The New Jersey Devils revealed their first-ever black jersey. Fans have been hoping for the black alternate since alternates became popular in the 90s. The concept got even louder when Adidas took over the design for hockey jerseys back in 2017. Adidas was thinking outside the box, and that is absolutely what was happening with jerseys from around the league.
The Devils have had two alternate jerseys that were pretty fun under Adidas already, both based on the late 80s red and green concept. The Devils have had throwbacks before, but this was a cleaner version of these. Last season’s reverse retro jersey was wildly popular. The white, red, and green jersey is one of my favorites.
However, this new black jersey just feels like it’s missing something.
https://twitter.com/adidashockey/status/1463160411423920133
There's a new jersey in New Jersey.
— Sean Shapiro (@seanshapiro) November 23, 2021
Martin Brodeur designed it after hearing fans call for an all-black look for years. How it came to be, why it happened, and a look at the current landscape of the NHL's alternate threadshttps://t.co/fAOgQkPfFz pic.twitter.com/Y6qSZwjaCp
It’s obvious that the jersey looks wildly better on the players than it does on a hanger, which most of us were reacting to over the weekend. For one, it was a major miss by the Devils and Adidas that they let it leak. How does a jersey get sent to someone days before it’s set to be released? The athletic wear company was trying to get ahead of sales, and someone made a major mistake.
Still, even seeing them on the players, there are some issues with the jersey. Again, they are not as bad now that we see the entire look. An all-black look on the ice is going to be pretty sweet. It’s intimidating, but when looking at it from a consumer’s standpoint, it just doesn’t seem like a jersey worth buying.
Don’t get us wrong, these will likely sell out. There is always differing opinions, and the Devils fans love new concepts for the most part. So, there will be enough of a contingent of fans to sell these off the shelves. There are some things that could be much better, and everyone pretty much agrees there.