Minor Leagues Dress in Style – Again

by Matt DeLaere, Marketing

The Cyclones’ Captain America jerseys in action.
[Image from http://www.cycloneshockey.com]

They’re at it again – a couple of minor league hockey teams took to the ice this weekend in unique special jerseys.

On Saturday, the Cincinnati Cyclones of the ECHL wore jerseys patterned after comic book hero Captain America for their “Military Appreciation Night/Super Hero Night.” The blue jerseys featured red and white vertical stripes around the waist and a white star on the chest. Their opponents, the Fort Wayne Komets, did not dress up as Red Skull.
The jerseys were auctioned off after the game, with proceeds going to the Armed Forces Ticket Association, which helps those serving in the military and their families get free or discounted tickets to games, concerts, and other events.

[Image from http://www.icethetics.co]

Meanwhile, in Hershey, PA, the sublimation onslaught continued. On Sunday, Punxsutawney Phil saw his shadow, meaning we’re in for six more weeks of winter. The Hershey Bears of the AHL featured groundhogs and winter and spring scenes on their special uniforms, meaning we’re in for… well, a lot more sublimated specialty jerseys.

The front of the Bears jersey pictured a winter scene, with a groundhog in the lower left corner seeing his shadow. Groundhog Day’s other potential outcome was pictured on the jersey’s back, with a groundhog smiling broadly as a sunny sky and leafy green tree emerge from the snow.  And the socks – the socks!  The look was rounded out by groundhog-adorned socks (see below).  Now, those are spiffy.

It’s gotta be the socks!
[Image from http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/nhl-puck-daddy]

As we’ve pointed out in the past, sublimated special event jerseys are a growing trend not only in hockey, but in baseball, college basketball, and other major sports.  With the increasing popularity of sublimated background designs on jerseys, even for youth and amateur adult leagues, you may be wondering how best to decorate them.

If you’re looking to print custom logos and patches for sublimated jerseys, new SuperTEK™ Sublistop™ printable heat transfer material should be your choice. Its exclusive ONYX STiX2™ adhesive applies to almost any fabric while its charcoal-based lining inhibits bleed-through from sublimated inks. It’s the perfect choice for custom digital printed logos and sponsor patches. Just print the logo with your print/cut system and apply with a heat press!

For personalization, Stahls’ Thermo-FILM® pre-cut letters and numbers inhibit dye migration and strike-through, meaning your letters and numbers stay true to their original colors, even on sublimated polyester. Plus, Thermo-FILM is abrasion-resistant. Whether it’s getting pinned to the boards on a hockey rink or driven to the ground on a football field, it’s guaranteed to outlast the life of the uniform.

While Groundhog Day jerseys aren’t common for youth leagues, sublimated uniforms are only going to increase in popularity.  And whether the design is a superhero, a prognosticating animal, or a simple color gradient, with Stahls’, you’re prepared to make the outfit a success.

 

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