<P> The Rbk Edge, or simply Edge, is a newer line of sweaters designed by Reebok . They were announced by Reebok after nearly three years of development . The new sweaters are tighter - fitting, are less water - absorbent, and are more flexible than before . It was intended to make players more maneuverable on the ice . The Edge sweaters were unveiled at the 55th National Hockey League All - Star Game and began to be worn, league - wide, from the 2007--08 NHL season onwards . Almost every team in the league made at least minor changes to their equipment design in conjunction with implementing the new sweater style . The San Jose Sharks, Tampa Bay Lightning, Ottawa Senators, Vancouver Canucks, Dallas Stars, and Washington Capitals redesigned their equipment altogether with a new or updated logo . The Columbus Blue Jackets and Minnesota Wild used their alternate sweater from the previous three seasons as the basis for their new look, complete with the team adopting the alternate logo from their alternates as their primary logo . </P> <P> Five of the Original Six teams (excluding the Boston Bruins) as well as the New Jersey Devils kept their previous styles intact when possible, with the Devils going as far as to issue a press release saying that the team had no plans for an event unveiling the Rbk Edge design, because there was nothing new to see . The Anaheim Ducks and Buffalo Sabres, who both had just redesigned their sweaters the year before the implementation of the Edge sweaters, also left theirs mostly unchanged . But the Sabres made the logo on the front of their sweater smaller and took away the silver outline on their white away sweater, and the Ducks added orange piping to their sweater's neckline . </P> <P> Along with the traditional differences between the replica and authentic versions of NHL sweaters, the replica (billed as "premier") versions of the Edge sweater sold to the public have a "jock tag" on the left side of the front near the waist with the Reebok vector, NHL logo, and sweater size . </P> <P> Citing player complaints, Reebok later modified the Edge sweaters, removing the play - dry material in the front and making the sleeves bigger . The modified sweaters, dubbed the Edge II, made their debut at the 2008 NHL Winter Classic on January 1, 2008 . </P>

When did the nhl start putting names on jerseys