The Anaheim Ducks and Los Angeles Kings are headed back to the future with their latest rebrands putting a modern spin on past favorites. Jason Chen grades each result.
The Anaheim Ducks and Los Angeles Kings are headed back to the future with their latest rebrands putting a modern spin on past favorites. Jason Chen grades each result.
What’s old is new again, and as a ‘90s kid, I couldn’t be happier.
The NHL will look slightly different next season with Fanatics becoming the official supplier of on-ice jerseys, taking over for Adidas. They are manufactured by Quebec-based SP Apparel, which was provided the league's on-ice uniforms for almost 50 years.
The Los Angeles Kings and the Anaheim Ducks, however, are using the opportunity to introduce a new (old?) look.
As a jersey collector and big fan of on-ice aesthetics – seriously, no league looks better than the NHL – we shall have to see how they really look on ice to get the full experience, but let’s dive in.
Los Angeles Kings
Moving away from purple and re-introducing the silver and black Gretzky-era colors in 2008, the Kings have gone back to the ‘Chevy’ logo with slight alterations for a more modernized look.
The vertical lines of the ‘Chevy’ logo shape are a little straighter. The ‘KINGS’ wordmark is bolder and still comes complete with the speed lines, which are also featured on the Los Angeles Lakers logo. The crown at the bottom is a recolored version of their original crown logo from the Marcel Dionne years.
The stripes on the jersey will also match the ones from the Gretzky Era, with the numbers placed above the arm stripes rather than directly on it. Thank goodness, because my poor eyes could never see the silver numbers on the white arm stripes, even with the help of newer TV’s. Fun fact: when the original ‘Chevy’ logo jerseys were introduced, the white jerseys had silver names and numbers – it was so hard to see the Kings switched to black names and numbers after a few seasons.
It’s the perfect mash-up between the new and old, even though it is a little bittersweet that the Kings are retiring their ‘LA’ banner logo that had become synonymous with their Cup wins in the previous decade.
What I won’t miss is the version with the chrome ‘Chevy’ logo they used last season. It was a cool idea when they first introduced them in the Stadium Series, but I prefer the matte version for their regular season sets. That said, I certainly hope they bring back the chrome domes. (The Kings will wear black matte helmets at home). Those were absolutely beautiful and different – I will not stand for their slander – especially when they played against the Golden Knights and their chrome gold helmets.
My last wish? That the Kings bring back the purple and gold throwbacks as their alternate.
Grade: A
Anaheim Ducks
The one thing that always bugged me about the Ducks’ identity was that it never incorporated their Orange County roots. Not only was using orange the obvious color choice, but it stood in a stark contrast to their rival Kings’ black and silver (and sometimes purple), and the Sharks’ black and turquoise.
Don’t get me wrong, the old eggplant and jade colors were iconic. Not only were they different and very reminiscent of the ‘90s when primary colors were eschewed, but some of the Ducks’ most storied moments came donning the old Disney logo.
Who could forget Paul Kariya’s iconic “off the floor, on the board” goal against the Devils after taking a late hit from Scott Stevens that knocked him out? His mesmerizing two-man game with Teemu Selanne? (Sorry, Steve Rucchin). Or their thrilling shootout win against Iceland with Julie ‘The Cat’ Gaffney’s brilliant glove save? (Kidding).
[embed]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r5QEVPWfxcY[/embed]
Well, that’s changing. After introducing a wonderful orange version of the Disney logo in 2015 with Reebok jerseys, the Ducks inexplicably left them in the basement before bringing them back with the Adidas jerseys, but they retired them again last season in favor of a 30th anniversary jersey featuring eggplant and jade.
Going into the 2024-25 season, the Ducks are going full orange, including an “Orange Country” marketing tagline. (Seriously, their new look even comes with orange pants).
The shade of orange is rich and vibrant, with some black and gold accents. They’ve updated and modernized their Disney logo with a meaner look, starting with an orange eye in the duck mask, sharper lines on the now-orange hockey sticks and a gold triangle in the background. Interestingly, the logo will be the same for the home and road jersey, which wasn’t the case for the original eggplant and jades.
I could’ve easily settled for an orange, color-swapped version of their 2022-23 Reverse Retro 2.0 jersey, and I’ll miss the iconic diagonal waist stripes. The stripes on the arm are still diagonal despite going in an inverse direction from the original. The road jersey will feature shoulder yokes, a holdover from their previous look, but this time in orange. This is all good.
They’ve also updated their numbers and font. The numbers deserve a closer look; they now feature some gold trim around the edges for a 3D embossed look and a black drop shadow to make it pop.
Moving away from black was a smart choice. At one point, nearly half the league had black jerseys – something about them looking more intimidating or something – but with marketing and branding getting more creative, wearing a color was a much bolder look.
Grade: A+
What do you think of the rebrands? Let us know in the comments or at our forum by clicking here.
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