The Dallas Stars Unveil Their New Third Jersey
After teasing fans since Saturday, the Dallas Stars unveiled their new “Blackout” third jerseys today. This is the first time the Stars have had a third jersey since 2006. According to the league rules, the Stars will wear these 12-15 times a year for at least three years. They’ll typically be worn at home, although the Stars can submit a request to another team to let them wear them on the road. As the name suggests, the jerseys are largely black. That black is accented with the exceptionally bright “Skyline Green.” These jerseys see the Stars returning to their roots, as for the first 20 years the team was in Dallas, their primary jersey was black (see an example here). Here’s everything you need to know about the jersey.
Jersey Features
There’s a lot of different highlights of this jersey, according to this article on NHL.com. For starters, as I previously mentioned, the black jersey pays homage to the Stars’ original sweaters. It’s accented by a neon green, which the Stars have dubbed “Skyline Green,” in lieu of their traditional “Victory Green,” which is not as bright. The front of the jersey also features an outline of the state of Texas around the Stars’ logo. This was to pay tribute not only to their home city, but to the state as a whole. Meanwhile, the collar of the jersey features a single star, a reference to the states’ nickname of the “Lone Star” state. The collar also creates a stylized version of the state flag, as there is a “Skyline Green” and black hashed stripe that are side by side and extend around the collar following the star.
Inside the collar, in addition to a cannon and star, the phrase “come and take it” can be seen. This is the same design as the flag that was flown during the Battle of Gonzales in 1835, which was the first military engagment of the Texas Revolution. As for the stripes, they’re there to provide another spot for the “Skyline Green” as well as reflect the stripes on the main jersey. Finally, the numbers are supposed to have a “stealth appearance,” as they’re outlined in the “Skyline Green,” but are black. They’re also perforated, and so “Skyline Green” appears beneath the black.
Design Process
The jersey was designed by the same five people responsible for the creating the Winter Classic jersey: Tom Gaglardi (owner/governor), Daryl Reaugh (color analyst- TV and radio), Dan Stuchal (senior vice president- marketing), Jeff Neal (creative director), and Kristopher Smith (merchandise director). Not long after the jersey was unveiled, The Athletic put out an article on the jersey’s design process. You can find it here. But, for those who don’t subscribe or who simply don’t feel like clicking on it, here’s a summary of it.
The committee decided they wanted to shift away from just the main logo. In doing this, they wanted to pay homage to the state as a whole, not just their home city. So, that’s how the Texas outline framing the sweaters’ crest came to be. As for the collar, as I mentioned above, the stripes and lone star were meant to create a stylized flag. Stuchal also insisted that the “come and take it” that appears inside the collar was not a political statement. Rather, it’s just an expression of Texas pride.
Overall, the committee’s goal was to create something that was new and futuristic. As the Athletic puts it, there were “three guiding points that came out of that first meeting in December of 2018 were: 1. Radically modern 2. Next generation 3. Screw the rules.” Aside from those, there were also two complete non-starters for the team. For starters, they wanted nothing to do with laces. They also didn’t want any references to prior Stars jerseys (the color doesn’t really count as one of these) or to the Minnesota North Stars, which was what they were before relocating to Dallas.
My Thoughts
Overall, I like these jerseys. At first, I thought the “Skyline Green” was excessively bright. I still believe that actually. I wouldn’t be shocked if these glow in the dark a bit, honestly. But, I no longer think that’s a bad thing, and have already grown to like the jersey. They really pop, and should look great on the ice. The look as a whole is really clean, as they did a great job with all the other pieces. This has been a common theme with the Adidas jerseys, as most of them have been striking yet simple.
The general consensus of fans seemed to be the same as mine thoughts too, as I saw many people who found them offensive at first change their minds. So, all things considered, I think the Dallas Stars did a great job with these jerseys, and I’m looking forward to seeing them hit the ice wearing them this season!
-Lydia Murray (@lydia_murray12)
Featured image courtesy of The Athletic