<h1 class="title">Sports
</h1> <h1 class="title">
New Uniforms won't make Canucks Better
</h1>
Sports By Jeff Paterson Publish Date: August 9, 2007
Graham Arnould illustration Enough already about the Vancouver Canucks' new uniforms. Seriously, people, get a life, go outside, enjoy the sunshine. It's August, it's Vancouver, and hockey season is still a month away. Then again, that's the problem: it's August, it's Vancouver, and the hockey season is only a month away.
It's ridiculous, though, how the new look the team will wear this coming season has taken on a life of its own. The Canucks have switched jerseys in the past, but the process has never generated this kind of angst. Good on the Canucks for creating a serious buzz about the launch of their new duds, but what is the fascination–obsession, for many–with what colour scheme and logo the hockey club will trot out whenever the organization gets around to officially launching its new uniforms?
The great reveal will take place sometime this month, and you can only imagine the reaction once it becomes common knowledge. It has become the most anticipated fashion show this side of Milan or Paris. Word of a recent photo shoot–and the potential for a leak (gasp!) of the first look at the new uniforms–nearly sent Canuck nation off the deep end. The "issue" (such a matter hardly seems worthy of that distinction) has been splashed on the front page of the sports section of one of the local dailies, has been the subject of repeated viewer and listener polls on TV and radio, and has run wild in cyberspace. A quick Google search for Canucks+new uniforms yields upwards of 201,000 hits, many of which include a mockup of possible home and away unis the Canucks will play in. Clearly, a lot of Canuck fans have plenty of computer savvy and even more idle time on their hands.
Another thing that has become evident is that people have a real passion for the various logos and colour schemes the Canucks have tinkered with over the years. Yet exactly why people cling to their favourites isn't exactly clear, considering the Canucks' lack of tradition and modest history of success in whatever they've worn. Still, it seems most fans want the Canucks to incorporate the blues and greens of the original jerseys–colours said to represent the ocean and forests that play such an important role in making Vancouver the city it is–into the new look. Certainly, one of the possibilities for the team's new look is to bring the old colours to the existing uniforms. That might satisfy some, but if the various polls are to be believed, the Canucks need to do more than just return to their green-and-blue roots.
Uniforms are an important part of any team's brand, but they're nothing without a logo, that singular and readily identifiable image that connects a team with its fan base. That's where the great debate among the hard-cores seems to settle.
Many appear to favour a return to that very first Canuck logo–the "stick in rink" that also doubles as a letter C. And sure, it's been fun to see the team trot out the retro jerseys on special occasions in recent years, but does the old logo really stand the test of time? Is that the best anyone can do in 2007? Is there not a creative mind out there who could put a modern spin on the original logo and, at the very least, bring it into the 21st century?
There have been suggestions to make a switch to "Johnny Canuck" as the team's primary logo. The only problem is that no one seems to know exactly who or what Johnny Canuck is or was. Some would have you believe he's a burly, bearded cartoon lumberjack (a little too similar to the Vancouver Giants logo), while others suggest he was a fighter-pilot superhero who emerged during the Second World War. Stylistic versions of both are among the many that have been floated by those favouring a complete overhaul to the Canucks' main insignia.
Then again, some (the laid-back West Coasters) seem to want the Canucks to take a different route entirely and simply put the word Vancouver diagonally across the front of the jersey. Those opposed to drastic alterations seem to favour maintaining the most recent logo–the orca C bursting through the ice–but making a subtle switch of colours from dark blue and burgundy to green and blue, blending the present with the past.
Unfortunately for most of the Canuck fans who do have an opinion on the uniforms or logo, they've failed to realize that the decisions have already been made. And still not a day goes by when this isn't an issue for many. There's no point losing sleep over this any longer, yet the discussion continues. The suggestion box is closed, and it's now just a waiting game until everyone gets a glimpse. Perhaps Canuck management took public opinion into account, but there's no guarantee. The only certainty is that the Canucks didn't enter into the process lightly, because a professional sports team's logo is not only its identity but also, if done properly, a significant moneymaker.
Without question, though, the surest way for any team to win universal acceptance for a logo and uniform change is to win hockey games while wearing the new threads. Everybody hated the Canucks' Flying V when it was introduced in the late 1970s, yet no one complained when the Canucks wore those uniforms on their run to the Stanley Cup final in 1982. You'd probably find many who'd tell you the Anaheim Ducks' jerseys were awful, or at best nothing special, but they looked awfully good when accessorized by the Stanley Cup. (It's funny how that trophy seems to go with just about anything.)
The bottom line is that for all the talk the launch of the new uniforms has generated over the past few months, it won't make much difference to the fan base here. Are the people disappointed by the final decision on the new look going to boycott the Canucks because they don't like what their team is wearing on the ice? No. The building will continue to sell out, and people here will support Roberto Luongo in pink pyjamas as long as he keeps the puck out of the net and the team is posting victories.
Hockey fans here just have to relax, and the hockey club has to unveil its new creation–let's hope it's a good one–and then stick with it for more than a few years. It would be great if the Canucks' tradition from now on involved winning as much as switching jerseys.
Jeff Paterson is a sportscaster and talk-show host on Vancouver's all-sports radio, Team 1040. E-mail him at
jeff.paterson@team1040.ca 
Tyger, on Aug 9 2007, 09:49 AM, said:
MultiQuote
Canucks.com is the official Web site of The Vancouver Canucks. The Vancouver Canucks and Canucks.com are trademarks of The Vancouver Canucks Limited Partnership. NHL and the word mark and image of the Stanley Cup are registered trademarks and the NHL Shield and NHL Conference logos are trademarks of the National Hockey League. All NHL logos and marks and NHL team logos and marks as well as all other proprietary materials depicted herein are the property of the NHL and the respective NHL teams and may not be reproduced without the prior written consent of NHL Enterprises, L.P. Copyright © 2009 The Vancouver Canucks Limited Partnership and the National Hockey League. All Rights Reserved.