Article about the thoughts behind the jersey design
http://panthers.nhl.com/club/news.ht...id=DL|FLA|home
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"What we really wanted to say to the people of South Florida was that we are here to stay,” Panthers Vice Chairman, Partner & Alternate Governor Doug Cifu said. “We wanted to bring stability to this franchise and wanted to imprint on the franchise our own ideas about what a Florida panther meant and what the Florida Panthers mean to this community."
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As a former member of the 101st Airborne Division, Vinnie Viola wanted to pay homage to the selfless actions of those soldiers, choosing a crest inspired by the division’s “Screaming Eagle” patch as the centerpiece of the Panthers’ new uniform.
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It should be noted that the Panthers have had a huge focus on the military since the Violas took over, and will even be playing a pre-season game at West Point.
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The process began with updating the look of the primary panther logo, which had remained fairly untouched since the team’s inaugural season in 1993. It was a logo born in an era of sharp images and bright colors, featuring a wild panther leaping off the page, its sharp teeth and eyes full of anger. In the time since that logo’s initial unveiling, however, the organization has done quite a bit of growing up, and it was decided that it was time for the team’s once feisty feline to mature.
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The state flag shoulder patch is obvious, but it blends in seamlessly with the jersey, unlike the Alberta one with the Flames. Something to note:
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Above this new shoulder patch, you will also find something else that is unique to the Panthers. In addition to the militaristic tabs above the prowling panther that will either read “Florida” or “Panthers” based on whether the team is home or away, a separate tab just for the team’s captains will be added on top of that.
“The Panther tabs above the flag are basically earned by the players,” Vinnie Viola said. “The idea is that they’ll come to training camp and they’ll only have the flag on their shoulder. Once they make the team, they earn that tab. And, of course, the captain’s tab sits above the panther. It speaks to the idea of earning a place. It heralds you making the team.”
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I absolutely love this idea. "Earning your stripes" so to speak from a military perspective. Perfect idea to start the process of team building.
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Although the majority of the jersey could certainly be described as both new and unique, the team also wanted to make sure that fans would feel a certain sense of history when they looked at the new uniforms before they could give their final stamp of approval. For this reason, the decision was made to utilize straightforward striping that travels horizontally across the jersey, harkening to earliest days of the NHL and its original six teams.
“We looked at some of the old jerseys of the Rangers and the Canadiens and the original six teams,” Cifu said. “We wanted to have the traditions of the original NHL blended with our new logo and patch.”
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For the record, I really, really like the new jersey. It's not as garish and corny as the old one. It's simple, elegant, and classic. I appreciate a lot of the smaller details as well, like having "Florida" on one jersey, and "Panthers" on the other. Keeps it interesting. The horizontal striping is growing on me quite a bit, even though I found it jarring at first.
Plus, it gives me an excuse to buy a new jersey.
