We’ve seen several NBA teams hiring streetwear designers and fashion influencers to create new uniforms. Now the NHL is going that same route, as the Coyotes yesterday unveiled a new alternate jersey, dubbed “Desert Night,” designed by Rhuigi Villaseñor, who’s the founder of streetwear brand Rhude and was also recently hired as the team’s “creative strategist and global fashion designer.” (Translation: “The guy who creates merch that non-hockey fans will want to buy.”)
Here’s a better view of the full chest script, along with a rear view:
In a fun move, the captain’s “C” has been reimagined as a crescent moon, and the alternate’s “A” is described by the team as two cacti hugging each other:
I really like that, and wouldn’t mind seeing the Yotes extending it throughout their uni program.
Annoyingly, the team has not released any images showing the full uniform. But the new pants, which feature a cactus on the side, showed up at a practice session last week:
This uniform will be worn for 14 games, the first of which will be this Sunday, Jan. 22. You can see the full uni schedule at the bottom of this page.
Overall: Not bad, but wordmarks always look weird on NHL jerseys, and it would be nice if they could be bothered to show us the socks.
The howling Yote would have really worked, but it certainly could have been worse. Solid B-.
I saw a mock-up with the Kachina head logo as main crest. Logo like on the RR and old 3rd uniform. That would have fit well as still Kachina logo theme and not recently departed howling yote, but different than the primary logo.
Alright for a 3rd. Definitely needs a logo on front rather than wordmark. Could do away with the striping going up the sides of the torso. A bit too much.
The alternate captain’s A reminds me of the Highights magazine H with the top squished together (sorry can’t find a good picture of it alone)
Now that you said it, I can’t unsee it. They need Goofus and Gallant to model the uniforms.
I’m sure Goofus is already working on it. It’s amazing that a professional designer got paid to design that. I’d hate to see the other crap this designer has been paid to come up with.
Yes, Highlights love it.
It seems that this could be the first of NHL version of city connect jerseys.
Not bad as mentioned above B range I would give it. Almost a homage to the previous red Coyotes jerseys.
The Coyotes need to stick with a color. They went from the purple, black & green of the Kachina era to the sedona red. Then switched back to the Kachina uniforms full time. Then, out of nowhere they break out an alternate in the Sedona Red, which they had seemed to abandon. It creates an identity crisis.
That seems to be a trend for Arizona teams. Suns had a great set in orange and purple… then added black… and now turquoise.
D’backs started with purple and teal, with a little copper… then red/black/beige… then pale yellow, or turquoise, depending on the mood and day of the week, etc.
The Cardinals keep trying to downplay the color for which they were named.
Arizona State wears maroon and athletic gold, except when they wear BFBS. Or AFAS. Or tan. Or camouflage. Or copper.
The ‘Yotes are as you described. The shake is, I generally like this alternate. I agree with those who prefer a logo crest to a word mark but I don’t even mind this wordmark, as things go.
Same held true for the USFL Wranglers and shorter-lived/relocated Outlaws, as well s the WHA Roadrunners (though to a lesser degree…stuck with a color scheme but switched jersey stripe patterns).
This identity crisis can be brought to a halt if the NHL would admit that ice hockey in AZ is a failure and allow the team to move.
“This identity crisis can be brought to a halt if the NHL would admit that ice hockey in AZ is a failure and allow the team to move.”
They sell out every night! What more can you ask?!?
I find it fascinating that the knee-jerk response is always “The Coyotes are failing because they’re in Arizona” and not (more accurately, I believe) “The Coyotes are failing because they’ve been a terrible team for 25 years.” They actually got amazing fan support in the late ’90s when they were putting a decent product on the ice, and there’s no reason to believe that support wouldn’t come back if they ever turn things around. The problem isn’t the location; it’s the team.
The failure of the Coyotes franchise was in the move to Glendale. It’s one thing to drive to Glendale for eight or nine NFL games every season but 41 NHL games is a tough ask. They should have built the new arena in Phoenix proper.
For better or worse (and largely driven by the Reverse Retro program), it’s become pretty commonplace for NHL teams to wear different uniforms representing multiple color schemes from their history. If you disagree with that trend, so be it, but this new Arizona alternate certainly isn’t an outlier.
I was prepared to hate it, but I don’t. Decent uni for the Coyotes.
I really like that Coyotes jersey — better than any of the others that have been worn by the team in the past.
Also: in looking at the picture of the Edmonton golf club covers, I have to say: the oil worker/triangle logo needs to be used on a City Connect/new alternate/Stadium Series uni in the near future. I really think it’s pretty cool.
I like a lot about the fronts of those jerseys. The backs look too much like those of a college football jersey (Alabama/Arkansas). While I’m not normally a big proponent, this is an occasion where a unique name and number font that compliments the front would be well served.
There actually was a full studio photoshoot with the entire unis being shown, but it appears that they’ve scrubbed any trace of it, because I can’t find the pictures anywhere now. It was in the article announcing the release on the Coyotes site yesterday…I remember seeing pictures of Clayton Keller and (I believe) Lawson Crouse modeling them.
I love the Captain and Alternate patches…such a fun touch. Also a fan of bringing back a red jersey for the team…
I’ve sounded off on it last night, but generally, I’m not a fan. The line work on the striping is all right, but for a mono-brick red set, it doesn’t seem strong enough to break up the monotony like the old three-stripe pattern on the 2003 set did. And some of the other elements just feel out of place to me – the cactus A, the cacti on the pants, the traditional block lettering for the numbers/NOBs, and the wordmark all just don’t work for me.
It’s an “Arizona” uniform, sure, but it barely feels like a *Coyotes* uniform, and it *only* feels like one at all because of the kachina stripes and the colors.
Speaking of NHL third uniform reveals, I await coverage of the Canucks’ drop from last night.
Not much to say about the Canucks. It’s just a slightly tweaked version of the same throwback they keep trotting out. I will admit I like the logo better without white, but the uni overall is a solid “meh” for me. Let’s see some creativity.
I enjoyed how the Canucks went about releasing the uniforms. A banner behind an airplane and bus billboards simply stating #Freetheskate. No notice or unveiling until they hit the ice last night. Game promotions didn’t hint it would be anything but their regular blue and green. Also something Paul can appreciate. Not just the jersey but full uniform showed in unveiling photos:
link
This new Skate uniform is a mixture of different eras to create the new uniform. Current number font. Striping a nod to original 1970 Canucks jersey.
Has been an interesting season aesthetically for the Canucks. They basically had 2 good-looking new alternate uniforms. Each one is worn in one half of the season. Johnny Canuck navy/green RR was worn so frequently in first half it was like a regular third. Now it is gone. This new regular black Skate third here for second half.
“The guy who creates merch that non-hockey fans will want to buy.”
Yeah, that’s definitely what this feels like. Agree that certain elements are nice, but that seems to be the case with just about every new alternate uniform now. They throw a ton off stuff at the wall, and as a whole it is a mess. There are a few salvageable ideas, but they get lost amid the rest.
Please, please, please do not let side panels creep back into the NHL.
These are kind of cool, but a bit too monochrome.
I think they need a third colour with this colour scheme. A trim colour that contrasts, to prevent the left-in-the-wash-too-long look. I vote for the dark green from the other uniform, or the purple.
I don’t think green or purple would work as a trim color here because the shade of red they’re using is on the orange side of the red spectrum, as opposed to the blue side (like their other red that they use in their primary unis).
If you want to add some contrast without messing up the overall visual vibe of the uniform, just add black. I know uni watchers seem to look for reasons to dislike black (reasons that they oddly never apply to white), but sometimes it is a valid design option.
That Coyotes set is DULLLLLLLLLLL
For some reason the pattern along the bottom and sides have me thinking, “ugly Xmas sweater”…
The Captains patch is odd in that they don’t have a Captain, haven’t since 20-21
Admittedly the captaincy patches are very clever and well executed, but man… that moon patch is so good, I want to see it on everyone’s jersey. I wish they could just make that a permanent part of the jersey and denote the captaincy some other way.
I . . . . I . . . I like these. . .
They look like they were designed by a 5-year-old with only two crayons left in the box…
The “Arizona” is too similar to this:
link
I see the pattern on the bottom of the jersey and it reminds me of playing Space Invaders.
My exact thought as well- this looks like Space Invaders!
I like that it matches the Cardinals colors.
Also, I like the idea of the two cactuses hugging each other. But that “A” is really just one cactus holding a stick.
The uniform is pretty decent, but that ad patch is an abomination!
Looks more like a hockey jersey that would be sold at the State of Arizona Welcome Center.
Which is exactly the idea.
I like everything about it, except the script. The capital A doesn’t seem like the same font as the other letters. The initial impression, for me, was that the “A” screams Disney or Astros.
Imagine an A were the negative space was a howling coyote, that would have been cool.
They’re … adequate I guess.
I hate to call a uniform “dull” but their current primary set is so good and their reverse retro is off-the-charts amazing. This new one the fourth best jersey they have right now, which is bad news for a brand new jersey.
These Coyotes jerseys are pretty tame compared to many of the others they’ve worn. Not awful, but boring for sure.
I actually really like the cactus breezers.
The wordmark is straight from a local Tourist Board or casino, the striping looks like an accident at the printing shop oer a mix up with the wiring system plan of the arena where they play and side panels on jerseys should be banned from all sports except basketball. But I like the burgundy and the C and A patches.
There are some good elements here but some misses. Overall meh.
I like the color, the cactus, the design at the bottom of the shirt, & the crescent moon.
I do not like the lack of a 3rd or accent color, the extra vertical design of the pattern in the side panels, the wordmark is too small & the “A’ doesn’t match the font, also the A looks futuristic (or spacey w/ the shooting star, not matching the indigenous or other natural elements of the brand/mascot)
I guess it just dawned on me how perfect it would be if they renamed the Cardinals to the Coyotes. If done right they would have one of the best looks in the NFL.