By Brad Lee
The new RBK Edge jerseys are getting too sweaty, apparently.
According to sources in the B’s dressing room, Reebok has been unable to correct problems with the new jerseys introduced this season across the NHL and will replace them at the company’s expense with new uniforms made of the old materials.
Players have complained since training camp that the new jerseys, which are supposed to be lighter and allow sweat to evaporate out through the shirts, have instead trapped water inside and gotten heavier. . . .
The aesthetic design probably will look the same. There's no way you could go back to the old look, but if this report is true, the NHL is going to look like morons. How could you not test the materials out and see what they'd do in game situations? Somehow I'm sure this is Gary Bettman's fault. Moron. Â
UPDATE: From ESPN's Paul Lukas' Uniblog --
Update, 12:55pm: Just spoke with an NHL spokesperson, who told me that the Boston Herald report is incorrect. As it was explained to me, Reebok has informed each team that players who have “moisture issues†with the new jerseys (i.e., lots of water ending up in their gloves and/or skates) will be given the option to have the option to wear a jersey with a new front panel made of a different high-tech material. The spokesperson maintained that there was no league-wide move to scrap the new jerseys, nor was there any move back to “old materials.â€
When I asked if the league had any sense of how many players were requesting this option, I was told to direct that question to Reebok. I’m still waiting to hear back from them.
So the Reebok is changing some sweaters, kind of. And there you have it.