Hockey fans were treated to the latest deluge of alternate sweaters in November, presumably in time for Black Friday and the holidays. From the solid but slightly uninspired Columbus Blue Jackets cannon-laced third duds to the far riskier Anaheim Ducks designs, the NHL introduced some passable but far from earth shattering new takes.
We might have our quibbles here and there with new designs, but every now and then, something awful comes along to remind us that sports teams still occasionally step on stylistic land mines.
Enter the ECHL’s wonderfully (or woefully, depending on taste) pun-based Florida Everblades, who provided the hockey world with a particularly monstrous take on their typical uniforms in time for the “holidays.” (I think Puck Daddy’s Greg Wyshynski nails it when he points out that the jersey might as well say “Merry Christmas” since the jersey only seems to focus on that specific holiday.)
With a gaudy look that for whatever reason made me flash back to those once-in-a-generation St. Louis Blues monstrosities from the ‘90s, the Everblades have created what might be this season’s most expensive “joke gift.”
You can see for yourself from this post’s main image (via Puck Daddy) and this shot of the back of the jersey, via Mike McKenzie’s Twitter page.
For comparison’s sake, here are the team’s typical white jerseys (from the team’s Web site).
So, as you can see, the team is capable of putting together a respectable jersey.
Anyway, this brings me to a few questions:
1. What were they thinking?
2. Furthermore, did they design them in the most garish way possible to get us talking/laughing about them? If so, they succeeded.
3. Dare I ask: do you like them?
Feel free to share your thoughts on these aesthetic abominations in the comments.