Are You Serious?

I hold out hope each and every day that the world is getting smarter. There are days where I feel that humanity breaks through the ceiling by which it seems trapped, and then there are days like today where I find myself shaking my head. As seen in the image to the left, all of the jerseys in the GIF share one common trait: none of them have the full team name on them, only a shortened version or a nickname of the team. In each and every case, it baffles me that teams are willing to cast their own logos and brands aside in exchange for one of these nicknames or shortened versions of their true names. But I guess it's better to be hip or cool than to have people respect the name with which one chose to brand one's self.

Today, the Carolina Hurricanes unveiled a new road jersey that they'll wear going forward because the old one simply wasn't cool enough for them, I guess. Whatever the reason given for the change, the end result will see the Hurricanes take the ice on the road in this abomination.

Look, I'm going to hit the positives first here because there are some things to like. The white jersey is clean and crisp with its tight sleeve stripes and the normal storm warning flag stripe at the bottom hem. While I would have liked a red shoulder yoke again, I can live with the white on the shoulders. It's a simple design that allows the logo to stand out... that is, if they actually had a logo on this jersey.

And that's where I draw the line. As stated above in the opening paragraph, all of the jerseys shown in that GIF have a shortened version or a nickname of the team on the front of the jersey where the logo or brand should be. There is no way that a team in the National Hockey League should ever not use its logo or branding on its jersey, particularly one of its primary jerseys, unless it's running a one-night minor-league promotion. And there are exactly zero days in any NHL season where an NHL franchise should be running a minor-league promotion.

If team nicknames aren't used on official documents nor on official releases from the team, why is it acceptable for teams to wear team nicknames on their uniforms? Hint: IT'S NOT.

Look, I get that the Hurricanes have a little swagger in their steps after their improbable run to the Eastern Conference Final last season. I get that they have a bit of a chip on their shoulders with the heat they took over their post-game celebrations. I understand how they bought into and adopted the "Bunch of Jerks" moniker as they employed an us-vs-the-world attitude. There's nothing wrong with any of these and they need to build on their run from last season using all these tactics, but it doesn't warrant nor justify taking their main logo off their road jerseys in exchange for a nickname. EVER.

Mike Forman, Hurricanes vice president of marketing and brand strategy, told Icethetics.com, "This uniform is intended to be a modern take on our classic road jersey," except this take is neither modern take nor a good take on what was a great look already. TSN's Pierre LeBrun reported that Hurricanes owner Mike Dundon didn't like the road jersey last season, and that this redesign came from that dislike.

It's within the owner's playbook to rebrand his team if he likes. After all, he owns everything from the logo to the jerseys to the wordmarks. However, Forman went on to tell Icethetics.com, "Our 'Canes' nickname is how the vast majority of our fans affectionately refer to us and we want to bring a piece of our fans with us on the road by featuring it as the crest logo."

Again, I draw the line here. This is perhaps the dumbest justification for the admitted use of a nickname on the front of a jersey in the history of the game. Your fans never demanded a new jersey and they still followed the Hurricanes when on the road regardless of whether they were the 'Canes, the Hurricanes, the Bunch of Jerks, or any other name they've been given. Changing the road jersey's primary logo to reflect what the owner and/or franchise perceives as fan affection is, without any hesitation, the worst hockey decision ever made regarding a jersey redesign in the history of the game. I say that without exaggeration. And as Chris Smith of Icethetics.com writes, "(L)et this be a one and done situation.

"Teebz," you're saying, "you're too much of a traditionalist." I can accept that labeling if you like. However, I fully believe that a team's logo is sacred ground and something that should never be altered unless absolutely needed. Minor changes I can accept, and the logos of the Red Wings, Bruins, Blackhawks, Maple Leafs, Yankees, Packers, and Cowboys have stood the tests of time over their long histories thanks, in large part, to those logos remaining virtually the same from year to year and decade to decade. No one ever questions why the Packers haven't slapped "The Pack" on their jerseys or why the Yankees don't come up with a "Bronx Bombers" jersey.

For all the good that this jersey brings, it would have been capped off beautifully with the Hurricanes logo on the chest. Instead, the Hurricanes go and do something unspeakable at the highest level of professional sports by making their franchise look like a minor-league promotional night by slapping a nickname across their chests - something that has been roundly admonished and clowned when other franchises have done it.

Epic fail, Hurricanes. And I'm disappointed more and more by this redesign each time I glance at it.

Until next time, keep your sticks on the ice!