From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

An example of different hockey jerseys. Show here are the home, away and alternate jerseys for the Ottawa Senators.

A hockey jersey, traditionally called a sweater, is a piece of clothing worn by hockey players to cover the upper part of their bodies. Hockey sweaters used today are typically made out of tough synthetic materials like polyester to help wick away moisture and keep players dry. It is usually decorated with the team's logo (traditionally a crest) on the front, the player's last name on the upper back (with the first initial in cases of teammates with the same family name), and a designated number below, from 1 to 99 (in the NHL, 98 is the highest allowed number because the league retired 99 for all teams to honour Wayne Gretzky). A team captain will have an uppercase C above and right of the team logo, and up to two other players, designated alternate captains, will have an uppercase A. Some leagues may also cover their sweater with advertisements.

NHL teams sell replica sweaters of their famous players at their stadiums, as well as through sports memorabilia stores.

The Hockey Sweater is a Canadian short story about a young Montreal hockey fan who orders a Montreal Canadiens sweater from the Eatons catalogue, but receives a Toronto Maple Leafs sweater instead.

In the NHL since 2003, players wear their dark jersey at home and their white jersey on the road. This was done as an homage to the early days of the league when the home teams wore their colored sweaters at home and also to boost up sales of third jerseys. This resulted in natural team nickname such as the "Broadway Blueshirts" for the New York Rangers. However, from the 70's to the early 2000's, it was just the opposite, as teams wore their white uniform at home and their dark one on the road.

On 22 January 2007 Reebok revealed a new jersey design, after nearly three years of development.^[1] The new jerseys are tighter-fitting, are less water-absorbent, and are more flexible than before.^[2] The Rbk EDGE uniform is intended to make players more maneuverable and aerodynamic, giving them a more sleek appearance, and giving opponents less material to grab. The new design was used at the 2007 NHL All-Star Game and will be introduced into regular use league-wide the next year.

Jerseys worn in European leagues and tournaments are adorned with ads, a concept borrowed from football jerseys.

Current and past manufacturers of NHL jerseys have been Reebok, CCM, Koho, Nike, Inc., Starter, Pro Player, Bauer, Inc., and Wilson Sporting Goods.

1. ^ Coffey, Phil. "Players will have the EDGE in 2006-07", NHL.com, 2007-01-22. Retrieved on January 22, 2007. (in English)
2. ^ Reebok Hockey (2007-01-22). Reebok And Nhl To Unveil New Technologically-advanced Uniform System. Press release. Retrieved on 2007-01-22.