THE TIME HAS COME

Now, I have finally arrived on the topic which was my motivation to become a master of exposing all of the areas of the money wasting realm regarding sales of sports and sport related products; the new NHL Reebok jerseys. I had been made aware over the course of this summer that the NHL was going to switch the “style” of its jerseys as well as I was made aware that many teams would be switching the “design” of their uniforms, but now, as the hockey season is over a week old, as I have been able to observe the new uniforms in action and mull over my thoughts: I feel now is finally the time for me to speak on the subject.
First, because I know that there are a few non-hockey fans out there—I don’t forgive you—I feel compelled to explain the supposed idea behind the changing of the style of NHL jerseys and the history behind NHL upper-wear.
Originally, in the era before the 1970s, NHL jerseys were exclusively called sweaters because their material, well, it was the same as a regular sweater. These sweaters were first utilized so long ago that it was during the days in which professional hockey was played outdoors. As games outdoors during winter in Canadian cities could be quite cold, the sweaters were developed to maintain warmth and allow players to function despite their harsh climate. Even once professional hockey began to be played indoors—just before the 1920s—for many years, the tradition of the sweater material uniforms remained.
Then in the 1970s—and through the 2006-07 season—the NHL abandoned the sweater material for what had been known as the modern NHL jersey. I wish I could clarify better on what the material of those hockey jerseys was but because as viewing and wearing them had become second nature for me, for years, I would just describe the feel of those jerseys as being “jersey material.” Really nothing more specific than that. I’m not really sure exactly how even to describe them. But apparently, while for years I had functioned and while hockey fans in general had functioned quite well with these jerseys, in 2006, the powers that be—hockey marketers—came to the conclusion that these always seemingly functional pieces of equipment were no longer exactly modern. The main claims were that these jerseys did not absorb liquid well so when players would sweat or have water/ice residue brushed onto them, then their jerseys would get increasingly heavy making them no longer technology efficient.
So, despite no complaints from any hockey players or fans, before the 2007-08 season, the NHL decided to modify the style of their jerseys and sponsored by Reebok, the new jerseys are known as the Reebok edge. The Reebok edge jerseys are snug in fit and apparently better absorbers of liquid—or at least to the point where the statement is said that players can skate 8% faster with a Reebok edge jersey. But besides being marketed as the most efficient way for hockey players to have their upper-body covered, these uniforms were marketed as being stylish.
As the new style of jerseys came, apparently with the co-mission of portraying a new attitude in NHL hockey, many NHL teams modified their uniforms to cooperate with this mission of expressing a new attitude. Besides the overall style changes of the jersey, the New York Islanders, Philadelphia Flyers, Toronto Maple Leafs, Boston Bruins, Washington Capitals, Carolina Hurricanes, Florida Panthers, Tampa Bay Lightning, Nashville Predators, Vancouver Canucks, Calgary Flames, Ottawa Senators, Colorado Avalanche, Edmonton Oilers, San Jose Sharks, Phoenix Coyotes, AND Dallas stars—did you get them all—decided to change the design of their jerseys and in doing so, left their fans without the most modern uniforms. But I will address fans of those teams on a later date. Today, I will address the fans of the teams with unchanged designs in their uniforms: the New York Rangers, New Jersey Devils, Pittsburgh Penguins, Buffalo Sabres, Montreal Canadiens, Atlanta Thrashers, Detroit Red Wings, St. Louis Blues, Chicago Blackhawks, Columbus Blue Jackets, Minnesota Wild, Anaheim Ducks, and Los Angeles Kings—study quick, there might be a quiz on this later. Because while these teams have accepted the mandatory ruling of changing the materials of their jerseys, despite the material and supposed style change, after viewing, these uniforms look EXACTLY the same as the old ones. They look exactly the same as the old uniforms because except for the synthetics and materials that are stored unbeknownst to fans beneath the jersey’s exterior surface, they are exactly the same. So really, my statement to fans of these teams is quite simple: YOU HAVE NO NEED TO BUY A REEBOK EDGE JERSEY! Your “outdated” jersey is not outdated at all and as it functioned well for years, it will continue to function more than adequately while allowing you to maintain the same look that your favorite players sport when they skate up and down the ice. There really has been no change so avoid the words of the marketers that tell you to buy a Reebok Edge Jersey. More than anything I can think of, for you fans, sending money on a Reebok Edge Jersey that looks exactly the same as your team’s old jersey is a waste of money. You other fans, sit tight. I will address you next week. Until then, even if your instincts condone your splurging on a new jersey, just sit tight. I will take care of you!