've certainly been treated to a few sideshows, but today was a combination of good and great that hasn't been seen very often. Of course, I'm talking about uniforms, and we were lucky enough to see Pittsburgh use their heads followed by the impeccably-dressed Frozen Frontier game in the AHL!

Being a Penguins fan, there was a lot of anticipation on my end as to what the Penguins may be wearing for their game against the Chicago Blackhawks. The above image is the look the Penguins are going with, and there is a lot to like. There are a few drawbacks, but the Penguins appear to be interested in looking respectable when they take the ice outdoors.

The colors look great on these uniforms, and they really pop. I'm not fond of the chroming of the logo, but that appears to be minimal in its usage. I'm also not a huge fan of those half-stripes that don't make it around the arms. Stripes need to be full stripes. No exceptions.

While I would have preferred the original yellow of the Penguins to be used on this uniform, I don't think there is much to gripe about when it comes to these one-time uniforms. Overall, these are much better than what we've seen from the Islanders, Anaheim, and Los Angeles. Some may say I'm biased, but I would have no problem calling a spade "a spade" if these uniforms were hideous. These are not.

Here are the uniforms worn by the AHL's Lake Erie Monsters who were the visitors in tonight's Frozen Frontier outdoor game in Rochester, New York. I won't lie: I love these jerseys. The colors are fantastic in this combination, and I like the way the uniform is laid out. While some may say that the front numbers are cartoonishly big, I really dig them. While I do feel that the white circular backdrop on the captaincy designation is a little big, this uniform works for me. I'll take two actually. Well done, Cleveland Barons Lake Erie Monsters!

The uniforms worn by the Rochester Americans actually felt like more of a throwback, but they were done very well in keeping things simple. The front of the uniforms are very clean and crisp in their colors, and the stars added on the shoulders break up the uniform just enough. The back of the uniforms are a little tough to read in terms of the numbers, but the color scheme works well. There are also no names as the Americans hold true to the time period of these throwback uniforms. Very nice, Rochester!

Friday had all sorts of great looks at new uniforms, and there was little about which one could be disappointed. All three teams look respectable in their outdoor game uniforms. The best part? If you are a Rochester fan, you saw your team fall behind 3-1 before rallying to send the game to the shootout at the Frozen Frontier at 4-4. In the shootout, the Monsters took a 2-0 lead only to surrender three straight goals to lose the shootout 3-2 and the game 5-4 to the Americans!

Good uniforms, great outdoor game, and an overall excellent hockey day!

Until next time, keep your sticks on the ice!

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