trivial hockey question

[stm22]

Cornell (and most college hockey teams, as far as I know) wear whites when at home, and colors on the road. NHL, it seems to go the other way 'round, though apparently is wasn't like that until recently (if NHL 2k4 is to be believed). Any of y'all know why this would be?

[dss28]

I heard the NHL changed it to be more like the NFL... but that's all I got *shrug*

[KeithK]

In the old days, hockey teams (NHL and college) used to wear colors at home and whites on the road.  This changed in the 70's.  See this thread:
http://elf.elynah.com/read.php?1,25350,25414#25350
The NHL has changed back to colors at home (this year?).  The CCHA has decided to follow the NHL's lead in the upcoming season, at least in conference games.

Some say the NHL is just hoping to sell more merchandise.  This seems silly to me, since I've seen just as many NHL fans wearing colored jerseys as I have in white.  But maybe my anecdotal evidence is contrary to the sales figures.

[jtwcornell91]

Call me cynical, but I assume anything done with pro sports uniforms is designed to sell merchandise.  I wouldn't object to the NCAA doing things like the NFL, where the home team gets to decide whether to wear whites or colors.

[cornelldavy]

The NHL started wearing dark jerseys at home and white jerseys on the road this season because all of the NHL teams' alternate jerseys were dark as well (except one...I forget offhand which team has white third jerseys), and this enabled the home teams to choose which of their dark jerseys to wear while allowing road teams to travel with only one set of jerseys.

[KeithK]

I think you have good reason to be cynical when it comes to pro sports leagues.  I should clarify - what I think is silly is the attempt to sell more jerseys by switching home and away, not the belief that it's all about merchandising.

[KeithK]

[q]allowing road teams to travel with only one set of jerseys.[/q]...after all, the players only have so much room in their carry-ons...  ::nut::

[TShen]

Toronto has the white third jersey. IMO, that's their best looking jersey.

[CowbellGuy]

In the first year of third jerseys, the Rangers' was white, too. I can be as cynical as anyone else when it comes to pro sports, but in this case, I'm going to give them the benefit of the doubt. It's not like they switched colors and made all new uni's that people would go out and buy. Also, they're really going back to the way things originally were.

Frankly, I think colors at home makes more sense. Blueshirts wearing white at home? Red Wings wearing white at home? By the same token, I think college should follow suit. It's been brought up before, but Big Red white jerseys at home?

[billhoward]

In earlier years, teams wore dark jerseys on the road because if it wasn't possible to wash jerseys after a game. Wearing dark, it wouldn't be so obvious at the start of game two. Football could get away with the visitors wearing white (or grayish white) on the road because you came home between games. That's my understanding: laundering.

Now with better cleaning facilities and multiple jerseys per player, it's no big deal to have the visitors wearing white.

Myself, I think solid color jerseys generally look better, more powerful, than white jerseys ... although, much as I love the color red, sometimes it seems a bit much when the uniform is all red with only a little contrasting color. Red is not as cool as teal and black with a bit of white although maybe in 20 years, teal will be an old color, sort of like harvest gold or avocado was for appliances.

[Greenberg \'97]

While we're on the subject of uniforms, I've always admired what (most) baseball teams do: Home whites have a team name or logo, Road grays have their home city.

I'm not sure if it could carry over to hockey, I've just thought of it as a neat convention.

[Lauren '06]

That is a neat convention, and it might look good for some teams, but I'm staunchly against anything that encourages putting the C-eating-bear logo on Cornell hockey jerseys....

[Rosey]

[Q]Section A Banshee Wrote:

 That is a neat convention, and it might look good for some teams, but I'm staunchly against anything that encourages putting the C-eating-bear logo on Cornell hockey jerseys....[/q]

Yikes.  Agreed.  Strongly.  ::banana::

I also don't think I want "Ithaca" written on Cornell's away jerseys.  The college name makes more sense for college teams, since they aren't as strongly associated with a place as professional teams are.

Cheers,
Kyle

[Greg]

[q]I also don't think I want "Ithaca" written on Cornell's away jerseys. The college name makes more sense for college teams, since they aren't as strongly associated with a place as professional teams are. [/q]

I think the college analogy would be to have "Cornell" on the road jerseys and "Big Red" on the home.  

Hopefully we'll see as little as possible of the new emblem until it dies a quiet death.  It's our fish stick, and like that, it will eventually be forgotten. Patience.

All the teal and black that was foisted on us the last ten years is already a monotonous, dated color scheme, like the ubiquitous hunter green of the ten before *that*.

[Rosey]

[Q]Greg Wrote:
and "Big Red" on the home.  [/q]
Please no.  And no logos, either.  I'm sure I'm not alone in thinking that the combined simplicity and elegance of "CORNELL" in the arching athletic-style block letters is a timeless visual representation of our school, appropriate for uniforms.  All these ridiculous logos strike me the same way as the fad of using linoleum tiles to cover wood floors.  Ugh.

Cheers,
Kyle

::banana:: (edited to add dancing banana)