Winnipeg Jets Jerseys: Are They The Same As Those Counterfeits?

With all the anticipation that surrounded this new version of the Winnipeg Jets over the summer, and with the length of time it took the Jets to unveil their new uniforms, it was only a matter of time before fake counterfeit ideas popped up. In fact, it got to the point this summer where the Royal Canadian Mounted Police seized counterfeit knockoffs. 

But in the end, after the real jerseys were announced, how close did the counterfeiters actually come to nailing the design? Let's take a look. First, here's a look at the fakes:

As Icethetics pointed out earlier this summer, these are basically just a reworked version of the Columbus Blue Jackets' third jerseys. It's a Photoshop, plain and simple. As has been the case with fake 2012 Winter Classic jerseys, counterfeiters took this fake design and created actual jerseys with it, but nevertheless, it was a fake.

Compared to the real jerseys, though, they really aren't that far off. Via the Jets:

There are differences, to be sure, like those stripes on the sleeves and a slight difference in the striping along the bottom, but the similarities are also pretty striking. The same shoulder patch, the same basic design.

This just goes to show the lack of creativity in the design process when it comes to NHL uniforms these days. How many of us, even those of us that couldn't care less about what the Jets are wearing this year, could have guessed that the jerseys would have looked something like this?