One thing I forgot to mention in this video is that for the last seven years, Fanatics has basically been contractually obligated to make a lower quality NHL replica jersey. This doesn’t account for misspelled names, wrong numbers, and upside down logos... but Adidas had the deal to make higher quality authentic jerseys. The Fanatics Breakaway product always had to be cheaper to buy and therefore cheaper to make. I’ll be curious to see what happens when Fanatics gets to make the entire line of NHL jerseys, including authentics, which is a high-priced product for hardcore fans. They can’t skimp there or they’ll get destroyed. And they know it.
My issue with the Fanatics replicas isn't necessarily the product but the price point. The Adidas "authentics" were not that much more cost-wise and were a much better product. The Fanatics replicas should be below $100 IMO. Hopefully the price scale will better reflect the product differences.
@@notrealneverwas True. There is no scenario where fans stop buying jerseys outright. Price will always go up, they will find new ways to cut corners, and fans will complain to deaf ears.
Look at what’s going on with MLB. Don’t be naive. This company was built on pumping out completely shit products at (comparatively) low prices. It’s in their blood. That’s not gonna change overnight
Compared to other leagues, hell, compared to before the Adidas switch NHL authentics are pretty fairly priced. What I’m most worried to change, do we have any idea if that will continue through the same Indonesian pipeline?
So the current authentic NHL jerseys being worn will be transitioned out sometime before the start of the 24/25 season this autumn? I want I pick up a few that I like, so it means I only have a few months left before they begin running out of stock and are eventually unavailable. Am I understanding this correctly?
You can definitley guarantee Fanatics are gonna fuck this up so badly. I don’t understand why the NHL decided to give the jersey making to Fanatics. GIVE IT BACK TO CCM!
Because they make shittier products for less money, and the NHL is typically tone def to what their fans actually want. Which is why ratings are down 28% and they have to put ads all over everything
Lets wait and see. The thing is, as the guy said, the MLB situation is nikes fault and not fanatics. Also, fanatics will use the same factory as adidas, i don't see them fucking that badly, idk
It's either gonna be horrible or amazing. Nothing in-between. If they want to make a statement and turn things around, they'll take this seriously. I'm pretty certain they're still just in it for the easy cash grab though lol.
Based on how I'm seeing this spring in MLB, I don't want to watch the NHL next season. Not for the action, but I don't want to see the player's nutsack
Specialty jerseys will be rare and expensive. Better get em while you can. I have a kraken winter classic jersey and i know that will probably be valuable.
I'll wait to see them before I judge them. Given their history I'm kind of nervous, but when it comes to on-ice quality I don't think the NHL will settle for anything less than high quality so I wouldn't be surprised if the Fanatics authentics are great, but their replicas are still trash lol.
I wish I had that same faith in the NHL. I see all this as nothing more than mo money, mo money, not caring about quality. Sure hope you are right & I'm wrong.
@ucumari77 After the problems with Fanatics & M.L.B uniforms I am with you I personally fear the worst for the on ice version the players will receive. We know what we will get on the replica side & I personally can live with that.
@@SakicFan There does seem to be a lot of (maybe) unnecessary panic from the fans especially without seeing what Fanatics will produce. I'm trying hard to be a wait & see person.
As a jersey fanatic myself, I really appreciate your channel. I have a collection of 42 jerseys, only Reeboks and Adidas (have had many Fanatics but got rid of them all). I'm nervous about the Fanatics takeover but hope they can surprise us. Thanks for the quality content!
@@SlutBurgerWithCheese to be honest I didn't start my collection until after the transition. However, I was excited for Adidas with their positive track record for jerseys in other sports. I also liked the 2016 WCH Adidas jerseys as well.
Unrelated to Fantatics, but funny enough when the Boston Bruins had their Eras Night honoring the 2011 Stanley Cup Champion team on March 7th, the players were wearing Reebok jerseys with the centennial logo stitched on the front. Was very interesting to see.
Icethetics makes my favorite videos in hockey. Love your channel's branding which both stands out from the designs of team's you cover, but beautifully frames all these contrasting brand systems. One thought I had when the Fanatics deal was first announced: The NHL contract would allow fanatics to scale and invest in themselves in a way they may not have been able to before. As an optimist, I wouldn't be surprised if the influx of cash brings improvements not only to their jerseys, but to their own production issues on general merch and apparel as well.
They won't care about ruining their reputation or they would have improved products already. They are close to a monoply and as long as they keep making money nothing else matters to them.
@@icethetics Yeah, I really hope so but they already have a reputation for poor quality and you still see so much of it selling. I guess we'll just have to wait and see!
We have over 50 hockey jerseys in our house, maybe closer to 60. Fanatics jerseys are SO FAR more inferior than the Adidas Authentics- it’s not even funny. You can spot a Fanatics jersey from a mile away and up close, it’s laughable.
I am concerned as the jersey I purchased at Christmastime has already had the player name panel falling off. Fanatics reply was" it is past the 45 day return window". It was worn 3 times. I tried to get in touch with a suoervisor or na=manager to discuss the issue. No one "was available" but was promised a call back. Still waitig ???
I got a heritage jersey for Christmas Edmonton Oilers one. It was Zach Hyman one half of the 8 came off they after 2 times of getting fixed, they just gave us a Adidas one
So to be clear, this video is focused on the on-ice made in Canada jerseys the players wear and potentially the on-ice retail version of jersey. Not the fan jersey that will or might be made overseas.
Yes, I cover game uniforms. Very rare you’ll see me talking about retail replicas. I will cover retail for the launch this summer because it’s a new provider, but not usually my area.
Two things I would like to see Fanatics make mandatory for team sweaters for the foreseeable future: horizontal waist stripes and no vertical piping. Period! Also, it's a bit of a gamble but take a page from the NBA: add a silver tab with the Stanley Cup on the back collar to show which teams have won a Cup over the years.
I love the idea of denoting Stanley Cup winners on the jerseys! I wonder if it’d be better going only on the jerseys of *players* who have won as opposed entire teams? On the vertical piping, I think Adidas pretty much took care of that. The Caps and Kings still have some sleeve issues, but otherwise most of the league is in pretty good shape.
Fanatics doesn't truly care about bad PR. They monopolized the market so they figure they'll weather the storm for a couple weeks and people will still buy their crappy products because they have nowhere else to buy merch.
I think you’d be surprised. Plus, there are a lot of NHL licensees out there beyond Fanatics. They’ve just gotten in with the league and a lot of the team stores.
I’m sure Fanatics will understand that Anaheim is definitely, for realsies, gonna switch back to eggplant and jade permanently. And they will allow them to be the only team to do a redesign this coming season. 100% for sure, no takesies backsies, not a lie. Definitely correct.
Everything went down hill when Reebok took over from Koho/CCM. The quality was never the same. I remember seeing the shoulder patches on the replica edge jerseys just being a piece of cloth. The Koho/CCM replicas were nice and embroidered. And this was already 16 years ago.
Reebok started the trend of sh$tty quality at a higher price. CCM ways had tackle twill name and numbers on the replicas. Heat pressed but you could always get them stitched later. CCM replica blanks were $70. Reebok replica blanks started at $130.
This gives me a really interesting idea for a video... comparing game jerseys from that era to today. I have a game worn Lightning KOHO jersey from 2001-02 in my collection and I think it’s terrible in almost every way compared to the quality of materials on today’s jerseys. Nostalgia is probably doing a lot of the heavy lifting here in terms of fans thinking “everything went down hill” with Reebok. The attention to detail paid to jerseys since is a phenomenal breath of fresh air compared with the early '00s. Definitely a subjective thing, but that’s where I stand.
It varies from company to company. Just look at some of the older Buffalo replicas. Some got the collar right and some got it wrong. My Koho and CCM got it right. They are from 2001 and 2004. I’m just talking about the replica jersey market at that. Naturally authentic jerseys will get better over time. Just look at some pictures of the one from the 80’s. That’s a video in itself.
@@icethetics would love a video comparing the different era of NHL jerseys! The CCM era, the Starter era, Nike, Koho, Pro Player, Reebok, Adidas..... That would be an awesome video!
It's not the first few years we should be worried about, it's when they start their own design that will be the real test. They also must improve their quality control as well.
I really do think its time for the NHL to consider doing what european soccer and the CHL do and just let each team handle their own kits. Like yes in the short term it'll be chaotic but so long as the NHL puts out minimum standards for kits the we'll see way more jerseys of way more diverse design. Plus it'll let them adjust prices better. In the Premiership in England a Liverpool (a big team) jersey can go for like 114 pound. By comparison a smaller team like Burnley often sell their kits for about 40 pound. It would be nice for fans to be able to get some cheaper kits especially for smaller market teams.
Used to be that way in the NHL. I went through the history in this video last year: ua-cam.com/video/izYnTGvRiUw/v-deo.htmlsi=T-luddmqof-otgVm&t=190 I’ve also heard Adidas pitched the idea of handling just a few teams while passing off others to different manufacturers. NHL didn’t go for that and wanted to stick to having just one partner. But you make a fair point when it comes to big market vs small market teams.
@@icethetics definitely. Plus it would let some manufacturers who may not have any experience in the NA market but are getting good at kits like Macron and O'Neills to test the waters. Hell even older more established brands like Umbro may consider it
Loved the video as always. You mentioned in the video that you are planning to do a prediction video for the 2025 outdoor games, which, as a Jackets fan I am very interested in. I idea that I have had for the Jackets since the game was announced is using a "shiny" silver color as the main color, similar to the color that the Kings are using on the sleeves and bottom of their current throwbacks, as the Jackets have used this color on their main jersey since their first season in the league, and I can't imagine a better opportunity to use it than now. In addition, the other two things I have thought of for the jersey are: 1, a C B J word mark as the main logo on the front of the jersey. And: 2, only using two colors on the jersey as has been the case with most home teams in the Stadium Series in recent years, with the two colors being used being the aforementioned "shiny" silver color as the main color with navy blue as the secondary color. Would love to know your opinion on these ideas. Thanks.
Folks didnt seem to have massive complaints about early Nike & fanatics work, and grabbing good creative designers from adidas era is a good start. I started my jersey collection about a year ago and im about complete. Though, i will keep an eye on this as we have new centennials coming up and if the rangers get something nice, i might pick it up
The only thing I'm looking forward to with Fanatics taking over, is the sale stores will have on Adidas jerseys. Say what you will about the 'authentics' but I love the adidas jerseys. They're slick, that shiny NHL logo is great, and being a woman, I love that they're wider at the hips. They actually fit me well lol. I don't have to size up just to have them fit my hips. I wear a 44/46 comfortable in Adidas.
I would bet my collection the Kings are making a change for next year. The camera testing they've been doing, the heavy push of the Chevy logo. It's coming back, with even John Hoven whose sources have helped him correctly predict every Kings sweater going back a decade
I have no Adidas jerseys but I have one of those old CCM Maska Air-Knit jerseys and two Fanatics jerseys. The old CCMs are a lot thinner than some would expect (About the same as Fanatics) and the stripes of the Oilers jerseys aren't sewed on on the retail version like they are with Fanatics, on-ice CCM, or Adidas. That being said, the front logo is a lot better on the CCMs than the Fanatics. I think the front logo is where a lot of the shade to Fanatics comes in on.
I have collected CCM's for 30 years, and their quality of replica jerseys declined in different ways. From the early 80's, the material on the replicas was a smooth, thin cheap version on the Ultra-knit which is the much thicker pro version. CCM went to air-knit, which was lighter and more breathable. The replica material at first was the same as the pro material as far as I can tell comparing several replica and authentic CCM's from the early 90's. Then the replica air-knit became lighter and not as heavy and then softer, smoother and even lighter. I love the material that they use on their AHL jerseys now, as it is a slightly lighter material that is identical to the made in Canada Adidas NHL jerseys now. But any shoulder patches on these are very thin and felt-like which are sublimated or printed.
I hate to say it, but you don't have to care about the reputation of your brand if you've got a monopoly on sports apparel/uniforms. No other brand stepped up to produce these uniforms, we can't assume someone would be willing to take over even if the Fanatics product is crap.
I really can’t comprehend that. I have Air Knit jerseys and they just feel terrible to wear. I love the advancements made in fabrics over the last couple of decades. But to each his own.
I hate the Bruins (always will), but admittedly, I really like the look of the centennial home and away kit... so clean and distinct. Alas, going back to the "usual" jerseys next season will only bring me back down to the usual level of hatred. ;P
The player jerseys will be fine, and so will future designs. The problem is what they sell to us plebs. Breakaway jerseys are of terrible quality for what they charge (they should be $60 at most), and my guess is that the Adidas-level retail jerseys (what they call "Authentic") will be retired. The only question I have is whether they sell us the on-ice stuff easily and for how much.
The MLB issues aren’t only Nike’s fault. Why would they only phone it in for that league and not NFL or NBA or the many other teams they out it lol? I haven’t heard any complaints about Nike’s new college baseball uniforms. I even bought one of their new jerseys. They’re the same quality as last year and the year before. A big issue with MLB is probably having a company manufacturing them that apparently doesn’t have any quality control
What about the Capitals third jersey? The blue W is confirmed to go away and next year is the 50th anniversary so I presume something is coming. Any rumblings?
I only own 3 jerseys from the Fanatics era introduced in 2017. All of them have been fine for me. My other jerseys are from the Reebok era and maybe two from CCM 2 CCM, two Reebok Edge (pre-2011) , 5 Reebok from 2011-2017, and 3 Fanatics. I do not own any made by Adidas It would be ironic if Fanatics releases jerseys league wide for the 2026-27 season, at least for me, because that season will mark 20 years as a hockey fan for me.
Based on how baseball has gone is exactly why you should be optimistic about the next NHL redesign. Fanatics got a front row seat to Nike’s disaster and have every reason to dig in now.
I don’t care what you say, the Adidas era is in the top 3 greatest jersey “sponsors” in NHL history. You can’t beat it Adidas unless it’s the 90s jerseys and the 2000s jerseys. I’m still going to buy Adidas’s version
💯 Same! I’ve always loved the Adizero jerseys more than anything else that’s been used in the NHL... including the old CCM days. The design and quality have just been head and shoulders above anything else.
I love your videos Chris and this one is no exception! But one minor thing, could you consider when you use footage from a previous video under your narration, muting the old video if it's mostly just talking? That section around 10:00 or so *really* messed with my misophonia.
The hockey guy mentioned it. Fanatics will go top quality for their first couple of years, once they have us hooked they will go back to their low quality jerseys.
It’s not a drug, it’s sports merch. Nobody is getting “hooked.” If the quality goes down in the future, people will stop buying and the cycle will start again. It’s not in Fanatics’ best interest to create low quality jerseys. That might make them a little money in the short term but it does a lot more damage in the long term. They’ll figure that out if they don’t know it already.
Cor even just talking like this about anything other than top-notch 1st rate jerseys is scary!! For an organisation the size & budget of the NHL to even be having a debate on clothing standards is so a$$ wipe poor it does make me question what kind of knuckle-draggers run it!!
I haven't purchased any fangear, especially hats, for over a year. Either I have enough or they are too expensive. Some logos are so small I don't know how they justify the price.
Well, like I said in the video, Fanatics-branded jerseys will be in use next season. They‘re assuming existing factory processes from Adidas. But building a new template of their own would take 18-24 months of work... which would’ve only started last year at the earliest.
With MLB, Fanatics pinned the blame on Nike because “oh they told us how to make it with certain materials”. With this, they won’t have a scapegoat if the jerseys suck.
Funny considering how often Fanatics is getting blamed for the MLB issues, to me it's actually been something of a relief that it didn't go the way we mostly had assumed and ended up with Nike taking the deal. The extraordinarily overpriced authentic, the second middle level replica, off loading the production anyway. No matter how it goes with Fanatics, starting to feel like we dodged a huge Nike shaped bullet here.
I don’t like how the word Fanatics in that box is right on the front of the jersey, like for Adidas they have it on the back of the neck can’t they just put a F on the back of the neck. I’m not expecting much from Fanatics anyways.
Still relatively concerned about the Fanatics quality because I have a Canucks road jersey and the logo isn't great. Post To Post Production has got a New Jersey Devils home Fanatics jersey with a crease in the logo (the jersey was sent in by a fan)
Right. I mentioned this in the pinned comment, but those Breakaway replica jerseys were always going to be lower quality. Fanatics was contractually obligated to make a jersey that was cheaper to buy and therefore cheaper to make. Once they get into making the authentics this year, I think you’ll see quality that’s closer to if not the same as what Adidas was making.
Hopefully the fanatics era lasts 1 season and then they give it to an actual sports brand. Nike, CCM, shoot I wouldn’t complain about Reebok again. Can’t believe the NHL actually let the boot leg company represent their jerseys.
Really hope the Fanatics jerseys dont have the size tag on the front, really spoils the jersey and yep I dont want people to know what size I wear either!! I used to remove them from my Reebok jerseys. And yep, here's hoping that Fanatics know how to solve the Adidas sizing inconsistency, if I buy a size 60 I do not want to receive a 52 that says its a 60!!
That is one of the reasons why I never wanted any Adidas practice jerseys. The heat pressed logos always sucked. If they are embroidered, I might be willing to get one.
Good or bad i can't wait to see the Fanatics take on the Jerseys in 2026/ 2027 they only other thing is when the Adidas logo comes off for the Fanatics logo
I’m curious to see the difference between game and retail jerseys... though I’m with you in hoping they up their game significantly on the retail side.
Hmmm I have a feeling that fanatics is fully aware of the issue that fans are trying to bring to the table so they want to maybe surprise us when they reveal their jerseys
Yeah they’ll continue to make the jerseys Adidas originally designed with the NHL. And the Fanatics brand will be featured. I don’t know yet if the textured shoulders will change. No reason they would have to, but we’ll see.
This is funny to me because I’ve seen as many people saying the dimpled shoulders are a sign of high quality from Adidas as saying this. I guess the point is no matter what you do, there will always be people who love and people who don’t. 🤷🏻♂️
I know everyone hates Fanatics and I get it. But I’m a big guy and the Adidas jerseys don’t fit me at all. I wear a 4xl Fanatics jersey and I can comfortably wear it with a hoodie or t-shirt underneath. I get a blank jersey and get it customized.
Don’t the teams design their jerseys? The manufacturer should,d just be following templates soooo how could they be bad other than the material used and maybe the neckline? I’m only mildly worried.
Yeah, the teams do lead the design of their jerseys... within the parameters of what the jersey maker can do. And what they’re pushing in terms of styles. It’s why we saw all that vertical piping at the start of Reebok Edge.
I’m kinda disappointed that the practice jerseys won’t have the rubber logo in the centre, I currently use some of the adizero practice jerseys for my own teams practice sessions and prefer not having the bulky stiff logo catching on my gear
I’ll be honest, I love my jerseys from fanatics, are they great, no, but they are cheap and that is good enough for me. I haven’t had bad experiences with them yet. I love my team but authentic are too expensive to buy, though I would love to get one.
One thing I forgot to mention in this video is that for the last seven years, Fanatics has basically been contractually obligated to make a lower quality NHL replica jersey. This doesn’t account for misspelled names, wrong numbers, and upside down logos... but Adidas had the deal to make higher quality authentic jerseys. The Fanatics Breakaway product always had to be cheaper to buy and therefore cheaper to make. I’ll be curious to see what happens when Fanatics gets to make the entire line of NHL jerseys, including authentics, which is a high-priced product for hardcore fans. They can’t skimp there or they’ll get destroyed. And they know it.
My issue with the Fanatics replicas isn't necessarily the product but the price point. The Adidas "authentics" were not that much more cost-wise and were a much better product. The Fanatics replicas should be below $100 IMO. Hopefully the price scale will better reflect the product differences.
@@notrealneverwas True. There is no scenario where fans stop buying jerseys outright. Price will always go up, they will find new ways to cut corners, and fans will complain to deaf ears.
Look at what’s going on with MLB.
Don’t be naive. This company was built on pumping out completely shit products at (comparatively) low prices. It’s in their blood. That’s not gonna change overnight
Do they know it though? or do they know that fans will buy their shit no matter how bad it is if it's the only option?
Compared to other leagues, hell, compared to before the Adidas switch NHL authentics are pretty fairly priced. What I’m most worried to change, do we have any idea if that will continue through the same Indonesian pipeline?
I'm excited for Fanatics taking over, because that means my jersey-buying addiction will finally slow down😅
I genuinely hope they surprise us.
@@icetheticsI wish I could be as optimistic. Great video and insights, though!
@icethetics maybe with the alternates and special event ones but I wouldn't feel confident in wearing something fanatics related
@@icethetics If they surprise us at all, it'd likely be the jerseys being worse than predicted.
So the current authentic NHL jerseys being worn will be transitioned out sometime before the start of the 24/25 season this autumn? I want I pick up a few that I like, so it means I only have a few months left before they begin running out of stock and are eventually unavailable. Am I understanding this correctly?
You can definitley guarantee Fanatics are gonna fuck this up so badly. I don’t understand why the NHL decided to give the jersey making to Fanatics. GIVE IT BACK TO CCM!
Because they make shittier products for less money, and the NHL is typically tone def to what their fans actually want. Which is why ratings are down 28% and they have to put ads all over everything
CCM didn't bid. No one except Fanatics bid
Lets wait and see. The thing is, as the guy said, the MLB situation is nikes fault and not fanatics. Also, fanatics will use the same factory as adidas, i don't see them fucking that badly, idk
Nothing beats CCM.
It's either gonna be horrible or amazing. Nothing in-between. If they want to make a statement and turn things around, they'll take this seriously. I'm pretty certain they're still just in it for the easy cash grab though lol.
I look forward to McDavd in his number 79 fanatics Edmnnton Oiilers jersey!
(the errors are a shot at Fanatics' lack of quality)
This is prolly THE channel where you dont need to explain that joke away :D
McDavid is going to be on a breakaway, and his number is going to fall off.
@@Nintentohtori LMAO!!! That's true, but you never know!
@@darthvader3742 That would be hilarious!
Based on how I'm seeing this spring in MLB, I don't want to watch the NHL next season. Not for the action, but I don't want to see the player's nutsack
For people who collect rare jerseys, buy the Adidas version of the Tampa and NYR alternates now. They would have only worn them for half a season.
Facts. Already got the Tampa one
Sharks as well
Specialty jerseys will be rare and expensive. Better get em while you can. I have a kraken winter classic jersey and i know that will probably be valuable.
Add the Whalers to that list
Sharks too
Underrated aspect of your videos is the sound design. Love the crackling ice sound effects
Thanks for the kind words!
I'll wait to see them before I judge them. Given their history I'm kind of nervous, but when it comes to on-ice quality I don't think the NHL will settle for anything less than high quality so I wouldn't be surprised if the Fanatics authentics are great, but their replicas are still trash lol.
I agree with all of this. 👍
I wish I had that same faith in the NHL. I see all this as nothing more than mo money, mo money, not caring about quality. Sure hope you are right & I'm wrong.
@ucumari77
After the problems
with Fanatics & M.L.B uniforms I am with you I personally fear the worst for the on ice version the players will receive.
We know what we will get on the replica side & I personally can live with that.
This is exactly how I feel about this. I'm doing my best to go and into next season with optimism and try not to give into all this panic from fans.
@@SakicFan There does seem to be a lot of (maybe) unnecessary panic from the fans especially without seeing what Fanatics will produce. I'm trying hard to be a wait & see person.
I'm still a little worried, i still don't trust fanatics ever since the shoulder "13" fell of of my Hayes flyers jersey
I didn’t go deep into the retail side of things in this video, but I do still have some concerns on that end. Time will tell.
lol their baseball jerseys are such shit
Always appreciative of how well you put these videos together.
As a jersey fanatic myself, I really appreciate your channel. I have a collection of 42 jerseys, only Reeboks and Adidas (have had many Fanatics but got rid of them all). I'm nervous about the Fanatics takeover but hope they can surprise us. Thanks for the quality content!
Thanks for watching!
How’d you feel about the switch from Reebok to Adidas initially
@@SlutBurgerWithCheese to be honest I didn't start my collection until after the transition. However, I was excited for Adidas with their positive track record for jerseys in other sports. I also liked the 2016 WCH Adidas jerseys as well.
Unrelated to Fantatics, but funny enough when the Boston Bruins had their Eras Night honoring the 2011 Stanley Cup Champion team on March 7th, the players were wearing Reebok jerseys with the centennial logo stitched on the front. Was very interesting to see.
Makes sense. That team wore Reebok jerseys when they won.
I stocked up on Adidas and old school CCM, Gerry Cosby and Reebok jerseys to withstand the Fanatic era, I’m good:)
Gerry Cosby jerseys ftw!
Where you getting your old CCM’s
im gonna miss adidas
ALWAYS excited to see an Icethetics video!
You know a channel is good when you click on the video first AND THEN read what it's about.
Haha, thanks for watching!
Great video. I could totally see the CBJ v DET Stadium Series at Ohio State's stadium pay homage to the epic Ohio State v Michigan college rivalry.
I don't share the same optimism of this vid but I guess we will wait and see.
Fair. Only time will tell.
They need to have some new teams in the winter classics. It's kinda dumb how they are already having rematches
With you on that front!
i think chicago has been in like 7 now and 4 back to back. probably doing for bedard @@icethetics
@@Brobro449original six team, most hyped prospect since McDavid, yeah there gonna be there quite a few times
We need the ⚡️⚡️⚡️
@@caiphuscain2446 florida, lightning and arizona i think are left. They need one called the inversion series lol.
Icethetics makes my favorite videos in hockey. Love your channel's branding which both stands out from the designs of team's you cover, but beautifully frames all these contrasting brand systems.
One thought I had when the Fanatics deal was first announced: The NHL contract would allow fanatics to scale and invest in themselves in a way they may not have been able to before. As an optimist, I wouldn't be surprised if the influx of cash brings improvements not only to their jerseys, but to their own production issues on general merch and apparel as well.
They won't care about ruining their reputation or they would have improved products already. They are close to a monoply and as long as they keep making money nothing else matters to them.
I would just counter by saying the money-making won’t last if they don’t invest in improving their products, monopoly or not.
@@icethetics Yeah, I really hope so but they already have a reputation for poor quality and you still see so much of it selling.
I guess we'll just have to wait and see!
i cant wait for these! the laughs and memes are gonna be phenomenal at this high school project quality jerseys
lol, the high school level writing of that comment is hilarious.
We have over 50 hockey jerseys in our house, maybe closer to 60. Fanatics jerseys are SO FAR more inferior than the Adidas Authentics- it’s not even funny. You can spot a Fanatics jersey from a mile away and up close, it’s laughable.
I am concerned as the jersey I purchased at Christmastime has already had the player name panel falling off. Fanatics reply was" it is past the 45 day return window". It was worn 3 times. I tried to get in touch with a suoervisor or na=manager to discuss the issue. No one "was available" but was promised a call back. Still waitig ???
I got a heritage jersey for Christmas Edmonton Oilers one. It was Zach Hyman one half of the 8 came off they after 2 times of getting fixed, they just gave us a Adidas one
So to be clear, this video is focused on the on-ice made in Canada jerseys the players wear and potentially the on-ice retail version of jersey. Not the fan jersey that will or might be made overseas.
Yes, I cover game uniforms. Very rare you’ll see me talking about retail replicas. I will cover retail for the launch this summer because it’s a new provider, but not usually my area.
@@icethetics thank you.
@@icetheticsif you’re ever drudging for content, that would be a fun tangent topic to cover: History of on ice vs retail
I'm as big a Fanatics skeptic as there is, but the homage to the Center Ice logo does make me happy
Not too chuffed about the "property of" bit tho.
Finally, the NHL has entered its tear-away jersey era.
Thank you Chris! Can't wait to see what you can share next!
Thanks for watching, Aaron!
Two things I would like to see Fanatics make mandatory for team sweaters for the foreseeable future: horizontal waist stripes and no vertical piping. Period! Also, it's a bit of a gamble but take a page from the NBA: add a silver tab with the Stanley Cup on the back collar to show which teams have won a Cup over the years.
I love the idea of denoting Stanley Cup winners on the jerseys! I wonder if it’d be better going only on the jerseys of *players* who have won as opposed entire teams? On the vertical piping, I think Adidas pretty much took care of that. The Caps and Kings still have some sleeve issues, but otherwise most of the league is in pretty good shape.
Fanatics doesn't truly care about bad PR. They monopolized the market so they figure they'll weather the storm for a couple weeks and people will still buy their crappy products because they have nowhere else to buy merch.
I think you’d be surprised. Plus, there are a lot of NHL licensees out there beyond Fanatics. They’ve just gotten in with the league and a lot of the team stores.
I’m sure Fanatics will understand that Anaheim is definitely, for realsies, gonna switch back to eggplant and jade permanently. And they will allow them to be the only team to do a redesign this coming season. 100% for sure, no takesies backsies, not a lie. Definitely correct.
Everything went down hill when Reebok took over from Koho/CCM. The quality was never the same. I remember seeing the shoulder patches on the replica edge jerseys just being a piece of cloth. The Koho/CCM replicas were nice and embroidered. And this was already 16 years ago.
Reebok started the trend of sh$tty quality at a higher price. CCM ways had tackle twill name and numbers on the replicas. Heat pressed but you could always get them stitched later. CCM replica blanks were $70. Reebok replica blanks started at $130.
Have a Replica Reebok Canucks jersey, where a hanger scratched the cheap vinyl-like shoulder patch and left a gross, long, thick scratch on it.
This gives me a really interesting idea for a video... comparing game jerseys from that era to today. I have a game worn Lightning KOHO jersey from 2001-02 in my collection and I think it’s terrible in almost every way compared to the quality of materials on today’s jerseys. Nostalgia is probably doing a lot of the heavy lifting here in terms of fans thinking “everything went down hill” with Reebok. The attention to detail paid to jerseys since is a phenomenal breath of fresh air compared with the early '00s. Definitely a subjective thing, but that’s where I stand.
It varies from company to company. Just look at some of the older Buffalo replicas. Some got the collar right and some got it wrong. My Koho and CCM got it right. They are from 2001 and 2004. I’m just talking about the replica jersey market at that. Naturally authentic jerseys will get better over time. Just look at some pictures of the one from the 80’s. That’s a video in itself.
@@icethetics would love a video comparing the different era of NHL jerseys! The CCM era, the Starter era, Nike, Koho, Pro Player, Reebok, Adidas..... That would be an awesome video!
I just want the storm flag belt to stay on the Hurricanes jerseys. All I ask
Are the Fanatic MiC going to sale for retail? Or is it going to be sold to the teams only ?
I was a student during the adidas years and couldn't justify buying jerseys and now Fanatics takes over.... I missed out on so many great jerseys
It's not the first few years we should be worried about, it's when they start their own design that will be the real test. They also must improve their quality control as well.
I really do think its time for the NHL to consider doing what european soccer and the CHL do and just let each team handle their own kits. Like yes in the short term it'll be chaotic but so long as the NHL puts out minimum standards for kits the we'll see way more jerseys of way more diverse design. Plus it'll let them adjust prices better. In the Premiership in England a Liverpool (a big team) jersey can go for like 114 pound. By comparison a smaller team like Burnley often sell their kits for about 40 pound. It would be nice for fans to be able to get some cheaper kits especially for smaller market teams.
Used to be that way in the NHL. I went through the history in this video last year: ua-cam.com/video/izYnTGvRiUw/v-deo.htmlsi=T-luddmqof-otgVm&t=190
I’ve also heard Adidas pitched the idea of handling just a few teams while passing off others to different manufacturers. NHL didn’t go for that and wanted to stick to having just one partner. But you make a fair point when it comes to big market vs small market teams.
@@icethetics definitely. Plus it would let some manufacturers who may not have any experience in the NA market but are getting good at kits like Macron and O'Neills to test the waters. Hell even older more established brands like Umbro may consider it
Loved the video as always. You mentioned in the video that you are planning to do a prediction video for the 2025 outdoor games, which, as a Jackets fan I am very interested in. I idea that I have had for the Jackets since the game was announced is using a "shiny" silver color as the main color, similar to the color that the Kings are using on the sleeves and bottom of their current throwbacks, as the Jackets have used this color on their main jersey since their first season in the league, and I can't imagine a better opportunity to use it than now. In addition, the other two things I have thought of for the jersey are: 1, a C B J word mark as the main logo on the front of the jersey. And: 2, only using two colors on the jersey as has been the case with most home teams in the Stadium Series in recent years, with the two colors being used being the aforementioned "shiny" silver color as the main color with navy blue as the secondary color. Would love to know your opinion on these ideas. Thanks.
Gonna have to buy one more jersey before the change goes through
I do have a Matthews Leafs Adidas jersey that we spent over $200 for in NYC during a family trip. I haven't worn it since the NHL logo came off.
How did the logo fall off? Can you exchange it?
@@fantasticvoyage262 It felt while someone did the laundry. We bought it 2017 and the logo came off 2022.
@@ariccua6101 That's why I don't like rubber logos. They never hold up unless stitched on. When they were embroidered, they never fell off.
Folks didnt seem to have massive complaints about early Nike & fanatics work, and grabbing good creative designers from adidas era is a good start.
I started my jersey collection about a year ago and im about complete. Though, i will keep an eye on this as we have new centennials coming up and if the rangers get something nice, i might pick it up
The only thing I'm looking forward to with Fanatics taking over, is the sale stores will have on Adidas jerseys. Say what you will about the 'authentics' but I love the adidas jerseys. They're slick, that shiny NHL logo is great, and being a woman, I love that they're wider at the hips. They actually fit me well lol. I don't have to size up just to have them fit my hips. I wear a 44/46 comfortable in Adidas.
Can we get newly designed Predators jerseys? The current ones are just okay. Also, a new 3rd jersey would be nice too.
I would bet my collection the Kings are making a change for next year. The camera testing they've been doing, the heavy push of the Chevy logo. It's coming back, with even John Hoven whose sources have helped him correctly predict every Kings sweater going back a decade
The NHL saw how badly fanatics fucked up the MLB jerseys and said “they’ll be great”
imagining time-traveling NHL execs 😅
@@icethetics I should buy a bruins jersey before fanatics butchers my team 😂😂
I have no Adidas jerseys but I have one of those old CCM Maska Air-Knit jerseys and two Fanatics jerseys. The old CCMs are a lot thinner than some would expect (About the same as Fanatics) and the stripes of the Oilers jerseys aren't sewed on on the retail version like they are with Fanatics, on-ice CCM, or Adidas. That being said, the front logo is a lot better on the CCMs than the Fanatics. I think the front logo is where a lot of the shade to Fanatics comes in on.
I have collected CCM's for 30 years, and their quality of replica jerseys declined in different ways. From the early 80's, the material on the replicas was a smooth, thin cheap version on the Ultra-knit which is the much thicker pro version. CCM went to air-knit, which was lighter and more breathable. The replica material at first was the same as the pro material as far as I can tell comparing several replica and authentic CCM's from the early 90's. Then the replica air-knit became lighter and not as heavy and then softer, smoother and even lighter.
I love the material that they use on their AHL jerseys now, as it is a slightly lighter material that is identical to the made in Canada Adidas NHL jerseys now. But any shoulder patches on these are very thin and felt-like which are sublimated or printed.
Let’s give it a chance and see… everyone grumbled at Reeboks takeover and they had some bangers
memories of 17 years ago... 😅
@@icetheticsmy god it was *that long ago?!
Yes the Reeboks were realised in 2007@@drak347
I hate to say it, but you don't have to care about the reputation of your brand if you've got a monopoly on sports apparel/uniforms. No other brand stepped up to produce these uniforms, we can't assume someone would be willing to take over even if the Fanatics product is crap.
Will never happen but I wish they would bring back Air Knit. Love that jersey fabric beyond all others.
I really can’t comprehend that. I have Air Knit jerseys and they just feel terrible to wear. I love the advancements made in fabrics over the last couple of decades. But to each his own.
All NHL game jerseys are made in the same place in Quebec no matter what branding they put on them, so quality should stay the same
Just realized you mention it in the video🤦🏽♂️
Seem good to play in. Nice and thin md breathable. But for collectors who don’t play I can see the complaints
I hate the Bruins (always will), but admittedly, I really like the look of the centennial home and away kit... so clean and distinct. Alas, going back to the "usual" jerseys next season will only bring me back down to the usual level of hatred. ;P
I have low hopes for Fanatics and hope I'm wrong. I think we're at the end of a golden age of hockey jerseys.
The player jerseys will be fine, and so will future designs. The problem is what they sell to us plebs.
Breakaway jerseys are of terrible quality for what they charge (they should be $60 at most), and my guess is that the Adidas-level retail jerseys (what they call "Authentic") will be retired.
The only question I have is whether they sell us the on-ice stuff easily and for how much.
This one here is the biggest worry and I'm not happy about it
That’s the big question for me too... and I have a hunch we’ll be getting good news on that front. Stay tuned!
The MLB issues aren’t only Nike’s fault. Why would they only phone it in for that league and not NFL or NBA or the many other teams they out it lol? I haven’t heard any complaints about Nike’s new college baseball uniforms. I even bought one of their new jerseys. They’re the same quality as last year and the year before. A big issue with MLB is probably having a company manufacturing them that apparently doesn’t have any quality control
Me at the beginning of the video: "Whatcha got for me Chris!? Whatcha got!"
Chris: I have insider information...
Me: OHHHH DANGGGG
As always, a great video! 🙌🏻
What about the Capitals third jersey? The blue W is confirmed to go away and next year is the 50th anniversary so I presume something is coming. Any rumblings?
I'm thinking that I'm just going to buy shirsey t-shirts for a while.
I only own 3 jerseys from the Fanatics era introduced in 2017. All of them have been fine for me. My other jerseys are from the Reebok era and maybe two from CCM
2 CCM, two Reebok Edge (pre-2011) , 5 Reebok from 2011-2017, and 3 Fanatics. I do not own any made by Adidas
It would be ironic if Fanatics releases jerseys league wide for the 2026-27 season, at least for me, because that season will mark 20 years as a hockey fan for me.
Used to sell Fanatics clothing at my sports store. Aside from their hats everything fell apart. We would get back at least one or two a week😢
Based on how baseball has gone, I am really concerned that the quality will drop significantly
Based on how baseball has gone is exactly why you should be optimistic about the next NHL redesign. Fanatics got a front row seat to Nike’s disaster and have every reason to dig in now.
I don’t care what you say, the Adidas era is in the top 3 greatest jersey “sponsors” in NHL history. You can’t beat it Adidas unless it’s the 90s jerseys and the 2000s jerseys. I’m still going to buy Adidas’s version
💯 Same! I’ve always loved the Adizero jerseys more than anything else that’s been used in the NHL... including the old CCM days. The design and quality have just been head and shoulders above anything else.
Cool. They look exactly the same.
I love your videos Chris and this one is no exception! But one minor thing, could you consider when you use footage from a previous video under your narration, muting the old video if it's mostly just talking? That section around 10:00 or so *really* messed with my misophonia.
Totally get it. Definitely something I’ll keep in mind for future videos. Apologies for the trouble.
@@icethetics no worries at all! Thanks for taking that onboard and keep up the awesome work!
The hockey guy mentioned it. Fanatics will go top quality for their first couple of years, once they have us hooked they will go back to their low quality jerseys.
It’s not a drug, it’s sports merch. Nobody is getting “hooked.” If the quality goes down in the future, people will stop buying and the cycle will start again. It’s not in Fanatics’ best interest to create low quality jerseys. That might make them a little money in the short term but it does a lot more damage in the long term. They’ll figure that out if they don’t know it already.
Cor even just talking like this about anything other than top-notch 1st rate jerseys is scary!! For an organisation the size & budget of the NHL to even be having a debate on clothing standards is so a$$ wipe poor it does make me question what kind of knuckle-draggers run it!!
@@icethetics I’d say people who collect are definitely “hooked” so you’re wrong there pal
pal 😅
I haven't purchased any fangear, especially hats, for over a year. Either I have enough or they are too expensive. Some logos are so small I don't know how they justify the price.
I’m confused. I thought Fanatics jerseys will drop next season
Well, like I said in the video, Fanatics-branded jerseys will be in use next season. They‘re assuming existing factory processes from Adidas. But building a new template of their own would take 18-24 months of work... which would’ve only started last year at the earliest.
Great video! Could’ve been better with a hardware accelerated VBR 1 Pass export though
😅 faster export < better quality
Great success with Baseball ! OMG
With MLB, Fanatics pinned the blame on Nike because “oh they told us how to make it with certain materials”. With this, they won’t have a scapegoat if the jerseys suck.
Funny considering how often Fanatics is getting blamed for the MLB issues, to me it's actually been something of a relief that it didn't go the way we mostly had assumed and ended up with Nike taking the deal. The extraordinarily overpriced authentic, the second middle level replica, off loading the production anyway. No matter how it goes with Fanatics, starting to feel like we dodged a huge Nike shaped bullet here.
Such a good point.
I don’t like how the word Fanatics in that box is right on the front of the jersey, like for Adidas they have it on the back of the neck can’t they just put a F on the back of the neck. I’m not expecting much from Fanatics anyways.
Still relatively concerned about the Fanatics quality because I have a Canucks road jersey and the logo isn't great. Post To Post Production has got a New Jersey Devils home Fanatics jersey with a crease in the logo (the jersey was sent in by a fan)
Right. I mentioned this in the pinned comment, but those Breakaway replica jerseys were always going to be lower quality. Fanatics was contractually obligated to make a jersey that was cheaper to buy and therefore cheaper to make. Once they get into making the authentics this year, I think you’ll see quality that’s closer to if not the same as what Adidas was making.
So excited for this see-through jersey era the NHL is entering into. 😂
It’s a good thing we didn’t get Nike, eh? 😅
NHL needs to go back the the orange/black shield. It was unique
Hopefully the fanatics era lasts 1 season and then they give it to an actual sports brand. Nike, CCM, shoot I wouldn’t complain about Reebok again. Can’t believe the NHL actually let the boot leg company represent their jerseys.
Gonna make sure to get the adidas jersey's I've wanted before they're out of stock
Really hope the Fanatics jerseys dont have the size tag on the front, really spoils the jersey and yep I dont want people to know what size I wear either!! I used to remove them from my Reebok jerseys. And yep, here's hoping that Fanatics know how to solve the Adidas sizing inconsistency, if I buy a size 60 I do not want to receive a 52 that says its a 60!!
Fanatics doesn’t care about damaging their brand. They own a monopoly in sports, any press is good press for them.
oof, none of that is true 😅
Can’t wait for the jerseys to fall apart mid game. That would be especially funny in a playoff series.
That is one of the reasons why I never wanted any Adidas practice jerseys. The heat pressed logos always sucked. If they are embroidered, I might be willing to get one.
Good or bad i can't wait to see the Fanatics take on the Jerseys in 2026/ 2027 they only other thing is when the Adidas logo comes off for the Fanatics logo
Bruins really should keep their centennial jerseys they’re absolutely beautiful
Would love to see that.
Cant wait for my MacKKinno jersey!
I hope that the quality of the jerseys will go up, just got a wild jersey, and the numbers are already falling off
I’m curious to see the difference between game and retail jerseys... though I’m with you in hoping they up their game significantly on the retail side.
Hmmm I have a feeling that fanatics is fully aware of the issue that fans are trying to bring to the table so they want to maybe surprise us when they reveal their jerseys
So if they launch the new design in 26/27, what do teams wear for the next 2 seasons? Adidas templates with an F on the back and no dimples?
Yeah they’ll continue to make the jerseys Adidas originally designed with the NHL. And the Fanatics brand will be featured. I don’t know yet if the textured shoulders will change. No reason they would have to, but we’ll see.
Thank god I kept my old CCM/KOHO, Reebok, Pro Player or even Starter sigh...
No more scott towel shoulders would be the biggest W
This is funny to me because I’ve seen as many people saying the dimpled shoulders are a sign of high quality from Adidas as saying this. I guess the point is no matter what you do, there will always be people who love and people who don’t. 🤷🏻♂️
@@icethetics definitely, shoulders and collars are my only beef with the adidas jerseys
i cant click fast enough whenever i see a new icethetics videos!
Anything can be good. But still feels like Sony is taking over the marvel movies
Haha, now there’s an analogy! Time will tell.
I know everyone hates Fanatics and I get it. But I’m a big guy and the Adidas jerseys don’t fit me at all. I wear a 4xl Fanatics jersey and I can comfortably wear it with a hoodie or t-shirt underneath. I get a blank jersey and get it customized.
It’s ok guys, we’ll all get through these dark times together
I wonder if the leafs bieber jerseys will stick around, interesting to see if drew only wanted to collaborate with adidas
Considering what they've done to Mitchell & Ness, I don't have hope that these will be any good
Looking forward to buy a Kchuk 91 jersey!
Don’t the teams design their jerseys? The manufacturer should,d just be following templates soooo how could they be bad other than the material used and maybe the neckline? I’m only mildly worried.
Yeah, the teams do lead the design of their jerseys... within the parameters of what the jersey maker can do. And what they’re pushing in terms of styles. It’s why we saw all that vertical piping at the start of Reebok Edge.
I’m kinda disappointed that the practice jerseys won’t have the rubber logo in the centre, I currently use some of the adizero practice jerseys for my own teams practice sessions and prefer not having the bulky stiff logo catching on my gear
You might be in luck. My understanding is the embroidered crest will only apply to practice jerseys issued to NHL players.
I’m going to miss adidas because they were some of the best jerseys we’ve had in my opinion.
Have to agree with that.
I’ll be honest, I love my jerseys from fanatics, are they great, no, but they are cheap and that is good enough for me. I haven’t had bad experiences with them yet. I love my team but authentic are too expensive to buy, though I would love to get one.