islesinfo - Islanders All-Star Game History

- Islanders Jersey History -

New York Islanders Jersey & Logo History

The New York Islanders logo was created by an advertising executive named John Alogna from East Meadow with the NY over a silhouette of Long Island.

Roy Boe's wife Deon attempted to design the Islanders in green and black. That was quickly tossed by the politicians on Long Island who saw Nassau County's colors of Orange and Blue much more appropriate. The blue was of a royal blue color.

The home jersey (or what use to be home white) basically remained the same from the Islanders inception up until 1995. But the road jersey's underwent some significant changes. The Islanders original road jersey's had orange numbering. Down the arm was an orange band followed by another small blue band and finished by a long white sleeve from elbow to wrist. At the bottom of the jersey, as you can see below, was an orange band, followed by blue and finished by white which was similar to the sleeve.

New York Islanders Jersey's 1972

The New York Islanders did not have nameplates on their backs for their first three seasons in the NHL from 1972-75. They first started to use nameplates during the 1975-76 season.

This is a picture of Islanders defenseman Gerry Hart, recognized only by his likeness and familiar #2, during the 1974-75 season.

Also for the 1975-76 season, the Islanders altered the color of the numbers on their road jersey's, changing them from orange to white.

In 1978, the Islanders drastically altered the look of their road jersey's to basically what we know them as today. The arm traveling downward now consists of a white band followed by an orange band. Gone was the long white sleeve which was changed to blue. The bottom of the jersey was changed to a short white band and finished out with a solid orange band.

The previous year of 1977, the Islanders did away with the lace jersey ties that were very popular in the pre-1980's NHL. But it would return in 2002 when the Islanders would reveal their orange third jersey's.

To the left is a photo of Butch Goring from the 1979-80 season, the same season he was dealt to the Islanders as the "final piece" to their first Stanley Cup Championship.

On his shoulder you can see the 1980 Lake Placid Olympic patch.

Above is a picture of Steve Thomas during the 1991-92 season. He is proudly wearing the Islanders jersey with the 20th Anniversary patch on the shoulder. The 1991-92 season was also the NHL's 75th anniversary season as evident by the patch on the top right shoulder.

In 1995, the Islanders brass believed something needed to be done to increase the marketability, popularity and sales of team merchandise. That was when they made perhaps the biggest mistake in management history by introducing new colors (teal, white, blue & orange) along with an entirely new logo of a fisherman.

Zigmund Palffy

For 1997-98, after two years of public outrage, the team ditched the fisherman and brought back the original classic logo after using it a few times as a third jersey with the wave design in 1996-97.

Home jersey for the 1997-98 season

A year later (1999) the Islanders returned to their 80's look, but this time with a more darker royal blue & orange.

In 2002, the Islanders unveiled a new third jersey

During the 2006-07 season, January 27, 2007 to be exact, the Islanders had retro night in which they wore the Islanders original road jersey's, with nameplates of course, from the early seasons. The Islanders defeated the Buffalo Sabres that night 5-2.

For the 2007-08 NHL season the entire league changed their jersey's to the Reebok style that was first displayed during the 2007 All Star Game. It's a more leaner, aerodynamic look. Gone were the orange third jersey's unveiled in 2002.

The Islanders unveiled a brand new third jersey for the 2008-09 season along with pants and socks. With the success of the retro jersey that was worn back in January of 2007, the Islanders brought it back as the third jersey, but with white numbering. The jersey basically mirrors the look of the Islanders road jersey's from 1975. Early reception has been so positive that rumor has it this could become the Islanders regular home jersey in the near future. If so, it could spawn a brand new white road jersey to match.