With the Capitals and Hurricanes set to face off in this season’s NHL Stadium Series Game on Feb. 18 at Carter-Finley Stadium in Raleigh, N.C., both teams yesterday revealed their uniforms for the game. Let’s take them, one team at a time.
Capitals
As usual, the Stadium Series designs feature outsized graphics that should be visible even from the cheap seats — in the Caps’ case, a chest-wide version of their “Weagle” logo. Honestly, I’ve never been a huge fan of this logo (I always think it looks like an eagle with an old-fashioned oil can stuck up its ass), but I think it looks great in this context! In fact, I wish they had the wings wrap around to the back, but they opted not to do that:
And in a pleasant surprise that almost qualifies as a minor miracle, the Caps have actually seen fit to share the entire uniform with us, instead of just the jersey:
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I really like it! This is gonna look great.
In addition to the Stadium Series game on Feb. 18, the Caps will also wear this uniform for their Feb. 21 home game against the Red Wings.
Hurricanes
Holy shmoly, another full-uni view — it’s like Christmas in January!
This is basically a rerun of the Stadium Series design that the Canes were supposed to wear in 2021, before that game was canceled due to the pandemic. I didn’t love the design then and still don’t love it now. It’s the first Canes uni not to include any white, which according to the press notes gives it a “modern look,” but I think it just looks drab. Some white accents would’ve helped things pop a bit more.
Unfortunately, this small image is the only rear-view shot I’ve been able to find:
The helmet has an oversized number on one side and an oversized team logo on the other:
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Overall: A big thumbs-up for the Caps, and a “meh” for the Canes.
Canes uniform looks like a reverse of the Red Wings reverse retro.
The double waffleboard look wasn’t uncommon back in the 70’s and 80’s. A bog standard repair job.
Hit: the Caps. Fresh, funky, festive. A keeper and much better than their current attire. Miss: the Canes. Drab, moody, uninspired. Modern? As in ‘not involved, cannot be bothered, who cares as long as it sells’, it might qualify as a modern design.
Caps needs to wear those regularly
Have to disagree about the Weagle.
The “oil can” is a simplified silhouette of the US Capitol Building. In my opinion, the best use of negative space in a logo since the Whalers.
Yes, I know what it’s supposed to represent. I’m just saying what it looks like to me.
The Oil Can/Dome is an unnecessary element in a logo which is too clever by half. At least on this big canvas it more clearly resembles the Capitol Building.
I think this raises the question of who a logo is for. I cannot imagine anyone with a personal history in the greater DC area seeing the bottom center of the Weagle as anything other than the Capitol dome, but I can also see how easy it would be for someone without that personal visual baggage to miss the dome thing entirely. If the goal is to communicate “US Capitol dome” to Washingtonians, it works perfectly. If the goal is to communicate “US Capitol dome” to folks in Wenatchee, Bend, or Billings, not so much.
So for what I think the logo is supposed to accomplish, the negative space works. But I also suspect that a less abstract rendering of the statue of Freedom atop the dome might improve the Weagle. Heck, that statue could be the basis of a Caps logo, especially its eagle-head, star-enwrapped helm.
I always saw the capitol, and appreciated the use of negative space, but once Paul wrote- “Ialways think it looks like an eagle with an old-fashioned oil can stuck up its ass”- I can’t unsee it. Thanks Paul!
I’m with Paul on this one. I actually think the use of negative space isn’t subtle enough. To me it’s always been super obvious, whereas my favorite uses of negative space is where I don’t see it right away and then it kinda blows me away when I do.
Don’t hate the lack of white for the Canes, but some grey would have made it a little more balanced.
There is some grey on the jersey/sweater, however subtle. Under the red stripe around the waist and under the red shoulders are charcoal grey fabric stripes.
Your larger point stands, though.
I noticed that, but I meant more of a light grey as seen on the outline of the standard version of their crest.
I’ll never be able to unsee the “old-fashioned oil can stuck up its ass” now.
Perfect description now that it has been put in print.
I appear to be in the majority but I really don’t like either of these all that much.
Love the weagle logo and always thought it should be used as their jersey logo. This use of it is even better than a standard jersey design, the nature of the wings in the logo definitely lends itself to wrap around the sleeves in this oversized format. They nailed this one and it should be kept in regular rotation, if not made the standard design.
I didn’t think about it like that. It’s still a bit large for my liking—especially since the wings *don’t* wrap around the sleeves—but I at least can sort of see why people would think that it’s a good jersey now with that context.
On the one hand, it’s about darn time the Caps have a shirt with the Weagle on the front. Best symbol logo in current use in the NHL, and it’s barely sniffed the front of a sweater. But the form and color balance here don’t work for me, so on the other hand this is the first time in a while that I’ve not loved an NHL special-event jersey. The NHL usually blows me away with these, especially outdoor-game uniforms, but both the Caps and Canes here disappoint me.
I love stars on hockey pants. Thumbs up to the Capitals on that. The large numbers on the helmets are quite ridiculous. Not ever been a fan of teams subsequently wearing their Stadium Series uniforms in the arena for games after because of some of the details such as large pant/helmet logos and large sleeve numbers. The details are meant for the Stadium Series games. Should be left in the stadium.
I don’t /hate/ the ‘Canes unis as much, but it is in dire need of some white in the uniform. The helmet is gimmicky as hell but I love me a helmet with numbers on one side.
I wished both the Caps and Canes would have chosen a lane.
Either go with numbers on both sides of the helmet OR logos…which I would have preferred seeing how well they translated up there.
Well. File under things that can’t be unseen. I’ve never noticed the oil can thing, but like the arrow in the FedEx logo, now it’s all I see when I look at the Caps eagle. Thanks, Paul!
The Canes look is both lazy and boring.
OMG, I love the Cap’s uni for the Winter Classic. Awesome. They should wear those regularly (assume that’s not allowed, but whatev). Canes? Boring. I agree a little white or grey trim would have helped, but if you are going to create a one-off uni for the event, do something more interesting. The re-use of the puck/storm logo is lazy as shit. I do like the coloring and design of the sleeves and the oversized number/logo on the helmet. Also, if you are going to go oversized so it’s more visible to the crowd, black and red won’t do it. Again, some sort of trim at least around the numbers would help.
Yep, there’s a reason no team in major pro/college sports uses red on black/black on red without accent colors. Those things will be a terrible pain to read numbers unless you are standing directly next to them. Feel bad for the play by play guy who will have to call that game.
Yes, the Canes uni is meh. But still light years ahead of most NFL looks.
In the template format the Caps show the jerseys with red gloves, and in the picture Ovi had on blue gloves, confusing
The Caps’ Twitter account acknowledged the issue, pointing out that the gloves will indeed be blue for the actual game. link
The Capitals: It’s ok, nothing great. I admit I’m biased. I’m a Penguins fan and despise the Capitals. I’ve never liked any of their uniforms. But I also despise the Rangers, but they have a great uniform. The Capitals have a simple red-white-blue color scheme and still manage to make it look like bad.
The Hurricanes: This is actually much worse then their usual uniforms. Hard thing to do to make the usuals look good. Way too much black.
I like the idea of the Hurricanes’ unis, save for a couple of issues:
1) They already use two different fonts – one for the white and black sweaters – and the font they used for their first uniform sets after moving south of Hartford. And a more standard block font with the Whalers throwbacks. Wouldn’t one of the current Hurricanes fonts work? With the choice of two – or three – already in use, why introduce another?
2) I do like the numbers on the sides of the lids and the numbers on the sleeves (do we call those TV numbers, American football style?). Can’t say they’re not trying to make up for being farther away from fans, media and some TV cameras compared to arenas.
3) While the unis look fine in the photos, will the fans and media be able to read the nameplates and numerals when they’re skating in the middle of Carter-Finley Stadium? Need I remind UW readers that many people liked the RR that were grey with the Whalers’ logo and colors? They looked good in photos, but could not see the numbers well on the ice. They might have wanted to remember how much better the first set of alternate black sweaters worked with white trim around the red numbers.
4) As much as the UW community sometimes loves point out that they overcrowd the jersey/sweater, it’s interesting to see both of these teams incorporate them into one of the shoulders of the sweater. That the Hurricanes opted to keep the North Carolina state flag on one shoulder – similar to the standard black sweater – and use the other shoulder, usually reserved for a team logo, for the Stadium Series patch was a nice touch.
Paul writes, “Honestly, I’ve never been a huge fan of this logo (I always think it looks like an eagle with an old-fashioned oil can stuck up its ass), but I think it looks great in this context!”
Haven’t laughed that hard in a long time. Nicely done.
I think the best thing about Stadium Series uniforms is proof uniforms can still be designed with utility in mind.
Re: Capitals stadium series.
The Twitter note came out early Thursday morning. By Thursday night, you already had fans showing up to The Edifice Formerly Known As The MCI Center with those jerseys.
I like these; I think USA Hockey should use this as a template for the next national team uniform.
The best thing about both unis? No ads.
Must’ve killed their respective team brass to not find a suitable advertiser for the game. “No corporate crap on our uniforms?” Oh, the horror! … -C.
I actually kinda dig those Caps unis.
Am I the only thinking that the Weagle looks very reminiscent of MLB’s Turn ahead the clock jerseys?
Maybe they were onto something…
I like the Caps uniform. I don’t have the same hate for the ‘oil can’ that others do.
I would like it better if the negative space looked more like the Capitol instead of “generic pointy dome”. I also wonder if some of the details of the dome (as in the drawing below) could have been done in white in the negative space similar to the details in the eagle.
link
Anyway. The stadium series uniforms are divisive as usual, I like that they try to do something bold and modern instead of a fauxback.
Similarly to Paul’s oil can, when the Seattle main logo came out I saw a red winged dark blue bird in the upper part of the ‘S’. I can’t unsee it now.
Sheesh, the indignity of being a modern day professional hockey player.
SMH.
Lee
That picture of the back of the Hurricanes jersey looks like the numbers have some sort of special stitching pattern but can’t tell due to the low resolution
I need the Capitals to move to this uniform permanently.
I need them to reverse the Red and the While (except for the Eagle Head) for the home uniform.
Its modern but its unique enough that this should be what we go with.
Do you think both teams said something to the affect of, “let’s not piss that uniform guy off by just showing the jersey”?