Edmonton Oilers Uniform

We, the dedicated supporters of the Edmonton Oilers, hereby decree the new uniforms designed by the Oilers organization for the 07-08 season to be an unacceptable deviation from the rich heritage and tradition held by the club. We feel a return to the Oilers tradition, be it in the form of the vintage blue and orange design or the recently abandoned copper and midnight blue design, would be appropriate. Many jersey concepts exist on the Internet and we feel the Edmonton Oilers organization needs to regain its touch with its supporters and listen to our ideas.

The stripes located on both the sleeves and the lower body region of both the home and away jerseys are at the very core of the Oilers famous look. Those stripes, apart from slight colour changes (i.e. orange to copper) have remained the same since the Oilers conception in the WHA. Certain things, no matter how small they appear to be should never be changed. That statement can also be applied to the shoulder area of the jersey. The 'rigger' logo is loved by many of us and we feel it or a return to the shoulder bars (yokes) more specifically is an essential move. It must also be mentioned that a high percentage of supporters feel a return to the colour orange and the abandonment of both the copper and especially red colours to be the most appropriate route for the organization to take. The current 'midnight blue' colour however, although it is a bit too dark is proving to be a popular change made by the organization. May we suggest that the classic orange accompany a somewhat lightened midnight blue on a new jersey? Lace-up collars are also a very attractive part of certain jersey designs. The third jersey released in 2001 showed great foresight with its lace-up collar, this although seemingly small, is a reason why it attained the title of best-selling third jersey in NHL History. Many supporters look on in envy at other hockey clubs that use this type of collar system, it would be wise to consider it for future Oilers jerseys. One final note that must be made is that it is very important that the home and away jerseys match each other. They dont nessessarily have to be mirror images of one another but they must at least be very similar in design.

The pants are a realm all their own and must be treated with an equal respect as the jerseys receive. Stripes, identical to those worn on the pants of the Oilers until the jersey change of 96 are needed, it quite frankly is as simple as that. The socks are also an integral part of the uniform and just like the aforementioned jersey stripes the socks stripes should be returned to that of the old designs and should fall directly in line with the stripes on the jerseys.

Finally we come to the logo, the heart and soul of the Edmonton Oilers Hockey Club. We as supporters feel the addition of the red ring around the logo in 1996 was a very smart move by the club. It gave the logo that little something extra and it really made it stand out. Again however it must be mentioned that the colour red should not be in attendance on the logo as with the rest of the uniform. Although it has been part of the organization for the past eleven years, it is not a traditional Oiler colour. Its addition has confused many supports over the years especially those who consider blue and orange to be the only acceptable colours for the Edmonton Oilers to use. May we suggest the addition of copper or orange, depending on what colours scheme is chosen, in its place? This also applies to the red of the rigger logo should that be used.

The new uniforms are simply unacceptable; there is no better way to describe it. Something needs to be done and the Edmonton Oilers Hockey Club needs to return to its rich tradition and classic uniforms it is so famous for. We, the supporters of this glorious club are willing to work together with the Oilers organization to right the errors that have been made. We have faith in the Edmonton Oilers and we have faith something can be done to make our future bright again.