The New Jersey Devils fans finally announced a black third jersey after fans have been asking for one basically since the franchise came into existence. The Devils missed out on the 90s craze where basically every team thought a black jersey would be a good decision for an alternate. Some teams did them really well. The Dallas Stars, Calgary Flames, and Carolina Hurricanes did especially well with their black jerseys. It made sense the Devils went with a black alternate, even if it felt like it was coming two decades too late.
However, the result of the jersey did not make many fans happy. We will say, fans are softer on their takes on the jersey now that it’s been worn in a few games. The fact that the team really leaned into the fact that they have a jersey that literally says Jersey probably helps. However, out of all of the new jerseys they released this year, this was the one that came with the most backlash.
All people wanted was to reverse the Devils current home jersey, putting the red colors where the black colors currently are and then vice versa. Maybe some people wanted a stripe on the bottom, but we’re not even going to go there. People will get used to the black jersey, and some might even like them. It wasn’t as popular as the reverse retro jersey, which the Devils couldn’t keep on store shelves. There are so many Nikita Gusev Devils jerseys out there only because the team ran out of Jack Hughes and Nico Hischier.
Now, fans will have a chance to buy a black primary jersey that is exactly what they want. There’s only one problem, they won’t be able to buy the jersey for Hischier, Hughes, P.K. Subban, or Jesper Bratt. They can, however, get themselves an Alexander Holtz, Kevin Bahl, or Reilly Walsh jersey.
Tomorrow... pic.twitter.com/nwGh8kpvKx
— Utica Comets (@UticaComets) February 9, 2022
It’s a very small tease from the Utica Comets, but it was enough to show us everything we needed from the jersey. The logo is the same, but the colors have just been inverted. The stripes are still red, and it looks like from here that they simplified the jersey for the most part. Thursday is going to be a fun day for the Comets, who seem like they are having the exact opposite season of their parent club.
Literally, everything has gone wrong for the Devils this season. No matter what they try in New Jersey, it seems to turn into dirt. At the same time, every decision made in Utica turns to gold.
Who knows if this jersey will be a true alternate or a jersey they wear for a special occasion. The Comets have mentioned a jersey for the Save of the Day Foundation games in March. Either way, it should be fun to see all the ins and out of the Utica Comets black jersey.