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Debunking the Edge 2.0 "myth"


akteon

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I decided to start a new topic instead of dredging back up a 5 month old post, but for reference here's the old Edge 2.0 thread. If you're interested give it a read, guys like Rabinsurance and BurabyJoeSakic and others did some great work on identifying Edge 2.0s and their tagging.

Now onto the main course - I've seen here and on other boards the statement that Edge 2.0s are only worn by a small minority of NHL players and that the vast majority of players still use the Edge 1.0 jerseys. I think this "myth" (for lack of a better term) probably originated with Reebok reps fielding questions from retailers about Edge 2.0 retail availability and it's spread from there.

Thanks to the recently released 2008-09 MeiGray Population report and its predecessor, there's now 2 full seasons of data to determine if the numbers support this assertion. Here's a chart of what I found:

2nbrmh2.gif

Going by the numbers, looks like the notion that a vast majority of players/teams wear the Edge 1.0s is an over statement for 2007-08 considering teams didn't have a choice at the start of the season (60% isn't a large majority). In 2008-09 when players/teams had a choice at the start of the season over six times as many players wore the Edge 2.0s.

So as of last season less than 14% of the players on the ice were wearing Edge 1.0s but nearly 100% of the fans who bought retail RBK jerseys described as "exactly what the players wear on the ice" were stuck with Edge 1.0s.

Statisical Disclaimers - Before someone tries to flame me on this, I am fully aware that not all NHL teams participate in the MeiGray NHL Gameworn program. It is important to note that All-Star and Winter Classic jerseys are included in the numbers, but practice jerseys are not. Regardless a sample size of over 4 thousand jerseys per year is should be sufficient to draw conclusions from.

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Which NHL teams does that sample cover Akt? (Might be quicker to put who it doesn't cover I guess).

Good question - I probably should have just added that in the first place:

2007-08

All-Star

Atlanta

Boston

Buffalo (WC only)

Calgary

Colorado

Dallas

Edmonton

Nashville

New Jersey

NY Islanders

NY Rangers

Ottawa

Philadelphia

Pittsburgh (WC only)

Toronto

Vancouver

Washington

2008-09

All-Star

Atlanta

Boston

Calgary

Chicago (WC only)

Colorado

Dallas

Detroit (WC only)

Edmonton

Nashville

New Jersey

NY Islanders

NY Rangers

Ottawa

Philadelphia

Toronto

Vancouver

Washington

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That's some good detective work there, akteon. Well done!

I got in the middle of this in the 07-08 season when the AHL team that I attend, Lake Erie, switched the entire roster mid season to 2.0. As the season went on, they began to sell these at the Cavs' store at Quicken Loans Arena. From that point on all production (home/road/third/new home/new road) has been 2.0. That's how I ended up with 7 LEM Edge jerseys. It seems like for smaller runs like the AHL, they only produce what the teams actually wear. Whereas for the NHL, it seems like all retail production is Edge 1.0. I really never wore my 1.0's at all because I was afraid of snagging the material. However, I wear a road 2.0 (with the "M") quite a bit and it wears like iron. Still looks and feels like brand new. I prefer the 2.0 material. But if I was looking at a jersey on the MeiGray sale site, I would not pass on it because it was a 1.0.

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It's interesting stuff. As Akt says in the OP, it does bring the "exactly what the players wear on the ice" stuff into question, I wonder if IJs themselves are at all concerned by the discrepancy? Perhaps they, and all the other retailers, are covering themselves in the small print?

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I don't think IJ or any other retailers have a choice. I don't think a retailer would turn down selling 2.0s unless it cost them more money. They can only sell what Reebok provides them with. If anything I think IJ would jump at selling 2.0s if given the chance because they seem to target more educated consumers/fans who would appreciate the difference.

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