Shazam!: A Fan's Look At The Tampa Bay Lightning's Brand New Uniforms

Uniforms establish the identity for a franchise.

They are the first thing you see and the last thing you remember.

Some teams get it right from the start and never have to worry about revamps or new looks, such as the Chicago Blackhawks or Detroit Red Wings.

Then there are the Columbus Blue Jackets and Phoenix Coyotes of the hockey world, who have swung and missed a few times.

For the majority of their existence, the Tampa Bay Lighting have found themselves in the latter. Some of their jerseys were particularly bad, as with this one. However, recently Tampa seems to have finally settled on some very good jerseys, including a killer alternate look.

Just yesterday, the Southeast Division-leading Lightning revealed their latest look with a video on their Facebook page.

As a lifelong Bolts fan, I am enduring a severe panic attack. I really don't want to be a fan of the South Toronto Shazam.

The logo, I love. Especially the shoulder patch--it reminds me of an English football club. But the color scheme is way too reminiscent of the Toronto Maple Leafs. And they have seniority, being around since 1917. When we play them, it's going to look like a televised Maple Leafs practice session. If it had just a bit of black, I'd be in love.

Hopefully, GM Steve Yzerman will get into the ear of ownership, so that we can see something a bit more like Tampa Bay, and less Toronto.