Do NHL jerseys still have fight straps?
Genuine NHL jerseys have a fight strap or tie-down attached on the inside back of the jersey to prevent the jersey from being pulled over the player's head in a fight.
As you may expect, authentic jerseys are a tad roomier since they're designed to be used with equipment whereas replicas are a little more form fitting. But when you saw the jerseys side-by-side, generally the only way to discern one from the other was authentic jerseys have a fight strap and elbow stitching.
Sweaters have a loop of fabric sewn into the inside back, called a "fight strap" or "tie-down", which must be secured to the player's pants during a game, to prevent the sweater from being pulled over the player's head in a fight.
In 1922, the NHL introduced Rule 56, which formally regulated fighting, or "fisticuffs" as it was called in the official NHL rulebook. Rather than ejecting players from the game, as was the practice in amateur and collegiate hockey, players would be given a five-minute major penalty.
Every NHL player's jersey now have a “tied down” strap in the back that player are required to attach with their pant's belt to prevent the jersey from going over the player's head during an altercation.
No rules govern what materials players can use, but the majority use a leather strap and attach it to the jersey and hockey pants with metal snaps. While not a mandatory piece of equipment in the NHL, most players now wear fight straps because of the penalties involved with losing equipment.
Look for the NHL hologram sticker or hangtag and a sewn-in label identifying the merchandise as "official" and authorized by the NHL. Beware of ripped tags, typographical errors, poor quality screen-printing, or irregular markings on apparel. Reebok does not liquidate genuine jerseys due to overproduction.
The Home-white, Away-dark color scheme was the basis for the whiteout. Everyone in the arena, including the players, would wear white, and the effect was nothing short of dazzling. In 2003, the NHL switched the jersey scheme, so that the home teams started wearing their dark jerseys.
In 1955, the league mandated that teams wear colors at home and white on the road. That arrangement was reversed in 1970, when teams began wearing white at home. And then it was reversed again in 2003, when teams went back to wearing colors at home, the format that's still in place today.
Every NHL team will wear only two jerseys this year - a dark one at home, and a white one on the road. Eighteen of the 30 NHL teams used at least three different jerseys last year (Edmonton had four). The Canucks new design has probably been the most heavily discussed.
Why does ice hockey allow fights?
Allowing fighting makes the sport safer overall by holding players accountable. Fighting draws fans and increases the game's entertainment value. Fighting is a hockey tradition that exists in the official rules and as an unwritten code among players.
Since the 2000-01 season, the NHL has made a deal with a specific manufacturer to produce jerseys for all the teams. Until the 2005-06 season, this was with The Hockey Company. They put the Koho brand on the dark and third jerseys and the CCM brand on white jerseys.
Jerseyed definition
Filters. Dressed in a jersey.
Alternate captains wear the letter "A" on their jerseys in the same manner that team captains wear the "C". In the NHL, teams may appoint a captain and up to two alternate captains, or they may appoint three alternate captains and thus no captain.
“A player who engages in a fight and whose jersey is not properly “tied-down” (jersey properly fastened to pants), and who loses his jersey (completely off of his torso) in that altercation, shall receive a game misconduct penalty.
NFL players wear football cleats to improve performance. Cleats prevent slipping in all types of weather conditions and on different playing surfaces. Football cleats feature laces, but some styles come with Velcro® straps across the top of the cleat for extra security and support.
“A player who engages in a fight and whose jersey is not properly “tied-down” (jersey properly fastened to pants), and who loses his jersey (completely off of his torso) in that altercation, shall receive a game misconduct penalty.
The fight strap is a fabric loop that is attached to the back of a hockey jersey. During games, the fight strap (which is also known as a tie-down) is fastened to the back of the player's pants. This ensures that, if a fight should occur on the ice, the player's jersey can't be pulled over his head.
