The Stanley Cup playoffs’ most famous aesthetic tradition might be the bushy beards players grow until they’re eliminated. But off the ice, there’s another tradition that’s a bit more fashion-forward: custom-made playoff jackets for the players’ significant others.
They’ve been wearing them for years. Sometimes it’s denim jackets, “Canadian tuxedo” style. Sometimes it’s leather jackets. They usually include team logos and colors, as well as the names and numbers of their beloved players.
Artist Taylor Kampa Olson and TKO Paintings have created some striking designs for NHL playoff teams in recent years. The Washington Capitals players’ wives and girlfriends wore personalized jackets with the team’s Reverse Retro logo in 2021. Last postseason, she made leather jackets for the Dallas Stars’ ladies, with bright green names and the team’s logo on the back.
For the 2023 Stanley Cup playoffs, Olson worked with the wives and girlfriends of New Jersey Devils players to create 18 personalized leather playoff jackets with gothic-style lettering, flames on the back and the team’s logo on the front.
One of the things that distinguishes a TKO playoff jacket is the inclusion of the players’ actual signatures.
“They saw the jackets I did for the Dallas Stars last year that incorporated the signatures and really liked that personal touch,” Olson said of the Devils clients. “Three of the girls wanted the signature on the front and the other 15 wanted it on the sleeve.”
The overall look makes New Jersey’s significant others look like they’re fans of a heavy metal band, which we suppose is appropriate given it’s the Devils.
If nothing else, the striking design might distract from those unkempt playoff beards … should the Devils have the opportunity to grow them out after this first round series against the New York Rangers.
Source: www.espn.com