Many NHL teams are introducing new 3rd jerseys this season with the Canucks revealing their long awaited one on November 15th against the Leafs. This is another chance for the money hungry NHL to dig into the pockets of die-hard fans and earn that extra revenue for the league.
Are these 3rd jerseys really necessary? No.
Are they going to sell? Yes.
Is the whole point of the jerseys to grab more money? Yes.
Just in time for Christmas, the Canucks organization has been very tight lipped about the yet to release jersey. Speculations has mounted throughout the Vancouver area wondering what they look like and with a few more sleeps we are about to see it.
Canucks third Jersey:
Rumours have been swirling on the looks of this new third jersey with supposedly leaked pictures circulating the world wide web.
This one on the left is the one that was supposedly "leaked." I really doubt this is the Canucks 3rd jersey. For a 3rd jersey, there has got to be a bigger change than this. This looks like a fuse of the current jersey and the third jersey we had few years back. It is also basically the classic stick jersey with Johnny Canuck on the shoulders.
My prediction is something in Green. The main color will be Green with blue and white as a compliment. Miss 604 has posted this green one which I think is a lot closer to the actual jersey than the leaked one.Problems with 3rd Jerseys:
I personally think it is quite ridiculous that the NHL is rolling out new jerseys left and right just to sell their merchandise and create this "brand" behind the teams. I'm sorry, but the closest thing to the legendary NY Yankees logo in the NHL is the Toronto Maple Leafs leaf. These teams have always kept their traditional logo instead of flip flopping around like many teams trying to make that extra buck.
The debate now is, should a team stick to a logo with nostalgia and history and build a brand around this history.. OR.. continue to pump out logos that changes every few years and gets the casual fans confused. Look at the Red Wings, Montreal, and Leafs. They never make drastic changes to their jerseys and these jerseys are classic. No one ever complains about it. But now I am a little skeptical purchasing a Canucks jersey knowing far too well that in a few years it will be out of date. What is the Canucks logo now anyways. The hardcore hockey fans would know, but for the fans down south, is it the skate? the stick? the V? the whale? The NHL should really have their teams stick to one logo and work around this logo. This is not a way to brand their logo by switching it every so often. I am not surprised that the NHL is fifth in licensed product sales in North American Sports Organization. They are behind NFL, MLB, NBA, and NASCAR. WTF? NASCAR?
I don't mind the Oilers 3rd jersey changing the color scheme but always keeping the classic logo. That logo is their symbol, why change it. Canucks should keep the stick, and work with that stick for future logos. Or use the whale! Create an identity behind these logos!
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