4 Nations Face-Off jerseys feature incredible detail, national pride

Maybe you’ve seen the jerseys for the 4 Nations Face-Off. But have you looked at them up close?

“You haven’t seen the level of detail that has gone into these jerseys,” said Brian Jennings, NHL senior executive vice president of marking and chief branding officer. “When players see them, the response is really positive. They’re excited.”

The jerseys were made available to fans Friday ahead of the best-on-best tournament featuring Canada, Finland, Sweden and the United States in Montreal and Boston from Feb. 12-20.

Fanatics, the NHL Players’ Association and the NHL collaborated on the designs, working with each nation’s federation to be respectful of traditions while using modern techniques.

They took a two-pronged approach of pride and culture, said Dom Fillion, Fanatics senior creative director.

RELATED: 4 Nations numerical rosters

The pride is what the fans will see from afar in the stands, capturing the essence of the international aesthetic with bold visuals and distinct colors. Each nation will wear the same uniform for the entire tournament: Canada in red, Finland in white, Sweden in yellow, the United States in blue.

The culture is in the details, custom elements unique to each nation you can see and feel when you hold the jersey in your hands.

“When you look at each of the countries, they have a boldness,” Fillion said. “They have a distinct point of view. They all individually have an amazing story to tell.”

Canada: The crest is a 13-point maple leaf inspired by the first representation of what would become the Canada flag, with an arced “CANADA” wordmark inspired by the Winnipeg Falcons, who represented Canada and won the first Olympic gold medal in ice hockey in Antwerp in 1920.

The trim isn’t just white. It’s maple white. Peek at what is printed inside the collar. Look at what is debossed between the stripes wrapping around the sleeves and the chest. Feel it with your fingers. There is a maple leaf vine representing all the intertwined communities from coast to coast.

“This is something that was really important and kind of connects the nation for this event,” Fillion said.

Finland: Fillion said the designers considered a lot of different color strategies for Finland, but they kept coming back to white.

“White felt so natural, obviously inspired by the flag but also the landscape there and the passion for the outdoors in the wintertime,” he said. “We thought that was a really powerful statement.”

“SUOMI” -- Finland in its native language -- marches across the front on top of a modernized coat of arms. Inside the letters and on the sleeves, dark blue meets light blue like the sky meets the land, creating a horizon aesthetic. The lily of the valley, Finland’s national flower, is printed inside the collar and debossed inside the light blue on the sleeve.

“Another level of detail that connects back and really is unique to the Finnish culture,” Fillion said.

Sweden: Sweden traditionally takes a minimalist approach, and its uniform has a strong identity. Respecting that, the designers kept it simple. They darkened the usual blue and modernized the iconic “Tre Kronor” -- “Three Crowns,” in English -- adding texture inspired by Swedish crown and armor craftsmanship.

The biggest departure is a subtle Sweden flag on the sleeves.

“It’s not something that you necessarily see when you look at the uniform from straight on, but as soon as you go to the angle, you see the Swedish flag there,” Fillion said. “It’s an interesting dual play, where it’s a minimal approach but then it’s a really nice nod to the flag as well and a great sense of pride.”

United States: “E PLURIBUS UNUM” -- “OUT OF MANY, ONE” in Latin on the Great Seal of the United States -- is debossed inside the white stripe on the sleeves. The jersey has 13 tonal, sublimated stripes representing the original 13 colonies.

“We didn’t want to be too loud with it, but a nice nod to the American flag,” Fillion said.

The crest features a modern “USA” wordmark with silver chisel detailing, and each shoulder has a single white star patch like the players wore when the United States upset the Soviet Union in the “Miracle on Ice” and went on to win gold at the 1980 Lake Placid Olympics.

“It’s something we thought was a nice nod to the past as the team looks to create the future,” Fillion said.

Fans can find the full collection of 4 Nations Face-Off jerseys and merchandise across the Fanatics.com network of sites, including NHLShop.com and NHLShop.ca. They also can visit the NHL Flagship Store in New York and local retailers in the participating countries, particularly in Montreal and Boston.

“We’re excited about it,” Jennings said. “We think it’s going to look amazing, not just off the ice but certainly on the ice. I’m eager to see under the big lights with the best players in the world how all the branding looks.”