Lightning Unveil New Logos, Uniforms!
The Tampa Bay Lightning officially unveiled their new logos and uniforms today outside the St. Pete Times Forum at IceFest. Take your first look now!
My first impressions: I love them! Well done, my Bolts! I'm buying one the very second they're available. I'm so thrilled with the logos and jerseys. The black one is amazing. Looking at it, I'm so glad they didn't go with blue.
The greatest thing, in my opinion, is the continuation of the stripes found under the arms. See what I mean below.
Those stripes have been one of the major elements of the Lightning's jerseys since their inception in 1992. The way I understand it, Phil Esposito — who designed the original uniforms and logos — said the stripes would serve as a nod to fans for years to come and that every time a player raised his arms to celebrate a goal, we'd be reminded. It culminated with a Stanley Cup championship in 2004 and in every photo of a player raising the Cup, you see those unique stripes.
What do you guys think of that? As a lifelong Bolts fan, I'm thrilled over that feature being kept on these new jerseys.
As far as the logo, I'm all right with it. I'd rather the "TAMPA BAY" be gone entirely, but it's a big upgrade from what we used to have. Overall, I'm happy with what I've seen here.
UPDATE (1:59 PM): The St. Peterburg Times Bolts blog Lightning Strikes had this picture of Filip Kuba in the new jersey — our first photo of a player actually wearing it.
UPDATE (2:55 PM): Forgive me if I'm going overboard with Lightning stuff today, but we've all got our favorite teams right? Today is our day. I've come across a few more pictures worth posting here.
Above, you see Marty St. Louis walking down a red carpet amongst a sea of excited Lightning fans. Below is a group of people including Lightning players Chris Gratton, Filip Kuba, Johan Holmqvist, and St. Louis (in black). I haven't figured out who the rest of them are — except for the guy on the right in the white jersey. That's local news anchor Brendan McLaughlin I believe. He's wearing 28 because that's the channel number of his TV station — the one where I used to work, as a matter of fact.
As a side note, the Lightning's official site mentioned that the road jerseys would feature the number on the front shoulder. These photos indicate that as well. For more photos, check out my official Rbk EDGE photo gallery.
65 comments:
is it just me, or do they look really short?
I dont think these are all that flattering..but then again they can't do much with the lightning logo anyways...
Hmmmm First impression is good. The black seems more classic than the white. The new logo seems ti more fit on the black than the white.
The modernized logo is sharp, but a complete overhaul have would be nice.
The shoulder patch seem not necessary. Maybe an optical illusion, but the logo on the white one seem smaller.
I wonder what the numbers and lettering will look.
I thinks that's an upgrade for your team Chris.
Definitely an upgrade. Personally I always hated those white shoulders on the old jerseys. The only thing is that without "Lightning" on the bottom the logo seems a little empty on the lower end, but I'm sure that will just take some getting used to and won't even be an issue.
They really should have gotten rid of the circle behind the bolt. That would be sweet. Thank god they got rid of the UGLY shoulders they had before.
Nice. Looks like the Senators and Penguins style.
I read on the T-Bay website that thier putting number on the front like Buffalo and the Islanders.
Hi, habscaps9, my name is Chris and I run this blog. I just wanted to let you know why I've been deleting some of your comments.
I mean no offense but often they're frivolous and off-topic for the most part. Not to mention, many of them serve as only advertising for your blog. If you want to exchange links, please email me directly so we can discuss.
Once again, thanks for reading my blog and please cease the frivolous commenting. It's a little annoying. If what you have to say is related to the topic of the post, I'd be more than happy to leave it along. Thank you for your time!
To everyone else: These uniforms are so great! I'm excited. Sorry some of you disagree, but I can't hear you through all my happiness. Thanks for all the comments!
I wasn't expecting much in the form of classy uniforms from the Lightning, so no disappointment here. Too bad the roller hockey international league isn't around anymore. These would fit right in.
there ok not more then that.
but compared to the sens everything looks better
but by the way great job on the site chris im hooked
i don't like the white cuffs at all on the black jersey. it makes it look like one of those nerdy dress shirts that is one color but still has a white collar and cuffs like the shirts bloomberg wears in "office space." I like the white one alright though.
How do you comment on a jersey and logo that went from incredibly bad to incredibly worse. Very weak and ugly. Doesn't look like they took the time to really dig in and come up with something more modernized and less cartoony. By far the worst jersey I've seen; even worse than Minnesota, Nashville, and Florida.
You mean "Lundberg" from Office Space?
These are on the level with the Isles jerseys in the hideious collection. At least the away jersey saves it some what.
As far as comparisons with other new reebok uni's are concerned , these are not too bad, it could of been a lot worse! but compared to the Lightning's prior jersey it is no improvment! The Logo is ok.I don't like the accents. I like the other commet about the roller hockey. These would fit right in. While I know some of you are excited about all these new jersey's. Some of us are in complete agony! watching all of these futuristic jersey's roll out, I guess it is just an indication that the NHL as I and others have known is GONE!
Thanks Bettman, you SOB!
Thanks to Chris! for the work on the site.You seem to be one step ahead of other sites.
They're an improvement, but I'm not thrilled with them.
The lack of horizontal striping in the RBK Edge designs is really starting to get to me.
Have fun today Chris, it's a great day for you. Your team just get fresh new look, and it's not all the day's like that.
These jersey's look great and classic feel. Gone are the white shoulders! Just that should have been enough.
Enjoy that great day!
can everyone shut the ever-loving hell up about how rbk is ruining hockey? when they come out in tuxedos or ballerina clothes, then we have a problem.
and that old tampa uniform was the most pathetic attempt at a jersey.
this is much, much better. the only really hideous one i've seen is the isles. just too much. the others have been sharp
why so much agony over a design that will look fine on TV and cause players to not carry around so much excess weight? and it gives teams like the panthers and tampa, who had terrible logos, to jazz them up a bit. RBK didn't ruin anything.
i don't get it. and no, i'm not an employee.
Not bad overall, nothing to write home about though. An improvement but I can't help but feel some of these jerseys are pretty plain without a stripe along the bottom. The logo is a bit better but still average. I kinda don't like the away jersey, seems like the colors just don't fit together right with white as the main one. Oh well, a slight improvement.
They're soooo much better than what they used to be! The logo is a big improvement too! Good on the Bolts!
I wish they would have ditched the "Tampa Bay" over the Bolt. It would look awesome with out it, almost super hero like. But the word mark just looks tacked on, not as bad as the different font "Lightning" they used to have, but still not needed.
Hate the WORDS in the logo. The Tampa Bay font is ugly and the words aren't needed...
Aside from that, I like them -- clean & simple. I'm glad to be rid of teh contrasting shoulders (which also made it tough to see what was going on in a scrum because both teams would have white shoulders)
Looking fwd to seeing the #s (including the front #s on the road jersey)
To everyone complaining about Reebok, Bettman, and the lack of horizontal stripes: It's the TEAM that designs the jerseys. Somehow, NYR, BOS, DET & others have 'found a way' to use horizontal stripes. If you miss them, blame the team for designing them that way, not the Commish or the new RBK Edge uniforms.
Anything is an improvement over the old Lightning jerseys. If any jersey looked like it belonged in a roller hockey league, it'd be that old design.
Between the cheesy, cursive font spelling out Tampa Bay and the unnecessary band of color on the shoulders those old sweaters were pretty atrocious.
The home jersey may leave something to be desired but the away duds looks pretty sharp. Maybe using the new secondary logo we saw on the site a few days ago would've been the best option, but I'd say these get a passing grade.
I got video of the reveal, right next to the stage, check it out at http://youtube.com/watch?v=5GlIfGupA2Y
Wow, the lamest look in sports is still pretty, well, pretty lame. The logo is lousy and only a slight upgrade from the previous kindergartener drawn dreck. The jersey itself is okay - not too flashy which also means not too stupid. I actually like the jerseys well enough. It's a shame they're ruined by that awful logo.
Someone mention it's better than teams playing in tuxedos.... wasn't that exactly what Cooperalls looked like? Not everything from the past is good.
when they come out in tuxedos or ballerina clothes, then we have a problem
XD
the smallest things make me laugh
but on topic these jerseys are really nice big improvment over what the formerly had
i'm tired of people hating the new RBK jerseys they really aren't that bad and i'm not ashamed to admit, I LUV the Islanders jerseys
this hating RBK jerseys is as old as the reruns of clone high they play (they need to make new ones)
Chris, this is what you've been waiting for! It's great that you're happy with the logo and jersey design for your team. That's all that matters really.
I dig the white white ones especially! They're sharp and intimidating. A very balanced design.
However I am not sold on the black ones. The white cuffs make them look unbalance. I don't totally hate them or the idea of the white sleeves, but they seem a bit unfinished. Like a work in progress. Something as simple as a white collar might make the difference.
The stripes under the arms are a very nice touch! It's great for a relatively young team like Tampa to have a great tradition like that!
Thanks for the pics Chris. Enjoy your new jersey.
I highly dislike the font on the lettering and numbers. I was really upset when they changed it from their old look. I was not expecting them to keep that at all
They are definantly an upgrade. I was never a big fan of the old lightning jerseys. The striping was big at the time of their unveiling but it quickly faded after.
This is only the second RBK jersey I've liked so far. The Bruins looks very good too.
Now...if only the Leafs would pay attention that would be great.
IMHO the jerseys look great, especially the black ones. It's something different from what other teams unveiled with especially the blue jackets, panthers and preds jerseys looking quite similar. And they look quite modern, which I think is good. Nothing against tradition in hockey, bot I didn't like the old Lightning jerseys at all, so that's a big plus. The logo is an improvement too, but still... c'mon, they could've done much more.
why do they only have the numbers on the front of the white jerseys??
hey there are numbers in the front of the white away jerseys
probably close too, if not the new ugliest jerseys in the entire league. that logo is simply grotesque.
these nhl teams have such an opportunity to create and sell a marketable new look and tampa thus far has failed. shocking.
I'm underwhelmed.
Not a fan at all of no striping on the bottom of the torsos of some of these jerseys. It really, really, doesn't work for me.
Someone mentioned Roller Hockey International up above.. I have to agree. That's what a lot of these new looks remind me of as well.
I think they are very sharp looking. That blue on black home jersey gives off a great ambiance. The re-touched logo looks much sharper then the original one.
Saying that I still think the secondary logo is much much nicer then the primary, and I really wished that would be on the front, while the "Tampa Bay lightning bolt" logo was on the shoulders as the secondary.
Also hate the numbers on the front of the whites. I hate all numbers on the front of the jerseys. This is a trend, that I'm NOT a fan of. (Way to go Buffalo!) It makes the front of the jersey look too cluttered.
Actually, I like the black one personally. It's the white one that I'm not really sold on.
The white shoulders on the onld black jerseys I liked as it kind of reminded me of the old Capitals jerseys of the 70's and 80's, before they went to the eagle.
I'm also glad that they kept the underarm striping, that was one of my favorite features of the Lightning jersey as it was very original. Overall though, nice new look.
I like the black - it's very, very slick.
I have to admit, I may think about getting one even though I'm not a Lightning fan. (Besides, ya'll finally got Doug MacLean out of Columbus, so I owe you a favor or two. :D)
Not sure I'm sold on the away jerseys with the numbers on the breast, but we'll see how it looks in action.
Chris,
In an earlier post about the Canadian teams (I am a proud citizen and resident of Canada), you mention wanting to live in Canada because of the tradition of hockey in this country. Another poster had a great description of autumn and how awesome it is to come home after a cold day and sit in front of the fire and be warm and cozy while watching Hockey Night in Canada. There is tradition in Hockey.
I, and I think a lot of other big time Canadian hockey fans, think RBK is "ruining" hockey because of the blatant disrespect and ignorance of two things: tradition and retro appeal.
The only thing that RBK has considered is the tie up necks. Boston is the only team so far with a good jersey design. Actually, it's spectacular. Even the Red Wings and Rangers could have done something more. I was hoping the rangers would go back to a white collar with white neck laces and change the "rangers" font to the way it was in the 30's.
I am hoping the Canadiens add back the white collar to their reds and add the red knee caps to their white socks, but a Canadian can only dream, right?
All the jerseys released so far have sucked. Including this new Tampa one. These are ridiculous. The design on the forearms will be hidden by the gloves.
Hockey is about to look radically different with skinner jerseys, which is kind of cool, it means we'll be able to see the players move better...that's about it.
As for the Tampa logo - it's terrible. Just get rid of the word "TAMPA" and it's much better already.
Ugh... no trim on bottom and needless colors under the arm pits. This is the NHL not the NFL! So far Boston's jersey is the only one that gets a thumbs up from me... and that's not easy to say as a Habs fan.
I totally agree with oilfaninvan. I get that the new jerseys are lighter. And that's great. I held one up in the store and I really could feel the difference over the traditional jersey. But why do we need new designs?? The strips on the sleeves don't cause drag. They don't weigh more. It's senseless tinkering I say. The Bruins right now have the best uniform in hockey. Hands down. And it will remain so until my mind is set to rest by the Habs unveiling a jersey with no changes.
Man... I should be the commissioner.
I'm kind of indifferent on these. I dislike the lack of white shoulders on the black jersey. That's what set the lightning's jersey apart, those huge white shoulders, it made them look pretty intimidating. The old logo was better too.
I also think that there's too much blue. It should be like the ducks, how there's only a puny stripe of orange.
I loved how the lightning were just black and white. With a few blue lines.
Now... I don't know what to think.
Jersey's seem alright. I'm definitely NOT a fan of the number on the front of the jerseys.
Their new logo is an improvement, but it's still one of the weakest logo's in the league. Get the 'Tampqa Bay' lettering the heck off the logo! They think people won't know where they're from without it?
don't like the numbers on the front (away jersey) and agree with others that the logo would be better without the words Tampa Bay
everybody hates these jerseys but there is nothing we could do about it so just relax unless we all petition
My opinion on these jerseys? They're not terrible. The logo is bad, but the design of the jersey is ok.
My opinion on the RBK jerseys?
PULEEZE!! What need is there for a "form fitting jersey" why do the players have to wear sweaters that are THAT tight. It worked for years and years, and years. If you think it's going to make these guys THAT much faster, you're nuts!! This is a slap in the face of hockey tradition!!
With respect to the "Reebok is ruining hockey" vs. "the RBK jerseys are awesome!" debate:
As a relative newcomer to hockey (but a huge fan of sports in general throughout my life), I like the new RBK jerseys. I understand tradition, and I love the new Boston jersey; but it's not as if Reebok has FORCED each team to follow a certain template. Those teams that have chosen to go a bit old-school (Boston and Detroit come immediately to mind, and I'm sure there will be others) have been able to do so without a problem. The colors/design/style are part of the brand, but in the end, the game is about...well, the game being played on ice. If the players like this new style of jersey (which, apparently, they do), then I'm all for them. I'd rather know that the team I follow is playing in a jersey they like, rather than playing in a jersey that looks good, but is inferior in peformance.
Now, with respect to the Tampa Bay jerseys:
I like them! The road whites do create an optical illusion of a smaller logo...but that is because of the white border around the logo (very visible on the home blacks, invisible in the pictures of the whites.) The logo is okay; I think they could have done better, but they could have done MUCH worse! I don't mine the sleeve patterns; they didn't immediately appeal to me, but the more I look at them, the more I like them.
Overall, I'd like to see the full uniform on ice. Something tells me that the jersey alone isn't quite enough to get the full impact.
The underarm stripes: I had not heard that anywhere before...a VERY cool addition to a uniform! There's some interesting local flavor in local Colorado uniforms, but something specifically designated for fans and propagated throughout the uniform history...I like it!
Tolerable. Could've been a lot worse, but they're not horrible like the Panthers or the Islanders, which puts the Bolts pretty high up the list of teams that have redesigned their jerseys for next year. Boston's done the best, and I'm digging the Caps' return to red, white, and blue. I'll take the boring Bolts jerseys any day over the more cringe-worthy offerings that have shown up.
to be honest I'm not really that impressed with the logo. It looks like it came out of a comic book or cheesy movie, especially with the lettering. True, there's not much you can do with a bolt of lighting, but at least the old logo didn't look so hollywoody...
I actually didn't know about the under-arm stripes. (I was probably too bummed about the first Canadian team in the finals in 11 years not winning that I didn't notice.) That definitely earns this jersey bonus points. The way these jerseys are going, I'm pleasantly surprised that they kept that feature.
The first thing that pops into my head whenever I see a Tampa Bay Lightning jersey:
SHAZAM!
Um is it just me or do the Bolts and the Sens have the same jersey design?... look at the sleaves on both the jerseys, i think its the same. So i dont understand why the lighning jersey is more liked than the sens jersey... okay maybe the colours lol
Look closer. The sleeves are quite different.
yeah your right Chris.. sorry about that i didnt notice the difference at first.. my bad
i sorta think these jerseys are a little to plain
as im pretty sure my house leauge jerseys from when i was younger were more classy and well done
and as for the stripes under the arms thats sorta neat, and for the guy who was to bummed to notice these because the only canadian team lost in the finals butttt wheere have you been the last 4 seasons, ottawa was in the final, edmonton, cowgary so you should pay slightly more attention to the game
I think it's a slight upgrade, however I was really hoping to see a blue home jersey. The black jersey is very plain and dosen't really stand out. Hopefully once third jerseys are re-introduced, they will bring one in. I would totally buy this jersey if it was blue, and I'm a Thrashers fan!
Chris, I have to say you,re well ahead of the other sites. Besides, as a Montreal Canadiens fan, I like the classic look. The logo might not be as classic as it should, the jerseys still are, in my own opinion, the best to this day (if you don't consider Detroit and Boston as new, since the designs are still the same.)
I have to agree with many of the previous comments.
Looks more like a Roller Hockey jersey.
Not impressed with the logo, looks "compressed".
The contrasting stripe at the wrist is a waste since it will be hidden by the gloves.
And the lack of a contrasting horizontal stripe across the bottom of the jersey makes it look plain, like a practice jersey.
I can't emphasize this last point enough. A LOT of teams have eliminated this feature and it really makes the jerseys look weak.
To be honest, I kinda liked the old jerseys. (Not the alternate from '97, though, that just sucked altogehter.) The old jerseys were of a relatively simple, traditional styling. And, call me crazy, but I liked the old logo a bit, too.
I do think it's nice to see that they carried over the stripes on the gussets. The styling, though, seems a little on the plain side. And the "Tampa Bay" in the revised logo - that's an eyesore, they should just get rid of it altogether.
as a fellow DIEHARD Tampa Bay Lightning fan, I must say I'm not completely disappointed with this new uniform. I actually like it, and had the privilage of attending the unveiling party at the St. Pete Times Forum, even snagged Dave Andreychuck's autograph. :)
But I have to say, the one thing I dont like about this whole design is the main logo on the front... it just reminds me of the power rangers... and its sad to me really, I was just beside myself in anticipation of this new design. *sigh*
chris,
i figured u would be at the unveiling party? u didnt miss much but rediculous heat. and how i boo'd gratton. i cant believe we took him back... but back on topic:
i dont like the jerseys. they look like t-shirts. or those t-shirt jerseys they sell. and the tails with no striping at the bottom doesnt help sell it.
i like the new look of the logo. its updated. but the jersey is really lacking in the effort or imagination department.
just looking at it as how its worn in the pictures is ok. but imagine that black jersey... with no color at the bottom, moving into the black pants. then into the socks that will probably have black in them. its goin to look like their skating for practice or in warm ups at home games.
as for others who say its not "classic" or "roller hockey like" well tampa didnt show up until the 90s. how can u be classic when u have only been around 15 years? oh and btw, thats the same few years when the RHI came out. so yes.. they were current in styling. as were the lightning. so thats a no brainer.
Best armpits in the league.
You must be very proud, Chris!
I am proud of our armpits, thank you!
Hey Chris,
I would like your opinion as a lifelong 'Bolts fan on the alternate that they used several years ago. The blue one with the storm theme that had the waves along the bottom.
Thanks,
TJSharky (waiting nervously for the Sharks jersey)
I would like your opinion as a lifelong 'Bolts fan on the alternate that they used several years ago. The blue one with the storm theme that had the waves along the bottom.
Thanks,
TJSharky (waiting nervously for the Sharks jersey)
Believe it or not, I am one of the few fans that really liked that jersey. I wish I had one. I know it was cheesy but it had all the elements of a storm — very Florida-like — and the lightning bolts down the sleeves were really cool. At least I thought so.
I also liked the numbering a lot — the jagged edges making it look like it was being electrocuted. I don't know, you can say I have bad taste but we all just like what we like, right? I may be biased, though, because of my unconditional love for my team.
In the same vein, I was hoping for a revised secondary logo that featured more elements of a storm. I know we're the Lightning. But with lightning, you get a thunderstorm.
Thanks for asking!
I probably should have said that I loved them! As a self decribed weather geek I loved the concept.
The number on the front shoulder/upper chest on the road whites seems pretty redundant to me...
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