Slovakia Unveils Jerseys with National Anthem Pinstripes

The Slovak Ice Hockey Federation (SIHF), along with Nike, unveiled the new Team Slovakia hockey jerseys on their official website earlier today. The new uniforms will be worn and make their début during the 2014 Winter Olympics, it will continue to be worn by the Slovakian National Team during the 2014, 15, 16, and 17 World Hockey Championships.

Both jerseys are made up of three horizontal stripes, one along the shoulders followed by a second thin one, and the third continuing along the rest of the jersey. Within that final large stripe are horizontal pinstripes, these pinstripes are actually the words of the Slovak National Anthem.

The Slovakian National Anthem makes up the horizontal stripes seen throughout the uniform

“The Slovak Ice Hockey Federation had the opportunity to prepare a visual representation of the new jersey for the upcoming four-year Olympic cycle. We decided that Slovakia’s national ice hockey team jersey will adorn the words of the Slovak national anthem, ” — President of SIHF Igor Nemecek (via Google Translate)

In addition to the national anthems displayed across the jersey it also includes the Coat of Arms of Slovakia directly on the chest. The Coat consists of three blue hills – symbolic of three mountain ranges within the country, as well as a double-cross as a sign of their strong Christian faith. The Slovakian National Hockey Team has been wearing this Coat of Arms on all of their team uniforms since the country became independent in 1993.

“When designing the new jerseys we always inspire history and symbols of the country. We know what it means to the players to dress in their national jersey and therefore we are constantly working on the development of such products to support the performance of athletes, not only thanks to new technologies, but also signs symbolizing national pride.” — Ken Black, Nike creative director

While I gotta say I love the inclusion of the national anthem as a design element, I’m not really a fan of the design. “They look like soccer uniforms” is the one thought I keep having. Sure the 2010 design wasn’t anything special: