Nashville Predators: A Look Back at the Preds Alternate Jerseys and Will We See One Again?
Will We See Another Alternate in the Future?
The Black and Blue alternates are the last alternate jerseys that the Predators have had. Ever since their retirement, Predators fans have been wanting a new alternate. There’s even an entire Reddit thread about what fans would like the hypothetical alternate jersey to look like. So if the desire is there, why haven’t we seen a new alternate?
I think that the absence of a new alternate jersey can be attributed to the team’s rebrand that started in 2011. Before the 2011-2012 season, the Predators started a rebrand that focused around gold. First were the gold home jerseys. Then the gold helmets on Saturday home games. Eventually, the team moved to wear the gold helmets full-time.
I mention the rebrand because I believe it’s the main reason why we haven’t seen a new alternate jersey for the Predators. The new brand for the team was still a work in progress, and introducing a third jersey might detract from the brand you’re trying to build. I get that.
But now the time is right to introduce an alternate jersey. The Predators have a strong brand identity now. The gold has been in place for seven years, and the Stanley Cup Final run only helped to strengthen that brand on a league-wide scale. Also, the three alternate jerseys that were announced this offseason (Anaheim, Arizona, and Carolina) have all been hits. Imagine how awesome an Adidas/Predators alternate would look?
When Adidas was announced as the new uniform provider for the NHL, I took a stab at creating what I wanted in an alternate Predators jersey. I wanted something similar to the Black and Blues; navy, simple, and classic. Below is the design that I came up with. I even decided to replace the famous piano-key neckline with a silhouette of Nashville’s skyline.
Let’s hear from you all. Do you want a new alternate jersey? If so, what would you want it to look like?