Photo by Rena Laverty
In honor of the team’s 25th anniversary, USA Hockey’s National Team Development Program is wearing an alternate third jersey this season to commemorate the first year of the program.
Traditions have always been a focal point for the program, and that is reflected in this jersey.
Photo by Rena Laverty
“This is really special for our program and our players,” said Scott Monaghan, who has been with the program since day one and currently serves as USA Hockey's assistant executive director of the NTDP and USA Hockey Arena. “We still have the original framed jersey in the hallway with autographs of the first 46 kids in the program.”
The jerseys are based off the 1996 USA World Cup of Hockey jersey, which was designed by Nike. The 1996 World Cup winning team featured the likes of Keith Tkachuk, Mike Richter, Pat Lafontaine, Mike Modano, Chris Chelios and Brian Leetch.
The blue jersey has blue and white stripes along with red stars at the waist in a pattern that is similar to a waving flag. The NTDP’s 25th anniversary logo can be found on the left shoulder, while the right shoulder displays each players’ number in white with a red star behind it.
“I love the patriotism of the jersey — the stars and stripes,” Monaghan said. “The blue jersey with red pants and a white helmet, you get the red, white and blue and the colors of Team USA. I thought it was one of Nike’s best hockey jerseys that they designed.”
The Under-18 Team debuted the jerseys on December 18, when facing off against the Youngstown Phantoms and will continue to wear them throughout the rest of the season.
“It was really special to wear the jerseys, especially with the history of the program,” said U18 forward Isaac Howard (Hudson, Wis.). “To be able to represent that and wear the jersey, it was really fun.
The jerseys began as a simple concept, and from there a full process had to take place before they were ready for game action. That’s where the NTDP equipment managers, Brock Bradley and Jake Visser, came in.
Bradley said it usually takes three to four months for a concept to turn into a jersey. A project like this starts with researching the original jerseys worn in 1996, then working to make them look more modern. He described the entire process as a group effort to make sure everyone is satisfied with the final product.
“It really is a reflection on the players who were here before the guys that were here now and helped lay the foundation from its beginnings in Ann Arbor and to now, in Plymouth,” said Bradley, who is in his 21st season as an equipment manager.
Once the jerseys are ready, the marketing team and the coaching staff decide which nights the team will wear them. Then it’s up to Visser, who’s in his 12th year with the team, to make sure the jerseys and all corresponding equipment are ready for each game.
Traditionally, the NTDP wears the white jersey and the blue jersey throughout a season. The white jersey design was the brainchild of Jim Johannson, who was the assistant executive director of USA Hockey until he passed unexpectedly in January 2018. He designed it to be a throwback to the gold-medal winning 1960 USA hockey team.
Bradley and John Vanbiesbrouck, USA Hockey’s current assistant executive director, decided to bring the blue jersey back two years ago.
“We had been wearing the 1960s white retro for a while now,” Bradley said. “From my end of things, it made more sense to standardize our team colors so our gloves would line up better. John wanted a more traditional and classic look, especially since we were getting ready to go into our 25th year.”
Photo by Rena Laverty
In honor of the NTDP’s 25th anniversary season, everyone agreed that wearing a third jersey would be a special way to honor that first team.
“Scott brought it forward and everyone from marketing to the coaches and the equipment staff agreed that this was a good idea,” Visser said. “These are definitely a great way to honor that first team and all the players and staff who have set the foundation for the program. It will be really special for the younger players to have the opportunity to wear something to help them understand the path that was created for them.”
The NTDP will be wearing the 25th anniversary jersey six more times this season: Feb. 4 (U18s vs. Muskegon), Feb. 26 (U17s vs. Green Bay), March 5 (U17s vs. Dubuque), March 18 (U17s vs. Cedar Rapids) and March 19-20 (U18s vs. Cedar Rapids). Tickets for any of these games are available at USAHockeyNTDP.com/tix or by calling the USA Hockey Arena box office at 734-453-6400 x396.
Story from Red Line Editorial, Inc.
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