The Avalanche decided to shock me with their new RBK EDGE Jerseys. Here is the dark one:
And the white:
So, as promised, sort of, they didn’t change much…
EXCEPT THE SLEEVES!!!!
WTF?!?!? While the white is the least offensive of the two, it still isn’t attractive. The ends of the sleeves are
And I do not get the white stripes on the dark version going straight down the sides of the main logo. Who thought that up?
Why is it that every time you see a new jersey in the RBK EDGE style, it looks like it is apologizing? It’s like it want to say, “Hey, sorry about this, but it isn’t my fault. I’m just designed this way.”
Hey, John-Michael Liles, how much do you get paid to love these jerseys?
Wow, that’s a whole lot.
As you can see, the only part that lends itself any dignity over other RBK EDGE jerseys are the armpits. RBK and the NHL have a freaky, almost fetishistic fascination with the armpits. These are pretty understated, considering the competition.
Also, I like the placement of the (what must be) manditory NHL logo under the collar on the front. At least it isn’t this:
Seriously, don’t do that to a jersey. It makes Mr. Bigglesworth angry. You get the sea bass.
OK, so what do you think they were going for? How about this?
Well, that’s better, and it isn’t just because of his winning smile, which doesn’t hurt. You know, it takes more muscles… Never mind.
What is up with the back of the neck there?
And again, the mistake here is not following the KISS rule (Keep It Simple, Dummy). Why did they have to do that? Why run the red right through the blue? Why can’t you continue the blue through the shoulders, and leave it at that? As continues to be the case with the RBK jersey, it doesn’t take much to be too much. Too many of these jerseys are trying to do too much all at once.
Why can’t you just keep it simple, like the Toronto Maple Leafs?
See? Was that so hard? Other than the NHL logo on the neck, it is simple, clean, and uncomplicated. If the logo has to be there, I wouldn’t go for this:
But, hey, if that is the least offensive part of a jersey (except for the off color armpits), then you have a winner.
But, I have digressed, and I return to the subject at hand. Want to see how much these suck compared to the old models? How about a line up?
Yes, that much. For those of you not familiar, that is Joel Quenneville in the old Colorado Rockies jersey. Yes, that is based on the Colorado state flag, and yes, they suck less than the new Avs jerseys. The socks aren’t so bad, but at this point, that is about all I can muster up. You will note that Liles is not wearing the RBK EDGE pants. If this is because they are not yet available, or that he is choosing to wear Bauer is unclear, but I was under the impression that this jersey was going to be tucked in. Have we seen that yet? Beuller?
Over all, I am not impressed. Not a complete bag of suck, but not great. I am not going to completely condemn the jerseys until I try one on. Pictures are nice and everything, but they don’t tell the whole story. I love the materials of the one I tried on at the draft, but that was about it. If I were to make a recommendation to the Avs fans out there, I would tell them to go buy a classic Avs jersey right now, because like they say about real estate, they ain’t making any more.
Images from the NHL Tournament of Logos blog, except the last one. So there.
I don’t mind them too much. It’s like Jibble was saying though, where are they going to put the “A”???
I think so far, they are the best of the bunch. The new jerseys have the problem of not lending themselves to strong lines or graphics. I think that is why so many teams are trying horizontal moments on sleeves, as stab at trying to break things up. The Avs have been wise and worked with the vertical, the natural line of the jersey. Strong, direct, but not fussy or boring. When all is said and done, I think they have made the best of a unflattering situation.
Again with the piping. It’s on a lot of new jerseys. Why? Why does it gotta?
Jib - Not minding them is a far cry from liking them.
M3 - Best so far? I think the Bruins and even the Kings have done a better job. The Leafs jersey is just a simple two stripe design on the sleeve, and I think works pretty well.
Beth - Who knows?
I don’t like them at all. They won’t see my cash and it won’t be on the Christmas list. The two-tone sleeves and the contrasting underarm gussets are the biggest flaws, followed closely by the vertical piping crowding the top of the jersey and the complete lack of any horizontal elements.
The white aren’t as bad, but the design missed the boat, IMO.
“but I was under the impression that this jersey was going to be tucked in”
RBK rescinded their stance on tucking after some player feedback during development.
http://fans.nhl.com/5A-notes/20921/28173/ (mid-way through)
LEt’s be clear here.. Zanstrom doesn’t mind them… I hate them
But i was saying Where in the hell is Joe Sakic’s “C” going to go? Or LaPerriere’s “A”?
Well, with all that two tone space on the sleeves they can put Burrito ads on there!!!
I do like that the stripes on the bottom are gone. It looks less complicated
Zan and Jib - Sorry, boys, I am not a morning person.
I do not like the piping or the sleeves. I’m not buying one, that’s for sure.
I’ve been trying to figure out for the life of me why people though the piping would be a good idea. Given the little fashion knowledge I have here’s my theory: the jerseys are tighter, therefore they make the players look more broad on top and their shoulders wider. The shape of the piping is slanted upwards towards the neck, which breaks up the line of the shoulders, therefore making it seem smaller. So really, it’s practical and balances out!
Yeah, okay I got nothing.
Tom…
Hats off to you my good man….
maybe if you all cared to try them on you would have a different opinion. coming from a real hockey player that owns one, they are great, light weight and breatheable. but if it is the looks you are concerned about, lets face it, the avalanche has always had ugly colors and guess what, they aren’t leaving soon.
John - I assume you have just stumbled upon my blog, so I will say, welcome. I have tried them on, first a Columbus Blue Jackets model, and recently an Avalanche. And if you search this blog, you will see that I put pictures up if me trying on and modeling the CBJ jersey, which was a bit of a scoop. I put up pictures of the real jersey before any one else, and gave my review. I am also assuming that you will not be back this way, so my reply will fall on deaf ears (screens?). If you do come back, know that I have made an informed opinion about the jerseys, and I give them a thumbs down.
Also, just for the record. I love the colors of the Avalanche. The colors of this blog are modeled on them, and I have several Avs jerseys, which I treasure. But thanks for your opinion, it’s appreciated.
[...] say that you would look good in one. At least, one of the old ones. I don’t recommend the new RBK EDGE ones, if only for the over use of capital letters, although there are other reasons. The colors look [...]