Not so silent E - Clothes really do make the fan
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- Published on Wednesday, September 2, 2015
Photo by Eoin Devereux
By Eoin Devereux
The Neepawa Banner
The Neepawa Natives will be sporting a brand new look on the ice this upcoming hockey season……maybe. During the Manitoba Junior Hockey League team’s annual general meeting earlier this year, club officials confirmed and showcased a new third jersey concept.
The alternate is similar to the throwback worn by the Chicago Blackhawks during the 2009 NHL Winter Classic. It features a block N on the chest with the name Natives written in cursive over it. A secondary roundel mark with a block N, the full team name and the year the club joined the Manitoba Junior Hockey League is featured on the shoulders. Now, while the team didn’t confirm the new look until July, I knew about its’ existence since February, mainly because I’m the guy who actually designed it.
Now you may ask yourself, “Why is a full-time news guy becoming a part time clothing designer?” Well, the short answer is that the Neepawa Natives logo offends me…it offends me as a capitalist. Let me be clear in my argument. First off, I’m not saying one way or another that the logo or name itself is offensive to any specific culture. Many professional teams have dealt with that discussion in recent years and I can’t answer that question because I’m Irish, so I can only really answer on the name and logo of the Fighting Irish of Notre Dame. In that case, that name and logo are not offensive to me, but if they were to ever change it to the Fighting, Drinking, Don’t Tan Well Irish of Notre Dame, then I’ll probably take issue.
But back to the Natives. My contention with the current logo is that the team can’t make any substantial money off of it. There have been quite a few times when I’ve seen Chicago Blackhawks hats, t-shirts and jerseys at home games as a substitute for the Natives logo. For an MJHL franchise looking for new revenue streams, that’s not very good. My second thought was that as a Winnipeg Jets fan (and a recovering Boston Bruins fan…Don’t judge me. I was young and impetuous), I can’t bring myself to wear something that looks so much like a Hawks jersey. That’s a non-starter in my book.
So then, how do you solve a problem like Chicago? My initial suggestion to the Neepawa Natives board of directors was to change the team name to the Neepawa Fighting Neepawanians of Neepawa. The new logo could be a caricature of a well known local resident. Who wouldn’t purchase a sweater with Margaret Laurence aggressively bitting though a hockey stick? I’d buy that for a dollar. Suffice it to say, that idea was not well received from the board. Something about the name being too hard to cheer during a game and the logo being “One of the worst things ever... and not just for hockey.” Oh well, on to plan B then, a new third jersey.
I designed the primary and secondary logos, with some assistance from Joel Whiteside of Source for Sports in Brandon, who finalized the concepts. So far, it has been very well received from everyone who has seen them. Most importantly, it’s not a replacement to the current logo, it’s simply creating a new alternative option.
Some jackets and t-shirts are currently being stitched by Annette Waldner of Promo Time and they look amazing. They’ll be for order at the Neepawa Natives training camp. I’ve already placed my order….No special discounts for the creator of the design, but hey I’ll pay full price. It’s only fair, since I watch the team’s games for free (Thanks media credentials!)
Eventually, the players themselves will be wearing the new colours…..I hope. You see, while the league itself aids with the purchase of the primary home and away jerseys, it’s the team’s responsibility to purchase its own third jerseys or specialty sweaters. There are two clubs per season that receive a little bit extra from the MJHL to buy a third jersey. Unfortunately, Neepawa along with Swan Valley were picked last year, so they’ll have to wait another four or five years before they’re back at the top of the rotation. So if anyone has a couple extra thousand dollars to be the official jersey sponsor, go ahead and give the team a call. I am fearful of a game where the new colours are blanketing the stands of the Yellowhead Arena and the starting lineup for our team looks up and thinks to themselves ‘Who the heck are the Block N’s and why are they so damn popular around here?’
Come what may, I’ll still be at every home game, whether or not it looks like I’m watching the Neepawa Blackhawks out there. Until then, go Fighting Neepawanians of Neepawa go! Go Fighting Neepawanians of Neepawa go!…Yeah, on reflection the board was right, that is too hard to cheer.
