Team Canada will be wearing black jerseys at this year's Spengler Cup.

Team Canada - permanent Spengler Cup participants for 26 years - is playing in black jerseys this year. "We expect this to have a wow effect", says Oliver Wyss of Ochsner Hockey, the company responsible for designing the Spengler Cup jerseys.

The Spengler Cup teams' jerseys are designed anew every year and, since last year, imitate the design of the participants' home league jerseys. By using this approach, the designers try to get the characteristics and the distinct fashion of the different countries across. The Russian teams thus play in rather conventional jerseys with quite a simple logo on the front. Team Canada's jerseys for this year's Spengler Cup have been designed in retro style. "We always try to come up with something new and use a design that's as attractive as possible", explains Oliver Wyss, Head of Merchandising of Ochsner Hockey in Embrach near Zurich.

Black: Reserved for Special Occasions

Just as in their home leagues, the teams competing in the Spengler Cup play in both a home and an away jersey. Again and again, the problem arises that the jerseys of teams playing each other are of very similar colour (for example, when Servette Geneva faces Sparta Prague: Geneva's away jerseys are gray and Sparta Prague's home jerseys white) And even when Team Canada in its white and red away jerseys plays against Spartak Moscow in red and white, the colour difference is not obvious. "Solving this problem can be tricky", says Oliver Wyss. That's why Ochsner Hockey suggested Team Canada play in black jerseys with "Canada" written in retro style across the front this year. According to Wyss, Team Canada only wears black jerseys for very special games such as jubilees.

Adjustments at Short Notice

The jerseys of all Spengler Cup participants have been presented at today's media conference. "From now on, we're under time pressure. As soon as the squads have been announced, the numbers and the corresponding names need to be printed onto the jerseys. Even just before the start of the tournament, adjustments may need to be made because of injuries or other absences. And the jerseys need to be regularly checked during the tournament as well - they need to be adjusted because of slight changes within the squads; if the assistant captain is made captain, for example".

1,000 Jerseys for the Spengler Cup

These changes at short notice make it necessary that Ochsner Hockey (Spengler Cup supplier since 1998; the contract has recently been extended until 2014) is onsite with a printing service. In addition to the team jerseys, Ochsner Hockey also produces those for the referees, the partners and sponsors as well as the oversized jerseys for the opening ceremony. Until the end of the tournament on New Year's Eve, the total number of jerseys produced may well reach 1,000.

Fans can choose a jersey at the shop outside the Vaillant Arena at noon and have it printed with the number and the name of their favourite player until the evening game. Especially the jerseys of hosts HC Davos and tournament favourites Team Canada are expected to sell well at the Spengler Cup. "But in addition to these sales, many fans simply buy a jersey because they like its design or because the team plays attractive hockey."

If Oliver Wyss had just one wish he would choose a Scandinavian team to participate in the Spengler Cup: "Their jerseys are especially popular with collectors".
This year, however, he's particularly looking forward to the performances of the KHL teams SKA St Petersburg and Spartak Moscow and Sparta Prague, the participant from the country of the current world champions.

The new jersey