The Ontario Hockey League’s Guelph Storm are taking Black Friday quite literally this year.
The Storm took advantage of the day to launch their new black alternate jerseys on their website and social media channels, and they’ll wear them on the ice for the first time tonight (Friday, November 29) at home against the Windsor Spitfires. This is the first time in almost 15 years the Storm will have an alternate jersey in their wardrobe.
The black jerseys have broad horizontal crimson stripes with white borders running around the chest and back and around each sleeve. The front of the jersey features a new alternate logo depicting a G inside a roundel with a lightning bolt stretching across and forming the crossbar. “GUELPH” is written out in the roundel above the bolt, while “STORM” is written out below. Crimson and white stripes run around the waist.
“For several seasons, we’ve had fans ask for the return of a black Storm jersey. We’re proud to debut a collaborative design on Friday night that answers their calls and brings a black jersey back into our team sweater rotation for years to come.”
— Matt Newby, Vice President of Business Operations, Guelph Storm
The new logo on the front of the jersey matches one that was filed with the Canadian Trademark Database back in May.
The shoulders of the jersey also have a new logo that was first seen in the May trademark filing. It’s a stylized S, with the top half swirling around a puck and the bottom half turning into a lightning bolt. This logo was also at centre ice at the Sleeman Centre in Guelph for the Storm’s annual Pink the Rink night, which was held on November 16.
Both new logos were created by late designer Keith Flynn of Flynnagain Productions when the Storm underwent a redesign in 2017.
The numbers on the back and sleeves of the new jersey are white with crimson and metallic silver outlines, while names on the back are one-colour white. The jersey will be paired with black helmets, black gloves and black socks with the same crimson and white stripes found on the sleeves and chest.
Merchandise with the new logos is now available through the Storm’s online shop. Replica jerseys are not available, though, “due to league-wide shipping issues.”
The last time the Storm had an alternate jersey was in the 2010-11 season, when they wore a retro design from the 1951-52 season honoring the Biltmore Mad Hatters. Named for the Biltmore Hat Factory in Guelph, the team won the city’s first Memorial Cup in 1952 with a team that featured four future Hockey Hall of Fame inductees.
