Calgary Flames fans will have yet another reason to celebrate the drop of the puck for the 2020-21 season, as the team just released three photos of their new ‘reverse retro’ jersey on Thursday. The reverse retro jersey schemes will be fully released on Monday, Nov. 16, and will be available for all 31 teams.
The Flames have already introduced their new home, away, and alternate uniforms for the upcoming campaign, but the NHL and Adidas decided on giving all teams a fourth jersey. So far, the Flames’ teaser shows us that despite being able to see few details, the details that have been shown are immaculate.
Blast-y From the Past
In 1998, the Calgary Flames introduced a jersey and a logo that would forever stand out not only for the franchise, but around the NHL. “Ol Blasty” is the name that fans have collectively given the logo over the years, as it features a horse spewing fire from its nostrils, which was worn as the front crest for one of their jerseys, and a shoulder crest for two others. The jersey displayed a sharp, black backdrop, and also had the newly rebranded red “flaming C” on the shoulders.
This jersey goes down as one that Flames fans either loved or hated. The team would use it from 1998 until the conclusion of the 2005-06 season, which happened to be the Flames’ 25th anniversary in Calgary. Fans who displayed a strong love for “Ol Blasty” were heartbroken when the jersey was retired, but to make matters worse, the Flames retired the logo altogether when the NHL introduced the “Reebok Edge” uniforms in 2007-08.
The Flames’ marketing team deserves a major slow clap for their excellence in the past few months. They listened to the majority of fans, and announced they would be wearing retro jerseys for both home and away games. They also understood that the younger generation of Flames fans grew up on the black “flaming C” logo, so they kept that as their third jersey. The Flames have one more group to please, though.
What Has the Release Shown?
From what we’ve seen based on Thursday’s jersey tease, the jersey will in fact be black. A sigh of relief for some fans who are hoping for the return of the horse logo, as the Flames have not featured a black jersey since the retirement of the “Ol Blasty” design. The shoulder patch displayed also radiates a very nostalgic feel, as it will be a white “flaming C” with a distinctive black trim, followed by a yellow outline on the outside. The white shoulder patches bring in the feel of the Flames’ red “pedestal” jerseys shown below in the middle.
Lastly, the tease revealed the inside details of the jersey’s collar. The neck portion of the jersey pops out with a classy red outline, followed by a yellow backdrop on the inside of the collar. On the yellow backdrop it displays “CGY,” followed by Adidas’ “Reverse Retro” emblem in the middle, which gives off a cool old-school vibe. Last but not least, the Flames dropped a major hint on the left side of that yellow backdrop, by designing a black and bold “98” on it. Keep in mind, 1998 was the year the Flames originally let “Ol Blasty” out of its cage.
The Time Has Come
“Ol Blasty” fans have waited far too long. For this logo to make a comeback in what has been easily the most difficult year on most of humanity would be a dream come true to its supporters. The organization has already given their fans so much to be happy about for the new season.
The logo will forever be burned into my memories, as I still think of Jarome Iginla, Miikka Kiprusoff, and Craig Conroy in those beautiful black threads. It’s time for the next generation of kids in Calgary to see their hockey idols sport a logo that many of the newer generation Flames fans have never seen live in action, and a logo that forever shaped the franchise.