Inside The Canes' New Road Uniforms

RALEIGH, N.C. - On Feb. 18, 2023, nearly 57,000 Caniacs packed NC State's Carter-Finley Stadium as the Carolina Hurricanes made their outdoor debut, defeating the Washington Capitals 4-1.

At its root, it was a hockey game. But more than that, it was a celebration.

With the eyes of the hockey world locked on the City of Oaks for the NHL's annual Stadium Series game, a fanbase and a community finally got their chance in the spotlight - and delivered a party unlike any other.

"That game helped display our beautiful blend of NHL hockey with our local, collegiate tailgating environment," said Hurricanes President Doug Warf.

As hosts of such a standout soiree, the Canes sported something special for the occasion, highlighted by a two-tone, almost entirely black and red sweater that still dots capacity crowds in Lenovo Center to this day.

So when the decision was made to update the team's current road uniform, inspiration quickly came from that watershed day in 2023 and the uniform that accompanied it.

"Many of our fans continue to wear and request that [Stadium Series] jersey because it was artfully designed and it conjures up memories of that fantastic event for our team, fans and region," said Warf.

"We are excited that the new iteration of the road jersey can utilize key elements from that Stadium Series jersey as an homage to the event and as a tribute to the tailgating environment - the Carolina Culture - that we have built."

Out went the diagonal "CANES" wordmark across the front, the muted warning flag pattern across the waist and the two-flag logo on the shoulder. In came the same two-color crest and sleeve/hem striping found on the original Stadium Series jersey, as well as the same unique slanted font for names and numbers on the sweater.

"The two-tone red and black logo is a fantastic tweak to our primary logo," said Warf. "We all liked this mark on the Stadium Series uniform set, but I think it truly jumps off the white jersey as the pop of contrast is beautifully eye-catching."

The obvious change in base color aside, the uniform is largely faithful to its source material. But with that familiarity also comes something new - or at least new to a Hurricanes sweater.

The team has sold hats and t-shirts bearing a vintage version of beloved Canes mascot, Stormy, for a few years now, but the novelty logo is breaking new ground as it adorns the right shoulder of each jersey, opposite a re-colored version of the NC state flag found on the club's home threads.

"I also love 'Strutting Stormy.' I will be honest, before rejoining the team [in 2024], I was like most of our fans - constantly asking for this mark to be used more. It's the perfect homage to our collegiate culture with a mark that is uniquely ours inside the NHL," added Warf.

The team will continue to wear red helmets, pants and gloves with its white uniform, carrying over the tradition from the last set. From head to toe, there's a lot to like about the new threads. But why make the change? And why now?

After six seasons of the team's current away set, a refresh was in order. Not because anything was necessarily wrong with the old set, but because it had run the same course as its most recent pair of predecessors.

"We all enjoyed our previous road uniform set, but felt this was a great season for a change," said Warf. "This is the fourth major redesign to the road jersey in team history, with the two previous sets each lasting six years [as well]."

With a cornerstone of franchise history providing the foundation and a few new elements adding even more unique Carolina flair, the end result is a sweater that conjures up wonderful memories while leaving room to create plenty of new ones.

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New Carolina Hurricanes away jerseys and merchandise are available for purchase now at Carolina Pro Shop.