‘Ice hockey’ Category
» posted on Thursday, September 24th, 2009 at 2:05 am by Doug McKenzie
What Hockey Jerseys Are Made Of
As with most any sport, as the game evolves so too does the player’s equipment. Hockey has had a long and fascinating history and it has changed a lot over the years. The equipment has grown and shrank, the players have developed new techniques like one timers and slap shots, and the rinks they play on have been significantly improved. The same is true for their hockey jerseys. The hockey jersey has evolved with the game and has gone through many changes.
In the olden days of hockey, when people thought skates were simply sharp razor blades attached to their boots, the game was mostly played outdoors on frozen ponds. Pond hockey was fun but it had its draw backs. The weather could often get incredibly cold, especially in the more northern areas of America, and if you weren’t wearing the proper clothing you couldn’t play for very long. Thus the wool hockey sweater was born. Players would decorate their house hold sweaters with team insignia and get out there and play.
As hockey’s popularity grew the outdoor pond hockey games went inside where air and temperature could be controlled. Ice hockey rinks provided a roof over the heads of the players and radiating heat for the fans. It wasn’t necessary to wear the heavy wool sweaters anymore so the hockey jersey was born. Manufacturers tried a number of different materials like linen to try and get a lighter but still cold resistant sweater for the hockey players.
Modern hockey players now wear hockey jerseys made of synthetic materials like polyester fabrics. These polyesters are water resistant so they dry faster when sweat in and they are also quite porous to allow for maximum cooling when the player is working hard out on the ice. The stadium regulates the temperature enough that there isn’t much need for insulating jerseys and the players also wear a lot more pads that keep the heat in also.
You’re probably wondering what you should wear to play hockey. With all this talk about different hockey jersey fabrics you might think to yourself that if you don’t own a hockey jersey you aren’t properly playing hockey. While that might be true, you can still get away with wearing a t-shirt or a sweater to your pick up hockey games. If the games get serious and you join a league you’ll probably want to pick up a polyester jersey at some point.
Hockey jerseys have evolved with the game of hockey. They have been made in different ways and with different patterns and styles but their function remains the same. Hockey jerseys are designed to protect and insulate the players while still distinguishing them from the others on the ice. A player’s hockey jersey tells a lot about them. It gives us their number, their team, and their last name.
Related Posts:
post a comment | filed under Ice hockey | tags: clothing, hockey, hockey collecting, hockey equipment, hockey jerseys, hockey memorabilia, Ice hockey, roller hockey, sports equipment, sports history, sports memorabilia
Like