Redesigns on Devils' jersey a nod to past

Andrew Gross | NorthJersey

Show Caption Hide Caption Video: Devils jersey reveal video A quick look at the New Jersey Devils' new jersey.

As you can see, the Devils, with some alterations, are essentially going to look like the Devils in 2017-18.

Phew.

The Devils have one of the NHL’s better uniform designs and color schemes. So it’s a sign of both the organization’s and the league’s good taste that the logo remains exactly the same, including its size on the front of the jersey, as do the color scheme and number and letter fonts and sizes.

Still, some will consider removing the three bands around the bottom of the jersey and altering the size of the arm bands bad moves, too much of a change.

Yet, on the whole, it’s a sleek design that still honors the past.

Actually, there wasn’t much suspense when it came to the Devils as the NHL revealed the new Adidas designs in Las Vegas on Tuesday night. The Record reported in January that there would be no changes to the basic design as the league’s new outfitter introduced what it is touting as a more lightweight but stronger material.

As noted, that is not to say there aren’t some noticeable changes.

But the ones that were made were made as a nod to the Devils’ former incarnations as the Kansas City Scouts (1974-76) and Colorado Rockies (1976-82) before moving to New Jersey, as well as the 1928-29 Newark Bulldogs of the minor Canadian-American Hockey League.

So what you’ll notice is that the while-black-white striping around the bottom of the jersey is gone, replaced by a single, thin black band on the bottom of the jersey. This is a nod to the Bulldogs, who had black striping on the bottom of their jerseys.

Instead of a thin black-white-black band on the neckline for the red home jerseys or black-red-black on the road whites, there is just a thin, solid red neckline and this harkens back to the Scouts’ uniform.

The arm bands are still white-black-white but instead of the white bands being thinner than the black one, all three are now the same size and that’s how the Rockies had the arm striping on their jerseys.

The Devils changed their color scheme from red and green to red and black in 1992 and the Devils now honor their original jersey – plus their three Stanley Cups – with a green championship collar on the inside back of their jerseys with “’95, ’00 and ‘03” on it.

There is now a small but prominent NHL shield where the neckline comes to a point on the chest.

And the black on the shoulder is now more squared, though that’s not the important change.

The shoulder material is now meshed, dubbed a performance silhouette because of the lighter material.

“As we enter the 35th anniversary season of this storied franchise, we are both proud and excited to unveil a uniform that honors our heritage while progressing the game with new, innovative performance technology provided by our apparel partner Adidas Hockey,” Devils Chief Marketing and Innovation Officer Daniel Cherry III said in a press release.

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Only the home red jerseys were unveiled on Tuesday but the road whites, to be unveiled shortly, are expected to use the same template.

There will only be home and road jerseys for the 31 NHL teams this season, though alternate jerseys are expected to again be placed in rotation for teams that so desire in 2018-19.

Per specs provided by Adidas and the Devils, the new ADIZERO Authentic NHL jerseys are 19 percent lighter than their Reebok predecessors. The company said the logo weight is reduced by 46 percent while the numbering system is 60 percent lighter.

Staying on the comparative percentages, Adidas reports that its new materials are 133 percent more permeable than previous jerseys and 72 percent tougher in abrasion testing.

“We’ve designed the ADIZERO Authentic NHL jerseys to deliver advanced innovation and technical design for the world’s best players,” said Dan Near, head of Adidas Hockey, in the same press release.

All of that may please the players who have to wear the jerseys.

The organization, then, can only hope that most fans remain satisfied their favorite team still looks like the Devils.

E-mail: grossa@northjersey.com