Is There a Problem with the New Team Canada Jerseys?


Nike, we have a problem.

There was plenty of hoopla and fanfare surrounding the release of the new Team Canada Olympic hockey jerseys. As you may know, the IOC decided that the actual logos of the team’s governing bodies would not be allowed on team jerseys (this was also behind the changes made to the USA Hockey jerseys). The jerseys themselves we released to the public this Monday.

My girlfriend and I are rarely ones to pass up a new jersey, and once she saw the new crest on the front, she was more than happy to get one. So now, we own a red Team Canada jersey (despite the fact that it looks a little like a Red Wings jersey). We even took it to the Women’s National Team vs. U-22 Women’s game that night.

Thursday was the first time we washed the jersey (cold water, Tide Free, Bounce Free dryer sheet), but what we saw afterwards was disturbing:
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You can click any of the images to make them bigger (and I think you may want to, for better detail of the damage)

See those white parts in the crest? They aren’t supposed to be there. Our first thought was soap residue, but that isn’t the case (liquid soap free of dyes and perfumes). It appears whatever was used to create the pattern on the crest has come off. You can see it in more detail here:

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Notice the weave is still intact and visible where the pattern is missing:

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The dimes in this picture are placed there for scale (one from the USA and one from Canada so we all know what we are talking about here):

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This is a major problem. While I am trying not to be inflammatory or spout off with accusations without any further investigation or correspondence with the manufacturer or Hockey Canada (obviously not their fault, but since they are here in Calgary, I may wind up talking to them), but this doesn’t bode well. Is a jersey that costs $120 CAD ($109.90 US from my last exchange rate check) not able to stand up to one single washing machine cycle?

I want to be clear. I have not yet contacted anyone about this. I have not talked to anyone at Nike, or Hockey Canada, or the place we bought it at (in Banff). I am not yet a dissatisfied customer (other than inconvenience) because I haven’t had any interaction with anyone responsible for the jersey.

But this is an issue. And I will be pursuing it until satisfied.

Has anyone else had problems with their jerseys? Please contact me or let people know in the comments.

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22 responses to “Is There a Problem with the New Team Canada Jerseys?”

  1. bvllets – Seriously? Every other jersey of mine has been in the dryer. Never had any problems. Not one. Not even the cheap ones. If you think everyone who buys one of these jerseys in going to hang dry it, you are fooling yourself. But thanks for your opinion.

  2. From what I know about working with yarn of various sorts, there’s no way the dryer would cause dye to run like this. Sometimes dye will come out in wash water, without noticeably affecting the yarn or garment color; this wouldn’t be unusual for a vibrant red. However, that’s not what’s happening here, or at least not all of what’s happening. This is dye that was improperly dyed. If I had to guess, I’d say that the crest is made of a different fiber blend than the shirt is and this is reflected in the texture of the crest. But the designers didn’t take into account that different fibers absorb dyes differently.

  3. @af – The crest is diffidently different than the jersey material. I would, at best, call it a printed patch. It’s like they had a thick material, cut it out in the shape of a maple leaf, and ran it through a bubble jet printer. It’s more like the patches they made for the cheap RBK EDGE jerseys.

  4. @bvllets: While I also disapprove of the dryer (I always hang my jerseys — they only take a few hours to dry, anyway), that’s not what’s going on here. This is clearly a washer thing. Looks almost like what happens when you put a bad silk-screening in the washer or something. I’d have a chat with Nike about that for sure, because that is awfully cheap for a $120 jersey.

  5. I’d be a dissatisfied customer – I expect better colorfastness than that from a $30 t-shirt (using cold water wash, mild detergent, etc.) let alone something more expensive than that.

    And I agree, it wasn’t the dryer that did that – that happens in a washing machine. If you washed them with a color-catching sheet (such as made by Shout) it would no doubt be quite red from the running dye.

    If that happened to any garment I owned, I’d return it and ask for a refund. Definitely a defect in manufacture.

  6. I talked to my mom about your problem, and she said that if you ran the jersey through the washer with a cup of vinegar the first time, it would’ve sealed in the dyes.

    Of course, there’s no reason to think you should’ve had to do that; Baroque’s probably right, it’s a defective jersey. But just so you know for your next jersey, if they replace it, that might be something to do.

  7. Dude @ 120 bucks.. your is a replica… and a cheep one at that.
    the real deal costs about 400 each. and there not for sale yet.

  8. I actually guessed from the moment I first saw the jersey online that it would not stand up to a wash or two … it is extremely difficult to get detailed colouring (dyes) such as appears in the maple leaf to be durable, unless it is done through the stitching, which it clearly not (as other posters have noted, it looks more like a cheap t-shirt patch).
    No buy from me …
    Hockey Canada, you’ve got a dud.

  9. i think its just your washing machine; the same thing happened to me when i got a canucks jersey 2 years ago the crest and material went to sh*t but i got a new washing machine and i put my canucks new alternate (same material) in there and nothing happened

  10. Currently own a few Reebok premier hockey jerseys and am noticing the exact same problem with the shoulder patches. The secondary logos appear screenprinted onto these patches and are disintigrating in the wash. The jerseys are never placed in the dryer and are always hung. Unfortunately, the shoulder patches are fading more with every wash.

    In recent years the quality of sports jerseys in general has declined. Saw a San Francisco Giants baseball jersey at Sports Authority with the exact same screenprinted design. Don’t think blame can be placed solely on any one brand in particular. All of these name brands are guilty of using cheaper materials and processes while charging a mint.

    Just curious, but does your Nike hockey jersey get torn up by Velcro? Unfortunately, Reebok didn’t consider its consumers with their cheaper materials. Some of us wear jackets, with Velcro, over our jerseys in winter. If only Reebok saw the snags and holes created from the strips of Velcro.

    Severely disappointed in all the name brands for making a pretty penny off of us–the consumers. It’s really unfortunate because they already know we want to support our respective hockey teams and know we’ll pay. Why not give us just a little more consideration?

  11. There are times when a new Jersey in a LOT will be defective. Cold water gental cycle are rules never to be taken lightly! Hopefully YOU took it back and was given a NEW one. COLD Water 15 minutes in the dryer LOW setting hang dry. Even the nest Jerseys require this care. Spokane Cheifs equipment manager

  12. Alph – I was afraid of washing this second replacement jersey, and when I did (cold water, tide free, hang dry), it had the same problem, only less so. I’m sure it was from the same lot of jerseys. Less bleeding, but it was still there. Now I have to contact someone at Nike Canada to figure out what next.

  13. Yes Hang Dry, and We use RBK & CCM jerseys. Projoy amd Fox are the only two manufactures that do a good “sublimated” the pattern is woven into the jersey. The room we use to hang dry also stores out goalie pads sticks gloves and such about 60 degrees. We snag alot of jerseys and cuts. puck burns then are auctioned off. Sorry about your jersey though!!!

  14. the same thing just happened to me. washed exatly the same. its not the dye running its the print itself peeling from the washer. i did not put it in the dryer.

  15. Hey Tapeleg I got in touch with Nike Canada and it looks like they are going to send me a new one. The guy said he hasn`t seen any others come back so maybe its just a certain batch thats doing it. Let me know what happens!

  16. I purchased a Czech Republic Nike hockey jersey and it got dirty and I washed it in cold water with mild detergent. To my horror the red color bled into the white and now the white is pink. Epic fail Nike, Epic Fail. For $130 dollars I expect far better.

  17. Anyone know a good way to fix a couple of very tiny white spots on a red crest on the front of one of these jerseys?

    I bought a jersey online and it has a couple of very small spots where the red is just missing (little white spots), so I want to touch it up with some kind of red dye that is permanent and that matches the official colours. As the crest has both dark and lighter red patterns in it, I may need 2 different shades of red, but I don’t know where to look for something to do these touch-ups with. I need something that is both a good match to the 2 shades of red and is permanent or colour fast dye for clothing. Any ideas?

    The jersey is otherwise perfect. I love the new 2010 look!

    Thanks!

    Len