On November 14th, the Professional Women’s Hockey League (PWHL) released the jersey designs for the inaugural season set to start in January 2024. These jersey designs have earned mixed reviews from players and fans.
Jersey Breakdowns
For starters, these jerseys are temporary for the first year since team names and logos are still being finalized.
The jerseys have a very simple design. Similar to the New York Rangers or the Wisconsin Badgers men’s ice hockey team, these jerseys will have the city name diagonally across the front.
Each jersey will have the same design following the team’s color schemes. Home teams will wear a darker version of the jersey while visiting teams will wear a light color version.
The color schemes for each city are as follows
Boston: Forest Green, White, and Grey
Minnesota: Dark Purple, White, and Black
New York: Turquoise, Navy Blue, and White
Toronto: Blue, Black, and White
Ottawa: Red, Storm, and White
Montreal: Burgundy, Storm, and Sand
The only difference in the jerseys is that the Canadian teams will have a Canadian Tire Corporation, the league’s founding partner, shoulder patch.
Fan’s Reactions
The fans’ initial reaction was not as positive as the league probably hoped for. Reactions came in fast and were overwhelmingly negative. Fans had multiple complaints; from saying they have no personality to saying they look like they were done last minute.
“My beer league jersey looks better than these.” One fan wrote in the comments of a PWHL Instagram post.
A huge reason why these fans are so upset is because this league has been in the planning for a bit and they feel the effort was not there.
“These are the best hockey players in the world. They deserve the highest quality branding and so do we as fans. (...) In a time where there are more eyes than ever on women’s sports, you are wasting this opportunity.” Another fan wrote.
Player’s Reactions
The players, on the other hand, had a different reaction to the jerseys.
“No matter what the comments are about the jerseys, the logo; For us, we’re here, we’re playing in a professional league for the first time in our life and I think that says it all” Laura Stacey, a forward for Montreal, said in an interview.
These players are getting the opportunity of a lifetime and they are excited to be able to play in a professional league. They are the start of something new and that is something they will always be able to hold on to.
All Photos Courtesy of PWHL social media
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