Islanders GM Talks Jerseys, Logo
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How about a little news that's not about Dallas or Carolina? On Monday, New York Islanders general manager Garth Snow spoke with members of the Islanders Booster Club as part of a Q&A session. Jesse from IslesNation wrote up a piece detailing the discussion, which included some jersey and logo talk.
Special sweaters to be worn for all Stadium Series games
Snow confirmed that all teams participating in next winter's Stadium Series, including the Islanders, will all have specially designed jerseys for their outdoor games. (We've already seen the uniforms that will be worn by Detroit and Toronto for the actual Winter Classic.)
"Our focus regarding jerseys has been to come up with an outdoor jersey," Snow said, according to IslesNation. "It won’t be too much different than what we wear now but every team has a different jersey that they wear for it."
It even sounds like the design is done and a prototype has been produced. Snow went on to say he's seen it: "I can say from the pictures of it, it’s a sharp jersey. I think everybody will like it, but it won’t be drastically different from what we wear now."
Does that mean we'll get a standard Isles jersey with retro beige replacing white? I hope not. Or is it possible we'll get a "fauxback" style design instead?
For a recap, click here to see the six outdoor match-ups we're supposed to get in 2014. The NHL has confirmed all but the Senators-Canucks game in Vancouver.
Isles may get new third jersey in Brooklyn
Snow was also asked about whether the Islanders' regular uniforms would change when the club moves to Brooklyn to play at the Barclays Center in the next couple years.
"I'm not gonna get into the whole Brooklyn situation," Snow said. "To my knowledge, it'll be all the same jerseys and colors. Will there be a new third jersey? Probably."
That's a new one but not altogether surprising. The black jersey has not been received well by fans. I can only imagine that's translating to lousy sales. But I'm only guessing. If the Isles debut a new third when they move, that opens the door for a lot of possibilities. What would you like to see?
Snow ended the jersey/logo conversation by saying: "The information I have is that we’re going to keep the same logo, the same history."
True, you can't get rid of your history. But it's good to hear they're not planning to change the logo — though I wouldn't mind seeing a new crest on a Brooklyn third jersey.
Lots to discuss. Now that we know we're getting outdoor jerseys for everybody, what do you hope to see? And how can the Isles come up with a new third that everyone will like? Is that even possible?
Islanders CEO Brett Yormark on Prime Time Russia (via YouTube)
CEO also speaks on potential Brooklyn rebranding
A few readers pointed out an interested interview given by Islanders CEO Brett Yormark a couple weeks ago. Yormark was interviewed by Neil Harvey on an English-speaking Russian news program called Prime Time Russia on June 3.
You can watch the full 16-minute interview on YouTube or allow me to summarize the salient parts. Harvey asked Yormark asked about a possible rebranding of the Isles after the club moves to Brooklyn in 2015. Here's his response:
They don't have a lot to do with the Nets. Although in many respects, we will apply some of the same branding models. With the relocation of the Nets from Jersey to Brooklyn, to what we're gonna look to do with the Islanders when they come to Brooklyn. That will happen for the 2015-16 season.
So over the course of the next couple years we'll start that effort of transitioning the brand to Brooklyn. And to the extent that we can look to "Brooklyn-ize" them, which is certainly something that we will consider.
But that was rather general. What does "Brooklyn-ize" mean anyway?
Neil Harvey interviews Isles CEO Brett Yormark on Prime Time Russia
So Harvey got a little more specific.
Harvey: That's a lot for you to oversee. Is that definite that the branding will carry through to the hockey team? So you'll be looking to bring in the Brooklyn colors, the black and white?
Yormark: It's something that we're considering. We've engaged in some meaningful research. Focus groups, both in Brooklyn and Long Island to understand the desires of the hardcore fan that's been with the Islanders for many, many years. But we also need to understand what the new fan base for the Islanders would like to see in Brooklyn. And my job is to make sure that we can marry the hardcore fan base and the new fan base and to do appropriate branding that speaks to both.
We haven't made any decisions yet but I think it's fair to say that black and white are the colors of Brooklyn. So to the extent that we can weave those colors into the current color scheme of the Islanders, I think that might make some sense.
Harvey: To what extent will these be separate entities? Or is this basically going to be one sporting organization with a basketball team and a hockey team as well?
Yormark: We aspire to be a sports entertainment company so we will not look at the Islanders or the Barclays Center or the Nets as separate and apart from each other. The question is how to we create synergies? How do we create scale? How do we establish some influence in the marketplace that's different than today?
So we're gonna look at it from one big lens versus three different lenses and I think that's the best way to approach it.
He wasn't just implying a change to black and white, he practically said it outright. Naturally, that's the kind of notion that can create a lot of angst within the Islanders' existing fan base. Angst which manifested itself in the form of angry tweets.
To which Yormark replied:
@mselss @IslesFan_Ben @JKLUBER @islandermania I promise you we will do the right thing. Islanders fans will be happy. I am listening.
— Brett Yormark (@brettyormark) June 8, 2013
What he means by the "right thing" is unclear. But this is a point at which being vague makes sense. He's not going to come out and say they're not changing anything if they focus groups could end up recommending otherwise. But what Long Island-based focus group would suggest a change?
I'm curious to see where all this goes. I really hope they don't go the Kings' route.