On November 16, Colorado Avalanche unveiled their Reverse Retro jersey. This was in collaboration with Adidas and the NHL in releasing a collection of jerseys that blend the past and present designs for all 31 teams.
The Colorado Avalanche’s jersey is a throwback to 1972 when the team was previously known as the Québec Nordiques in the World Hockey Association (WHA) before joining the National Hockey League (NHL) in 1979.
Originally based in Québec City, the Nordiques were well-known for their powder blue and white uniforms. Although, from 1973-75, they adopted a dark royal blue color. The fleur-de-lis was first added to the uniforms for the 1974-75 season.
Now let’s take a look at the Avalanche’s Reverse Retro jersey!
Taking inspiration from the Nordiques’s iconic igloo, the Avs revamped the logo in their team colors, burgundy and blue. The specialized igloo is featured on the crest of the jersey.
We can’t have Québec without symbols of its French heritage, so matching burgundy fleur-de-lis are showcased in all their glory on the hemline of the jersey. Plus, a single fleur-de-lis is located on the jersey’s left shoulder.
However, reception to the jersey has resulted in mixed feelings. While Americans may not know the significance of the fleur-de-lis symbol, many Québécois regard it as an important icon to only be used as a symbol of their flag, province, and themselves as a people.
In reading through loads of comments posted on the Colorado Avalanche’s Facebook and Twitter pages, I noticed that some Québécois are against the color change of the fleur-de-lis on the jersey. They believe it should always remain as seen on the flag of Québec or colored blue if it’s standing on its own.
Which is something I initially didn’t understand.
As a Franco-American who has never visited Québec, my first reaction to the jersey was excitement. I found the burgundy fleur-de-lis stunning and beautiful. So when I saw the comments that were from some Québécois stating their dislike for the jersey’s fleur-de-lis, I didn’t understand why they wouldn’t like it.
I was taught by my family that the fleur-de-lis symbolizes all people who can trace their roots back to France. Meaning that we believe everyone can take the symbol and use it as they’d like.
Because of my personal upbringing, I’ve always seen it as the same symbol for different groups of Franco people. So right away, I viewed the fleur-de-lis on those jerseys for an American hockey team with roots in Québec as a Franco-American symbol.
But after reading through the comments arguing against the burgundy fleur-de-lis, I came to understand where this opinion was coming from. Québécois are rightfully proud of their heritage and language, so the fleur-de-lis is an extension of that pride.
So this made me wonder: if the fleur-de-lis is going to continue to be represented in America, should we adopt our own version of it to differentiate it from the exact fleur-de-lis on the Québec flag?
In fact, I wasn’t even aware that the fleur-de-lis on the Avs jersey was the exact same design used on the flag of Québec.
But there’s different opinions in every group. There were also people from Québec commenting that they loved the burgundy fleur-de-lis and the homage to their French heritage.
Likewise, when I saw comments from Americans stating their confusion for the French symbolism and asking why the Avs still acknowledge the team’s roots in Québec, I wasn’t sure why they would find an issue with it.
It’s truly something to be a Franco-American, isn’t it? Always torn between two cultures and in the middle of these clashes!
But the Avs have a pretty unique story, starting out as a Québec City team and ending up in the United States. So why shouldn’t this French heritage be remembered? And would there be a fleur-de-lis design we can all support to remember the team’s French roots?
Overall, whether they are loved or hated, the 2020-21 NHL Reverse Retro jerseys have the intention to pay homage to each team’s past with a modern twist.
The combination of the Avalanche’s team colors and Nordiques symbolism could bring together many fans of the original Québec Nordiques and the Colorado Avalanche under one team.
And I’m a huge fan of that kind of collaboration.
But that’s just my personal Franco-American view, so what’s your opinion? Does your identity play a part in how you see this situation? What do you think about the burgundy fleur-de-lis?
Let me know in the comments below!
*All comments used in this post were posted on public Facebook pages. All personal information was blocked out unless given permission to include.
Dan Gaulin
This is the marketing equivalent of making a hard pass to the point after you pulled your goalie and the puck skips past your teammate and slides into your own goal.
The jersey design is great, but Colorado’s designer(s) should have followed the example of the Carolina designer(s) who kept the original green and blue of the iconic Hartford Whalers logo even though Carolina’s colors are black, white, and red (I think they learned from the mixed reception their black/white/red Whalers alternative jersey received). This time Carolina treated the Whalers logo with the respect that it deserves. Colorado did not show the same respect for a symbol on a flag – something far more important than a team logo.
If Colorado redid the colors so the fleur-de-lis is blue or white, they would have a huge hit and would sell a ton of jerseys in Quebec. The NHL should probably be worried about the blowback about the cultural insensitivity shown to millions of Francos in Quebec and the US, but my guess is that they are more worried that the controversy will lower jersey sales.
With my rose-colored glasses on, I can see a teaching moment. Colorado can acknowledge that 1/3 of the state was part of the Louisiana Purchase. Colorado can acknowledge making a mistake and correct it rather than attempting to defend it. Flags and symbols matter.
Melody
Merci for taking the time to write your opinion! Although I still like the look of the burgundy fleur-de-lis, I do understand the other side of the conversation. The fleur-de-lis is used in American culture as a reference for anything French, so over here it’s become normalized as “just another symbol.”
For example, the New Orleans Saints football team uses the fleur-de-lis and colors it black or gold. So it’s something that the majority of Americans don’t even know about. I grew up in a family with Franco-American roots on one side and I didn’t even know about the fleur-de-lis being a highly regarded symbol in Quebec. The flag of Quebec, just like the flag of any nation, should be respected. But when a symbol is taken off and widely used in a culture that doesn’t understand the meaning behind it, it becomes separate from that original meaning.
Perhaps the team’s higher ups and designer(s) should check from now on about any symbol they use to make sure they are not accidently being culturally insensitive. But of course, some Québecois didn’t mind the burgundy fleur-de-lis, so I guess it also comes down to personal opinion. It’s a complicated issue for sure!
Alain Lajoie
As a Québecois from Montreal,who was a Nordiques’fan, it was heartbreaking to see them leave Québec City in 1995. The team was selling 15,000 seats every game of the season. And still it was’nt enough to keep the team in Québec City. The homage that Avalanche is doing to the original franchise is fully appreciated for me. The colour of the Fleur-de-lis on the reverse retro jersey could’nt have been white, the jersey itself is white. So the organisation could have chosen the blue color . The symbol would be perfectly OK, and the new jersey would be eve more beautiful.
Melody
Merci for your insight! Perhaps they could have made the Avalanche jerseys burgundy so the fleur-de-lis could be white? But, like many Americans, the team’s higher ups who chose the color placement and design must have not known that the fleur-de-lis is highly regarded among Québecois. I admit that I still like the burgundy fleur-de-lis, but I do understand the people who don’t like it and wish it could have been white or blue.
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