Stars Going Green with New Look

Dallas will get new primary logo, new dominant color in 2013

Yes, it's finally happening!

According to Dallas Morning News beat writer Mike Heika, the Dallas Stars will look "drastically different" in 2013 with a revamp that includes a green jersey and a brand new logo.

Heika posted these new details on his Dallas Stars Blog this evening. Here's an excerpt:

This came up in conversations today, and I know a lot of you have been asking about it.

The Stars have asked for an extension on their deadline to submit new uniforms for the 2013-14 season, and have received it from the NHL. They probably have until late January now. They are awaiting prototypes from Reebok so that they can be approved by the team and submitted to the NHL in time. Among the key points:

• They are drastically different from the current look.
• There will be a new logo.
• Green is the dominant color.

Heika also added that there's a chance the redesign could hold until 2014-15 if the team doesn't think it's on the right track. But it seems like they're ready to pull the trigger.

On a personal note, I'm thrilled to hear they're moving back toward green. We know design is cyclical and hopefully the decision makers are starting to realize that black and dark blue don't make your team stand out or attract fans to your jerseys. Maybe we're moving back toward another age of bright colors like the '60s and '70s... just a little less gaudy.

Anyway, this is great news and I can't wait to see what the Stars go with. For sure, it'll be far better than what they have now! Right?

Speculating on Dallas' Future Rebrand

Assuming the NHL ever plays another game, the Dallas Stars will have a whole new look when they take the ice for the 2013-14 season. This much we know. What we don't know is what that will look like.

The Dallas Morning News has posted a few stories on the subject over the last couple of weeks. Thought it might be worth sharing them here so we all know what to expect.

Red, white & blue mockups from Stars' website

Rendering from Dallas Stars (official website) via Dallas Morning News

On Nov. 13, they posted these mockups credited to the Dallas Stars' official website. I haven't been able to find a link to where they were featured on the Stars' site, but it's my understanding that TV color analyst Daryl Reaugh — who writes a blog on the site — is behind the designs which may be about a year old.

I'll be straight with you. They're ugly. Really ugly.

I, for one, have no desire to see the Stars in anything but green and gold. But that's not up to me.

Stars owner answers questions about coming redesign

The day after those mockups were posted, beat writer Mike Heika talked to Stars owner Tom Gaglardi about what's coming. There's a lot of great information in his report. Here are some excerpts.

Gaglardi wants logo crest, not wordmark

"I’d like to wear our logo on our chest. That’s something that appeals to me. I think it’s the classic way to go, and I like classic things. We are one of the original 12 teams, and I do think that carries with it some history and weight, and that’s also something I believe we should consider when looking at a possible change.

"I just want a jersey that’s a classic hockey jersey. I want a jersey that looks like it could have been worn for 40 years. That’s kind of how I see things.

"I think the current jerseys are attractive. I really don’t have a problem with the style or the look. I don’t like just the wordmark "DALLAS" on there. I don’t think that’s really unique or clever, but the actually jersey to me is a good looking jersey."

I think Gaglardi just made up "Original 12," but at least it sounds like he looks at hockey uniforms the same way a lot of us do. That's a great thing to see in an NHL owner.

Stars considering a color scheme change

Gaglardi confirmed the team is looking at changing team colors, but didn’t want to go beyond that. He cautioned that the discussions change every day, and that there is a lot of positive on both sides (changing colors or remaining green, gold, black and white).

Process started in April; must be done by end of December

In talking to others in the organization, they confirm that a decision will need to be made by the end of December if the team wants to wear new colors for the 2013-14 season. They emphasized there is a little wiggle room with Reebok and the NHL, but that they have about six weeks to get this done.

You may recall that when the Lightning redesigned their uniforms (a process that would've been wrapped up by December 2010), they unveiled them right away (January 2011) to avoid any leaks. If the Stars follow this precedent, we might not have to wait too long to see what the final result is.

Throwbacks kept in mind even if colors change

On the good side, there appears to be some thought that if they do go in a new direction with color, they still can recall old throwbacks and wear them — and they seem to be comfortable with the possibility of having more than just two "kits," and could actually push the NHL to consider more specialty uniforms.

That's an interesting notion. Heika goes on to talk about the variety of alternate uniforms seen in the NCAA.

Stars not necessarily interested in fan input

On the bad side, there appears to be no appetite for fan input. They already have a lot of differing opinions, and the people making the decisions all are aware of what the fans think. They either interact with season ticket holders or they view fan blogs and websites.

As such, they will likely reveal these the same way they did the Mooterus and the current uniforms. You will be told when the decision is made, and that will be it. That’s not unusual in the world of pro sports.

I’m a fan of allowing possibly five different looks and letting fans vote down to two or three on the website. The buzz created would be fantastic, especially at a dead time like this. That would also allow the team to have the final say, but the fans to eliminate what they feel are the worst ideas.

That's a great idea, but as Heika points out, not all that realistic. But I have hope Gaglardi will find a way to hit the mark. He wants the same thing we all do. A sharp look for a team with a long history.

Dallas Stars Owner Wants New Look

If you're a regular reader, you know that Icethetics has been closely following the Dallas Stars rebrand slated for 2013. We got another little nugget yesterday straight from team owner Tom Gagliardi. And it's safe to say this new look is definitely happening.

Gagliardi spoke with Norm Hitzges on The Ticket 1310 AM in Dallas. He expressed his dislike of the team's current uniforms and logos. You can listen to the full interview on the Stars' website. Or read an excerpt here:

NH: There are rumors about the Stars might be designing a new uniform. True?

TG: It's true, yes.

NH: Any tips?

TG: Yeah, I think that it's been speculated that we're doing that. We've been an interesting team because I guess we've changed our jerseys quite often. And we end up in a place now with our current jerseys, which I quite like. I think they're very simple and attractive and modern.

But a couple things bother me. And one is the fact that we're the only team of 30 teams* that don't wear their primary logo on their chest. So I don't like that. I'm a bit of a hockey purist. And so that would be the one criticism I have of our current jersey. And I think a bit of a lack of color with our current kit. So we're looking at all those things up to and including whether we want to modify our primary logo as well.

Everything's in play right now. It's not something that's around the corner in terms of a solution or where we're going. And the earliest that you might see something is in the '13-14 season. So we might get something done for then or we might not, but it's a process that actually the franchise was going through before I even came. And so we're visiting with that right now.

But I'm a purist as I say and I'd like to see us with really a timeless, classic jersey. With timeless, classic colors. And again, that may feature a logo that's different from our current logo today. That's all in play right now, but those are my preferences for where I'd like to see the team end up. Doesn't mean that's where we're going to end up. We've got some nice history here in Dallas with some of the older jerseys that I think are really quite attractive. So we're visiting with all that stuff and our roots and trying to figure out what the best thing is for our franchise going forward.

* He's forgetting the New York Rangers, who haven't worn their logo on their chest since 1978. And even then, that was only for a few years.

It's nice to finally here the Stars talking like this somewhat officially. I know he kept hedging in that interview by saying it may or may not happen, but I can't see them pouring a bunch of money into research and development only to throw it all away in the end. I think it's safe to say the Dallas Stars will look completely different in 2013.

By the way, next year will be the club's 20th anniversary in Dallas. Can you believe it's been 20 years since the North Stars left Minnesota? How time flies.

On Tuesday, Stars Inside Edge blogger Mark Stepneski tweeted that the team was looking at new designs.

Dallas Stars team officials saw mockups of possible new uniforms in Frisco today. The specifics of the uniforms are top secret, so don't ask

— Mark Stepneski (@StarsInsideEdge) November 6, 2012

If you're curious what some Icethetics readers think the Stars should look like, check out our Concept Archive (and scroll down because the first two are Freak Out Friday posts). Also, be sure to check back on the Concepts page this coming Monday for a brand new Dallas Stars concept that involves a play on the team's own history.

Sabres and Stars Plan Looks for 2013

While the owners and players debate whether there will even be an NHL season in 2012, a couple of teams are already looking ahead to 2013 as they plan for new uniforms.

They may not seem like the most likely source of NHL jersey news, but Business First of Buffalo is reporting that the Buffalo Sabres have a new third jersey in the works for the 2013-14 season.

The bigger story was about a real estate deal involving the team acquiring new land near their arena, but ended on this note:

Ted Black, Sabres' president, confirmed that more than HARBORCenter will be debuting during the 2013-2014 season.

Black said he expects the team to unveil a new, third jersey for the 2013-2014 season. Yes, it will be blue-and-gold and feature the team's beloved original logo. What else is on the jersey is still being determined.

The Sabres debuted a blue-and-gold third jersey two years ago as part of their 40th anniversary celebration. But after two seasons, it's been retired. Nice to hear the original logo will be coming back. What do you guys think we could expect for this new sweater?

Also in development for 2013-14 is an entirely new look for the Dallas Stars. When the ownership changed hands last year, the process of rebranding the team was put on hold. But it looks like it's back on course for next season. And there's a new report floating around.

This Stars update also comes by way of an unusual source — LAKings.com. In a web series called 4 on 4, "four writers answer the biggest questions surrounding hockey." And at a time when the possibility of a lockout could ruin the entire season, half of the "biggest questions" have to do with uniforms. Weird, I know.

Number 3 is, "Which teams have the best and worst jerseys in the league?" That alone could be worth a read for uniform geeks like us. But what's more interesting the answer given by Fear the Fin blogger Derek Tanabe.

The alternates Buffalo have rocked for two seasons now with the city name on the front look terrific too. As for worst, it's a tossup for me between the Stars sweaters that don't even have an appropriate color scheme or logo on the front and the new Dragonball-inspired Nashville sweaters. In both cases, the teams should really consider switching back to a pattern closer to what they were sporting at the beginning of the 2000's and I've heard rumblings that something along those lines is slated to happen in Dallas.

I have to scratch my head, though. Tanabe talks about the Sabres' alternate as though it's a current jersey when he should be talking about it in the past tense. So can we really trust what he's saying about the Stars?

Lots of people have gone on the record to talk about the redesign coming to Dallas, which may involve new logos as well as uniforms. TV color analyst Daryl Reaugh and Dallas Morning News writer Mike Heika have both talked about it and you've seen their quotes in previous editions of NHL JerseyWatch.

But if Tanabe is talking early 2000s, he must think the Stars are reconsidering the star-shaped jersey design. And we know Reebok has complained that a design like that isn't conducive to the Edge Uniform System. But you never know.

We'll keep an eye on both the Stars and the Sabres over the coming year. This summer has been a quiet one for uniform changes, but 2013 is already shaping up to be much more interesting.

The Best Sweaters in the West

Back in February, we conducted a series of polls asking readers to rate the jerseys of all six Canadian NHL teams. We ended up with a complete ranking revealed just in time for Hockey Day in Canada. It was a popular post so now we're going to take it to the rest of the league.

We'll do them in groups of six, split up by geography. This set of polls will feature the teams out west: Anaheim, Colorado, Dallas, Los Angeles, Phoenix and San Jose. You can rate each jersey individually with a 10, 5 or 1. (You can either love it, hate it, or be on the fence.)

After all the votes have been cast, an average rating will be determined. These polls will remain open for two weeks, ending Thurs., June 23. When we've voted on all the teams, I'll assemble a complete league ranking of every uniform worn for the 2010-11 season. Happy voting!

Sorry, no comments on this post. Just vote!

Blog note: I am leaving for vacation on June 11. I'll be out at sea and likely without an internet connection for most of the time I'm away. I should be back on June 21 just in time for the NHL Board of Governors meeting — when everything in Winnipeg is expected to become official and final. However, if the team's name and logo are announced before that time, I'll probably be delayed in posting it here. Sorry.

But fret not, there will be other updates to the site in my absence. I'm currently preparing concept posts that will auto-publish on Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Sunday while I'm gone so keep checking back throughout the week.