The National Hockey League unveiled the jersey design for the upcoming All-Star Game festivities on Thursday morning. For the first time, the All-Star jerseys feature the crests of the 31 NHL clubs and are made out of “upcycled” plastic marine debris. Also for the first time, the jerseys are black and white.
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Loving these, @adidashockey! pic.twitter.com/FeOODBeDt2
— Calgary Flames (@NHLFlames) January 9, 2019
There’s both good and bad here.
The good is pretty obvious: the NHL’s partnership with Parley Ocean Plastic is pretty cool. Even if it’s only for one weekend, it puts a nice spotlight on conservation efforts and finds a way to convert the ample plastic debris in the Pacific Ocean to good use. Considering the All-Star weekend is taking place in San Jose, this all seems like a slam-dunk and a great opportunity for strong public relations for the event and league.
That said, some of the fun of the All-Star festivities are the unique jerseys. If you skim the history of All-Star Game jerseys at the NHL Uniform Database, there are some really fun, unique looks. Whether it’s because of design choices or perhaps limitations caused by the material used – the press release is a bit spotty on this point – reverting to black and white jerseys removes some of the zany fun and wacky design choices that have punctuated the All-Star Game for decades.
Plus, a Flames crest effectively thrown onto a black and white San Jose Sharks jersey design looks pretty weird.
The NHL All-Star Game goes Sat., Jan. 26 in San Jose. Johnny Gaudreau and head coach Bill Peters will represent the Flames.
