The New Jersey Devils raised more than a few eyebrows Tuesday after revealing a new set of warm-up jerseys ahead of their game against the Toronto Maple Leafs.
To commemorate the Chinese Lunar New Year holiday, the team wore the bright red jerseys, which featured a stylized “fu” character — a symbol of good fortune — as well as a black Devils logo, crafted in the style of Chinese calligraphy.
And while there’s no doubt that the jerseys were created with good intention, some people couldn’t help but notice the logo bears a resemblance to that of Nazi Germany.
The jerseys were designed by local New Jersey artist Caren King Choi, who shared some of her thought process behind the designs and clearly put a lot of effort into making sure they were a full celebration of Chinese culture.
Choi said she drew inspiration for the jersey from her “experience growing up in America as a person of colour.”
“It took me a long time to feel as though I had permission to be myself and not a version of Asian-American that I saw in books and movies,” she’s quoted as saying on a post on the Devil’s Twitter account.
Plenty of people also applauded Choi for her design, however, and some asked the team to make them available for purchase.
And, to be fair, the jerseys look a lot less ominous when they’re not hanging all in a row, resembling the Brandenburg Gate during the Second World War.
So far, the team has not responded to any of the backlash to the jerseys.