SHOWING THEIR TRUE COLOURS
Assuming, one Twitter critic wrote, your printer’s colour cartridge is out of ink
The NHL’s new all-star jerseys are garbage. Ocean garbage, to be exact. On Wednesday, the league and Adidas unveiled a new look for this month’s all-star showcase in San Jose — with an ecoconscious theme.
The black and white jerseys are made, in part, from Parley Ocean Plastic — including repurposed and upcycled materials from oceans. They will be worn during the all-star skills competition in San Jose on Jan. 25, and the three-on-three event the following day.
In another first, each sweater will feature the logo of the player’s NHL team.
The league’s press release went on to say the all-star look — which will retail for $220 — is “inspired by the colours of the game — crisp white, like a fresh sheet of ice, and contrasting black, like a brand-new puck. The environmentally conscious uniforms create an instantly classic esthetic that pays homage to tools of the game.”
The design and colour scheme generated instant reaction online, pro and con.
“Feels like a huge missed opportunity to do some really cool teal designs,” wrote one Twitter user, alluding to the San Jose Sharks’ palette.
“Connor McDavid will be very used to carrying recycled parts on his shoulders,” joked another user.
“When your printer’s color cartridge is out of ink,” quipped another.
The ocean-friendly hook — the Adidas marketing video is titled From Threat to Thread — appeared to be a more popular notion.
“Ripping on environmentally conscious All-Star Game jerseys? I feel like there are more important uses of my time,” tweeted the Athletic’s Kings/ Ducks writer, Josh Cooper.
“The NHL All-Star jerseys being made of recycled ocean plastic is much cooler than the color could ever be,” tweeted another user.
Auston Matthews, the Atlantic Division captain, and John Tavares will represent the Maple Leafs in the all-star showcase.
The Leafs’ Morgan Rielly, the NHL’s highest scoring defenceman with 45 points, could also make it via fan voting, which will be used to select one addition in each division.
Online balloting ends on Thursday.