It is funny how the way we dress can change over the years. Just imagine if we had no other choice but to dress according to the fashion of our time. It would undoubtedly be a wild mix of styles that would make regular folks question what is normal and what is not. Imagine dressing like this every day…
For instance, if we went by the rules of street fashion during that time, we would have worn very short shorts, bodycon dresses, mini-skirts, and high heels. But what if we had no choice but to follow the hockey fashion of the day and day before?
Well, if there ever was a time when hockey players had to dress according to the fashion of the day, it was during the last season of the 20th century. Thanks to the introduction of modern hockey jerseys and the adoption of street fashion on ice as a mark of distinction, the early 21st century has seen the return of fashion on the rink.
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Origins Of The Modern Hockey Jersey
It all started with professional football in the United States. One of the biggest rivalries in football is the annual match between the Pittsburgh Steelers and the Cincinnati Bengals, with each franchise typically wearing their colors orange and black as a mark of respect. This game, which became known as the Steelers vs. Bengals rivalry, was followed by the fans of both teams and inspired the designers of the time to come up with an idea for an hockey jersey.
The result was a stylistic mix of the two sports that today we call modern hockey. The Steelers wore white jerseys with orange accents and the Bengals opted for orange with black accents.
The Rules Of Fashion On Ice
Modern hockey jersey design did not settle with two teams having separate designs. The first interleague game between the New York Islanders and Los Angeles Kings, who play in the NHL, ended up as the beginning of a trend. The Islanders, who wear blue and white as their colors, opted for a design with three distinct sections divided by white stripes, with the top displaying the team name and logo.
Intersport competitions like the World Cup of Hockey began to show off the potential of this mix of sports fashion, with European teams opting for three-layered jersey designs and American teams using a variation of the two-colored design seen in the NFL and the NHL.
Today’s Fashion On Ice
The fashion world took note of hockey’s return of style and began emulating it, with many teams choosing to wear a monochromatic look inspired by the NFL and NHL. Even the World Cup of Hockey, which pits national teams against each other, does not deviate from this style.
Today, you will see a lot of hockey jerseys with two or three colors, with only subtle design variations from one team to another. The return of fashion on the ice is undeniable and the mixing of sports fashion in general is bound to happen as more and more people get excited about wearing their team’s colors even when they are not on the football or hockey field.
So, if you want to dress like a professional hockey player, you have to make your own jersey! Designing the shirt is not that hard. Deciding what position you will play is up to you, but you will at least need to have a goalkeeper’s jersey to complete the look. The materials used to make the jersey will depend on the climate you are used to. It could be a mix of polyester and cotton, or it could be a single jersey made entirely of polyester.
An Evolutionary Approach To Dressing For The Rink
While fashion on the ice was dominated by hockey for a while, other sports followed suit and began emulating the look. Basketball, for example, has always been associated with casual dress on the court and businesslike attire during the off-season. When the NBA brought back home-court advantage in the ABA with the adoption of three-point shots and the desire to have stylish players, it inspired a new look for basketball players during the season. This new look consisted of short-shorts, tank tops, and tennis shoes, with the players’ socks matching their shoes.
It is important to note that fashion on the court and in the locker room is a continuous process that never stops, with players changing their outfits multiple times during a game. Having said that, during the 1960s and 1970s, most players did not have a lot of time for fashion, with most teams wearing matching outfits during the game. Today, as we have seen, casual dress on the court is taken to another level with the number of street athletes and sprinters dressing in active wear running shorts and tight tank tops while playing ballgames. This trend has filtered down to hockey, with more and more teams opting to wear short-shorts and skin-tight fitting tees.
Dressing With Pride
Modern hockey jersey design also saw the return of pride on the ice. The last few years have seen hockey jerseys get progressively smaller in size, with the NHL and N FW retracting their legs to show off the player’s toned legs better. This evolution has not gone unnoticed by women who like to wear mini-skirts and bodycon dresses and now can wear a size smaller than before.
There is also a saying that goes “form follows function,” which helps explain the evolution of the modern hockey jersey. The N FW and N HL have been operating as professional sports leagues for a while now, with many of their players being fulltime professionals who play in multiple sports. The fun of playing sports has transformed into a business for them, with the need to look professional during the season becoming paramount.
A Look Back
The N FW and N HL have taken a page out of the evolutionary book and are now wearing street fashion inspired by the culture around them, with their own creative spin added.
For example, the Atlanta Thrashers are a modern hockey team who wear a mix of orange and black for their colors. Their home jersey features a variation of the stripe design seen in the NFL and NHL, with the addition of the Thrashers’ logo on the chest. The Los Angeles Kings, Pittsburgh Steelers, and Boston Bruins are other modern hockey teams who opted for this stripe style. It is interesting to note that during game time, these teams wear white jerseys with orange or black stripes, thus emulating the design of the Cincinnati Bengals and their rivalry with the Pittsburgh Steelers. However, during the off-season, they wear their colors with or without stripes, depending on the heat of the moment.
Making The Transition
So, if you want to dress like a professional hockey player, you must first decide to be an attorney, doctor, or a financial advisor. Once you have made this decision, it is time to start making your own jersey.