A Friday Of Threads

Usually when someone is talking about threads on a blog, there are a series of links that will follow. That won't be the case today, though, as we have a pile of new clothes that will be worn in various leagues to examine, and I'll happily and freely provide my thoughts on each of the jerseys that will be tonight and in the future. Frankly, I struggle to understand how some of these get greenlit as official jerseys in any capacity, but there will be one today that makes me chuckle because of the controversial animal the logo displays. Let's get to it and check out these threads!

We'll start in the NHL as the annual Stadium Series games are nearly here, and you know these are just going to be horrific jerseys based on past Stadium Series' looks. Honestly, forcing these games every year is certainly a treat for the fans in those specific locales where they're held, but the remainder of the NHL fanbase seems to be very "meh" when it comes to the spectacle. Heck, even the Winter Classic this season was "meh" by all ratings standards.

The Flyers and Devils will both take part in the Stadium Series this season, and it seems the NHL got the logos right for both teams so let's give that a plus as we break these down. In 2014, the Devils wore their historic red-and-green jerseys, so it seemed inevitable that we'd get black and red if there was another... and we did. I'm not a fan of blacking out the logo, but I get the idea. A lack of any other colour, though, makes it feel incomplete. If the NHL is aiming for "meh" outdoor games, they're holding up their end of the bargain by having the Devils dress in "meh" uniforms with zero creativity.

New Jersey Devils Stadium Series jersey rating: ★★☆☆☆

The Philadelphia Flyers aren't really giving me the vibes of a Broadstreet Bullies team in their nearly all-white look. I do appreciate the smaller TV numbers up on the shoulders, but the lack of a shoulder yoke means we're missing Flyers' orange in key places to have these jerseys carry the Philly look. I will credit the Flyers for having a traditional logo on the front, but the shoulder yoke would have eliminated a lot of unnecessary white and zero creativity.

Philadelphia Flyers Stadium Series jersey rating: ★★☆☆☆

There's a significant divergence between the two New York-based teams here, and you likely won't be surprised which one disappoints me. I'll start with the New York Rangers because this Stadium Series jersey is, essentially, a twist on the current home jersey they wear as the "NYR" runs vertically in the diagonal from shoulder to hip like "Rangers" does, so the Rangers are doing well. Where they fall off with these jerseys is the lack of a shoulder yoke as well as the white is absolutely begging for some contrast. I'm not going to fault the Rangers for re-imagining their home jerseys as that requires some creativity, but that contrast missing does hurt their final score.

New York Rangers Stadium Series jersey rating: ★★★☆☆

Sometimes, you have to wonder if the people who are looking after the New York Islanders and their jersey history are in it just for laughs. The amount of garbage being poured into this Stadium Series effort is rather amazing, so let's go over the cardinal sins: no logo to identify the team, an informal nickname used on the jersey, zero creativity, and a rather blank canvas that is left with everything living on the middle stripe. The Islanders must have been bored in their design meeting and simply said "copy that Smashville jersey". That's the only way I can justify this unoriginal tire fire of a jersey.

New York Islanders Stadium Series jersey rating: ☆☆☆☆☆

The San Jose Sharks took their time in introducing yet another black alternate jersey to the world, but it finally was released on Thursday as the Sharks took to social media to show it off. I will give the Sharks credit with this jersey as they got a little creative, but black jerseys aren't very hockey-friendly in terms of design elements nor are they a fun colour. It's harder to see unless you click the picture for a closer look, but the stripes closest to the hem and the cuffs extended downward and get thinner as they go as they represent the ripples in water because, well, Sharks. That Northern California patch on the shoulder along with the dorsal fin logo are great examples of creative design, and I like the results they bring as both logos should stand the test of time.

My biggest issue is that the Sharks insist on using black alternates, and I really cringe at the thought of another black jersey in their wardrobe. The Sharks already wear one of the more unique colours in the NHL as their teal that has moved away from the bluish-teal they wore to a more grayish-teal, but I wish they'd go back to the bluish-teal for this jersey and have that heritage colour as their alternate. It would tie the old colour into the new era, and we'd still get a very stylish jersey. The ripple stripes in black would be a little more pronounced as well.

Overall, though, I like some of the design elements on the Sharks' new alternate. I'll always avoid a black jersey where I can, but the Sharks do have history with the colour despite those jerseys never really sticking around for more than a few years. In any case, the Sharks will skate in black for every home game in February and March as these jerseys will see ice-time for 11 games.

San Jose Sharks alternate jersey rating: ★★★☆☆

We got to see the Brandon Wheat Kings re-imagine their history previously this season in the WHL when they took the ice as the Wheat City Walleye, and it seems another WHL team is going to follow their lead by rebranding for one night as the Prince Albert Raiders grab a new identity as they host the Saskatoon Blades tonight! What kind of rebrand, you ask? Have a chuckle at this.

Ladies and gentlemen, here are your Lake Country Cobra Chickens!

For those who may be wondering about the name, Canadian geese will charge and hiss like a snake at whatever danger they're trying to intimidate, earning the slang name of "cobra chicken" for this act of defence. Prince Albert decided to jump into the deep end with this identity Raiders business manager Mike Scissons told PAnow's Nolan Kowal, "[t]he more you looked into cobra chickens online the more and more you saw some of these funny videos of people being chased by a goose on a lakefront or on a golf course or on a jog."

While the Cobra Chickens will only exist for one night in 2023-24, it seems the popularity may prompt the Raiders to give the name and identity some consideration moving forward.

"It was incredible the moment we put the actual logo out on social media and the website and the reaction we were getting," Scissons said, adding that there's been a demand not only in Saskatchewan but across North America and as far away as Europe. "I was helping process some of the online orders and shipping them out, and the places that we were shipping the merchandise to... it was unbelievable. This thing has taken off probably larger than what we expected."

Honestly, as a one-night promotion? This is simply awesome!

Lake Country Cobra Chickens jersey rating: ★★★★★

And just for a little more Cobra Chickens fun, check out the wordmark and the rather incredible secondary logo! I love that leg sticking out of the bottom of the egg! I'd buy a hat with that logo!

As stated off the top, there were some bad, there was some good, and we got to see a WHL team take the cake with their fun rebrand for one night. Honestly, if the NHL jerseys had half the creativity the Prince Albert Raiders did, I feel like we'd see some very popular NHL jerseys being worn for special games. I'll give a nod to the Sharks for a bit of a rebrand as they showed some creativity, but you're gonna have a hard time selling me on the Stadium Series jerseys when there are Cobra Chickens jerseys out there to be had.

Until next time, keep your sticks on the ice!