Some hockey teams choose to release a new alternate jersey every few seasons. Others choose to never release alternate jerseys. They are happy with their designs and see no reason to add another jersey. These two kinds of teams happen to be close rivals of the New York Rangers.
Playing out of Uniondale, New York is the New York Islanders. Playing out of Newark, New Jersey is the New Jersey Devils. Both have worn jerseys that influenced this latest Spruce Kings alternate jersey.
Before the Islanders played their first game at Barclays Center in 2015, they released their fifth alternate jersey. When Adidas took over the NHL jersey contract from Reebok in 2017, the Devils released new primary jerseys. It was a jersey set that made one significant change from their previous uniforms.
The Islanders alternate imitated previous jerseys worn by the Atlanta Thrashers and the Dallas Stars. The New Jersey Devils chose to eliminate waistline striping from their primary jerseys. New York chose to imitate a trend while New Jersey made a minor alteration to their jersey set.
For the Spruce Kings alternate, it has resulted in a unique combination. Instead of the crown logo on the shoulders, the tree logo from the 90s is used. I haven’t seen the tree logo used this way before which brings a smile to my face.
The primary colour of the jersey is black instead of red or grey. The wordmark changes from Prince George to Spruce Kings while the shoulders remain red.
Running with the Islanders Devil
The Islanders alternate is primarily black with grey shoulders. Their primary logo is moved to the shoulders instead of the traditional centre location.
A wordmark over a jersey number reading “Islanders” takes the place of the primary logo. Royal blue and orange are used in minimal amounts in place of grey and black.
The Devils jerseys remove the waist striping from the jersey. This is the only major change to their jersey design. It is also the first major jersey alteration since the Devils replaced green with black in 1992. As stated before, New Jersey has never issued a third jersey.
Both designs have combined into this Spruce Kings alternate jersey. It’s an alternate jersey that imitates a popular trend amongst hockey teams of all levels. Other BCHL teams like Chilliwack and Penticton have worn black alternate jerseys.
The Chiefs wore a black alternate jersey for round-robin play at the 2018 RBC Cup. In 2016, the Penticton Vees wore a black jersey during the regular season. Black is an easy go-to for teams who put out an alternate jersey.
As for my thoughts on the jersey, I like it. Black is way more aesthetically pleasing to look at instead of grey. I’m also glad that they chose to use the tree logo again. Aside from special events and select merchandise, the Spruce Kings haven’t used the classic logo much at all.
There’s just one more alternate Spruce Kings jersey to look at. It’s a jersey that was released this past season and their best alternate jersey yet. Look for that article soon on the BCHLNetwork.
