Devils unveil first ever alternate, black jersey with an historic 'Jersey' theme

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The calls from New Jersey Devils fans for their favorite team to have a black jersey have been answered — albeit quite literally.

The reveal of a black alternate jersey, a first for the Devils, was officially revealed Tuesday morning despite leaks on social media over the weekend. The jerseys were designed by Adidas, who also tweaked the classic Devils jersey with the 2017 redesign.

An important person in Devils history was involved in the design process of these jerseys. Martin Brodeur, considered one of the greatest goaltenders in NHL history and holder of numerous Devils and league records, was hands-on with his involvement of designing the alternate jerseys, according to the team.

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"The sweater is a bold step forward for the Devils brand, aligning with the momentum of a team primed to pivot to a future window of success," the team said in a statement.

New Jersey Devils unveil the organization’s first-ever third jersey on Nov. 23, 2021. The black jersey with red-shadowed design highlights the state’s professional hockey heritage.
New Jersey Devils unveil the organization’s first-ever third jersey on Nov. 23, 2021. The black jersey with red-shadowed design highlights the state’s professional hockey heritage.

Not only is the jersey the first black jersey to be worn during regular-season games, it will be the first jersey in the four-decade history of the New Jersey Devils that the team's main logo will not be featured on the front.

Instead, the word "Jersey" in a white cursive font adorns the front of the jersey with the only color of red visible on the jersey coming on a background shadow of those six letters. The majority of the jersey is black, with white stripes shown on various parts of the jersey.

Five stripes — three smaller stripes sandwiched between two larger stripes — surround both sleeves near the elbow area. The stripes represent the five players with jerseys retired by the team: Brodeur, Ken Daneyko, Scott Stevens, Patrik Elias and Scott Niedermayer. These five stripes also pay tribute to the Newark Bulldogs, the first hockey team to call New Jersey home.

New Jersey Devils unveil the organization’s first-ever third jersey on Nov. 23, 2021. The black jersey with red-shadowed design highlights the state’s professional hockey heritage.
New Jersey Devils unveil the organization’s first-ever third jersey on Nov. 23, 2021. The black jersey with red-shadowed design highlights the state’s professional hockey heritage.

The Bulldogs were a minor league hockey team that played only one season in the Canadian American Hockey League back in 1928-29. Inspiration from the Bulldogs was also taken on by Adidas in the 2017 redesign of the Devils' primary jerseys. The stripes are also callbacks to two defunct Eastern Hockey League teams: the River Vale Skeeters, who played in the league from 1939-42, as well as the Cherry Hill-based Jersey Larks, who existed in 1960 and 1961.

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The jerseys also feature what Adidas refers to as a Championship Collar on the inside, where the numbers "95 00 03" are seen on a red interior collar. Similar to the current Devils jerseys, these numbers recognize the three different years in which the team won its three Stanley Cup championships. Numbers on this version of a Devils jersey are featured in silver, the same color as the Cup itself.

New Jersey Devils unveil the organization’s first-ever third jersey on Nov. 23, 2021. The black jersey with red-shadowed design highlights the state’s professional hockey heritage.
New Jersey Devils unveil the organization’s first-ever third jersey on Nov. 23, 2021. The black jersey with red-shadowed design highlights the state’s professional hockey heritage.

On the mostly-black jersey, there will be one feature that brings in more white and has not been seen on another Devils jersey previously – laces. The laces have a slight checkering to them that resemble netting on a goalie net as a nod to Brodeur. Traditionally seen on jerseys when they were more commonly known as sweaters, this style has not been commonly used in the NHL, usually being seen only on throwback uniforms and traditional looks for the league's oldest franchises.

The design by Adidas was inadvertently leaked to the public over the weekend and has received attention both positively and negatively from fans on social media. Some fans received the jersey in the mail already in error, allowing them to see the entire jersey on display before Tuesday's official announcement.

The jerseys will be worn 13 times, a move the team says is a nod to the jersey number of current Devils captain Nico Hischier. The jersey will debut on Dec. 8 against the Philadelphia Flyers, with the remaining 12 dates to be released later this week.

Email: aitken@northjersey.com

Twitter: @robertaitkenjr

This article originally appeared on NorthJersey.com: New Jersey Devils alternate jersey: Black, third uniform unveiled