The Atlanta Gladiators are getting a whole new look this season.
The “Double-A” ECHL affiliate of the Boston Bruins and AHL’s Providence Bruins unveiled the first major uniform change in the 15-year history of the team this morning, and while the logos on the chest and shoulder of the uniform remain the same it’s still a significant change.
Most noticeable is the colour shift, previously the team wore predominantly black uniforms with garnet and gold featured only as a secondary colour; also gone are the accents to the striping at both the waist and around each sleeve, the team opting for a more simplified and clean look overall.
“We took this re-design very seriously and wanted to make sure we hit the nail on the head with this new look,” said Chris Treft, both the designer of these jerseys and the team’s Director of Broadcasting and Communications. “We wanted the design to be unique, original, classic, and modern yet stick somewhat to tradition all at the same time which made the process strenuous.”
Gone entirely is any white uniform from the set, gold is now the base of their so-called “white jersey” – the only team in any level of affiliated North American pro hockey (NHL-AHL-ECHL) to not have any white jersey as part of their standard rotation. For the dark uniform, the Gladiators have switched from black to garnet as the base colour.
“We decided to not have a white jersey for a few reasons”, Treft explained. “We have a neutral colour that can serve as our ‘white’ without conflict, coloured jerseys are typically more popular with fans, and we wanted to be different and try something no one in pro hockey really does often. It all just worked well in this situation.”
The ECHL doesn’t do your typical home/road uniform designations; generally, the entire league will switch which sweater is the “home” look mid-way through the season. The Gladiators will be taking an interesting approach for the 2018-19 season, allowing fans to vote via social media on which of the team’s three uniforms (garnet, gold, or the yet-to-be-unveiled alternate jersey) they will wear for a handful of games. For the games in which the club doesn’t hold a fan vote, the team says they will decide which jersey will be the “most compelling and entertaining with the opposition’s sweaters”.
Simply. Awesome.
Atlanta’s Gladiators will kick off the new season wearing their new look on October 13th against the Solar Bears in Orlando, Fla.; they’ll make their regular season home début on October 19th at the Infinite Energy Arena in Duluth, Ga. against the Greenville Swamp Rabbits.
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