Stripes Are All The Rage

It should come as no surprise that stripes play an important role on the sweaters and jerseys worn throughout hockey history. Stripes can add contrast, be used to separate jersey segments, accentuate logos, or provide a look that others may not have for a touch of uniqueness. We saw the New York Rangers use thicker stripes on their Winter Classic jerseys to help create that old-school look while the Florida Panthers used stripes to really add contrast and a pop of colour to their jerseys. Stripes seem to be taking centerstage for these outdoor games this year because the two teams in the AHL's Iowa Wild Outdoor Classic are showing off their stripes as well when they take the outdoor ice on January 23!

For those who haven't heard, Hockey Day in Minnesota will be held on January 23 with Hastings, Minnesota hosting the event on that day. Technically, the entire week is all about hockey as the event runs from January 17-24, and this year's celebration marks the 20th anniversary of this very-Minnesota event. Every level of hockey gets involved in Hockey Day in Minnesota in their local communities, and it's capped off by an outdoor game that raises the event to new heights. This year's outdoor game sees the AHL's Iowa Wild heading 3.5 hours north to their NHL affiliate's state where they will host the Milwaukee Admirals who are making the five-hour trip northwest!

Both teams will wear special jerseys for the Iowa Wild Outdoor Classic, so let's start with the hosts and their look for this game.

This isn't a bad look, but it certainly isn't a "Wild" look in any capacity. The stripes on the sleeves and hems do break up the monochrome white look, but could the Wild not have done more with this? That answer is yes, and it's part of the reason the hosts are going to be outclassed at in Hastings when it comes to aesthetics.

The Milwaukee Admirals undersood the assignment handed to them when they were named as part of this game. Here's their look.

This is beyond outstanding, and I love the effort the Admirals took to make this look like a throwback jersey. Everything about this jersey feels like an old-time sweater, and the stripes down the arms add both a stylistic element as well as breaking up what would have been a lot of white. The "Milwaukee" across the chest isn't overstated, allowing the "A" shield to take the focus when looking at the jersey. Selfishly, I want one of these jerseys and my hope would be that the Admirals keep it in their rotation after this game! It's fantastic!

In these two jerseys and from the NHL jerseys worn in the Winter Classic, you can really see how stripes do a lot of work in helping jerseys be better. Not all stripes will work in all cases, but teams that opt not to use them usually stand out for the wrong reasons. The Iowa Wild could use some more colour or maybe even a colour stripe between those thin stripes on their jerseys, but the Milwaukee Admirals got the job done as the visitors in their upcoming game.

The AHL's Iowa Wild Outdoor Classic will feature two teams from the Central Division who are separated by nine points and, based on the above jerseys, a significant sense of good hockey fashion. Stripes, though, are clearly en vogue in the hockey world this season, and I'd like to see more teams use some unique striping to set themselves apart from the traditional hockey look. Hockey is always looking for good merchandise streams and well-designed jerseys would be one!

Until next time, keep your sticks on the ice!