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:

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:

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

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):

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.

Technorati Tags: Jersey Problem, Team Canada