Star lovers have their wish. The black shirt is back.
For the first time since the stars completely redesigned their brand in 2013, the team will be wearing a black T-shirt, as they unveiled an alternative design Wednesday morning called the Blackout Shirt. In addition to being black, the shirt deviates from tradition in many ways:
• Using the color neon green for the logo and ribbon, the team calls the shade Skyline Green. It’s the first shade of green used that isn’t Victory Green since a redesign in 2013.
By placing its secondary emblem on the chest instead of the primary emblem. The secondary crest usually appears on team jersey but not anywhere else on the uniform.
• Using black numbers on a black background, and using bright green to make the shirts work both personally and on TV. Currently, the Flyers only own a third shirt with black numbers on a black background.
The stars will continue to use their Victory Green as their home staple, and White as the main shirt. The NHL requires teams to wear the third shirt 12-15 times a season, for a period of three seasons. Given the uncertainty surrounding the NHL season next year, it is not known how often Blackout jerseys will be worn in the 2020-21 season.
“The fans who spoke to our commercial team daily were asking for a third of the black replacement,” said Dan Stochall, Senior Vice President of Marketing at Stars. “Time and time again. We have listened, and we believe we responded to that request in a bold and impressive way.”
Jersey jerseys will go on sale Thursday at 9 am online at hangarhockey.com and in person at The Hangar stores in Victory Park and Frisco.
The five-person design committee that produced the popular Winter Classic shirts also designed blackout strings, often simultaneously: Stochall, owner Tom Jaglardi, color analyst Daryl “Razor” Rogge, creative director Jeff Neal, and merchandise director Christopher Smith.
The group first came together in December 2018 to create guidelines for Adidas. They talked about whether they’re open to changing the color palette or switching out the logo on the box. Stochal said they decided they didn’t want any historical ties on the alternate shirt: “No nods to Minnesota. No nods to Dallas past designs. That would be progressive.”
They didn’t want any laces on the shirt. They were set to make a black shirt – even though they tested a charcoal design at one point.
Stuchal relayed three of the committee’s ideas from the first meeting.
“The next generation is radically new, and I love this third generation, and it’s breaking the rules,” said Stochal. “That in itself was some of the guidelines that we gave Adidas.”
Reaugh said, “We wanted to do something more futuristic, if you wanted to. We like to remember the future. With something black and black, we had black in our uniforms in the past and in our jackets. If you’ve ever seen a uniform before they basically did it With different shades of black, it looks like silhouettes. In order for it to really pop, and give it something that hasn’t been done before, which was a huge catalyst for that, we thought of neon. “
The shirt features some poems to Texas:
• The secondary logo on the front of the shirt contains the state diagram.
“We wanted to make sure that she would feel bigger, if she wanted, with more Texas influence in it,” Rogge said. “When we were going through different ideas, that was the one that jumped out. When we put it in Skyline Green, it looked cool from the start.”
• The outside of the back collar features a stylized version of the Texas flag, with a star on the left side of the neck and two straps wrapped around the right side, symbolizing the red and white fields on the flag.
• The inside of the back collar has been engraved with the phrase “Come Take It”, a popular state emblem that was adopted from the Texas Revolution and has since been reused for a variety of purposes, including Second Amendment rights.
“It’s really a statement about Texas pride,” said Stochal. “Comment according to Razor earlier, this is the shirt for all of Texas. We wanted to make sure it wasn’t just something in Dallas. The state on the front, said Texas pride on the collar, that was the motivation for it. Tom.” [Gaglardi] I felt so strong about it. He liked it and was a perfect fit. “
Outside of the bright green on the shirt and the two lines on the socks, the rest of the outfit is plain. Gloves and pants are black with the manufacturer’s name in Skyline Green. The helmet is black with a password sticker instead of the base logo. Stochal said the stars wanted to keep the focus on the shirt.
“I’d be infinitely ruined, though, if players didn’t order Skyline Green laces for their skis,” said Reaugh. “I would really do it. If they don’t have Skyline Green in their blades, I would be very disappointed.”
Starship CEO and CEO Brad Alberts said the timing was ripe for the unveiling of a third shirt for the upcoming season, giving the redesign time to settle down – not to mention not slashing Winter Classic shirt sales in 2019-20.
“We really wanted the new colors, the new shirt to cement its position with our fans,” said Alberts. “We feel like it is. The fans are now screaming and want a third shirt.”
In reverse recoil: While the Blackout shirt is the third of the stars for next season, don’t expect it to be the fourth. Some designs have leaked from across the league for the “retro retro” fourth jersey, including the Vegas red and other alternate jerseys from Philadelphia and Pittsburgh.
Can fans expect the stars to release a retro jersey before next season?
“We don’t have any comments on that yet, so don’t expect anything,” said Alberts.
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