Canada unveils Olympic, Paralympic hockey jerseys
Team members will sport red, white, black sweaters at 2018 Pyeongchang Winter Games
Canada's hockey teams will be sporting unique jerseys for the 2018 Winter Olympics and Paralympics in Pyeongchang, South Korea.
Hockey Canada revealed three sweaters for the men's, women's and sledge hockey teams on Wednesday in Toronto:
- A white version with a red maple leaf and red sleeve details.
- A red version with a white and grey maple leaf and black sleeve details.
- A black version with a red maple leaf and red sleeve details.
The leaf's multipanel, three-dimensional design is inspired by a skate blade. There are also small Canada flags on the sleeves below the numbers.
Early online reaction has been mixed. The lack of striping and inclusion of scaled two-colour sleeves has drawn some criticism on social media, while others like the crisp look of the maple leaf and its sharp border.
The Pyeongchang Games will be held from Feb. 9-25 and the Winter Paralympics are set for March 8-18.
On the men's side, Canada is the two-time Olympic defending champion, but NHL players won't be on the team this time around.
Canada’s Olympic and Paralympic hockey jerseys unveiled today.. <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/PyeongChang2018?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#PyeongChang2018</a> <a href="https://t.co/tsJgovoGZY">pic.twitter.com/tsJgovoGZY</a>
—@robpizzo
The Canadian women are seeking an unprecedented fifth straight Olympic title.
The Paralympic men's team won gold at the 2006 Torino Olympics and bronze four years ago in Sochi, Russia.
The United States also revealed its hockey jerseys for the upcoming Games: white, navy and royal blue offerings feature a vintage crest on the top right, above USA lettering. The jerseys also feature the slogan "Land of the free — Home of the brave" inside the collar.
With files from The Canadian Press