![]() ![]() I suppose you’d call the primary colour blue, but does this jersey even have a primary colour? Instead of tail striping, there are dark waves, mimicking an angry sea. Where to begin…īasically, the Lightning took everything anyone knew about hockey jerseys, threw it out the window and came up with one of the most bizarre uniforms in NHL history. Interestingly, it appears to be the same font – or, at least, one very similar – to that used in the “Tampa Bay” wordmark above the primary crest.īut then there are the alternate kits. The numbering looks a bit staticky – even like a frayed wire, a very clever (and legible) representation of electricity, if indeed that was the intent. A simple, plain font makes the nameplates much more legible and, though the numbers are still a little crazy, the 2D design and use of white numbers on the black jerseys helps readability immensely. ![]() Starting with the home and away jerseys, the new fonts are a significant improvement on the original one, which belonged in a science fiction movie from the 1980s. Greenstein, The unofficial NHL Uniform Database) The Bolts were nothing if not aesthetically interesting during their formative years. The one for the names is fairly unexceptional – though the names did become arched, but the font used for the numbers (and the captaincy letters) seems to be much the same as that used for the wordmark adorning the top of the primary logo.Īdditionally, one year later, in 1996-97, the Bolts debuted their very first third jersey. ![]() Three seasons in, the Lightning decided to change their ridiculous font, replacing it with conventional, two-dimensional typefaces. It totally disrupts the otherwise traditional flow of the uniform pattern, yes, but come on, how cool is that?! What an absolutely magnificent piece of design. However, the Lightning did away with convention and slapped an angry-looking bolt on each side. I’ve always felt the pants an underutilised canvas, with teams generally sticking to simple striping or unobtrusive logos. Even if that was the intent, the stripes are still spending 99 percent of their time unseen, squashed and overheated in some dude’s sweaty pits.īut perhaps the craziest part of these kits is the lightning bolt down the side of the pants. I mean, why would you want something associated with winning stuck underneath your armpits? The only reason I can think of is that they’d show up when a player raises his arms to celebrate a goal or win. Known as “victory stripes,” there are six in total (two sets of three), with two each of blue, silver, and either black or white (whatever contrasts with the jersey background). One interesting feature is the collection of tiny stripes underneath the arms on the jerseys. Just when you thought the font couldn’t get any more unhinged, the Bolts told themselves to hold their beer and italicized it the very next season. The aforementioned jersey font isn’t much better, with the 3D effect from Bristol-board class projects, a typeface straight out of Blade Runner, and the fact the Lightning chose silver, rather than the more legible white, for the character bodies on their dark jerseys. The secondary crest is similar, simply removing the wording and sliding a blue image of the state of Florida underneath the lightning bolt.īoth of these busy logos have no semblance of artistic sense to them and are better suited to the boot screen of a ‘90s computer game. In an era when bold designs and vibrant colours reigned, Tampa Bay’s dull, unimaginative duds wouldn’t truly look at home until about 10 years later, when nearly every NHL team rolled out a jersey paying homage to darkness, like some sort of weird, poorly attended cult.Īnd yet, there were some wacky, wild and thoroughly wonderful features in these original kits.Īs for the logos, the primary crest is a lightning bolt atop a silver circle and surrounded by “Tampa Bay” and “Lightning” wordmarks – in two different fonts, both of which are different from that used for the names and numbers. The Lightning first took the ice in 1992-93 with some mediocre uniforms about a decade ahead of their time. In short, the Lightning have everything an NHL franchise could ever want.Įverything, that is, except a decent set of threads. ![]() Inside the building is no different the atmosphere is absolutely electric. The fans, for their part, are absolutely fantastic, holding some of the best-looking watch parties in the league just outside Amalie Arena. By re-signing star players, making smart trades and finding success at the draft, the Lightning have been able to build one of the best rosters in the NHL. Former general manager Steve Yzerman built a strong foundation which current general manager Julien BriseBois continued to build upon. Explore everything hockey with THW’s Hockeypedia pages. ![]()
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