Calgary Flames 2013 Alternate Jerseys

The Calgary Flames came out with new alternate/third jerseys this season recently. I like some aspects of them quite a bit, but overall I give them a fail. Here are some of my thoughts, based on a comment originally posted to a review of the jerseys on the excellent Icethetics blog.

In my opinion, the best aspects of Calgary's new alternate jersey are the awesome shoulder patch (which may have made a much better crest than what the team went with), the striping, the colors of the names/numbers, and the "hanger effect" inside the collar.

The worst aspect is the combination of the "Flaming C" with the "Calgary" wordmark as the crest. The jersey would have looked more than fine with just the wordmark alone. (For the record, I personally think wordmarks as crests are fine for a third jersey, if done right.)

The "Flaming C" could then have been used as the captain's "C" to compliment the team's use of the old Atlanta Flames "A" for the alternate captains. Calgary at least realized that using the "Flaming C" on the captain's jersey would look really bad with the "Flaming C" already part of the crest.

The yoke has downward points midway between neck and shoulder to emulate old-time cowboy shirts. While I commend both the idea and the execution, I found the yoke quite awkward-looking before knowing this. And, unfortunately, I still find it somewhat off. I believe a thin yellow stripe at the edge of the yoke, making its shape - the points - more evident, could help in this regard.

While I love the color of the names and numbers - white with black borders - due the jersey's strong cowboy motif, the font used for them is way too modern. I believe this font may have originally been more "western" in style but was steamlined. Unfortunately, that streamlining may have been to the detriment of the jersey as a whole.

I did a quick scan through a magazine the other night to see where each NHL team places their captaincy letters - i.e. on the left or right side of their jerseys. Before I discovered that the Detroit Red Wings place theirs on the right side - where the top of their crest is slightly lower - I was thinking there may be an NHL rule that all letters had to be on the left.

But now I know for sure that a great number of NHL teams are simply ignorant with regards to where they place their letters. One of those teams, proven by their new alternates, is the Flames. The "Calgary" wordmark gradually rises from the right side of the jersey to the left, bringing the "y" closer to the yoke than the rest of the city's name.

So, where did Calgary decide to place their letters? On the left side, where there is less space (compared to the right, where the "C" in "Calgary" is furthest from the yoke, thus creating a nice, comfortable place for a letter to go), and where the crest is already "heaviest" due to the position of the "Flaming C". This decision alone truly handicaps an already flawed jersey.

Anyhoo...