Jul. 13—The jerseys the Monsters wore for the Winter Classic on March 4 at FirstEnergy Stadium were a hit with fans — such a hit that Cleveland's American Hockey League team will have a new look starting with the 2023-24 season opener on Oct. 14 at Lehigh Valley.
The Monsters will wear three jerseys for their rebranded new look with "Lake Blue, Bessie Black and Monster Eye Gold" as the predominant colors, senior vice president and chief marketing officer Ben Adams said July 12 during a reveal ceremony in the atrium of Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse.
Season ticket holders filled the seats for the event and greeted the announcement enthusiastically. The Monsters led the AHL in attendance last season.
A two-minute video dedicated to the history of Cleveland hockey and the new look got fans watching it pumped.
Adams was specific in identifying the colors the Monsters will wear. He gave a nod to the nine-time Calder Cup champion Cleveland Barons, who wore blue as their primary color and dominated the AHL in the 1940s and 50s. The Barons won their last Calder Cup in 1964. The Monsters were Calder Cup champions in 2016.
Billy Sweezey, #Monsters defenseman, models one of three jerseys the team will wear this season and in the future. pic.twitter.com/0HGUNi60HS
— Jeff Schudel (@jsproinsider) July 12, 2023
"Black and blue is more than an evolution of our colors," Adams said. "It's about the brand of hockey played by the Monsters and the toughness of the city this team represents."
The primary logo on the lake blue jersey shows the face of the golden-eyed black monster rising from the water, with either the sunrise or sunset (take your pick) as background. "Cleveland" is above the monster and "Monsters" below it.
Bessie Black as a color is derived from naming the Lake Erie "monster" Bessie. According to legend, Bessie was first sighted in 1793.
A black jersey and a white jersey each features a one-eyed version of the Lake Erie monster poking its head out of the water.
The rebranding of Monsters look began three years ago and was the work of graphic artists within the Cleveland community and Monsters organization, team president Mike Ostrowski said.
"Perhaps what I'm most proud of is this work wasn't done by any fancy agency in New York or Chicago," Adams said. "This was done by dedicated Cleveland fans and done in house. This is the brand by the Monsters for Monsters fans. The goal of this evolution was simple — to give our team and its amazing fans a look and color they could truly own."