When the hockey team is no good, people often get restless and start to nitpick things most of us don't even think about. In recent years, while the Blue Jackets have left us...ahem...underwhelmed, that has occasionally meant speculation about a full rebrand. Maybe it is time.
The Jackets have been in the NHL for more than a quarter century, and in that time, we have really only known two uniforms. Whether it's the original logo that some of us call "the Christmas tree", or the new-fangled logo with the Ohio flag adorning a single central star; things have not changed much.
They didn't begin with anything special. If I'm speaking bluntly here: in my opinion, the original uniform was terrible. I was never a fan of the original getup. It looked too nostalgic for an NHL expansion team. The stripes were wrong, the stuck-up bee on the shoulders was awful, and really it just never worked.
In 2007, the team ushered in a new era with the logo they still use today. Of course, the uniform has changed quite a bit over time, and I honestly think it's in a pretty good place. The Ohio flag works, swirling out a capital "C" around a lone star.
But, it's still not perfect. It doesn't really give this team an identity outside of being the capital city of Ohio. Which is a problem in itself.
The Blue Jackets should represent all of Ohio and its Civil War heritage.
Stating the obvious here: there are no other NHL teams in Ohio. Why do the Blue Jackets not try to expand their market and incorporate the entire state and its Civil War history into their uniform?
I'm not calling for them to be renamed the "Ohio Blue Jackets" or anything like that. However, lets not forget where this team came up with their name, and what it means. The state of Ohio played a huge part in United States history, but the only people who know that are people who follow the team or at least have some relation to hockey. In short: they have asked the question.
I've lived outside of Columbus for more than 20 years, and anytime someone sees me wearing a CBJ hat or t-shirt, I'm always asked the same thing: what is a Blue Jacket? So, I ask myself: why doesn't the team's uniform tell them for us?
I'm not a graphics design person, but it doesn't seem like that tall of a task to further dive into the Civil War theme. The team's third jerseys do touch on it, but they only wear them a handful of times each season. And honestly, they don't really do it justice. They look like rehashed versions of other teams' uniforms (did anyone watch the Penguins in the mid-2000s?).
They came close with the Stadium Series.
I don't like them as a full-time uniform, but in my humblest opinion, this is the best the Blue Jackets have ever looked:
It's honestly a sham that they haven't worn these uniforms a single time since that night. They were really something to behold.
It's also proof that it may be time for a full uniform redesign. These beauties were very popular, and they really are just simple and to the point. Which should have been the point all along.
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