The Heritage (not so) Classic
February 15, 2011 | Posted by Craig LePan
I don't like the Flames Heritage Classic jerseys. There I said it.
I'm a Flames fan and I have been since my first game in 1981 at the Corral (I was 8)*. So I feel close enough to this team to be critical. My favorite team has frustrated me through the years with a blatant disrespect of their own brand. The addition of black, the sideways stripe of the mid-ninety's and the embarrassing flaming horse head in 2000 were hard enough to recover from.
Most of us see the shortsighted changes throughout the years for what they are - attempts at selling more merchandise (suckers)** - but not everyone realizes the effects of knee jerk changes to the brand. Third jerseys and Heritage Classic jerseys are blank cheques for the NHL to write, but they're not the problem. Lack of consistency is the problem.
What should the Flames have done for jerseys for the Heritage Classic? Thought you'd never ask -
The Calgary Flames owe their name and their original colors to the failed franchise in Atlanta. Wearing the Atlanta Flames jersey for the Classic would have been a classy tip of the hat to the teams' true origins without deviating from the brand. If using the Atlanta jersey was not an option, the next choice should have been the team's original jersey of 1980. The original Calgary Flames jerseys are our classiest and they hold the bulk of the franchise history. A throwback to the Stanley Cup finals vs the Canadiens '86 and '89.
Speaking of the Canadiens, it's not surprising that their jerseys didn't require a single change for the Heritage Classic. As a result, they bring over 100 years of history with them to the game in their current jersey. When you think of classic Jersey's there is a reason the original six immediately come to mind, they've respected their brand for many many years.
My issue with the (Calgary Tigers) Reebok designed, Ronald McDonald jersey is that we contribute nothing to the Calgary Flames brand, we only fragment it with slightly altered colors and a look that has nothing to do with the Flames. I understand the reference to the Tigers, based in Calgary from 1920 -27, but it is a hockey reference, not a Calgary Flames reference.
As a hockey fan I'll be cheering for my Calgary Flames on February 20th. As a Creative Director I'll be cheering for the red, white and blue.
* Yes I'm old enough to remember when the C of Red consisted of a red t-shirt from the closet and playoffs called for Red Sweatpants.
**There are very few left, but every once and a while you'll see a black flaming horse head jersey with 'Turek' on the back.
