What’s black and white and got Islanders fans seeing red all over?
Barclays Center’s soon-to-be resident hockey team unveiled a new jersey on Wednesday — a black and white nod to the Nets that features almost none of the team’s usual royal blue and orange, which has many fans fuming.
“I don’t like that it doesn’t have true Isles colors,” said Bensonhurst native and Islanders supporter Anthony Natoli.
Indeed, the sparsely-decorated alternate jersey has almost no color — it is almost completely black, except for a white logo with four small orange stripes commemorating the Islanders’ four Stanley Cup victories in the 1980s, and some white trim and narrow stripes on the sleeve.
A patch on the right shoulder celebrates the team’s first season in Brooklyn, and one on the left reading “Al” honors the memory of former coach Al Arbour, who passed away last month — which Natoli said he does appreciate.
“I like the Al Arbour patch a lot,” he said.
Supporters let loose with a torrent of scathing 140-character reviews when the team unveiled the new duds on Twitter on Wednesday morning.
“So boring and empty looking,” wrote @VHC4. “That is NOT an Isles sweater.”
And a Brooklyn Paper Athletic Apparel Bureau poll found 52 percent of respondents “hated” the uniform versus 36 percent who “loved” it — though 13 percent said they didn’t even realize Brooklyn had a hockey team.
But some Isles devotees noted that it is far from the worst uniform the Islanders has ever designed — that honor goes to the team’s mercilessly mocked mid-’90s alternate jerseys, which featured a feisty fisherman brandishing a hockey stick, one fan said.
“It’s not my favorite,” said Gravesend native Patrick Hickey, Jr. “But I like the grit of it. Anything is better than the ‘fish sticks’ jersey.”
The sweater, which is already for sale at the Barclays Center Nets store, is clearly intended to play to local basketball fans. One such supporter said he thought the new look was a little plain, but he would wear it anyway.
“I think it could use a little something more,” said Jeremy Brown of Bedford-Stuyvesant. “But I like it. I might get that. How much is it?”
Another high profile Nets enthusiast offered his full support — Borough President Adams tweeted a selfie wearing the new threads in front of Borough Hall.
And for some Islanders fans, the only thing that matters is how the team performs while wearing the gear.
“It is just a jersey,” said Gary Harding, an Islanders devotee and the host of SportsTalk 1240 on WGBB radio in Long Island. “I don’t care if it is blue, orange, black, or purple with yellow polka dots. As long as they win hockey games, that is the most important thing.”
The Islanders will hit the ice in their new get-up 12 times throughout the 2015–16 season, including a Jan. 14 tilt against the hated New York Rangers. The sweater’s first appearance comes on Nov. 3 against the rival New Jersey Devils.
