Report: Ottawa Senators Rebranding to 2D Uniforms for 2020-2021 Season
Back in black?
It has long been speculated that the Ottawa Senators were looking to revamp their current look, but according to multiple reports, the speculation may have some legs.
Speculation over a #Sens rebrand has risen on Twitter in recent weeks.
— Hailey Salvian (@hailey_salvian) July 13, 2020
A source familiar with the plans confirmed to @TheAthleticOTT that the long-rumoured rebranding effort (and return to a 2D logo) is coming.
Details on what it could look like here: https://t.co/QvnitqNAkG
Further to @hailey_salvian's report re: #Sens re-branding
— Kyle Bukauskas (@SNkylebukauskas) July 13, 2020
A source told me the new jerseys will look "almost 100%" like the 2D-era ones
The original plan was to unveil them at the draft this year but then the pandemic hit...they're still determining the new date I'm told
Hailey Salvian of The Athletic first reported that a source within the organization told her that it is a “fact” that the team is rebranding, and the new mock-ups have been submitted to the NHL for approval. While unable to obtain images of the new uniforms, Hailey was able to provide a detailed breakdown of what they’ll look like, barring any last-minute changes:
As rumoured, the rebranded gear will mark a throwback to the ’90s. The mockups showed a two-dimensional logo that is nearly identical to the one used between 1997 and 2007 — pictured above. It’s a slightly less ornate version of the Senators’ original 1992-93 logo and it does not appear to have the team’s name printed inside the circle.
The home jersey mockup is black with two red bands on the arms, encasing the numbers, and a single red stripe around the bottom. The away jersey is white with red bands on the arms and black forearms. It has a red stripe atop a black stripe running around its bottom edge.
There will also be a third jersey. While a red colour scheme would be the logical choice, the source cautioned that final decisions on the third jersey have not yet been made.
According to the mockups, all of the jerseys will be worn with black pants, which were depicted with the Senators’ alternate ‘S’ logo from the 1990s on the right leg.
As displayed above, Sportsnet’s Kyle Bukauskas also chimed in, saying that the new jerseys will look nearly identical to the set worn in the 1990’s. A draft reveal would have been quite the surprise for Sens fans, but the COVID-19 pandemic obviously threw a wrench in those plans.
With a red third jersey also reported to be in the works, it will be interesting to see whether that particular look contains the 2D logo, or the heritage “O”. There has been an appetite among fans for a 2D main set, with an “O” alternate, but time will tell if that comes to fruition.
The Sens haven’t sported a black 2D home jersey since the spring of 1998, whereafter they unveiled what would become the red home set, with a new logo that is affectionately referred to by some Twitter users as the “Senagoth”.
Regardless of when and where the new look is revealed, this would be a huge win for fans of the Ottawa Senators. Complaints about the current three-dimensional uniforms have been lodged for years, with them quickly going stale after their reveal in the summer of 2007.
All indications seem to be that more information on the new uniforms will become available closer to the draft, which is already projecting to be an exciting time for fans of the Ottawa Senators, with the team owning the third and fifth overall selections. It would be great if, whatever the draft looks like, we could see the newest members of the team don the 2D jerseys, but at this point, fans are sure to be thrilled no matter what they look like.
The 2020 NHL Entry Draft is tentatively scheduled for the second week of October.