The Moncton Wildcats are hoping black cats will be bad luck for their opponents when they cross their path this season.
The New Brunswick-based Quebec Maritime Junior Hockey League team debuted the latest version of their “Blackout” alternate jerseys on Canadian Thanksgiving (Monday, October 14) in a 5-1 home win over the Charlottetown Islanders.
The jerseys are solid black with four large red claw marks running diagonally across the front. No other striping appears on the sleeves or waist of the jersey. A recolored black-and-red version of the Wildcats’ primary logo sits on each shoulder.
The jersey collar is black with red laces. Numbers on the sleeves and back are black with red outlines, while names on the backs are one-color red.
The red claw marks also appear on the right side of each player’s matte black helmet, while their number appears in red on the left side. The jersey is also paired with black pants, black gloves with red accents and black socks with four red stripes around the shins.
While the Wildcats usually wear red, white and blue uniforms, they have a long history of black alternate jerseys. Just about every uniform they’ve worn since their inception in 1997, however, has featured claw marks, usually on the back hem.
The Wildcats have not yet announced if or when the black jerseys will be worn again this season. Their next home games are on Thursday, October 17, against the Saint John Sea Dogs and Friday, October 18, against the Chicoutimi Sagueneens.