Islanders unveil new third jersey

The New York Islanders unveiled their new third jersey after months of anticipation.  While it’s no Hartford Whalers, this new uniform is both sleek and practical.  Rather than try to turn back the clocks to a somber period in Isles history, the team decided to use the NY logo they’ve used in Brooklyn and put a Long Island spin on it.

As much as Islander fans would have liked to see an homage to the fisherman logo, it’s probably best that those sweaters stay retired.  They also stayed away from some common mistakes that they’ve made in the past;  Trying to go too black or too orange.  It’s a good mix of the Islanders colors and overall a decent third jersey.

Logo design

The logo design was originally conceived for their Stadium Series jersey against the New York Rangers.  Instead of the classic “Islanders” crest, this logo is a unique, more modern version of that.  The four stripes on the stick represent the four Stanley Cups the Islanders have.  The logo is a little smaller on this uniform than the Stadium Series uniform, which is a breath of fresh air as most felt the Stadium Series uniforms had too much going on.

Striping

The stripes on the sleeves are standard for a retro Islanders jersey.  The only difference is that instead of white on orange, it’s orange on white.  The white stripe across the top of the uniform is much thinner than the one on the Stadium Series uniform.  It makes for a cleaner look.

Numbers

The numbers on the third jersey are also a call back to the olden times.  The numbers will be filled in orange with a white trim, the opposite of what Islander fans are used to seeing.  The only season the Islanders had orange numbers was their inaugural season of 1972-73.

Miscellaneous

One of the more subtle touches of the jersey is the Long Island insignia on the inside of the jersey.  You obviously won’t see it unless you buy a uniform, but having the outline of the beautiful island ties the team back to its roots.  It’s also where they rightfully belong.

Overall it’s not the most flashy third jersey, but it’s serviceable.  They could have gone a lot of different ways, but most Islander fans are happy with the look.  Voices from the outside?  They don’t like it as much.  Let’s hear from Greg Wyshynski on his thoughts;

Not so happy about it, but he’s a Devils fan.  As said before, it’s not the best, but it most certainly could be much worse.  Let’s just pray  Nyisles doesn’t come back to take his mascot spot from Sparky.