The negative reactions to this jersey design are so funny to me given how many people had positive reactions to the "Blasty" (ugh, I cringe typing that name...) jersey two years ago. I find it especially amusing that people are associating the "pedestal" with the team's worst period of ineptitude and futility, but don't associate "Blasty" with the same. The discussion two years ago seemed to be split between people who selectively associate the '03-'04 and '05-'06 teams with it, and those of us who remember the overall '96-'03 period very well and more strongly associate "Blasty" with that same period of utter trash.
Objectively I don't think the new Reverse Retro is good-looking, but at least this time 'round the staffers who designed it understood the assignment: take a "retro" jersey design and substantially "reverse" it. All the "Blasty" jersey did was swap the red cuffs and bottom for black, and replace the red C patches on the shoulders with white, but the jersey is otherwise exactly the same as the one from 1998. Like the Rangers' Lady Liberty Reverse Retros from two years ago it was a pathetically low effort, and I cringe at how many people are seemingly enamoured with the team using the jersey as a "third" this year and going forward. I think Flames fandom may have the worst aesthetic sense in the league...
This time they truly "reversed" a "retro" jersey, switching the black from an accent colour on the "pedestal" design to the primary colour. It's hokey, but at least they're leaning right into the idea. In fact this looks very much like what people envisioned a "black" third Flames jersey would look like when it was rumoured the Flames were going to wear one in '98.
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