Red Wings Winter Classic Jersey Concept #5

Things are mostly quiet in the Red Wings’  world so shall we take a look at another possible jersey for the 2013 Winter Classic?

After four ideas that stuck to the current rule of the home team wearing a dark jersey, I’m getting away from that on this one and going with a design based on the white jersey created in 1934 to wear against the Montreal Canadiens, who also wore red.

Why I started with the 1934 sweater as a basis:
As I mentioned when I published my concept based on the 1932 red jerseys, I’ve seen a lot of feedback calling for the old-school Winged Wheel to be featured on the Wings’ Winter Classic jerseys.  This keeps that in mind while also going in a slightly different direction.

To me, the pre-1961 jerseys just scream “old time hockey.”  It’s probably because they’re recognizable as being a precursor of the current sweaters while still being relatively different, as the current red sleeves weren’t in use yet.

Why I made the changes I made:
Again, as with the 1932-based concept, I’ve added modern elements such as sleeve numbers and a nameplate.

I avoided the trend of using “vintage white” because I personally think that looks awful on a white-based jersey.  I don’t see the Wings escaping all of the current vintage trends, though, which is why I went with the opposite-colored nameplate.

Other design decisions:
As with my previous designs, I would expect this design to include a lace-up collar, I just don’t have a template that can show it.

I placed the captain’s C in a rounded diamond with a white background because that was the modernization that the Red Wings used in 1991-92.  No, I don’t have any official word on Henrik Zetterberg being given the C, I just don’t see it going to anyone else.

Why I don’t think this will be worn:
Unlike my other ideas, I really don’t think this one is likely to be worn.  As I said off the top, I had to go against the current  dark-at-home rule and, while Buffalo did wear white in the initial Winter Classic, I don’t see the Red Wings doing the same.

Disclaimer:
I have no advance knowledge of what the Red Wings or the Maple Leafs will wear on New Year’s Day, this is just a concept of something Detroit could wear. I know my template isn’t perfect. I’m admittedly too lazy to fix it. I know the Reebok vector would be replaced by their wordmark, for example.

Previous Designs:
For the record, here are the links to my previous Winter Classic concepts…
Concept #1 (February)
Concept #2 (May)
Concept #3 (June 4)
Concept #4 (June 25)