PURPLE & GOLD = GOOD. MEDIEVAL TIMES = BAD.
by Quisp on Aug 24, 2011 9:54 PM PDT
in WTF
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Print[This post originally posted on March 21, 2011.]
What is your preferred jersey? " LA Kings Insider
This has been a very poorly kept secret, but the Kings are likely to change their primary uniforms next season. The current third jersey — the black jersey with the "LA" logo — is scheduled to become the full-time home jersey, while a newly created white version of that jersey would become the full-time road jersey. The current home jersey, the black-and-purple jersey with the crown logo, would become the third jersey. Is that confusing enough?
No, it's not confusing. It's terrible.
Even the infamous Burger King jersey three or four times a year -- it being so ugly and misguided that no one would ever consider it for full-time use -- is a better option than the Medieval Times jerseys FULL TIME!
Yes, I know it would be embarrassing to pull the plug on your new re-design. Please, do it anyway. Seriously, have you not talked to the fans? I beg you to talk to some people.
And by "people" I mean real people.
DON'T LEAVE IT IN THE HANDS OF MARKETING PEOPLE. Market research will not get you something great, iconic, classy, or any other desirable adjective. It will get you boring and middle-of-the-road. And that's best case.
I'm going to use bullet-points from now on, in an attempt to make my feverish anger and disappointment seem more rational.
- Back in '88, the Kings started the trend toward black. For twenty-plus years, it's been spiraling out of control. The Devils ditched green for black. Calgary added black. Hartford turned into Carolina and they went black. Philly went uber-black with their thirds. Dallas went black with green. Anaheim went to something that either is black or may as well be black. San Jose was of course black and teal right out of the gate. Ottawa is black, too, aren't they? I can't tell really.
- It's too much. The Flames uniforms without the black were better, in my opinion. Philly with orange and white and a little black was classy and scary. My wife called them "The Pumpkins" but so what? She also called the Wings "The Santas." (This is mostly because she only saw home games and that was back when it was white at home and dark on the road -- you know, the way it's supposed to be).
- Going even more black is going in the wrong direction. Why don't we just dress them in Members Only jackets?
- Here's another bad idea that's much much better than what you're apparently planning on doing: go back to the Gretzky-era chevron jerseys. That would be preferable to paying homage to them, only "improved" with piping and a bad logo.
- I'm willing to bet some marketing genius thinks black is sleek or cool or intimidating or something. But you know what's really sleek and cool and intimidating? The Red Wings uniforms. The Leafs uniforms. Montreal's.
- Aside from the monochrome, monotonous, unimaginative, tedious, snooziness of the palette, there's the issue of the logo. It sucks.
- Even people who like the Medieval Times jerseys usually are just barely tolerating the logo. It looks like it stepped out of the Renaissance Fair if the Renaissance Fair had focus groups.
- Check out the comments over at LAKi. People who like the Medieval Times outfit add, "but couldn't you use the crown instead?" I guess they don't understand that once the change is made we're all going to have to suffer with that upside-down house shape for several years.
- I am 100% sure this is a marketing firm-generated focus-group-sanitized logo. The tell: there is nothing interesting about it. The font is like a bad Mac font that you try and then recoil from. It suggests Anglo-Saxon Arthurian pageantry and splendor -- but so what? We're not putting on plays here. This is a hockey team.
- (p.s. the stupid plastic dry-ice castle is stupid for the same reason, but we can leave that for another day.)
- The logo is shaped like home plate. I know it's supposed to be a crest. The buffaslug was supposed to be a streaking bison. That didn't stop people from mocking it.
Buffaslug Among Cartoonish Logos to Go Extinct - NYTimes.com
The Buffaslug is gone, and no one is sad to see it go.
The widely reviled crest — a legless bison that most fans associated with an invertebrate or a disembodied toupee — that had adorned the front of the Buffalo Sabres’ uniforms since 2006 is out. The Sabres, celebrating their 40th anniversary, will now wear a version of their original uniform, a crest with a bison and crossed swords. "Honestly, I’m glad that the old logo has gone now," Thomas Vanek [said]. "For me, our throwback jerseys are the best in the league. I loved the buffalo with the crossed sabers already as a kid."
The Islanders’ long succession of oddly designed, strangely colored jerseys has also ended, with a return to the simple design of their original uniform. Watching the team skate onto the ice for training camp wearing its new jerseys, the team’s former public-relations head, Chris Botta, wrote on Twitter, "15 years later, the New York Islanders finally have major league uniforms again."
These two latest uniform changes are part of a wider trend over roughly the past three years, away from the memes of the 1990s and early 2000s — cartoonlike logos or snarling animals that were often rendered in black or teal.
The Vancouver Canucks, also 40, have brought back their original crest and colors in a uniform design that fuses the old. Other teams, like Washington, Phoenix and Minnesota, have gone to a traditional look in recent seasons. The Pittsburgh Penguins added a 1960s-vintage uniform, made popular in the first Winter Classic game on New Year’s Day 2008, as a permanent third jersey.
The Philadelphia Flyers have dropped a black jersey and gone back to their early-’70s orange. "We don’t know how we did this to ourselves, but somehow, our black jerseys, which started as our third jerseys, became our regular uniform," said Peter Lukko, the Flyers’ president. "But we’re a very traditional team. We said: ‘What are we doing? That’s not who we are.’ So we went back to our original look, back to our roots."
Exactly. And aren't we Philly West? Aren't we bound by this credo in some way?
Keith Leach, the director of merchandise for N.H.L. apparel for Reebok, the league’s uniform manufacturer since 2005, said: "It’s a trend in the N.H.L. Teams want to go back to build off their deep history, a time when they were successful, and teams in general want to pay homage to who they are and where they’re from." [...]
"When they came out with the slug, I was livid," said Charles Pritt, a fan who reacted so viscerally he started one of several antislug blogs that sprang up, along with one online petition with more than 30,000 signatures. "I just kept burning and burning." The Sabres heard their fans’ objections. "We always wanted to go back to the original uniform," said Larry Quinn, the Sabres’ managing partner. He said the slug design was an effort to find a fit for the trim, postlockout Reebok uniforms mandated by the league. [...] The Sabres first abandoned their original uniforms in 1996, when the N.H.L. was dropping traditional looks in an effort to win more fans by seeming more cutting edge.
[...] Drawing on a nautical theme, [the 1995 Islanders'] new logo featured the image of a fisherman, and the jersey was awash in wavy stripes of orange, white and two shades of blue. Botta reluctantly supported the change. ("My most shameful moment in nearly two decades with the team.") On the day the change was announced, Botta took the new fisherman logo out for a test run. He and his wife drove to Jones Beach, where they strolled while he wore a cap with the logo. "People looked at me like I was a serial killer," Botta said. The uniform became the butt of derision, especially from Rangers fans, for whom the fisherman was redolent of the logo on Gorton’s seafood packages. "Fish sticks!" they chanted when the Islanders played at Madison Square Garden. [...]
Why do these bad jerseys always remind people of chain restaurants (Burger King, Medieval Times) and mass-marketed processed snack food? Because they're dreamed up by the same marketing departments.
"In a sport like hockey, whose fans are very tribal and very loyal, you have to realize your fans are everything," said Edward M. O’Hara, the senior partner and chief creative officer of SME, a branding company that has worked on uniform designs with a dozen N.H.L. teams. "You have to listen to them."
:)
Jennings said the Capitals realized their mid-’90s move from red, white and blue uniforms to an angry eagle in blue and copper did not connect with their identity. Jennings said the Capitals told him: "We shouldn’t have changed. We are red, white and blue. This is where we play. These are our colors." The Capitals’ new star-spangled look has resonated with old and new fans, helped along by the appeal of a Stanley Cup-contending team led by Alex Ovechkin. [...]
Chris Smith, a Fort Myers, Fla., graphic designer whose popular blog, Icethetics, tracks hockey jersey design, calls that trend "marketing for kids." He added, "Kids want something that’s cool and flashy, and something that looks like it’s from the 1920s isn’t cool."
Also not cool: Camelot. (Don't start. Holy Grail is probably my favorite movie. But I don't want a hockey team based on it. Who would be so stupid as to base a hockey team on a movie anyway...oh, ha ha.)
O’Hara said: "Teeth and nails, that was the trend, but it’s over, at least I hope so. [...] He said that a new paradigm now held sway for hockey fans, whom he called the most tribal in all of sports. "Home, where you play, is becoming much more important," he said. As proof, Quinn pointed to the popularity of the Sabres’ new third jersey, a traditional design in the Sabres’ original royal blue, with "Buffalo" spelled out across the chest in the script of the old Buffalo Bisons of the American Hockey League. "People are looking for something that speaks to their pride in their community," Quinn said, "something that goes deep into the city’s hockey history. You can tell these uniforms give our fans get [sic] a warm feeling."
That describes my reaction to the purple and gold throwbacks, to a tee. Or is it T? Anyway, more bullets:
- Going hog-wild with the monarchy theme is a little embarrassing. What if the Raiders suddenly went all peg-legs and eye-patches and ARR! Or, the Lakers decided to go all-in with a "lake" theme? "Lakers" meant something once, but now it's lost that old meaning and acquired a new one, which is: we are the best team in the world.
- The Purple and Gold jerseys are classic. They are simple. They are beautiful. The colors echo those of the Lakers in an understated way -- like how the Penguins' colors were changed to suggest the heritage of the Steelers and the Pirates.
- You know how sometimes you'll watch a Red Wings/Leafs game just because the uniforms look so beautiful on TV? I get that feeling watching the Kings in the purple and gold. I feel like I'm watching a hockey game.
- I'll admit, the Kings uniforms seemed lame in the 70s, but that's because they were new, they were not original six. But now, forty years later, they feel closer to that Original Six era than this corporate/mass-marketed one. It's strange to suddenly realize this, but the Kings are one of the oldest, most historic franchises in the league. The purple and gold embodies that.
- Back to TV. I remember being kind of annoyed that the Gretzky-era jerseys didn't really show off the greatness of my TV. But now we've got 50+ inch HD, NHL 11 on XBox, etc., etc., and have you seen how those jerseys shimmer and leap right off the screen at you? There's a limit to how good those black jerseys can look. I don't know why. Maybe it's because I can always turn the contrast up if I want the black to really look black. But the purple (or the red in the Wings, or the blue in the Leafs) is beautiful.
- This might just be me, so feel free to ignore. Those rich colors -- Detroit's red, Toronto's blue, the King's purple -- actually are mouth-watering. They literally make me hungry. Like I said, maybe just me. But maybe not. Our brains are wired to respond to color in this way. I'm sure there's someone in the food industry who can back me up.
- Remember the feeling of going to a game live and seeing the players' in uniform up-close and how dramatic the difference was compared to watching at home? That's what you get now watching the throwbacks in HD. And I think we can assume the resolution is going to get better.
- My son plays a lot of NHL 11. The first thing he does is always to dress the Kings in purple, because it looks so good. Same with the old Seals jerseys, and the Whalers, and the Jets; they all look fabulous in the game. Whether it's EA Sports digital, or live in HD, those colors just pop.
- The last thought is one I keep coming back to. I picture the Dodgers uniforms, and the Lakers -- both classic, iconic designs -- and then I picture the Medieval Times jerseys next to them. Stupid, right? Black jerseys with a shield; they look like the mean, evil team in a hockey movie (the rich bullies our heroes have to defeat -- they always wear black) and the uniforms in the movies always look, well, not like real uniforms. The Medieval Times uniforms have that inauthentic look, too.
- But when I picture the purple and gold with the Dodgers and Lakers, that fits. At least, for me it does. It seems right.
I expect the Kings to win the cup someday in the (near?) future. As happy as I will be on that day, picturing the Medieval Times guys skating around with the cup...from a purely aesthetic perspective, it's not much better than watching the Ducks do it.
I kind of feel that way every time one of the newer teams wins the cup, Carolina, Tampa, Anaheim -- no offense to those actual teams, but I definitely have a twinge of "who let those guys in?" I don't mean the teams; they earned it. When the Yankees win the World Series, it may be irritating, but it also reaffirms what is great about any sport with a long history, and the uniform is part of that. The bad guys are still bad, good guys still have a shot, archetypes that resonate because they have a history.
Seriously, ask some people. In the nose-bleeds, at Staples. Which jersey do they want to see hoist the cup?
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Great rant
I membered up just so I could commend you on your great rant, and tell you that I fully support your efforts in getting the Kings back in the purple and gold!
I just want to say that I agree with your assessment about there just being something about the Leafs blue and the Red Wings red. I would add that that is the same reason I prefer the vintage Flames red to the new one. The old orangy-red just seems more vibrant, more iconic, then the dull crayola red that they wear regularly now.
P.S. Obviously I’m a Flames fan, and I have started following your blog specifically because I have found your Real standings useful in keeping my playoff hopes realistic for more than a month now. That being said, I hope we kick your you know what tonight!
I expect the Kings to win the cup someday in the (near?) future. As happy as I will be on that day, picturing the Medieval Times guys skating around with the cup…from a purely aesthetic perspective, it’s not much better than watching the Ducks do it.
I keep thinking that too. I don’t wanna see the Kings win the Cup in those things. I mean, I do want them to win the Cup and if they’re wearing those jerseys, I still want to see them win, but come on, wear something that isn’t ridiculous while doing it!
I’m willing to bet some marketing genius thinks black is sleek or cool or intimidating or something. But you know what’s really sleek and cool and intimidating? The Red Wings uniforms. The Leafs uniforms. Montreal’s.
I was thinking the exact same thing today. How long has it been since the Kings last changed their jerseys? I’m not going to look it up but I’m pretty sure they went from that horrible post-Gretzky crest with the crossed sticks to the current crown (which I have always liked) immediately after the lockout (though before that the current crown had been on the shoulder and was the main logo on the third jersey). So that means after basically one change in their (to that time) 30-year history from the gold-and-purple era to the silver-and-black, there have now been 2 major changes in the subsequent 14 years, the most recent incarnation lasting all of 5 years. Teams like the Red Wings and Blackhawks and Canadiens and Rangers and Bruins have basically never changed their uniforms and as such they have a sense of history and identity about them.
I don’t think I would have wanted the Kings to keep the old purple and gold because it always looked tacky to me, but the Gretzky era jerseys were fine and they did have a unique “Kings” feel to them, whatever that may mean.
Just look up at the wall at Staples sometime to the retired numbers. It looks like players from 3 different teams are being honored up there; you have Rogie and Dionne from a team that wore purple and gold jerseys, Taylor and Gretzky from some team that wore white and black, and then Robitaille, who although he wore every Kings sweater except the Burger King and the awful new one, is honored from his time with a team that wore purple, silver, and white. Look up at Detroit’s retired sweaters (which hang from the rafters like retired numbers should, not on a wall) and you see clearly a bunch of guys who played for the same organization. That is team history!
# Back to TV. I remember being kind of annoyed that the Gretzky-era jerseys didn’t really show off the greatness of my TV. But now we’ve got 50+ inch HD, NHL 11 on XBox, etc., etc., and have you seen how those jerseys shimmer and leap right off the screen at you? There’s a limit to how good those black jerseys can look. I don’t know why. Maybe it’s because I can always turn the contrast up if I want the black to really look black. But the purple (or the red in the Wings, or the blue in the Leafs) is beautiful.
# This might just be me, so feel free to ignore. Those rich colors — Detroit’s red, Toronto’s blue, the King’s purple — actually are mouth-watering. They literally make me hungry. Like I said, maybe just me. But maybe not. Our brains are wired to respond to color in this way. I’m sure there’s someone in the food industry who can back me up.
I never liked the Gretzky-era black jerseys. There was no contrast- everything was black, the jerseys, the pants, the socks, the gloves, the helmets. Far too much. And that is exactly what they are going to look like again next year. It’s practically how they look now at home too but at least there is a little color in the shoulders!
I loved the purple 3rd jerseys they wore for for most of the last decade (from 1999 to 2007 according to nhluniforms.com). That purple was, for lack of a better word, luscious. I still have my Robitaille jersey in that color and it is simply beautiful. Why can’t they use that color on their home jerseys instead of a horrible black that just makes them look like everyone else in the league??
It is so aggravating the way they feel that they have to change jerseys every few years now. It is entirely because they want to sell more jerseys and it is disgusting. Do new 3rd jerseys, I don’t care. But please give us some consistency in what this team’s identity is and stick with a design for the main jersey and logo!!
in the minority
i’ll get flogged for it…..but yes, i like the black and white jerseys. i went out the first week they came out and coughed up my hard earned money for them. i proudly wear it year round.
the purple and gold clown costumes are nice for a little flavor every once in awhile but they’re just bad, people. it’s one thing for the lakers to wear a tank-top and shorts in yellow – but to be covered head-to-toe in purple and yellow just ain’t right. that look went down several years ago when barney put it out of style.
AGREED
I understand the passion for the old Jerseys .. and let me say I respect them.
But if the new Jerseys where such a bad idea, then why are the seats at staples FILLED with them?
Because they’re awesome … and while I know there’s a passionate FEW that dislike them, the majority does, in fact, like this new look.
But if the new Jerseys where such a bad idea, then why are the seats at staples FILLED with them?
Because people tend to go for conformity and what is less imaginative, I would think. Its why most cars are now gray, smoky blue, silver, metallic tan, etc. and you mix one up with another so easily. You dont see many vibrant, unique cars like you did in the 80s., 70s, or 60s. Being different scares conformists. What better way to not have anyone say anything negative than to make your uniforms as unremarkable as possible?
Purple and gold are traditionally regal, it is a disappointment to see that uniqueness as far as the hockey world goes get discarded.
Let Us Go, Islanders! (Ever notice how strange that sounds without the contraction?)
by TheMetalChick on Aug 26, 2011 9:26 AM PDT up reply actions
Perhaps not "discarded"- but deprioritized and relegated to a mere supporting role as a third.
Let Us Go, Islanders! (Ever notice how strange that sounds without the contraction?)
by TheMetalChick on Aug 26, 2011 9:38 AM PDT up reply actions
Also, didn’t all season ticket-holders get sent one in the mail?
by meetyourmako on Aug 26, 2011 11:34 AM PDT up reply actions
I'm in favor of the 3rd jersey becoming the primary one
As a season ticket holder for the last two years, I can tell you that the majority of jersey wearing fans wear these at Staples. To me them look great and I can’t wait to get the white road versions when they come out.
CAN'T WAIT!
The white ones are gonna be tricky, though. My brother made them in NHL 11 and they HAVE to be paired with black pants or they look ridiculous. I love the black ones and don’t care about the other teams that added black to their jerseys, particularly the mighty sucks.
by SoCalBroncsFan on Mar 21, 2011 7:03 PM PDT up reply actions
hmmm....
Pretty sure im going to get bashed hard here….
I like the now third jerseys…..and i am not mad or sad at all about us moving to them full time….
i must say this however…i have ALWAYS LOVED THE ORIGINAL COLORS!!!!!!
If the team went back to purple and gold id be totally fine with that…..
maybe the reason i do like the change is because im the type of person who like simple clean lines….
i honestly hate stripes on the sides of jerseys…..let me repeat that…hate stripes!!!!
I appreciate the points you make Quisp, but on this one i disagree.
If that puts me in the minority thats ok…ill love my team if they were dressed in bee costumes (well maybe not then)
but my point is i prefer the black and white over the current crown jersey…..i also like the very large LA on the crest….
again….just my humble opinion!
"It's not illegal. It's frowned upon, like masturbating on an airplane."-Alan Garner
One thing I know is everytime I go to the games, I see a shboatload of the New Black jerseys. They sold a LOT of those pups, so someone somewhere must like those.
Oh, and I certainly like New Black better than our Crown jerseys.
I count 5 incarnations:
1) Purple and Gold
2) Gretzky Silver/black/white
3) Purple/black/white Crest with 2 crossing hockey sticks
4) Purple/black/white Crown
5) New Black
And I might risk getting ostracized for this, but I would rank then 5/1/3/4/2. I like the throwback purple but in moderation – and would not like to see the mostly yellow version back on the ice.
Maybe it’s because I’m a transplant and I was busy cheering for a team wearing Stastny blue when the Purple Kings were all the rage. Maybe I just don’t really care about the Lakers colors. Maybe when I see “King” and “Purple”, I think “Prince” and “Rain”. Maybe the New Black makes me look slimmer. I’m not sure what it is, but I like the new design. Somehow, I never cared for the Gretzky Raiders logo either.
re: Purple and Gold...
make those the third jersey….or a specific number of games per season at home ya know….
"It's not illegal. It's frowned upon, like masturbating on an airplane."-Alan Garner
Devil's Advocate
You do see a lot of the jerseys, but I wonder how many were bought versus given. Two years ago the Kings gave away all those jerseys to season ticket holders who paid by a certain date. That’s how I got mine.
But you know what’s really sleek and cool and intimidating? The Red Wings uniforms. The Leafs uniforms. Montreal’s.
I agree with this, except for those ugly striped jerseys Montreal had.
I hope everyone knows I have no intention of facing this sober.
detroit....
had some too in the early 90’s….
"It's not illegal. It's frowned upon, like masturbating on an airplane."-Alan Garner
As for the 90s.
Probably in the minority here, but I loved these:
I hope everyone knows I have no intention of facing this sober.
I don’t think the’ve ever had good jerseys
For every moment of triumph, for every instance of beauty, many souls must be trampled.
by Nut on Mar 21, 2011 4:35 PM PDT up reply actions 1 recs
It’s the geometric simplicity of the that logo.
I hope everyone knows I have no intention of facing this sober.
I think the Canucks are a prime example of why the traditions of forty years ago are not necessarily any good.
The ’90’s’ Penguins logo was cool.
by meetyourmako on Aug 26, 2011 2:11 PM PDT up reply actions
red and blue are primary colors – which are proven to be most desirable by the human eye (that’s why brands are usually made of those colors – mcdonalds, walmart, coke, pepsi, ford, etc)
Oh god, I hate that black jersey with the LA logo
Can’t we just go back to vintage purple and gold?
New England is the lice in America's hair. Kill it, kill it with fire!!!
Chay Genoway- next King?
by angelofdeath on Mar 21, 2011 4:00 PM PDT reply actions 1 recs
X2
Through I also like the current road jersey if they nixed the “Los Angeles” from the strip. Its like people go to games and don’t which team is from where.
The LA shield black jerseys are for people lacking imagination.
Are Teemu Selanne and Melanie Griffith Twins?
by USHA#17 on Mar 21, 2011 4:03 PM PDT up reply actions 1 recs
lacking imagination...
…thats harsh…..
"It's not illegal. It's frowned upon, like masturbating on an airplane."-Alan Garner
I’ve said it before, the Kings change friggin’ jerseys like 3rd world countries change the names of their capital ships.
A clear lack of class.
White is for home. Dark is for road. Traditional is good. Jerseys for the sake of driving sales is fucked up. Childish crap like shark mouths and castles belong on TV with the teletubbies.
Are Teemu Selanne and Melanie Griffith Twins?
by USHA#17 on Aug 25, 2011 5:56 AM PDT via mobile up reply actions
The bitter irony is that you still don’t see all that many Kings jerseys at the games.
by meetyourmako on Aug 25, 2011 12:03 PM PDT up reply actions
Also, the shark mouth is cool and has remained unchanged since opening game at the Tank, so it’s as traditional as it gets in San Jose.
by meetyourmako on Aug 25, 2011 12:04 PM PDT up reply actions
But we were the first at the time, so it was revolutionary and unique.
by meetyourmako on Aug 25, 2011 2:21 PM PDT up reply actions
Besides the Jaws-themed power play and skating through the shark mouth the Sharks don’t really over-do it on the gimmicks.
And that is a million times better than the Parliament Building Clock-tower chimes and walking out of a bounce-house.
by meetyourmako on Aug 25, 2011 2:26 PM PDT up reply actions
Yes, it’s revolutionary to act like your players are shark barf.
For every moment of triumph, for every instance of beauty, many souls must be trampled.
by Nut on Aug 26, 2011 7:28 AM PDT up reply actions 1 recs
It’s still the best in the league, Chum!
by meetyourmako on Aug 26, 2011 11:36 AM PDT up reply actions
I always thought that the purple and gold, borrowed from the Lakers, was not very creative.
Maybe we need to see what our marketing folks could do in a Dodger Blue color scheme.
by Passemoilapuck on Mar 21, 2011 4:12 PM PDT up reply actions
So you think copying the Lakers colors wasn’t creative, so instead copy the Dodgers? I liked copying the Raiders.
For every moment of triumph, for every instance of beauty, many souls must be trampled.
Sarcasm never works on the internet. :-(
by Passemoilapuck on Mar 21, 2011 4:47 PM PDT up reply actions
On Lighthouse hockey we use sarcasm font:
For example:
You can see how cool we are
Let Us Go, Islanders! (Ever notice how strange that sounds without the contraction?)
by TheMetalChick on Aug 26, 2011 9:41 AM PDT up reply actions
Hey, it helps
Let Us Go, Islanders! (Ever notice how strange that sounds without the contraction?)
by TheMetalChick on Aug 27, 2011 8:39 AM PDT up reply actions
The Rangers did not overpay at all for Brad Richards.
^See?
Let Us Go, Islanders! (Ever notice how strange that sounds without the contraction?)
by TheMetalChick on Aug 27, 2011 8:41 AM PDT up reply actions
x3
I want to go back to the old purple-and-gold color scheme. I never thought it was ugly; it’s certainly distinctive; and most of all, it connects the Kings of today with guys like Marcel Dionne and the 4 guys who were honored as Kings Legends this season.
I think that seeing and reading various interviews with Bob Pulford on occasion of his Legends Night only affirms this last point for me. I really want to see the Kings win the Stanley Cup in the throwback unis as a tip of the hat to those guys who never wore the silver-and-black, but who gave their all to the organization and us fans and deserved better. I want to see the Kings win the Cup in those unis for the sake of us old-time fans; it would say to us that the organization tips their hat to us for our loyalty and everything we have endured in sticking with the team for all these years (decades, really).
I agree with Quisp that black as a team color has played itself out. IIRC, the Kings only adopted silver and black because the Raiders had made those colors popular after bringing LA its only Super Bowl Championship. The Raiders also made those colors popular among our local gang members, too, IIRC. Their time, like Al Davis’ football savvy, has long gone.
"Prepare your bladder for imminent release!" — Invader Zim
Well said
Whats funny is to many fans the " original " jerseys are the ones featuring the blue strip on the shoulder and arm.
I heard one regular Insider comment on hating the purple vintage after having watched it when he was young….not knowing it was a road jersey at the time and perhaps five games a year were televised
Are Teemu Selanne and Melanie Griffith Twins?
by USHA#17 on Aug 25, 2011 6:33 AM PDT via mobile up reply actions
Also
DON’T LEAVE IT IN THE HANDS OF MARKETING PEOPLE. Market research will not get you something great, iconic, classy, or any other desirable adjective. It will get you boring and middle-of-the-road.
As someone who works in advertising, I can assure you this is true.
I remember hearing something similar about radio stations where songs were rated 1-5, and those that got a 3 had the most airplay.
I hope everyone knows I have no intention of facing this sober.
by McSwarley on Mar 21, 2011 4:05 PM PDT reply actions 1 recs
that makes sense….play it safe….piss off the least amount as possible…..while satisfying as many as you can….
"It's not illegal. It's frowned upon, like masturbating on an airplane."-Alan Garner
by card_base on Mar 21, 2011 4:22 PM PDT up reply actions 1 recs
WELL IT HAD TO HAPPEN SOONER OR LATER
I FINALLY disagree with Quisp on something.
I LOVE these jerseys … I bought a Simmonds jersey the first chance I got.
One thing that I conspicuously saw missing from the above jihad was sales figures of the new jerseys. Not that Quispy has access to that sort of thing but … really … there’s reading the passionate ramblings of disenchanted Kings lifers, and then there’s reading the sales receipts at Staples.
As I posted in a reply earlier, I have nothing but respect for the old school jerseys… but … quite frankly… that’s where they should stay… OLD school.
Should have started post with...
EARMUFFS!
"It's not illegal. It's frowned upon, like masturbating on an airplane."-Alan Garner
If sales are what they care about then nothing is stopping them from doing a stupid new 3rd jersey every single season. There are people who will buy anything branded “Kings”.
It does not mean you have to change the identity of the team every 4 years to make money.
Oddly enough
I’ve found that people don’t buy stuff they don’t like.
Especially 100 bucks or more for a jersey.
I agree, I love the 3rd jersey too; however I just got the new white one and it looks awesome
by Randell Adams on Aug 25, 2011 11:55 AM PDT up reply actions
I find it ironic...
that the one guy who is most adamant about the ugliness of the medieval logo has the worst blog logo, by far, of all the Kings blogs. ;)
And I happen to agree with most all the bullet points. I don’t hate the home plate jerseys as a 3rd, but I certainly don’t want them as the full time jersey and there is no question that the logo is the least imaginative of all the Kings logos. I mean it really is boring. There’s nothing to it. Even the burger king logo, as hideous as it was, at least had some imagination. A black version of the shoulder shield logo would be 1000 times better than the home plate logo. The shield is actually really cool.
I don’t think Quisp is to blame for that thing.
I hope everyone knows I have no intention of facing this sober.
This is a good point. (About he JftC logo, I mean.)
I hate everything about it. I hate the rainbow. I hate the random Dark Side of the Mooniness of it. (I prefer Animals or WYWH.) I hate the taped-on crooked crown.
Wait till this year.
A glass of purple cool aide with a crown and pirate like crossed sticks.
Oh, better make that cool aide black…no, silver…no, white…no….ah, screw it…
Are Teemu Selanne and Melanie Griffith Twins?
by USHA#17 on Aug 25, 2011 6:05 AM PDT via mobile up reply actions
In all reality...
Purple is the color of Royalty….so the kings should be primarily a team that wears purple no???
Or…lets switch gears….how about we go with a Knights Templar theme…..
all white with just a red cross on the front…..end of story!
"It's not illegal. It's frowned upon, like masturbating on an airplane."-Alan Garner
Purple Power!
But something’s gotta be done about the big poofy yellow numbers for ol’ Bob Miller’s sake.
Ok, fine. For me, too:
Me, Sat night: “What? Handzus hurt?”
My wife: “No?”
Me: “Then why is Stoll taking the faceoff here with Simmonds and Ponikarovsky? Oh wait. Nevermind. That’s an EIGHT, not a SIX.”
My wife: “Doofus. Handzus shoots left. Stoll shoots right.”
The 6s really look like 5s to me. I keep thinking Richardson is wearing Marcel Dionne’s number.
For every moment of triumph, for every instance of beauty, many souls must be trampled.
I was trying to figure out who the hell 16 was the first time they wore them! Second thought was that number is retired. Then my head exploded.
Also...
this is where you gotta hand it to soccer. Teams all across the world come up with bad ass logos. Hell, look at the LA Galaxy logo for that matter. Simple, elegant, cool and way better than home plate.
Sorry, but I gotta disagree with you on that one. It’s a stupid team name and an ugly logo. It looks like something trying to be from the future. I feel like a sports team in the movie Demolition Man would have that logo.
by Garrett79 on Mar 21, 2011 5:22 PM PDT up reply actions 1 recs
Although I love the 3rd jerseys I can totally support the Forum Blue and Gold throwbacks as the new jerseys. I was excited about them but had no idea just how much I would love seeing them and they don’t make me think of the Lakers which for me is a good thing. Quicks brown pads are my favorite part.
BUT then what would that mean for road jerseys? Gold with a bit of Forum Blue? God no, please no. I’ll have to turn the color off on my TV for road games.
Hey Foxy, would you call that a doh-si-doh or a dipsy doodle?
I agree with every part of this comment
For every moment of triumph, for every instance of beauty, many souls must be trampled.
Quick’s brown pads jump over the lazy, fixed dog.
by meetyourmako on Aug 26, 2011 2:27 PM PDT up reply actions
No, just gold
With a crown on front. Those ugly blue strips down the shoulder and arms came later
Are Teemu Selanne and Melanie Griffith Twins?
by USHA#17 on Aug 25, 2011 6:38 AM PDT via mobile up reply actions
Like apples? How do you like these apples?
This is from commenter “LAPD line” over at LAKI.
http://lakingsinsider.com/2011/03/20/what-is-your-preferred-jersey/#comment-420619
by wavesinair on Mar 21, 2011 5:40 PM PDT reply actions 1 recs
Eureka!
This is what I would like to see.
This or the same design in a very saturated purple, and gold/yellow. not he washed out 70s purple… sorry, I mean Forum Blue® and yellow.
by SwaddleDinBacon on Mar 22, 2011 11:05 AM PDT up reply actions
I think that crown looks a little too feminine in those colors. Maybe make the base of the crown wider to make it look stronger. But I like the idea. I think you need to keep the crown.
by BobKnob on Aug 24, 2011 11:42 PM PDT via mobile up reply actions
As much as i like those BnW they can’t be the primary jerseys, purple is a “royal” color so it has to stay. Even if purple and gold is ugly, those are the teams original colors so i have no problem with that.
by DodgersKings323 on Mar 21, 2011 6:24 PM PDT reply actions
I'm with Quisp
Please, someone in the Kings organization read this article! Please don’t squander our best years contending for the cup wearing the awful, boring, black jerseys. We need to hoist TSC in Forum Blue. I beg of you, powers-that-be!
Is it even possible for them to change their mind? Can we start a fan protest or something? Is it too late?
I’m replying to myself because I can’t believe I didn’t take the opportunity to brag that I was the first person to buy the Purple & Gold throwback from the LA Team store. And that’s even more of an accomplishment because I live in Utah. My wife and I happened to be in LA in October and got tickets for the Canes game. Before the game we dropped by the team store just as they were unpacking the boxes of throwback jerseys in the back. The girl at the counter pulled some strings to let me grab one ‘early’. (We even met Foxy). I saw one other guy at the game with one, so I felt pretty awesome. I either got mine before him, or his was actually from back when. Ha!
The point is – Purple and Gold!
I couldn’t help it! I had to comment to this post.
Being a commercial photographer and designer for the past 30 years, and having done a fair amount of logo design myself for companies and organizations large and small, I must say that when I saw the Medieval 3rd jersey for the first time the first question I asked myself was, “I wonder how in the hell they were able to sell that dreck?” The second question I asked myself was, “I wonder how much the kings actually paid for that terrible, amateur piece of drivel?” As a season ticket holder who actually received one of these 3rd Jersey’s as a gift for renewing my seats a couple of years ago, I must say that it stays in the closet as I prefer to proudly wear any of my other jerseys especially my New, Throw-Back, Purple and Gold.
That being said, I do understand the corporate, commercial, sell more mentality. After all this is a business. But I do believe that great, meaningful, eye catching design is attainable and that people will want it and will pay money for it. It would be interesting to know if a marketing company was involved in this process and who exactly they polled, because I can honestly say nobody has asked for my opinion and it seems as though from what I’m reading here not many kings fans had been asked either.
Last year at the end of the season the Kings did ask for comments from season ticket holders. The one comment I made was that they should try to accomplish what Calgary has been able to do. When you watch a game being broadcast from Calgary and you see a shot of the stands all you see is a sea of red. Now I would bet that they are all not wearing Jersey’s, but they are ALL wearing red. That is a statement and a strong one at that, not only for the fans, but to the team, the league, and anyone watching, that We Are The Flames!!!!
I like black just as much as any other designer out there. I wear a lot of black. But when it comes to my team I want to show my colors and black doesn’t cut it. Imagine a sea of Purple and Gold being broadcast across the country and Canada. The Kings are on the rise and it’s time for them to make a visual statement on the ice as well. And one last note. I convinced my wife to go to her first Kings game with me a few years ago. The first thing she said that she liked was their purple uniforms and the purple seats. Yes purple happens to be her favorite color. Bye the way, she’s an avid Kings fan now. So please, keep peace in the family, don’t get rid of the Purple and Gold
by 2 Bleed Purple on Mar 21, 2011 6:44 PM PDT reply actions 3 recs
ok point taken and noted....
It seems to me that team + fan unity is what people not…..
lets think this through….we switch to purple and gold, which most would agree is very cool….and YES quicks brown pads are a goalie wet dream…..however….ponder this…..
road jersey is now yellow with yellow pants and a little bit of purple? c’mon…really
People say they want the vintage colors…they say the new look has no imagination and the logo is dull…
please then by all means create something better….email the shit to luc robataille…..if it really is better…they will probably do it in 5 years or so…..
and im with you about the sea of red, but its the flames…so thats a no brainer…..what about a team like say….colorado?
i think what you are searching for is more of an identity that we can be known for across the nhl community…because everyone wearing the same color of anything can be boring too…..“a sea of purple and gold” is great in theory….but did that happen way back when? i wasnt watching yet….’91 was when i began watching hockey period…so maybe for me…these new jerseys harken back to the days of my beloved Kurri…..who is still probably my all time fav kings player…..
whatever ends up happening….seriously…those who wanna say the logo sucks balls….make something better and present it here….til then….what can we do about it???
"It's not illegal. It's frowned upon, like masturbating on an airplane."-Alan Garner
look at the university of michigan
I don’t have a problem at all with gold jerseys. the pants would be the same (purple) in both home and away. but, if gold bothers you too much, away WHITE with purple and gold accents looks amazing. I have customized it on NHL 11 and it’s nice.
Wait till this year.
ok....
that sounds ok….
"It's not illegal. It's frowned upon, like masturbating on an airplane."-Alan Garner
I believe the standard is that all road jerseys are white unless the home team wants to wear their whites (like the white outs in Winnipeg/Phoenix and Pittsburgh). So a road version of the throwback would likely turn the purple section white and the yellow parts purple. Not bad at all.
As for the idea of presenting it to Luc, I am not part of the AEG/Kings design team, if they’d like to hire to me and pay me what I’m worth I’ll be more than happy to create something better. Logos corporate identity systems are a ton of work—think months even more than a year—and not something any designer worth their salt would do for free.
When I look at the current alternate it really looks like a rush job and a victim of “design by committee.”
I hope everyone knows I have no intention of facing this sober.
maybe the idea that they rushed the design plays perfectly into my attention deficit disorder….what was that a butterfly???
Wanna get some food?
Wait i gotta create the new iconic logo of the decade…..still hungry….
Lets go to medievil times…..
logo problem solved!
GREEN KNIGHT WINS!!!!!!!
Hello Clarice……wait what???
"It's not illegal. It's frowned upon, like masturbating on an airplane."-Alan Garner
“please then by all means create something better….”
We already had something better then mindless black
Are Teemu Selanne and Melanie Griffith Twins?
by USHA#17 on Aug 25, 2011 6:45 AM PDT via mobile up reply actions
speaking of colors in the crowd…
I wish the Kings management would realize that “blackouts” for the playoffs do not work the way whiteouts do. When you ask everyone to wear black to the game it does nothing but make the building look completely empty. When everyone is wearing any other color it is insanely intimidating, but black doesn’t work. The last several times the Kings have made the playoffs they ask everyone to wear black and having watched all those games on TV I can say it just looks stupid.
I like the proposed black, white, and silver color scheme enough. I’m not wild about the homeplate design, but since TM’s system emphasizes protecting home plate, it seems appropriate. I mean, the proposed home and aways are not awe-inspiring, but they’re not eyesores either (thanks marketers).
The purple throwbacks are cool, but making them the primary jersey would be an example of “too much of a good thing.” If we were to make them a primary, nix the purple pants – and no yellow away jerseys.
I also don’t like the poofy 70’s style crown. There’s a million real-life crown designs out there to inspire us; there’s got to be something more iconic that is a nice blend between the overly-angular current version and the goofy, poofy retro version.
Besides crowns and shields, aren’t there other kingly symbols and images we could appropriate? For instance we could always put a kingly scepter on the front of the pants and the lower portion of the jersey…. Maybe not.
As far as color schemes, on the home plate design – besides retooling the logo – why not consider metallic gold instead of silver? Isn’t that what the yellow is supposed to represent on the retros – gold? It might make us look more like the New Orleans Saints, but now that they are winners it’s not so shameful…
As a side note, I can see why the old shield with crossed sticks had to go: a palm tree and a lion with sunglasses suggests the retirement destination that DL has worked to banish.
I gotta say i am a huge fan of the "Old School" aesthetic [in general not necessarily on this point], and i think purple and gold could be unique and gorgeous but the old 70′s washed out colors make me a bit queasy. Make the colors a lot more saturated, and I’m on board 100%. A deep royal purple would be very compelling. As to the current 3rd jersey design, I love the jersey design [minus the crest], the unique arm banding, the silver accent. I even like what i think they were trying to accomplish with the crest design with its simplicity, I just think that they didn’t quite make it. I like the photoshopped version of the current design with the original crown in silver. All this and that said, I agree that the black heavy design has two drawbacks. 1 – the accompanying white centric jersey design makes me cringe. 2 – The sea of black in the stands doesn’t have the impact that colors do.
by SwaddleDinBacon on Mar 22, 2011 11:06 AM PDT reply actions
I am on your side when it comes to the classic unis, but in terms of listening to the fans, this choice is being driven by jersey sales. The shield logo (which I believe is reminiscent of the design that used to surround the crown in one of our old logos, though it doesn’t read that way on the new unis) are actually popular.
The retro purple look is getting lots of love from fans and writers around the league, though. They should start to realize that. If those jerseys keep selling, another change could come.
In Dinglebarn We Trust -- JftC
yes, but the buffaslug was a big seller too
Wait till this year.
by Quisp on Mar 22, 2011 4:05 PM PDT up reply actions 1 recs
I think it's all perspective.
I’m too young to think of the Kings in purple and gold. The Kings I’ve always watched were in black, white and gray. The throwback jerseys don’t remind me of the good old days. Someone mentioned the term “clown costumes” which is extreme but rang true with me. I’m not going to blame them for marketing to a younger demographic as apposed to the die hard fans from the 70s and 80s. Those fans don’t watch the game for the pretty colors. I’m not in marketing. I’m a consumer and I bought the medieval times jersey.
I do expect Quisp knows a think about logos though. His facebook logo is amazing.
Thy time is nigh.
indeed.
but too busy, perhaps. maybe just one king or something would be better. have to change this blog’s logo, sooner or later.
re marketing:
there’s long term marketing and short-term marketing. actually, maybe there isn’t long term marketing, just long term effects. what you can sell the most of in the present is not necessarily what’s the most profitable over the long haul. Unless of course you keep coming out with new crap to sell.
Wait till this year.
Black is not a color
And all the black NHL sweaters look stupid! Go purple and gold, I love it!
by yzguy on Mar 22, 2011 3:44 PM PDT reply actions 2 recs
Not a kings fan
But as a jersey lover, I’ve come up with an idea meshing a lot of the kings history
The black with white arm loops for the grezky years
The purple for the more recent jerseys
The sleeve trim for the jerseys they wore pre-gretz
And the crown from the recent jerseys..although swapping in the Old school crown would look good as well.
As Featured in Sports Illustrated: http://tinyurl.com/TimmyHate
New Zealand's Number 1 Coyotes Fan - and I have the photos to prove it!
DISCLAMER: Any and all trash talk is intended in a light hearted manner. Failure to take trash talk in this manner may result in foolish anger, looking stupid or Red Wings Fandom. Do not take TimmyHate Trashtalk if you are suffering a heart condition, have had a funectomy or support a return to Winnipeg.
wow
that is a mish mash……
maybe…swap the puple on the shouler for black and black body for purple???
"It's not illegal. It's frowned upon, like masturbating on an airplane."-Alan Garner
Like this?
One element i’m not 100% happy with on both of these (bearing in mind the limitations of Paint..) is the white arm loops. I tried making them grey but it looks terrible, and tried yellow…they looked like water wings at that point….
As Featured in Sports Illustrated: http://tinyurl.com/TimmyHate
New Zealand's Number 1 Coyotes Fan - and I have the photos to prove it!
DISCLAMER: Any and all trash talk is intended in a light hearted manner. Failure to take trash talk in this manner may result in foolish anger, looking stupid or Red Wings Fandom. Do not take TimmyHate Trashtalk if you are suffering a heart condition, have had a funectomy or support a return to Winnipeg.
well.....
lets get the arm bands gone for sure…they just irritate me…..and seem out of place…..maybe if you had some gold trim for the old school crown logo….so
primary color-purple
arm/shoulders-black or purple…but definetely needs a trim somewhere….
old school crown….would having a gold crown look gay????
"It's not illegal. It's frowned upon, like masturbating on an airplane."-Alan Garner
Btw I like this design. Maybe use a richer purple? Just a thought.
I imagine many of the older sports teams with classic jerseys didn’t spend a lot of time coming up with a design. I imagine that is a big reason they look so nice and age well. Too much design is a bad thing I think. its also hard to see these things while they’re skating around so somehing simple is nice for catching the eye. That said, I hate the home plate.
by BobKnob on Aug 25, 2011 12:09 AM PDT via mobile up reply actions
Oh, and find a better crown too. Ok, I’m done now.
by BobKnob on Aug 25, 2011 12:11 AM PDT via mobile up reply actions
I would change the purple on the sleeves to black, then swap the crown for the home plate medieval logo, and I think we’d be in good shape.
j/k
by Passemoilapuck on Mar 22, 2011 5:12 PM PDT up reply actions
yeah
and maybe remove those pans stripes too :P
As Featured in Sports Illustrated: http://tinyurl.com/TimmyHate
New Zealand's Number 1 Coyotes Fan - and I have the photos to prove it!
DISCLAMER: Any and all trash talk is intended in a light hearted manner. Failure to take trash talk in this manner may result in foolish anger, looking stupid or Red Wings Fandom. Do not take TimmyHate Trashtalk if you are suffering a heart condition, have had a funectomy or support a return to Winnipeg.
uh
Pan*t*s stripes.
As Featured in Sports Illustrated: http://tinyurl.com/TimmyHate
New Zealand's Number 1 Coyotes Fan - and I have the photos to prove it!
DISCLAMER: Any and all trash talk is intended in a light hearted manner. Failure to take trash talk in this manner may result in foolish anger, looking stupid or Red Wings Fandom. Do not take TimmyHate Trashtalk if you are suffering a heart condition, have had a funectomy or support a return to Winnipeg.
Try silver and white stripes down the side in some kind of fashion first before chucking it altogether. Maybe play with the size a little bit too. I’m pretty sure there was some brand of hockey pants in the nineties that had a side stripe and I akwatys liked those when I played as a kid. Can’t remember what they were now though.
by BobKnob on Aug 25, 2011 12:02 AM PDT via mobile up reply actions
I think it’s hilarious how the Kings front office people are talking about how much the fans love the white and black but the posts over at LA Kings Insider are probably at least 4 to 1 against these new jerseys.
I honestly don’t mind the jersey that much, but I really despise the new primary logo. It is so ordinary. At least go back to the Chevy logo. It’s halfway there already.
I honestly don’t mind the jersey that much, but I really despise the new primary logo.
That’s the annoying thing. EVERYONE looks at it and thinks, “Put the crown or chevy on the front and you’re good to go,” but nope, we’re stuck with the home plate.
The logo is shaped like home plate. I know it’s supposed to be a crest. The buffaslug was supposed to be a streaking bison. That didn’t stop people from mocking it.
I’ve been thinking about it and I’m pretty it is supposed to be shaped like a home plate. Lombardi always talks about defending the front of the net and Murray is obsessed with protecting the goaltender. I think it’s supposed to represent the team’s values.
by RudyKelly on Aug 24, 2011 11:34 PM PDT up reply actions 1 recs
it is supposed to be shaped like a home plate.
so when corey perry runs quick hes just doing his best running over the catcher to score impression…makes sense now…you kings fans can’t get mad at him anymore!!
MVPerry!!!
"A Chortled Evils Nip"
www.battleofcali.com
by SPADE-IN-VICTORHELL on Aug 25, 2011 5:23 AM PDT up reply actions
GOOD POST..
i cant help but laugh my ass off at the “castle jumper” the kings come out of lol….what would be funny if there was a sign on the outside saying “no pushing, no shoes/skates in castle jumper” lol
yea purple and gold all the way….
leave the ducks jersey’s outta this..we won the cup with those jersey’s i hope they never change them..the subtle orange works enough in the jersey’s for me
"A Chortled Evils Nip"
www.battleofcali.com
by SPADE-IN-VICTORHELL on Aug 25, 2011 5:21 AM PDT reply actions
But you know what’s really sleek and cool and intimidating? The Red Wings uniforms. The Leafs uniforms. Montreal’s.
I have to disagree – the only uniforms I have ever found intimidating has been the Red Wings.
GO SHARKS!
Ever get the feeling we are on a collision course with reality?
"They who would give up an essential liberty for temporary security, deserve neither liberty or security" -- Benjamin Franklin (see profile for more info on this quote)
If new Jersey Sales pays Doughty salary...
…without the need to run additional “hand breaded chicken tenders” ads then I may be all for it.
Are Teemu Selanne and Melanie Griffith Twins?
Black and silver with prominent crown
You can blow your purple-and-gold nostalgia out your shorts. Black and silver. Black and silver. Black and silver.
I first followed the Kings when they had unicolor Forum gold jerseys for home games.
The guys skated around like so many Pilsbury doughboys. Butch Goring looked like he was a fat infant wearing drooping shit-filled diapers. Some of the awfulness was reduced when the purple stripe was adopted, but the whole effect was still stomach-churning.
It was only when Gretzky came to the Kings that we got what I still think is the best uniform of all — black and silver. Those colors made us look ba-a-ad and bitchen and took us to the Cup finals.
The new black color doesn’t bother me as much as the UN-exciting, nondescript medallion. Fix it — maybe with a Surly-Scribe-inspired King-of-Beasts-lion-in-a-crown, looking smug and regal and ferocious, with a little of that MGM pizzazz (we ARE in Hollywood, after all) — now THAT’s a jersey to be proud of.
In case you forgot: Black and silver. Black and silver. Black and silver.
The Kings switched to silver and black to make themselves into cheap imitations of the Raiders. It wasn’t a good idea back then, and it seems like an even less good idea now, considering what has become of them.
Why don’t you blow your lack of historical perspective out of your brainless ass?
"I think you just outed yourself as Dean Lombardi. I knew it all along." — Rudy Kelly
by DougX on Aug 25, 2011 10:04 PM PDT up reply actions 2 recs
Since the 1960s the Kings only made it past the second round of the playoffs while wearing those cheap imitations of the Raiders. By the way, didn’t the Raiders win a championship for L.A. while they wore black and silver?
Obviously black and silver was a good idea then, and it seems like a better idea now.
Why don’t you shove your lack of historical knowledge UP your ass? What are you? Some kinda of shill for the Staples clothing shop?
by yoshinny on Aug 26, 2011 12:37 AM PDT up reply actions 1 recs
He’s Dean Lombardi dude, show some respect.
Also, it was less that the Kings wanted to look like the Raiders and more that Wayne Gretzky didn’t want to wear purple, wasn’t it?
If he’s DL I’ll grovel at his feet.
I dunno if the team changed to black and silver because Gretzky hated purple or because the manufacturer ran out of Forum-gold dye or because of any other reason.
Right around the time we traded Bernie Nichols I happened to meet Bruce McNall at a Studio City video store. He was all decked out in a black and silver Kings jacket and looked smooth and together and on top of the world — (yeah, he took a fall after that, but it was the team colors that caused it).
If he’d have been wearing purple and gold he’d have resembled the Fruit-of-the-Loom guys in the underpants commercials.
Purple and gold — Retch-worthy. Only useful as a distraction to opposing teams who are laughing so hard at us they forget to play hockey. Feh!
Black and silver — Tough colors, scary and mean, bringing a vicious Hell’s Angels quality to the ice. Add the right medallion to the jersey and the whole picture screams, “KICK ASS!” Throb! Spurt!
CORRECTION
That should have read, “It wasn’t the team colors that caused it.”
Yeah, for me the problem is that I think the purple/gold jerseys look great on the ice… but I would never, ever buy anything with those colors. The black/silver ones look kind of bland but I’d buy that hat (if they changed the logo).
Also, another problem is that the Kings need to decide if they’re going to go with the whole medieval thing or just have it be a name. Either go purple/gold and give it a goofy, fun vibe or be serious and be silver/black. Don’t be silver/black and then have them come out of a bouncy castle.
That castle should go the same way the old intermission puck-stacking contests went — down the toilet. Permanently.
When you think “purple” clothes, you think of a street pimp. Black and silver — what comes to mind is a hit-man, a CIA operative, a killer, a winner. THAT’s the way to really intimidate.
But once again — the current medallion has GOT to go. We need something more imaginative, more dramatic.
Black can be intimidating, but paired with the grey it’s just bland. You guys need just a little bit of a brighter color to contrast the black, even if it were just the logo and/or a stripe or two.
by meetyourmako on Aug 26, 2011 11:43 AM PDT up reply actions
you’re right. I guess bland can be intimidating.
by meetyourmako on Aug 26, 2011 2:41 PM PDT up reply actions
Its silver. Shouldn’t you be worrying about your saturday morning cartoon Shark logo?
For every moment of triumph, for every instance of beauty, many souls must be trampled.
Whaddyado?
It is that thing that I sent to you.
by whine_country on Aug 27, 2011 5:27 PM PDT up reply actions
Kings Logo
LOGO: a graphical representation of an organization or product.
Simplicity and elegance is always the answer; You look at a logo and you immediately know who or what you are looking at. It is a visual shorthand. There should be an association in your mind that says instantly, "Oh yeah, that’s …"
Examples: (can you "see" the logo in your mind’s eye?)
Apple
Mercedes Benz
Ford Motor Company (the blue oval)
Chevy (the bow tie)
Dallas Cowboys (the Lone Star)
St. Louis Rams (curling horn graphic on helmet)
Detroit Red Wings (the winged wheel for the Motor City)
Toronto Maple Leafs
CBS (the eye)
Nike (the "swoosh")
McDonald’s (the golden arches)
Shell Oil
The New York Yankees (you see the distinctive N and Y overlap, and you just know)
The Los Angeles Kings (uhm …..)
The Kings have been in existence for over 40 years, and STILL have no visual identity! One would think that having a team in the middle of the most visually creative industry on the planet (yes, Hollywood) that they would have figured it out by now.
In my opinion, the closest the Kings ever came to visually capturing things Royal, Hockey and Southern California was the shield used from 1998 – 2002, which featured featuring three royal elements: a sun, a lion and a crown, held together by two crossed hockey sticks and the name of the team. An updated, modern version of the traditional Kings crown was featured on the shoulder. And the coolest feature was delightfully subtle – the Lion wears sunglasses!
Perhaps, given enough time and success on the ice, the "home plate" LA logo may well come to symbolize excellent ice hockey in Southern California, just as the Yankees have earned their visual distinction through success in a long winning tradition, but I doubt it. So, right now, a quick glance at the new logo reads, "The LA LA’s". What? Who?
Perhaps, in the next 3 or 4 years, when they redesign the Kings Logo yet again, we might finally get a striking visual image we can all be proud of and support.
An organization is defined by its actions, not its logo. Most, if not all of the companies you mentioned have been highly successful at one point or another. Look at the Los Angeles Lakers, arguably one of the most successful franchise in all of sports. IMO, they have an unremarkable logo. I’ll take a Stanley Cup and some logo a 4-year old came up with over a visually striking logo and franchise futility.
I'm probably going to get some flak for this...
But I really like the new jerseys, especially the white road one. I will miss the seeing purple all the time, but it’s a new look and I will be proud to wear my jersey every gameday. The only thing I wish was different was that the Vintage jersey was our alternate instead of our home from last year, because that is one beautiful uniform.
Pride = Passion = Power
TL;DR
Man you really need to cool it with this jersey thing. I’m a consumer. I like this logo. It’s WAY better then the hum drum nonsense that we have now. Ask any NHL fan what the Kings’ logo is and the best you could hope for is “I dunno, a purple blob or crown or something.” I’m 30 years old. I was raised on the chevy logo and the black/grey/white colors. We’ve had this post before and I’ll admit to this if you will; We all like what we grew up on. Obviously, you like the old purple and gold. There is a whole generation that relates to the black/white/grey and are happy to see it again. The logo is interesting. I have the jersey. I have that logo on my car. I’m a huge Kings fan and I’d pick the “medieval times” logo over the current god-awful crown ev-er-y time.
Good talk.
*Not my real name.
i am not crazy about the black-and-white-ness of the medieval times jerseys, but that's not the main problem.
the main problem is the logo. i have a secondary problem with the elbow band/piping overlap, but I can learn to live with it. I would rather they just go back to the gretzky jerseys.
i won’t exactly cop to preferring what I grew up on. some things were better, some weren’t.
Wait till this year.
by Quisp on Aug 26, 2011 1:50 AM PDT up reply actions 1 recs
These posts are completely pointless without pictures....
PICTURES PEOPLE! (and we should have a vote)
We were talking about this article over on Lighthouse Hockey, and your disdain for black inspired me:
Let Us Go, Islanders! (Ever notice how strange that sounds without the contraction?)
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