Hurricanes Reveal New Uniform Design - What Do You Think?

The Carolina Hurricanes held a ceremony today to release their new uniform design and Eric Staal was there to show off the new look. The jersey is much cleaner and the crest is a bit smaller and more flexible. The organization was looking for a more classic look and after a couple of years of tinkering, ended up very happy with the result.

I asked a few of the attendees what they thought of the look and most views were favorable. A couple people said they preferred the away jersey and a couple more said they preferred the home.

The jersey will not be available to the public until September, (hopefully in time for the Caniac Carnival), but Carolina's draft picks on June 30th will be donning the new look.

The news release follows. For decent shots of the jerseys as well as some player reactions check out this Hurricanes Video and CH.com. I will have interview highlights with a followup article later today.

HURRICANES INTRODUCE NEW HOME AND ROAD UNIFORMS

Carolina will debut classic look starting with 2013-14 season

RALEIGH, NC – Jim Rutherford, President and General Manager of the National Hockey League’s Carolina Hurricanes, today introduced the team’s new home and road uniforms for the 2013-14 season. While the team’s primary logo and colors remain the same, it marks the first time in the Hurricanes’ 15-year North Carolina history that they have made a head-to-toe change, including alterations to their home and road sweaters, pants and socks.

"The process of making these changes began several years ago," said Rutherford. "We are pleased with the results, and proud that our team was able to design the new look internally. Doug Warf’s staff including Ben Aycock, Andrew Roman and Lauren Baxter devoted a lot of time and energy to this process, taking input from our hockey department to create uniforms that our players love, and our fans will hopefully enjoy as well."

Several hundred uniform renderings were created and refined during a two-year period to create two distinct uniform sets designed to be classic and timeless. The major changes are outlined below.

To both sweaters:

• There is a smaller, lighter crest on both sweaters. The logo outline was changed from metallic to matte silver finish.
• The warning flag pattern was moved from the base of the sweater to inside the neckline.
• Lettering and numbering changed to a clean, round, sans-serif-based font.
• The shoulder patches were removed from both sweaters.

To the red sweater:

• A cleaner look was established, highlighting the team’s dominant color. All striping is white, with black being used in the neckline and to outline letters and numbers.
• Bold white stripes highlight the arms and base for a classic look.
• White lacing is used on the black collar.

To the white sweater:

• A red shoulder yoke was established, which extends on the back to include the nameplate. The feature is unique in the NHL.
• Numbers and letters were changed from red with a black outline to black with a silver outline.
• Bold striping to establish a classic look.

To the pants and gloves:

• The Hurricanes logo and bottom black band were removed from the pants.
• All glove sets are predominantly red with small white highlights. Black and silver has been removed.