WTF Nike?
Nike released their Olympic jersey sets for the Sochi Olympic Games, and... well... I'm not a big fan. They've released the jerseys for the host Russian team, and for the Americans. Lets first take a look at the USA uni's:
(all images from Icethetics)
The white jersey is the coolest long-sleeve soccer jersey I've ever seen. The main body of the jersey is totally plain, the arm-striping style doesn't match together at all, and the fake-laces and shoulder stars are the tackiest thing I've seen on a jersey since the Los Angeles Burger Kings jersey.
If the same style on the white jersey was used on the blue jersey, with white on the top, then this unique style could possibly work, but nevertheless it looks so... wrong on a hockey jersey. Plus even though the shoulders are wacky, the rest of the uniforms are so plain and boring that it would make a good practice jersey. On the positive side (at least there is something) the logo is pretty cool. It looks historic enough while being relevant and modern at the same time. I just hope those fake laces are a one-off gimmick...
Well I guess not. These jerseys suffer from the Nike "fake-laces" too. While this set isn't near as bad as the American set, there are still many problems with it.
I'll start with the white jersey, as it probably got your attention first. The design is absolutely unique, and it does look pretty cool, if you're a fan of Russian artwork. But I don't think the double-headed dragon will look really good on the ice, being contorted and crumpled by the players wearing it. It's just going to look like a red and white mess. Plus it there is going to be blue, there should be more blue. Its awkward having only the wordmark and the small little strip at the bottom as a colour unrelated to the rest of the jersey. But on the positive, the arm wing design and the shoulder wing design are remarkable, and unlike the rest of the jersey it wont be too affected by the movements of the game. Its unique, I'll give it that. I'd be cool with the jersey, but looking at how its worn...
...I just think it looks more awkward than cool.
But what is cool is the red Russian jersey. Its good because it really doesn't mess with the cool jerseys Russia already has. It has a good balance between red, white, and blue, and proudly shows the Russian crest on the chest. Some minor complaints with it are that I find the crest to be somewhat larger than it should be, and the wordmark seems awkwardly low on the jersey (same with on the white set). Also, I don't like how the blue shoulders look so square on the jersey. Jerseys are typically rounded and smooth, but the blue shoulders that extend all the way around evenly look strange to me. But I really like the arm stripes on the jersey, and is pretty much the only jersey out of these 4 that can get away with having no bottom hem striping (besides 1 little stripe at the bottom). At least this jersey doesn't have funky art on the shoulders, but it still loses brownie points for having the fake laces.
So for the most part, I'm not a huge fan of these jerseys and I hope this is as bad as it gets, if Nike is doing all of the jerseys. I'd like if Canada can stay fairly traditional, but judging from these sets, I highly doubt it. Hopefully something Summit Series '72 style, if they plan on something more unique. I just really hope the NHL stays well away from Nike designs, if this sort of thing keeps up.
