Chronicling the ‘90s: How NHL jerseys became mainstream

In 1995, the New York Islanders ditched their familiar blue and orange uniforms for the controversial Fisherman. The Islanders had faltered after their four consecutive Stanley Cups in the early 1980s. Though the club had reached the Eastern Conference Final in 1993, it followed up by being swept, embarrassingly, by the crosstown New York Rangers in 1994. In search of a rebrand to change the waning public perception of the club, the Islanders brought in Sean Michael Edwards Design, Inc. (SME), which had worked with the likes of the Florida Panthers and the NBA’s Toronto Raptors — both franchises began play in the 1990s with caricature-style logos. “At that point, viewed themselves as kind of...