Interview with the designer of the "pedestal" jersey

[Tabaracci_31]

Originally Posted by greyshep

So much bad in this picture....

And its certainly not just the jersey. If you could encapsulate an image representing the worst of this team I think you just found it.

You have Kidd, Fichaud, Cloutier, Waite and Storr to pick from to win/lose an important game. Who ya got?

[greyshep]

Originally Posted by Tabaracci_31

You have Kidd, Fichaud, Cloutier, Waite and Storr to pick from to win/lose an important game. Who ya got?

Ha ha! Well since my only emotional attachment to this is my Flames experience I can confidently say I would pick anyone but Kidd.

By the way, I love that your username thanked my reply. Still stings that they didnt run with Tabaracci in that era. He was so much better.

[Fuzz]

UW: The other big change for this uniform set was the introduction of black as a team color, which you said was requested by the team, right?
BB: Yup.
UW: Did they say why?
BB: I think other teams were doing it. So I guess they just wanted to be part of that. And I guess black is viewed, psychologically, as more aggressive.

Stupid aggressive black. This is where it came from. Then follows through with:

BB [chuckling]: You know, executives on hockey teams aren’t always that great on aesthetics.

Like adding black...

[tvp2003]

Originally Posted by greyshep

So much bad in this picture....

And its certainly not just the jersey. If you could encapsulate an image representing the worst of this team I think you just found it.

Respectfully disagree. I mean, the goalie was a bust, but the mask is awesome, the pads are awesome, and the blocker even has the old school number on the front (like they used to do in the 80's and early 90's). The setup is 9.5 out of 10 IMO.

[The Yen Man]

Originally Posted by greyshep

Ha ha! Well since my only emotional attachment to this is my Flames experience I can confidently say I would pick anyone but Kidd.

By the way, I love that your username thanked my reply. Still stings that they didnt run with Tabaracci in that era. He was so much better.

Loved Tabby as a kid. Weird random memory. I remember them interviewing him after he won against either the Jets or Coyotes one game and against Khabibulin, and he was like "I guess they should call me Rickoli Tabbybulin".

[lazypucker]

If the jersey ditched the bottom horizontal stripes and have the diagonal stripes go all the way to the shoulder like a sash (ala Cavalry jersey) it might have look good...

[The Yen Man]

Even back in the day, I never liked that jersey. I don't really think it's aged particularly well either. I don't mind the colour scheme, but the pedestal part is atrocious.

[tvp2003]

Originally Posted by The Yen Man

Even back in the day, I never liked that jersey. I don't really think it's aged particularly well either. I don't mind the colour scheme, but the pedestal part is atrocious.

How about this?

[Reggie Dunlop]

Originally Posted by looooob

fascinating- especially that he also did the Centennials Logo!

Originally Posted by Bill Brownridge

Not for the NHL, but my brother owned the junior team in Calgary, the Centennials, and I had designed their crest. I’m not sure I could say I designed their whole uniform.

Bob Brownridge was supposed to be the owner of the Calgary Broncos, a founding WHA team. Unfortunately he died that summer and the franchise became the Cleveland Crusaders.

[Gallick]

Wow! Great interview. As a bit of a hockey sweater nerd it's neat to hear from the original designer. Unlike some others, I think the chevron socks were awesome and would have made the whole thing look more cohesive. This sweater looks very dated in hindsight, and I agree with the designer that the C is too small, but I think overall it's very representative of the angular aesthetic that pervaded the 90s. I also think it's a better full uniform design than the Blasty kit, which was held up (or not) entirely on the uniqueness of the logo.

[FireGilbert]

It was okay I guess.

The major problems were introducing the unnecessary black which is still with the team today and the pedestal itself being very aesthetically unappealing. I did however like the overall jersey template (minus the pedestal) and this is still in the top half of all time Flames jerseys.

I remember Boston came out with a new jersey around the same time that also featured a solid colour on the shoulders and down the arms. These were really nice and showed what the Flames could have been with some minor adjustments.

[Split98]

Love a few things about this article

1. Recognizing he made the logo too small. I noticed it far more in the fan-replicas, but the logo was pretty tiny even by then-standards
2. It should be very telling that when given the primary design direction to "add black"... the addition of black was relatively minimal.

I feel like Mr. Brownridge crushed early-90s Calgary though, with the direction to 'add black'. The varied-width pattern felt very Alberta to me at the time and it allowed a red/white+yellow palette that still fit with the Flames. The full shoulder/arm design was a pretty good fit with the pedestal too as it all works together... if you like the concept. The pedestal was too off-putting though, especially for a team that plain sucked.

I feel like the '04 waist would have done very well on this jersey, but they definitely got their black a decade later!

[Split98]

Originally Posted by Fuzz

Stupid aggressive black. This is where it came from. Then follows through with:



Like adding black...

Exists to this day

[Tabaracci_31]

Originally Posted by tvp2003

How about this?

I need these to be real. Is it weird that I want this to be the pattern for my wedding suit this summer?

[Sainters7]

Originally Posted by Magnum PEI

I know people don't like them, but they're pretty close to perfect to me, maybe the pedestal was a little much. Far and away the best unies they've worn IMO espescially the red:





I'm gald they didn't use the V socks though.

Trevor Kidd's dope gear could make anything look good..aside from his own game of course. I actually had that exact jersey: red pedestal Kidd #37, and I loved it back in the day. Agreed its aged poorly once we came out of the zany late 90s, plus its forever tied to the pitiful Young Guns era which combined with relocation threats, was the darkest era in team history. But when they first debuted they were actually pretty well-received.

They're definitely not great in hindsight, plus they opened the door for black to begin to seep its way in to infect our pristine colour scheme for 25 years. But the Blasty era was pretty much despised at the time - I recall it being called Horse Snot back then - and now suddenly everyone wants it back, so things can change. I'm guessing due to fans who were kids just getting into the Flames back then are now in their 20s and see their own youth in those jerseys so they want them back..never underestimate the power of nostalgia.

[Jordan!]

Black belongs on the Flames unis. Ketchup and Mustard are horrible to look at. Literally the reason I wasn't a flames fan as a kid.

[Maritime Q-Scout]

Sorry folks,

First Flames jersey I ever owned was the white pedestal jersey. It has a special place in my heart.

[Sainters7]

Originally Posted by Jordan!

Black belongs on the Flames unis. Ketchup and Mustard are horrible to look at. Literally the reason I wasn't a flames fan as a kid.

You are gonna be a sad man when the Flames switch to FT retro unis next season, can't wait! ...for the switch, not for you to be sad haha

[FireGilbert]

This is the Bruins jersey that also came out in 1995 (ignore the horrible 3rd). A Flames jersey using this template would have looked much better.

[Howie_16]

Originally Posted by tvp2003

How about this?

Better, but the number font still sucks. Pants need to be solid black or have a traditional red/gold stripe.