Sharks Access: Heritage 2.0

Sharks Access: Heritage 2.0

here with Sharks chief marketing officer Doug Benson. We’re celebrating 35 years of the existence of this franchise and there’s a lot of things you could do to celebrate. How did we get to the Heritage 2.0 jersey? Well, first thanks thanks for being here. Um love what you’re doing with the content by the way. Uh so, you know, I I think starting with the 25th anniversary, which was a big a big really symbolic year for us, we we brought out the the heritage, I guess 1.0 jersey. Got to start with the originals and and jerseys just have this connection to fans. This is what they wear to the games. This is what they wear on the street. This is how they show their teal. Obviously, everything that happens on the ice is in a jersey. So, it’s just such a powerful symbol of what has come before us and what’s going forward. So, we’ve seen a lot of success with with doing that heritage uh at the 25th. We did it the 30th and now giving a sense of evolving where we’re going as a at Ford as a as an organization, we decided to bring out the Heritage 2.0 for uh for the 35th anniversary season. This particular sweater brings back a lot of great memories, might I say, Doug, uh personal memories. I don’t have the teal version, but this is this is the original white version. I can’t remember were these the home sweaters back in the day that they flip-flop multiple times, but uh obviously this is the old CCM. This is a brand new authentic fanatics version of the jersey. So, I’m curious, were you hearing kind of whispers of fans saying, “We’d like to revisit this era. This was, you know, some of the initial Patrick Marlo years. This was when Joe Thornton came over to the San Jose Sharks, the Scott Hannon years, the Nabi years, a lot of the best years of of the team and players. Did you get a specific request to do this one or did you feel that?” So, I I I think a couple things. One, we continue to hear requests about the original logo. people still love this crest, especially people who were here during this era. I mean, you you you show me that and I think that’s probably like a seinal kind of era for you and your Sharks fandom. It really was. So, I I think just feel seeing that crest is a is a huge thing. I I think also I think fans like when we do new things and change it up a little bit and and I think Heritage 2.0 that period of time when this is worn has been the group of of the core sharks that we’ve been celebrating over the last 2 to 3 years. some of these guys that we’re seeing in the broadcast booth, some of these guys that we’re seeing now in the Raptors and the Hockey Hall of Fame. So, as much as it is to even look back at that group for fans like you who live through it, connecting that group to our new fans, which we’ve seen a ton of new fans over the past few years, and I think going forward with all the young young guys on the ice, I I think it’s important to kind of really build that connection to have people understand what the foundation was before. And I think this era of Heritage 2.0, I I think really is an important era in our history. Let’s take a look at it. I mean, it’s well built, better than my old version. This is the brand new Fanatics jersey that that came out last year, but it’s the the the new model of Heritage 2.0. Oh, we’ve got a captain on the team. I see. Who’s the player’s name on the back? Uh player player captain. Yes. So, be behind the curtain. This is actually the sample that we had to approve in the production process. So, you’re seeing a one of one here. I like sharks for life there on the inside. Yeah. So, so this this isn’t necessarily a copy of the original. So, this is modernized kind of like how we did with the first heritage jersey. So, this is this is our current teal. You’ll see the neckline is different. Um, that said, you’ll see here uh these little teal what looks like teeth. These actually replicate the original neckline when we had the very low neckline. This one does. Look at that. which you see there, which which again was deep was a very unique um aspect of that of that generation of jersey. So, uh again, they they look like teeth, but also it’s an homage to the original jersey. And then Sharks for Life, I mean, we’ve used this a lot as a marketing slogan, but but I think over the last 3 years when we’ve seen, you know, guys be immortalized in the rafters, like this, this is more meaningful. And I think again, you showing your jersey, there’s a lot of people who feel that love. So to to really acknowledge that with this jersey and the people are going to look back at that, that was an important statement to make here. We’re probably going to have to go back to that slogan soon because the future is only going to be teal for so long. The future will be here at some point. Yes. I think we’re we’re dangerously close. Okay. So you don’t just put this together over the course of a couple days or weeks. I imagine this is a monthsl long or maybe even a year’sl long process to arrive at this with fanatics, right? Yes. So generally we have to tell the league about two years ahead of time if we want to make any kind of jersey change. Um so that that that at that point we’re letting them know the the actual design time is usually around 18 months out. Wow. Uh then production approvals and everything. So it really is like a 2-year process. So it it it takes a long time. We have to have foresight about what’s happening, about what we’re going to be doing at that time, and trying to make connections of where we’re going to be with where we’re at in the design process. Can I just point out two things I love? And I mean, no disrespect to the white sweater. This one’s fine. I bought it obviously back in the day. I love the fact that it’s teal. I also love the fact that the numbers are this font. And I don’t know if we have an official name of this font, the late 90s, early 2000s font, but I love that we didn’t try and implement the same font that we’re using now for numbers. We went back to how it actually was back then. Yeah. Yeah. So, we we we did the we did the arched lettering. All right. Right. So, and then and then we did actually make the numbers a little bit more uh bold and thick so you can see. Um but but but really, yeah, we tried to replicate that same feel. Um ironically, because it is so custom that this year we’re not going to be able to do just the heat press names, like everything’s going to be stitched. So when you actually customize a jersey now, you’re going to get the real feel through the stitching. So um maybe not maybe not as as convenient for everyone, but I think it gives that touch of like this is this is like the real thing, the real the real original type jersey. So you bring me to a final portion of this interview. I kind of have a lightning round of questions here. A lot of fans want to know some important things here. Like for example, how many times will the Sharks be wearing these this season? So we’re going to wear this four times. Uh the the times we wear this on the ice coincide with our four alumni games. Okay. Um so the the schedule is going to be up at sjsharks uh.com with those alumni games, but it really will bring it full circle. So the guys who are actually bringing in to celebrate at the game will all be guys that have worn this jersey. So making those connections for everyone. There’s also what I understand is a surrounding line of merchandise with this jersey, too. It’s not just this. What else can you buy in this in this realm? Yeah. So we have we have this jersey look and then if you see here this lapel pin. This is this is the official 35th anniversary logo. So we’re going to have tees, hoodies, pins, the whole assortment of everything to celebrate 35 years. Um you’ll also see something on the ice that’s going to commemorate uh commemorate 35 years. Uh maybe that’s a different story, but sneak peak. Uh, but yeah, I I think again we want to make sure people have the the ability to really show off their their either their memories from what was or kind of showing as a new fan they’re trying to connect the the present to the to the past. A lot of merch. You know where my desk is at, right? Okay. Always. Uh, so the best place to get one of these Sharks Pro Shop. Uh so either sharksop.com online um which you can do obviously anytime anywhere or or any of our Sharks Pro Shops either SAP center or Sharks Ice facilities. They are customizable. I think you mentioned that. That was one of my questions. So I can get any player I want but I could also you know keep Brazil sick. Sam Dickinson says it’s okay by the way. You can and and we’re making a concerted effort given this to have um g given that it’s it’s the stitching that we’re going to try to have more players both past and present available. Oh, okay. So, so to give people the options of of whatever player that that they’d like, we’re going to try as many as possible. I could see a Scott Hannon jersey being very popular. I can see that as well. Favorite. And for the record, Doug, um I think I was wearing this before Sam Dickinson was born. So, he can have six for now. I’ll let him have it for now. And then the last question, uh when do these become available? I know it’s been announced this weekend as this video is being published. When can I walk in the store and get one of these? So, these are fully available, uh right now. So, uh, if if you have the wherewithal, jump right on to sharksproshop.com right now and, uh, and get yours. Good job keeping this secret for the entire time. I know you’ve been working on this for a while. Tremendous. I think people are going to be thrilled obviously now that they’ve seen this in the wild. Doug, thank you very much and nice work on this. Yes. Thank you. Appreciate it.

Brodie Brazil sits down with Sharks CMO Doug Bentz to talk about the new Heritage 2.0 35th anniversary jersey that was revealed on September 26, 2025.