The Unofficial Rbk EDGE FAQ

I've been noticing a trend in the comments and elsewhere of people not having all the information that's out there relating to the new Rbk EDGE uniforms and the 2007-08 NHL season. So in this post I'm going to compile a list of frequently asked questions regarding the uniform switch.

Why should you take my word for it? Maybe you shouldn't, but I'm going to try to cite a reliable source where applicable. Plus, I've been researching this topic since way back in January when the first Rbk EDGE jerseys were unveiled for the All-Star Game in Dallas. I've read a lot on the subject.

I hope this will be helpful. And if you come across any information that's inaccurate or missing, please email me so I can correct it. You can reach me at nhllogos@gmail.com. Happy reading!

First off, Reebok issued their own official FAQ back in January when it was announced the NHL would be making the big switch. You can read that for the public relations information. Download the PDF here.

RBK EDGE UNIFORM SYSTEM

Is Reebok redesigning the uniforms of all 30 NHL clubs?
Depends on your definition of "redesigning." Every team will be adopting the new Rbk EDGE cut and style which is different from what they have been wearing, but not all of them will feature an actual design overhaul — though many have. My understanding is that Reebok is coming up with the designs and going through an approval process with each team. So the individual club (along with the league) has the final say in the jersey design. (So don't take out your frustrations on Reebok or Gary Bettman, necessarily. Take them out on your team's management.)

Are teams required to choose from a set of prefab templates when designing their new jerseys?
There isn't anything official regarding "templates" per se, however, we have been noticing that some jerseys that have been unveiled have very similar elements to others. I'll take a more in-depth look at this after all of the uniforms have been unveiled.

When will the new uniforms be unveiled?
The unveilings have been staggered over the course of the summer. For a complete list of confirmed and speculative unveiling dates, see the countdown in the sidebar of this blog. All uniforms will be unveiled by or before Friday, September 21 as that is when they are all scheduled to go on sale in sports stores everywhere.

Are any other hockey leagues adopting the Rbk EDGE jerseys?
The American Hockey League is the only one I know of. The AHL is keeping a photo gallery of all the new jerseys on their official web site. You can view it here.


THE NHL IN GENERAL

Is the league switching back to home whites?
No, teams will continue to wear dark sweaters for home games and white sweaters for road games. I can't say for sure this won't be the case in the future, but it is true for the 2007-08 season. One source of this information is the NHL.com shop where each jersey is labeled appropriately — home or road.

Will any teams have third jerseys?
No, the league has announced that there will be no third/alternate jerseys this season. However, there have been a few indications that the third jersey program will return as early as the 2008-09 season. For example, the Flyers' official web site has an FAQ about the new uniforms. It states, "Black and white jerseys are available this year. A third orange jersey will be released next year." You can read more here.

What do the new uniforms look like?
I'm compiling an online gallery with photos of the new uniforms for each team as they are unveiled this summer. Click here to view it.


BUYING A JERSEY

How do I know what size jersey I should buy?
This sizing chart (measured in inches) should serve as a good basis for deciding what size Rbk EDGE jersey is right for you.



I hope this FAQ has been somewhat helpful to you. If you have a question that hasn't been addressed here or have discovered inaccurate information, please let me know in the comments or email me at nhllogos@gmail.com. Thank you!

No Word On Ducks' Jerseys?

We've managed to go this long without hearing anything from the Anaheim Ducks regarding the unveiling of their new uniforms so I'm not anticipating a big announcement.

However, Anaheim was the only team left not yet in the sidebar countdown so I added them for this Thursday, September 13. The reason being they have their first preseason game then and will likely be wearing them. So while we may get no unveiling ceremony, I expect we'll see them on that date.

As a side note, I just wanted to mention that I'm working on a Rbk EDGE FAQ because there seems to be a handful of people with inaccurate information. Just to clear everything up, I'm going to put all the facts in one easy-access post. Hopefully I'll have that up tonight at some point.

One big thing that seems to be misunderstood: Teams will be wearing darks and home and whites on the road this season. I don't know if that will change in the future, but that's how it stands now.

Atlantic Division Concepts

I've been going through my email looking at all the concept art I've been sent in the past several weeks. Let the Concepts Gallery serve as a small indication. Anyway, I've grabbed a couple of designs for the Flyers and Devils I thought were interesting.

First off, one designer said, let's rebrand the Philadelphia Flyers a little. Here's what he came up with.



The designer had this to say about his creation.

The idea for the primary is just an updated Flying P - a little faster and sleeker looking than the current one. I've always been bothered that the current logo just doesn't evoke speed to me. As for the secondary, it's supposed to suggest something flying away from a planet or something.

Just something interesting to share. There's also this design which has been floating around a little bit. I think the idea was to fit as many letters as possible horizontally across the front of the sweater. Mission accomplished.



I can't see the Flyers ever wearing anything like that, though. However, something interesting that was sent to me was this concept for a secondary logo for the Flyers. Many who've suggested a secondary logo for Philly have simply gone with the Liberty Bell. What woudl you Flyers fans think of something like this?

Pennsylvania's nickname is the Keystone State. That should explain the outer shape — a keystone. What I like is the white sun in the background because the first thing I thought of was the orange circle in the Flyers' primary logo. Very clever.

I was impressed with that. I was also impressed by a third jersey someone came up with for the New Jersey Devils.

I know the league is abandoning those this year, but I think it could work just as well as a home sweater. I've always thought a black jersey would make the logo on the chest stand out more.

But I guess we'll never know. Devils brass have stated that the jerseys will be the same as the previous design, merely adapted to Reebok's new cut. Still, I figured this was worth a look.

Expect to see the Flyers' new sweaters on September 16, followed by the Devils' a day later in their first preseason game.

On A Western Swing

California is the running theme of today's concept art. We'll kick things off in the City of Angels. This first concept jersey for the Los Angeles Kings makes use of the original 1960s logo with silver replacing yellow.



Not terrible, but my personal favorite was the king face logo used on the mid-'90s third jersey. While the jersey sucked, I thought the logo was the strongest in the team's history. Once again, the gold is changed to silver producing a jersey that might look something like this.



I'm not a Kings fan, but I'd buy that jersey or one like it in a heartbeat. As a great alternate to a set like this, there's this design.



I like the silver in the beard of the king face logo on the shoulders. I think that would work better on the purple jersey above. Maybe it could be one of those logos where the colors change depending whether the jersey is light or dark — like the Flames and Canucks.

Moving along now to Anaheim, we have a Ducks jersey that isn't black.



Unfortunately, if it's gold, the logo (read wordmark) almost completely disappears. And I'm not sure it could be orange without looking like the Flyers. So black it is.

This concept might well turn out to be what the Ducks' new jerseys actually look like. I'd expect to see the team change the logo to the duck foot only, but that may just be wishful thinking.

My only other issue with this design is its lack of gold. That's an important part of this color combination and they should make good use of it.

And now we'll finish off this post with a trip up to San Jose. Got some interesting Sharks concepts to share.

These next images are renderings from a video game — not NHL 08 — featuring a concept someone created for the Sharks. Very simple and classic. Shouldn't garner many complaints.



This cool jersey concept utilizes the shield logo unveiled by San Jose back in July. I really like that idea and it's not completely unheard of to use two different logos on NHL uniforms. Look at the new Wild sweaters.

The white one feels a little plain but not terrible.

Now Californians, let us all know how you feel about these concepts.

We've already seen the Kings' new uniforms, but we're still waiting on the Sharks and Ducks. Word out of San Jose is we should expect to see the new jerseys on September 17 while Anaheim has a preseason game on September 13. So at the latest, we'll see the new Ducks duds on Thursday if they don't unveil them sooner.

Poll: Lightning Logo History

1992	2007

Place your vote and then feel free to leave a comment as to how you came to your decision. Tell all your friends to drop in and vote! The more voices heard, the more accurate the results!

Poll opening date Sep 8 @ 7:40 AM

Poll closing date Sep 15 @ 11:59 PM

07BONLH | LHTBL

Result: Blues vs Coyotes

St. Louis
BLUES
62% 8,392 votes

Phoenix
COYOTES
38% 5,104 votes


13,496 total votes

St. Louis Blues
Advancing to Quarterfinals to face Red Wings or Canucks

Phoenix Coyotes
Eliminated

Click here to see the original poll

Poll opening date Aug 31 @ 4:28 AM

Poll closing date Sep 7 @ 11:59 PM

07CHTRN | #W2C | STLvPHX