Jersey Mockups

[George64]

For those too young to remember, here's a picture of Cornell's 1973-76 jersey referenced above — easily the ugliest ever.  If my recall is correct, it was designed as a Hum Ec class project.  Why it lasted three years is beyond me.  

Having followed Cornell hockey for over 50 years, I'm bit of a traditionalist.  The only change that I'd offer is a block "C" (sans bear) on the front of our home whites.

[Greg M]

I suppose I'll start out addressing the tradition point, because I think that's what has produced the most anger.

Why would I have any attachment to the tradition behind the current jerseys? My affiliation with the Cornell is maybe six months long. It's not like I've spent 30 years watching the team, nor have I grown up seeing the same jerseys. I haven't had time to absorb very much of the history behind the program- I've heard about the '70 team and Ken Dryden (I know, separate). That's about it. For long time fans, the idea of tradition works- and that's okay. I know I'd be willing to lead the riot if they tried to change the NY Rangers' sweaters, for instance. But while it's a very good reason not to change the uniforms (and is one that I can respect), it does nothing to change my opinion of them, which is that they're too bland to me bad. But who knows, maybe in a few years I'll be right there with all of you if someone proposes change. For now, though...

A few of you have replied that the mock-ups look like "____ College". First of all, I can confidently state that any similarity is completely unintentional, considering that I have never seen most of these college's uniforms before. It's the sentiment of "Do we really want to look like them?" that I really don't understand. I mean, do we really want to look exactly like BU? I don't think it really matters.

Now on to specific design details.

In regards to the black stripes- I figured they were kosher as they appear on the jersey-style sweatshirts being sold. I think that the reds look just as good without the black, but the whites require a complete rework.

Shoulder patches- Not sure what is meant by asymmetric. Is it the fact that it's two different patches, or is it that one is circular and the other isn't? If the former, isn't that standard?

As far as the bear goes, I neither love nor hate it. I elected to go with it because that's the athletic logo. I was actually planning on making a circular logo with Mcgraw Tower in it, but then I realized I have no artistic ability.

As far as Kyle's point on scaring me away goes- you'd have to be a bit harsher than this

[ugarte]

Why would I have any attachment to the tradition behind the current jerseys? My affiliation with the Cornell is maybe six months long.

.
Stop right there. That's why you shouldn't be messing around with the jerseys. Let the tradition grow on you and save your portfolio for Project Runway.

The AUDIENCE for "a new Cornell jersey" isn't people who have no real connection with Cornell hockey. It is people who have a longstanding and deep affection for Cornell hockey and all of its traditions.

[Rosey]

The AUDIENCE for "a new Cornell jersey" isn't people who have no real connection with Cornell hockey. It is people who have a longstanding and deep affection for Cornell hockey and all of its traditions.

Why? Why can't it be new fans? I am genuinely curious, but I am also playing devil's advocate.

[Al DeFlorio]

I know I'd be willing to lead the riot if they tried to change the NY Rangers' sweaters, for instance.

There's your answer, in a nutshell.  How would Yankee fans react to the removal of pinstripes and the addition dark jerseys with white NY and numbers?  Or Giants fans to blue shirts with red numbers and pants and white helmets, and maybe a white yoke on the shoulders to match?

By the way, I happen to think the Rangers jerseys are too busy, in particular the whites, which are stripe-crazy.  I dislike outlined letters and numbers.  Makes 'em look fuzzy from a distance.  Too many diddly little stripes on the shorts.  But that's what the Rangers have worn in my lifetime, and they'd look goofy dressed otherwise.  Just as Cornell looked goofy in those wayward years in the 70s and 80s.  The Red Wings, Black Hawks, Canadiens, etc., with minor tweaks in size of letters, numbers, and logoes, have not changed their unis at all, and I doubt if I'll live to see them make any change, thankfully.  These teams have great "tradition" and respect it.  Fortunately, McCutcheon and Schafer have demonstrated that same respect, with the slight exception of last year's misbegotten screw-up.

[munchkin]

One of the very nice things about Cornell having jerseys that have been very similar over the years, is alums can wear the game worn jerseys from their time (name plates help confusion over which #26 or which #4 you're wearing), and still match, or very nearly match, the current players. That said, I do have one of the Pink at the Rink jerseys, and would likely buy another of the charity ones, but it would have to have specific meaning. I rarely wear my black jersey except when with the several friends who also purchased them.

Greg, I encourage you to try to get a game worn either through the Athletic Dept garage sale or through the Issue Room.  It's a great way to show spirit, and help the team, even if you think the uniforms are a little bland (and I have to say, I think the Rangers uniforms are absolutely classic, even if I don't like the team - this is the exact same thing).

Then this is purely from a comfort point of view: if the logo is one large patch that's sewn onto the jersey, it's not as comfortable to wear. since the fabric pulls differently that the embroidered letters.

[Trotsky]

I suppose I'll start out addressing the tradition point, because I think that's what has produced the most anger.

Why would I have any attachment to the tradition behind the current jerseys? My affiliation with the Cornell is maybe six months long. It's not like I've spent 30 years watching the team, nor have I grown up seeing the same jerseys. I haven't had time to absorb very much of the history behind the program- I've heard about the '70 team and Ken Dryden (I know, separate). That's about it.

You're confusing tradition and nostalgia.  Tradition is something that can be tapped into no matter how much history you've been around for.  Nostalgia is the particular associations we each build up around something.

One of the best things about the Cornell hockey fan experience is all the stuff that happened before you or I or anybody here (well, almost anybody) got here, and which will be here long after we're gone.  I love my memories of actually being there for the 1986 ECAC championship, but I also have huge affection for the 60's and 70's teams that I never saw (that I never knew existed until on a whim a few freshman friends and I decided to go wait on line for hockey tickets in 1981 because we'd heard it was a fun thing to do).

Nostalgia is disposable -- as each generation dies off it dies with them.  Tradition is forever.  One of the ways of respecting it is continuity.  That's why a traditional* sweater design means something more than just a design.

(* sticklers will point out -- around here, probably before the hour is out -- that the current sweaters are not exactly the same as the ones the Harkness teams wore.)

[css228]

I suppose I'll start out addressing the tradition point, because I think that's what has produced the most anger.

Why would I have any attachment to the tradition behind the current jerseys? My affiliation with the Cornell is maybe six months long. It's not like I've spent 30 years watching the team, nor have I grown up seeing the same jerseys. I haven't had time to absorb very much of the history behind the program- I've heard about the '70 team and Ken Dryden (I know, separate). That's about it. For long time fans, the idea of tradition works- and that's okay. I know I'd be willing to lead the riot if they tried to change the NY Rangers' sweaters, for instance. But while it's a very good reason not to change the uniforms (and is one that I can respect), it does nothing to change my opinion of them, which is that they're too bland to me bad. But who knows, maybe in a few years I'll be right there with all of you if someone proposes change. For now, though...

A few of you have replied that the mock-ups look like "____ College". First of all, I can confidently state that any similarity is completely unintentional, considering that I have never seen most of these college's uniforms before. It's the sentiment of "Do we really want to look like them?" that I really don't understand. I mean, do we really want to look exactly like BU? I don't think it really matters.

Now on to specific design details.

In regards to the black stripes- I figured they were kosher as they appear on the jersey-style sweatshirts being sold. I think that the reds look just as good without the black, but the whites require a complete rework.

Shoulder patches- Not sure what is meant by asymmetric. Is it the fact that it's two different patches, or is it that one is circular and the other isn't? If the former, isn't that standard?

As far as the bear goes, I neither love nor hate it. I elected to go with it because that's the athletic logo. I was actually planning on making a circular logo with Mcgraw Tower in it, but then I realized I have no artistic ability.

As far as Kyle's point on scaring me away goes- you'd have to be a bit harsher than this

I guess my feeling is the tradition is what makes Cornell the dream-crushing, soul-devouring juggernaut. I haven't been here too much longer than you, but I feel a palpable connection to the history of the school. I guess what always appealed to me about Cornell hockey is how connected to the tradition you actually are. There's no goal horn, no jumbotron, and no pumping in music over a loudspeaker. You walk into Lynah and while its been renovated to make the concourses and the locker rooms nicer, it feels like an old rink. It's no architectural diamond, but the banners hanging from the ceiling, and the two jerseys of Dryden and Nieuwendyk make the place feel special. The pictures on the wall of the concourse of all the teams going back to the opening of the building, the national championship trophies, the all-american plaques in the trophy cases, its all part of the Cornell hockey tradition.

Yeah, we do encourage new chants and creating our own tradition, but why do you think the fan bases has the repertoire of creative insults and the intimidating reputation that it has? It's because of the tradition of the program. It's because Dryden only lost four games in the three years he played here. It's because we went 29-0 the season after he left. It's because Harvard tied a chicken to our goal, and we've never forgotten it. The program is what it is today because we came back from being 5-1 down against Providence in the ECAC quarterfinals in 1979 and won. Because we somehow made it to the Frozen Four in 1980. Because Nieuwendyk skated circles around ECAC opponents in his junior year, because we weren't all that good in the late 80s and early 90s, and because Michigan fans decided to appropriate many of our cheers (many of which were appropriated themselves) after a trip to Yost in '91. The Cornell hockey atmosphere isn't the same without the return to prominence that Schafer brought, the '03 Frozen Four run, the '05 loss to Minnesota in 2OT and the '06 loss to Wisconsin in 3OT. All along fans have created their own tradition, the cowbell starting in the 70s along with the fish throwing, to remote control goalie in the late 90s, to Hey Baby in the early 2000s. But they've been building upon a common framework. The jerseys at least to me feel to be a part of that framework. Now the framework can change, after all we've done away with the line, but when something like this is so meaningful to so many people, its important to think about the programs identity.
 
The reason we don't want to look more like BU than we already do is because they're a long time hated rival, and because that's not what the Cornell program is. Quinnipiac (who's jerseys despite the color scheme your's most remind me of) plays in front of a half empty home rink, mainly because their program doesn't have much of a history and a tradition, and isn't particularly competitive nationally either. They're rarely relevant in their student body. Princeton has a beautiful rink, and not much fan support. That's why I don't want to be like other programs.  Cornell hockey is always relevant to our student body. Even people without season tickets care how the team is doing and want to go to a game or two before they leave, because hockey games are an event on the hill. Without our tradition, Lynah would be mostly empty most weekends. In fact, it'd probably be like Starr, filled for only one game a year. Do we really want to turn our backs on what has made us who we are? I guess that's why most of us are reacting strongly in favor of tradition.

[Ben]

What concerns me most is "new jersey creep". This started in European soccer in the late 1980s and has resulted in teams changing their shirts every season or every other season at most. Designers keep needing to come up with something new, and eventually cross lines (like putting Arsenal in white away shirts, the color of their fiercest local rivals, Tottenham), annoying the fans. New jerseys every two years are great for teams -- they make much more money that way. But it doesn't help anyone else.

[ugarte]

The AUDIENCE for "a new Cornell jersey" isn't people who have no real connection with Cornell hockey. It is people who have a longstanding and deep affection for Cornell hockey and all of its traditions.

Why? Why can't it be new fans? I am genuinely curious, but I am also playing devil's advocate.

Take your client and get off of my lawn.

[Rosey]

The AUDIENCE for "a new Cornell jersey" isn't people who have no real connection with Cornell hockey. It is people who have a longstanding and deep affection for Cornell hockey and all of its traditions.

Why? Why can't it be new fans? I am genuinely curious, but I am also playing devil's advocate.

Take your client and get off of my lawn.

::banana::

[Beeeej]

What concerns me most is "new jersey creep"

...also known as "The Situation."

[Jim Hyla]

The AUDIENCE for "a new Cornell jersey" isn't people who have no real connection with Cornell hockey. It is people who have a longstanding and deep affection for Cornell hockey and all of its traditions.

Why? Why can't it be new fans? I am genuinely curious, but I am also playing devil's advocate.

Why? Because if it's going to be new fans, then we might as well let Nike come out with a whole new jersey style.:-D No, I agree, learning something about CU hockey and what's happened over the years would seem to me to be a first requirement to designing a new style. I was so happy when I read that when Schafer first came he made each player research each former player who had worn their number. That is eventually how I got my jersey, the style is wrong, but sort of OK, but the name Lodboa on the back is right. In this case name tradition overcomes the lack of jersey tradition.:-)

[RichH]

I suppose I'll start out addressing the tradition point, because I think that's what has produced the most anger.

I don't think you can classify the reactions here as "anger," more like bemusement. One of the biggest selling points of the CU program is its history, otherwise we wouldn't bother with all those banners or all the concourse displays.  In the past, Coach Schafer has made players research former players and polish trophies.

Your Rangers analogy means you can understand where a lot of us are coming from, and I don't think anybody here has been outrageously rude to your view that the current jerseys are too boring.  But for some of us, that's a lot like a Penn State or Notre Dame undergrad saying that their football uniforms are kind of bland and they should try to take some design cues from Oregon. I think it's cool that you care enough that you would take the time to do a high-quality mock up.

I mean, do we really want to look exactly like BU? I don't think it really matters.

That's a fair statement.  In the picture I took of the MSG game, there was a lot of red/white on the ice. Same with the current jerseys of Miami and Wisconsin.  There are a lot of Red/White teams out there.  That said, the team I most want us to look like is Cornell.  :-)

In regards to the black stripes- I figured they were kosher as they appear on the jersey-style sweatshirts being sold.

I'm actually OK with black in CU jerseys.  I think the lacrosse jerseys with the drop-shadows are very sharp.  Basketball, football, and I'm sure other sports have had black outlining in recent years.  It's a complement to the whites, and it's not like we're dripping green all over them or anything.

Shoulder patches- Not sure what is meant by asymmetric. Is it the fact that it's two different patches, or is it that one is circular and the other isn't? If the former, isn't that standard?

Two different patches just seems weird to me. I don't think it's standard at all.  In the NHL, Blackhawks, Avalanche, Bruins, Hurricanes, Blue Jackets, Stars, Panthers, Senators, Sharks, Lightning, Leafs, Canucks, Capitals, and Jets all have identical shoulder patches on both sides.  Only Flames, Predators, and Coyotes have different patches (or a patch only on one side) on the shoulders.

As far as Kyle's point on scaring me away goes- you'd have to be a bit harsher than this

Good. Then you'll fit in here just fine.

[Ben]

A bit more about jerseys changing often: Nike has given Men's lacrosse and basketball new uniforms for this season. And they kinda suck (in my opinion).

Basically, what we have is great. Be careful wishing for change.