NHL unveils black and white All-Star Game jerseys

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.

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.