The Hurricanes announced a few weeks ago that their black alternate uniform was being redesignated as their primary home design. The assumption at the time was that red, which had been the team’s home color, would become the alternate for 2022-23. And sure enough, that’s what’s happening — but with a few changes.
The Canes today unveiled a retro alternate based on the red uniforms they wore during their first decade in Carolina — 1997 through 2007. Despite the throwback elements, the design is v-e-r-y similar to last year’s home jersey. Here’s a comparison:
As you can see, they’ve tweaked the collar, added shoulder patches, added silver to the striping, and made the hurricane flag pattern bolder. All of those elements hearken back to the 1997-2007 uni, but it’s still pretty much the same design. Most fans probably won’t even notice the changes. You can see more photos — none of which, maddeningly, show the full head-to-toe uniform — here.
Want to learn more about Carolina’s uniform history? You can check that out here.
Why do they insist on sticking with the error of the flags on their shoulder patch? Especially when they fixed it on their sweaters? I really like the red sweaters, but my OCD doesn’t allow me to buy it when the team is called the Hurricanes but the shoulder patch is for a tropical storm warning…
The reason is because they’re throwbacks and that’s how they were on the original.
But also: who cares whether or not it’s accurate? Hurricanes also aren’t red and black. The old logo looked so much better aesthetically, especially on the front of a jersey. The new logo is way too vertical to look good as a logo.
This ^^^^
That said, I think they could make the new version work, they just need to make one adjustment. If you bend or hockey term, flex the stick in a C shape, the two flags can sit right inside there. The flexed C shape stick for Carolina and the flags for Hurricanes.
Hurricanes aren’t red and black. But the warning flags are.
I’m with Jim on this one. The primary consideration of sports logos should be aesthetics, not strict literal accuracy. I mean, how far are we going to push this? Real penguins don’t skate and hold hockey sticks either. The two-flag logo that they wear on their black and white jerseys may be more literally accurate, but it doesn’t work well as a logo IMO because it’s too linear. I can deal with it on the shoulders of the white jersey, but as a primary chest logo (as on the black jersey), it just looks weird.
I was always defended the “Tropical Storm” warning flag, or “error” if you will.
Perhaps the other square flag got ripped off in the wind of oh I dunno, a hurricane?
But does this make the Hurricanes to have three completely different primary/alternate uniforms in one season?
Not counting stadium series or Winter Classics, has any team worn three different designs in a season?
Maybe the Wild, but I’m off to NHL Uniforms to check
They already had 3 different designs last season. The red that’s being eliminated didn’t match the black or white templates either.
The Commanders essentially have three distinctly different uniforms which don’t share many (any?) common design elements.
The Ottawa Senators had three completely different designs on their primary home, primary road, and alternate jerseys from 2000-01 through 2006-07. I was always impressed with their unis during that era because all three of them had completely different aesthetic vibes but they were all really good in their own unique ways.
Plain and simple. This new retro alternate should be their primary uniform.
They also went back to the original number font, based on that picture.
Proofreading: “based on their red uniforms their wore”
Guessing that second “their” should be “they”. (And maybe the first one should be “the”?)
Proofreading: “based on their red uniforms their wore”
Guessing that second “their” should be “they”. (And maybe the first one should be “the”?)
Fixed.
So … modern Adidas collar, maker’s mark, shoulder yoke, NHL badge and sweater template and throwback otherwise?
Given all that, probably still better to sift through old CCM/Koho sweaters online if you want a throwback. Not sure this was worth it for no more than a season or two depending on who takes over the NHL’s uniform contract from Adidas.
Cracks me up how many are decrying the return of the OG flag logo here. It looks better, it fits the team aesthetic, and frankly works better on a jersey. The new logo looks like a feather pen from distance. If they’d kept the triangle, which represents The Triangle (Research Triangle Park Area for those who aren’t NC fluent), then we wouldn’t be having this conversation. But they didn’t. I predict this is gonna be the new home jersey by 2025.
I grew up in the area and always figured that the area had always been referred to as “the triangle” and they named the research park after that. It never occurred to me that it might have been the other way around.
Raleigh-Durham-Chapel Hill. Three places that formed a triangle on the map. They formed the Triangle. RTP – er, Research Triangle Park – came about later.
And while the red unis are nice, the black is better. Since it is one of their colors, it’s not BFBS. I guess in my uni Utopia, they would use the first set of black uniforms with the updated secondary logo (though, speaking of the Triangle, part of the charm of the first alternate logo was the Triangle behind the storm flag). Additionally, the team is switching over to black because of feedback. Given that they wore red for more than 20 years, I doubt they switch back over quickly.
Is it just me or does anyone else hate their Black uniform? So boring, I don’t get why anyone would choose it over their gorgeous reds
I don’t hate the black set but I prefer the red.
Based on their history, I look forward to Carolina making these their home uniforms in 2 years or so.