Cincinnati Cyclones start novelty jersey series with R2-D2

The ECHL’s Cincinnati Cyclones will spend as much time in novelty jerseys this season as they will in any of their traditional uniforms, it seems. The team’s parade of specialty jerseys starts Saturday, when they celebrate Star Wars Night by taking to the ice in R2-D2 sweaters.

Jeff Tasca of Athletic Knit designed the jerseys for the Cyclones. As with all of Tasca’s projects, he relishes the details. “The numbers are a little bit see-through, but I thought that looked cool,” Tasca said. “I thought it gave the numbers a bit of a ‘painted on’ look to R2-D2.”

This effect is intentional and is reflected in Tasca’s original mock-up.

Star Wars is coming! #MayTheForceBeWithYou @CincyCyclones pic.twitter.com/rELOAuyGke
— Jeff (@j_tasca) November 11, 2014

Star Wars Night is just the beginning of the uniform-based wackiness in Cincinnati this season. Earlier this month, the Cyclones announced a lineup of five theme nights this season.

We’ve unveiled the designs for all 5 of our specialty jersey nights – the first is next SAT! http://t.co/QJL2K9ajZ0 pic.twitter.com/k0KDntdmfU
— Cincinnati Cyclones (@CincyCyclones) November 6, 2014

The other Cyclones’ theme nights this season include:

Ugly Sweater Party: The jersey design reflects the team’s request for “something ugly and festive,” Tasca said.
Pink in the Rink: The team colors the actual ice pink, but for the jersey, according to Tasca, they wanted something dark.
Parrothead Night: The team asked for “something Jimmy Buffet would wear,” Tasca said, so he went with a Hawaiian floral pattern that incorporates a repeating Cyclones’ logo.
Superhero Night: The Cyclones will wear IronMan-themed red, gold, and black jerseys.

Tasca went so far as to propose alternate logos as part of the specialty uniforms, but the team chose not to pursue that route. “Given their new logo and branding, they did not want me to alter their logo much,” he said. “Ultimately they ended up going with unaltered logos on everything but the pink jersey.”

With all of these specialty jerseys, the uniforms will be auctioned off post-game to benefit various charities.