The big night, part 3

Okay! Now that I've finished attending Nats games, I can get down to the business of dicussing Friday night's unveiling. (Flickr set here)

It was a great event, very well-attended. Everyone was excited and anxious, like Michael Jackson at an Aaron Carter concert. The uniforms didn't disappoint: they looked much better in person, especially the white jersey. The blue pants were a nice shade as well. I've heard a lot of Team USA comparisons to the new uni, but the Caps ARE the hockey team of our nation's capital, so why shouldn't it be that way?

After the big reveal, Ted and several players talked about the new style. Clymer felt the old uniforms were "out of touch" and the new ones will be lighter in a game. Schultz didn't think that the new uniforms would necessarily improve play as much, but he did like how the red is more prominent. Compared to other uniforms in the league, he said that not many other teams have red/white/blue, so the red will stand out on the ice better.

Ted talked for a while about how the red/white/blue was "so D.C." He discussed how he always really liked the red, white, and blue, and especially likes the new look and feel. Ted then mentioned that they had to redesign over 1,000 pieces with the new logo. That includes everything from business cards, notepads, and envelopes, to parking passes, equipment bags, and nameplates. That's one expensive proposition!

Ted also discussed that while the players really liked the black uniforms, there were numerous fan complaints about being unable to read the names and numbers on the ice. (I know I could never see the back of the jerseys that well from section 413.) The new uniform design is all about speed and practicality; according to Ted, they're supposed to be 8-10% faster.

He talked about how it was great to have Mike Gartner back. Ted had reached out to Gartner on a number of occasions, because he wanted Gartner back in the fold. Glad to see it all worked out; the fans went CRAZY when Gartner walked on stage during the unveiling. (Ovechkin jersey photo courtesy of the Washington Capitals.)

On a Nanking note, Ted is heading to China this week for the premiere (the president of China will reportedly attend). While China will be showing it nationwide this summer, we won't get to see it until December. (The documentary is scheduled for Academy Award consideration in August, however.)

The most entertaining subplot of the evening came courtesy of three fans who had the new logo tattooed on various body parts while the crowd watched. (Steinberg has a full write-up.) Jim, the ringleader who convinced his buddies to also get it done, was pretty nonchalant about the experience. "As long as we don't put Penguins on there, we'll be OK." I inquired about how he was able to get the other guys to participate (especially the one who got it on his neck!). He replied, "Our team name is the Beer Chuggers; it wasn't hard." I asked what he thought of the new logo: "I think it's gonna do real well. It's definitely not the Gorton's fisherman." Wise words indeed.