World Cup of Hockey logos, uniforms unveiled!

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Wednesday was all about the World Cup of Hockey 2016 as the rosters, logos and uniforms for all eight teams were officially revealed.

The fun began on Tuesday, in fact, with the unveiling of the World Cup logo, seen above. The abstract mark is based on an abstract physical object — that being the World Cup trophy itself, which was designed by Frank Gehry for the tournament in 2004.

The design is distinctive, to be sure, garnering any number of colorful descriptions. But here's how it was described in the official press release back on May 12, 2004.

The trophy is comprised of four components: a base, pedestal, cup and shell. It's made from a composite alloy of copper and nickel as well as solid cast urethane. The pedestal and base provide support or a "stage" for the shell and cup. The cup sits inside the trophy and is removable from the top of the shell for engraving and display purposes. 

The shell is made of an array of twisted rectangular shapes sitting on end that are reminiscent of skate marks in the ice. Water-clear urethane was used to give the trophy an 'ice-like' appearance.

As for the new World Cup logo, branding duties went to M Style Marketing in New York. For more on how the design came about, the full story is on their website. Here are some highlights.

The interpretation captures the speed and fluidity of the sport, illustrating the trophy in a free flowing manner. The trophy sits on an abstract background of iconic hockey elements, including the Maple Leaf, which pays homage to the host city.

The unique shape of the brand mark is reflective of the trophy view from the top with the angular lines evoking hockey sticks. The color palette is representative of the eight teams competing in the tournament, emphasizing the international statement.

M Style Marketing previously worked with the NHL on the logo for the 2013 Winter Classic, which was postponed a year due to the 2012-13 lockout.

All that and we haven't even gotten to the jerseys yet. Let's do that.

The World Cup of Hockey 2016 will take place from Sept. 17 to Oct. 1 and feature eight teams split into two groups. Group A includes Team USA, Team Canada, Team Czech Republic, and Team Europe — a club made up of European players not of Czech, Swedish or Finnish birth. Group B has Team Russia, Team Sweden, Team Finland, and Team North America — another mixed team comprising Canadian and American players under the age of 24 (as of Oct. 1).

Today, each team named the first 16 members of its 23-man roster but I'll leave other media outlets to fill you in on those details. The important thing is that all 16 Adidas-designed team jerseys were also revealed to the world!

Group A

Team USA

Classic and simple. Not a bad start. Adidas describes the sweater as "building upon a tradition befitting the land of the free and home of the brave" — the latter of which is in text visible inside the collar — as "national emblems and banners inspire an unapologetic shield and word mark." I'd love it a little more if there was a white stripe or two to add definition to the blue sweater but the white one is practically perfect. Grade: A–

Team Canada

Initial feedback to what Adidas calls "a modern interpretation of the national icon—the maple leaf" was expectedly mixed. It was both necessary to refresh the design and impossible to create one that could please every fan. But given the mountain they had to climb, I have to commend the design team on coming up with something we're likely to look back on as a classic.

"The three veins contained in the Dominion Leaf crest," according to Adidas, "represent Canada's three coasts and make this a mark to represent all of the Great North." Grade: A

Team Czech Republic

Perhaps it was the memorable national flag-inspired design introduced by Nike at the 2014 Olympics in Sochi, but the new Czech look left me wanting more. Adidas tells us "the statement color blocking highlights the coat of arms, a silver double-tailed Lion crest."

The color blocking has served Adidas subsidiary Reebok rather well when it comes to NHL Stadium Series jerseys in recent years, but this is just plain. I can forgive the plainness of the blue American sweater because of the bold crest but I don't get the same thing when I see this one. I do, however, like the creativity of the shoulder yoke which is white on the front and blue on the back. Grade: C+

Team Europe

By far the most difficult challenge had to be designing a sweater for a unified European team that would make its players feel like they're playing for national pride. Adidas characterizes the jersey crest as "a modern E shield, featuring a single crest that connects all of their home nations." But I don't see the connections.

The 16 players named to the team today represent seven nations — Austria, Denmark, Germany, Norway, Slovakia, Slovenia and Switzerland. Fewer than half of those nations have blue in their flags. All have red but there's not a single thread of red to be found on these uniforms.

Then again, red already features prominently in the sweaters of five of the six national teams in the tournament. So maybe introducing teal here was a good call for the sake of contrast. Plus, this way the unified sweater doesn't appear to be favoring any particular country over another. And each player will wear his country's flag on his shoulder, so the red is sure to stand out.

Honestly, there's a lot more to like than dislike about this jersey. Not only are the colors appealing on their own, but the patchwork nature of the design brilliantly symbolizes the patchwork nature of the team. Even better, the "E shield" design calls back to an era of classic letterform hockey logos from the 1960s and '70s. 

And if you look closely at the sleeves, the apparent disturbance at the edge of the color blocks is actually a listing of all the European countries covered by Team Europe in what Adidas calls a "unity stripe." In other words, even if there are no Croatian players on the team, Croatian hockey fans will have a clear team to root for. It says so right there on the sleeve. Grade: B+

Group B

Team Russia

There's no doubt the double-headed gold eagle grabs your attention. As does the Cyrillic text beneath it. Still, I can't help but feel like Adidas was handily beaten by Nike when you compare these uniforms to what Russia wore when they hosted the Winter Olympics in 2014. Those were absolutely epic.

"The uniform reflects a modern interpretation of the steadfast Russian identity," according to the Adidas press release. And I'll buy that to an extent, but I think it's a bit of a cop out — just as it would be for me to say something like "they could've done so much more." Don't get me wrong, these are gorgeous, but given the creativity evident with some of the other World Cup jerseys, you know something was left on the table. Grade: C

Team Sweden

They're the Detroit Red Wings of the international hockey scene. By that I mean there are only two colors and the sweaters are absolutely untouchable. For years, the blue and gold and the three crowns have remained unchanged. Just as they should.

Yet Adidas found a way to make familiar jerseys feel fresh. Credit some of that to "the emblematic tre kronor crest appointed with kurbits detailing, an honored Swedish traditional motif" — adding a regal texture to an otherwise minimal design. Grade: A+

Team Finland

Finland's colors and bold "SUOMI" across the chest are instantly recognizable and completely unmistakable. It's hard to ruin a Finnish sweater, after all. What I like about this set is that while the jerseys each feature different crests, they pair perfectly. Normally, I'm not a fan of text-heavy sweaters, but when it comes to national pride, exceptions can be made. Grade: A–

Team North America

This is a head scratcher. I've been staring at it all day and I'm honestly not sure what to make of it. Team North America definitely looks nothing like I had imagined prior to last week's sneak peek at the black and orange crest. On the other hand, I imagine they've hit their target market (i.e.: kids) squarely on the nose. It's dark and edgy almost trying too hard to be cool (i.e.: kids).

All that said, I'm somewhat taken with it, to be honest. It's like a guilty pleasure. I know I shouldn't like it. Years of being engrained with "traditional"-this and "classic"-that resulted in a knee-jerk scowl at first glimpse. But I can't look away. Not in the car wreck sense but in the sense it's so completely unlike any hockey sweater I've ever seen on a stage this big.

I saw one tweet tonight that sort of nailed my feelings.

Superhero symbolism. That's exactly what it looks like. Adidas describes the downward pointed triangle as an "inclusive badge of brotherhood" but it's also rather reminiscent of the Iron Man Mark VI armor from Iron Man 2. The kids that get selected for this team are unlikely to be a serious challenge for their more experienced opponents — but as everyone's been saying all day, they will definitely be fun to watch. (Much like a Marvel film.)

These jerseys are perfect for what they are. They will remind us that this team simply exists to make the NHL's most exciting young talent part of this global tournament. They're designed for kids because the players wearing them are still "growing up" in the sport.

In a fitting final quote, the Adidas release tells us "this uniform admits the wearer to the exclusive club of the next generation." What the release doesn't mention is the use of the Roman numeral XXIII in the crest and on the left sleeve to signify the maximum age (23) of the members of this exclusive club. Grade: B

Based on my grades, it appears the ranking goes like this: Sweden, Canada, USA, Finland, Europe, North America, Czech Republic, and Russia.

The one thing I left out of my review is the one thing that pervades all 16 sweaters. You knew Adidas would find a way to incorporate it's three-stripe branding and they did, down the sides of each jersey. Some will immediately find fault with it and fret over the future of NHL uniforms.

However, it's been handled here in a way that's tasteful and works without drawing a lot of attention to itself. Not to mention, this is the first outing of the NHL-Adidas partnership so they're going to want to make sure they get a good name check.

As for the future, Adidas takes over production of NHL jerseys in 2017-18, during the league's centennial. There are likely to be changes but the NHL has already stated it's not interested in another complete redesign like what we got with Reebok in 2007.

Keep in mind that prior to 2007, NHL teams made their own deals for jersey design and manufacturing. When the league brought in Reebok, they did it in part to bring everyone together under one roof. Going into 2017, things are different. Everyone's already under the same roof and Adidas owns Reebok which means they already own the existing jerseys.

That said, as much as I like what Adidas has done with the upcoming World Cup, I wouldn't like it as much if they were doing it to the NHL. But stylistically, we're talking about two different beasts. In other words, I don't think it's time to worry yet.

And if you're curious about uniform pieces beyond the sweaters, I did come across this.

Now that you've read my take on the World Cup sweaters, tell me about yours. What do you like about them? What would you do to improve them?

Review: Lightning third jersey could be improved

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A week has passed since the Tampa Bay Lightning revealed their new black third jersey for the 2014-15 season. I attended the unveiling in person on Sept. 27, but I've held off on writing this review because I didn't want it to be a gut reaction.

It's no secret around here that I'm a serious Lightning fan. Have been since the beginning, way back in 1992. I've there for every high moment and every low moment. From perennial last-place finishes to a Stanley Cup-clinching Game 7 victory.

A few Lightning jerseys from my collection.

A few Lightning jerseys from my collection.

So when the Lightning introduce a new uniform, it's a bit more personal than when another team does it. In this article, I'll walk you through my take on it. What I like, what I don't, what surprised me, and what I hoped for. (With lots of photos to break up all the words.)

Thunderstorms were landing in Tampa just as I was.

Thunderstorms were landing in Tampa just as I was.

The weekend began poetically enough. As the plane descended into Tampa on Friday afternoon, thunderstorms had already done so. We don't get thunderstorms in Seattle and it had been a long time since I'd been back home to experience Florida's — lightning and all. The moment the plane touched the tarmac, a bright flash struck in the distance. See? Poetic.

It was a dark and stormy night...

My brother picked me up at the airport and we went straight to the newly rechristened Amalie Arena for the preseason game between the Lightning and Dallas Stars. Regular readers will recall the last jersey unveiling I attended was in Dallas last summer as the Stars revealed their new branding to the world. More poetry.

Pictures don't do it justice. It dwarfs Godzilla.

During the first period, the in-game host came out wearing a black Lightning jersey covered in rows of blue and white palm trees. He joked that we were getting a sneak peek of the new third jersey being unveiled tomorrow.

He then directed our attention to that massive scoreboard for a video in which Lightning public relations director Brian Breseman got feedback from Lightning players on the design.

For more on the prank, check out this blog post.

The Bolts were dominant in the 6-3 win and it was just fun to watch them. I hadn't been to a game in that building since January 2012. The new scoreboard is truly enormous, by the way.

Now let's fast-forward to the next morning, back at Amalie Arena.

This is after the event. The crowd was actually huge for a Fan Fest.

There was a lot going on throughout the day, but the main event for me and many others was, of course, the unveiling the new third jersey. When the time finally came, they dimmed the lights and pointed us toward that giant video screen for this...

The teaser photos from the previous two weeks had me pretty well prepared for the overall feel of the jersey. Thick white stripes running the length of the sleeves and the standard secondary logo on the shoulders. What I was dying to see was the crest.

Would it be the standard primary logo on the front or would they do something completely new? The diagonal BOLTS wordmark was in the back of my mind, but I figured the team would want something different this time around.

Yep, it says BOLTS again.

Though I do love having a black jersey again, when I saw it, my immediate reaction was slight disappointment. To be honest, I wanted to see them do away with the BOLTS crest.

This team has always been black and white with a bit of blue trim. In all those great photos of Lightning players lifting the Stanley Cup in 2004, they're wearing black. So I was definitely excited to have a black jersey again. But that was no surprise.

Of course if you asked me seven or eight years ago, I was begging for a blue jersey — which we finally got in 2008 with the first iteration of the BOLTS sweater. But even then, I wasn't wild about what we ended up with. Bolts. It's weird front and center.

Tampa Bay Lightning third jersey, 2008—2014

If you live outside of Tampa, you may not know that we've used "Bolts" as a nickname almost since the beginning. It probably started with the media as shorthand and was helpful when describing a member of the team. You can be a Ranger, a Penguin, a Shark — but a Lightning? Doesn't work. You can be a Bolt, though.

So I don't mind seeing "BOLTS" spelled out on the uniform, but does it need to be right in the middle like that? How about borrowing an idea from the Bruins' original third jersey?

Boston Bruins third jersey, 1996—2007

Boston Bruins third jersey, 1996—2007

Say what you will about the very '90s design of that jersey, but the "BRUINS" wordmark on the shoulder actually worked. If I was suggesting revisions to the Lightning's latest sweater, BOLTS on the shoulders would be one.

As for the crest, I think the secondary logo could look great, as demonstrated in this concept by Kevin Dion. And while we're at it, Kevin's blue sleeves could work as well.

In 2011, black was dropped entirely in the rebrand — then quickly brought back as a trim color on the numbers when fans complained. For the past three years, the Lightning have had not one but two blue jerseys. But the lack of black seemed to be ignoring the team's origins.

So. Much. Black.

So. Much. Black.

Of course this jersey just feels like we're overcompensating for the last three years.

The most common complaint I've read from fans here on the blog and on Twitter — it feels like they just merged the jerseys of the 2014 Stanley Cup Final opponents. You get your black jersey and sleeve piping from the Kings and your diagonal wordmark crest from the Rangers.

It's hard to argue with that. It doesn't seem like this jersey was well thought out with regard to how it fits into the franchise's history and identity. Or at the very least, it feels like those in charge of the design didn't have the same appreciation for the history as longtime fans do.

So I wanted to know more. During Fan Fest last Saturday, I got to spend a few minutes talking with Lightning president Steve Griggs — who did, in fact, confirm that the club's tradition was a key piece of the puzzle. Just not in the same way I was thinking.

Interviewing Tampa Bay Lightning president Steve Griggs

Interviewing Tampa Bay Lightning president Steve Griggs

The interview was brief and I hadn't fully formed my opinion of the new design yet, but the conversation provides a bit of insight behind the direction they chose.

CS: What brought about the new third jersey?
SG: I think the concept came about in the sense that we got a new home and away four years ago. Launched it four years ago and introduced it three years ago. 
What we were looking to do is bring black back into the color palette of the Lightning. And you know the other two jerseys were blue and white with a little touch of black. We went to a full black jersey in replacing our blue third jersey.
CS: I see you guys used the same crest as you did on the old third jersey. Were there any thoughts of doing a different logo on the front?
SG: Yeah we had different concepts of doing the logo on the front. Whether it was the patch or Lightning, but we kept going back to the sense that for 20 years this team's been called the Bolts.
The Bolts jersey's been extremely popular. And for a young team still, Bolts is part of the tradition and part of the organization over the last 20 years.
CS: How long was this jersey in development?
SG: It takes about a year to develop a jersey. From start to finish. 
Steve Yzerman's involved. Our owner's involved. Tod Leiweke's involved. Reebok is involved as well as the NHL. So there's a lot of people involved in it.
You know it's not just from a branding perspective, but from a performance perspective. Even Steven Stamkos saw the early renderings of it. We got some feedback from him as well as our equipment team. They have ideas too that have to be integrated into it.
CS: Did you talk to fans about the new design?
SG: Yeah, obviously got feedback from the fans. They like Bolts. They like black. One of the things we found in the feedback when we did the new home and away was the importance of the bolt on the pants, that it was synonymous with the Lightning and Bolts.
I think we've got that tradition with the new black jersey as well.

CS: Anything else to add?

SG: We're excited about it. We'll wear it [for] the first game [in the] middle of November. People can pre-order their jerseys now at TampaBaySports.com. Ships in the first week of November. In time for the holidays.
We're excited to have it. It'll be great. 
CS: Last question. What did you think of the palm tree jersey?
SG: I thought it was funny. Might use it for a Winter Classic!

If you can have an outdoor game in California, why not Florida? I like his thinking!

Despite how it may be coming across to this point in the review, I don't think the new look is all bad. I love how the blue is used outside the jersey. The sock stripes are cool — though I have to wonder why that same striping wasn't replicated on the waist and sleeves of the sweater.

By far, my favorite part of the whole set is the blue bolt on the pants. The bolt has always been white — which makes sense — but there's just something about seeing it in blue. And the the silver notches in the numbers are a neat yet subtle addition.

Note the new notches.

Note the new notches.

THE VERDICT

The truth is, there's more about this uniform to like than dislike. Yes, I'd change the crest and add more blue to the jersey itself, but other details of the design, such as the socks and blue bolt on the pants, give us something fresh to help make up for the shortcomings.

But perhaps the best way of evaluating this new sweater is by answering one question: Would I buy one? I have four Lightning jerseys hanging in my closet — the 1997 storm third, the 2007 black primary, the 2008 blue third, and the 2011 blue primary.

The answer is no. I will not be adding a fifth this season.

In the end, while I may enjoy seeing it on the ice, it's not one I'm dying to wear.

So there's my take. What's yours? Has your opinion changed since you first saw the jersey last weekend? Do you think it might change after seeing the full uniform in a game?