ROCHESTER AMERICANS HOCKEY CLUB
Uniform History 1956-57 through 1980-81
The first 25 years
 
Visit the Amerks Team Photos Page to see the uniform evolution
Visit here for info on Less Duff's 1963-65 Amerks jersey
 
Season 1- 1956-57
Wool Blend sweaters manufactured by Hardin Knitwear of New York City. Sold by Champion Athletic Goods of
Rochester. (note-Champion Athletic Goods was not affiliated with Champion Products of Rochester).
Home Striped sweaters with Royal Blue shoulders and alternating Red & White stripes on the body and sleeves.
White horizontal stripe below Royal shoulder insert and above Red & White vertical body striping to accomodate
team name. White lace neck. Solid Royal hem on bottom of sweaters. Lettered as follows- Large Red w/White outline
"R" with serifs on front. 2" Plain Block Royal W/Red outline "AMERICANS" straight across chest in horizontal bar.
2" White stars cover the entire shoulder area. Shield-shaped White patches on each upper sleeve with solid Royal Blue
"R" inside. "R" same style as front letter. 10" Varsity Block numbers on back in Red w/Royal outline. All lettering and
stars done in Tackle Twill. Hockey Pants- Royal Blue with White/Red/White striping down sides and around bottom -
Montreal style. Hockey Socks- Red with Royal Blue stripe bordered in White-Montreal style. White Away sweaters
and socks-No pictures available at this time.
The Americans did not have a White sweater for their inaugural season. White socks were worn for home games at the
early part of the season. The socks were White with a Red patch on the knees and two Royal Blue stripes around the
calf area. The Quebec Aces wore a similar style of socks in their team colors of White, Kelly Green and Red when
they entered the A.H.L for the 1959-60 season.
The Americans wore their Red "Montreal-style" socks for both of their playoff series in '56-'57.
Season 2- 1957-58
Wool Blend sweaters again manufactured by Hardin Knitwear of New York City. Now sold to the Amerks by Ruby's
Sporting Goods of Rochester. Home Striped sweaters same as 1956-57 set but with a few modifications to the lettering.
2" White stars cover the entire shoulder area. Lettered as follows- 3" Plain Block Royal Blue W/Red outline "AMERICANS"
straight across chest in horizontal bar. 4" Royal Blue Varsity Block numbers on left sleeve only. 10" Red w/Royal Blue outline
Varsity Block numbers on back. Hockey Pants- Same as 1956-57. Hockey Socks- Red with five equal 1" stripes of White/
Royal Blue/White/Royal Blue/White- Chicago Red style. White Away sweaters and socks-No pictures available at this time.
The Amerks debuted a White sweater for home games. The Wool Blend sweaters were made by Hardin Knitwear of New
York City and purchased through Ruby's Sporting Goods who was now the team's uniform and equipment supplier. The White
sweaters had a Red lace-neck. There was a solid Royal Blue band around the chest and back in the style of the co-parent
Montreal Canadiens. The sleeves were plain White. The bottom hem was solid Royal Red. The team name "AMERICANS"
was sewn on the Royal Blue chest stripe in 3" White tackle twill in a plain block font. 2" Red tackle twill stars were sewn on
the front and back upper shoulders. 4" Red numbers in Stahls' Varsity Block on the left sleeve only. 10" solid Red Varsity
Block numbers on back. White socks with Montreal striping of Red/Royal Blue/Red completed the uniform.
 
1957-58 Amerks uniform. Click above photos to "super size"
Season 3- 1958-59
No changes to White sweater or socks. The Amerks wore their striped "flag" jerseys both home and away during the playoffs.
Season 4- 1959-60
The fourth season of Amerks hockey would see a complete re-design of the Amerks' uniforms and see the appearance of the
Americans' now-famous "shield" logo on the sweaters for the first time. Although the shield with the script team name running
through it had been a part of the official logo since the team's inception in 1956-57 it did not appear on the uniforms for the first
three seasons. The 1959-60 season also saw the Amerks change the design and material of their sweaters. The sweaters were
now made out of a Nylon/Durene Cotton Plaited-Knit fabric and were solid in color except for the sleeve stripes. The new-look
sweaters were manufactured by the King-O'Shea Athletic Goods Co. of Chicago and sold by Ruby's Sporting Goods of Rochester,
the exclusive King-O'Shea distributor for the Rochester area. Home White sweaters- Solid White body with Montreal-style stripes
around each arm of 1" Royal Blue/5" Red/1" Royal Blue. Bottom 5" of full sleeves is Royal Blue. Lace neck w/Royal lace. Lettered
as follows- Large Americans Shield logo angled on front w/Royal Blue field at top with 3 White stars inside, the center star being
slightly larger. Five each Red and four each White equal-width stripes alternating in body of the shield. Solid Black border around
shield w/drop-shadow on thr right side to indicate a "raised" effect. 3" Red w/Royal Blue outline Wilson-style Full Block numbers on
each sleeve located 1" above stripes. 10" Red w/Royal Blue outline Wilson-style Full Block numbers on back. Four each 2" Royal Blue
stars on front-two on each side of neck. Four each 2" Royal Blue stars horizontally on back above the shoulder yoke seam. All lettering
done in tackle twill. Red Away sweaters- Same design and graphics as home sweaters. Solid Red body with White/Royal Blue/White
sleeve stripes. Numbers same as on White sweaters but in White w/Royal outline. White stars as above. White lace for neck.
Hockey socks- Worn both home and away. Red Montreal-style striping of White/Royal Blue/White. Hockey pants- Royal Blue w/satin
finish. Montreal-style striping of White/Red/White braid down sides and around bottoms of pants.
Season 5- 1960-61
Same uniforms worn previous season worn in 1960-61. Only change was the appearance of White hose with the White home
sweaters. Striping pattern matches the White sweater. Red sweaters and socks now worn on the road.
Season 6- 1961-62
New uniforms purchased. Again made by King-O'Shea and purchased from Ruby's. Same style as previous season. White home
sweaters and socks. Red road sweaters and socks. New hockey pants are Royal Blue with a solid White stripe down side-
Toronto Style.
Season 7- 1962-63
Same uniforms used except now Red sweaters and socks worn at home. White sweaters and socks worn on road.
Season 8- 1963-64
New uniforms purchased. Made by King-O'Shea and purchased from Ruby's. No changes to color combinations.

1963-65 Amerks uniform. Click above photo to "super size"
Season 9- 1964-65
Same uniforms as previous season.
Season 10- 1965-66
New uniforms purchased. Manufactured by General Athletic Mfg. Co. of Greenville, Ohio. and purchased from Ruby's.
Still made from Nylon/Durene material. Some slight modifications to the sweaters. White home sweaters now have the
bottom 6" of the sleeves in Royal Blue. Team crest on front has wider Red stripes. Numbers now done in General Athletic's
Full Block font. Colors remain the same. Red road sweaters same as previous years but also have General Athletic-style
numbers and crest alterations. Both sets of hockey socks remain the same. Hockey pants Royal Blue with 3" stripe down
side in Red/White/Red.
Season 11- 1966-67
Same uniforms as previous season.
Season 12- 1967-68
New uniforms purchased. Once again manufactured by General Athletic and purchased from Ruby's. Again made from
Nylon/Durene material. Lettering on home White sweaters has some slight modifications. Crest stripes once again made
equal width. Numbers done in Stahl's Varsity Block font. Numbers are Red with White and Royal Blue outline. White outline
effect is done by sewing Red top-layer onto the Royal Blue base with extra-thick layer of White thread (Swiss stitch).
Numbers are still 3" on sleeves and 10" on back. All lettering and cresting done by Holley-Messmer Corp. of Rochester.
Red sweaters have same crest as used on Whites. White w/Royal outline Stahl's Varsity Block numbers.
Hockey pants- Home Royal pants same as previous season. New set of away Red pants with 3" White/Royal/White stripe
down sides. Both sets of socks same as previous year. Team ordered home and away gloves for this season. Home gloves
were Royal Blue with White and Red inserts. Away gloves were Red with White and Royal Blue inserts. When worn with the
Red sweater, pants and socks the Red gloves gave the Amerks a monochromatic look.
Season 13- 1968-69
Same uniforms as previous season.
Season 14- 1969-70
For the first time in 10 years the Americans used a different uniform supplier. And there were several significant changes in
the appearance of the Amerk sweaters. All stripes, lettering and graphics were now imprinted and the sweaters now featured
a V-neck and elastic cuffs. Many players found the knitted cuffs were too small and restricting. Most players ended up cutting them
off their sweater with a pair of scissors. The sweaters were now made from Nylon mesh material and manufactured by Champion
Products of Rochester at their Geneseo facility. Home White sweaters. Same sleeve striping as previous years but with Red V-neck
and cuffs. Team crest now has script word "Americans" in White w/Royal Blue outline and tail running through the center of the crest.
Stars on shoulder yoke in solid Red in four-star pattern. 4" numbers on sleeves, 10" numbers on back in Royal Blue w/Red outline
done in Champion-style font. Road Red sweaters. Same as previous years but have Royal Blue V-neck and cuffs. Stars are White.
Crest as on home sweater but has team name in White against the Red background. Numbers as on home White sweaters. Numbers
are White with Royal outline. The mesh that Champion used for these two sets of sweaters was too light for hockey and did not
withstand the wears and tears that it received. When new sweaters were ordered for 1970-71 Champion made them out of a more-
durable mesh that they made their football jerseys from. Team wears Red pants and gloves from 1967-68 road uniforms both home
and away. Hockey socks as in previous years.
Season 15- 1970-71
For the 1970-71 season the Amerks' sweater underwent some minor changes. In addition to the new, heavier Nylon Mesh material
the sweaters had a different striping pattern on the sleeves. Replacing the Montreal-style striping that the team had used since
1959-60 was a two-color Northwestern-style pattern in Red/White space/Royal Blue/White space/Red. This pattern was also used on
the socks. The socks were now made by Champion Products using a heavy Polyester warp-knit material that did not stretch. The socks
had the striping imprinted on them and had a large seam at the back of the leg. After wearing traditional knit socks since they began
playing hockey the players did not like these new hose. Because the socks did not stretch to the contours of the player's leg extra tape
was needed to hold the shin guards in place. The team trainer continued to have the goaltenders wear conventional socks. The
Americans crest on the sweater now had the team name in solid Royal Blue. The Amerks had now advanced to the rank of five-star
general as the shoulder yoke now carried a five-star pattern in Red. Red road sweaters had the new sleeve and sock striping in
White/Red space/Royal Blue/Red space/White. The crest also carried the team name in Royal Blue with the whole crest being imprinted
on a piece of White material, cut to shape and then sewn onto the sweater. Five White stars appeared on the shoulders. Hockey pants
were once again Royal Blue. The striping was now White/Red/White. Gloves were in the Royal Blue/Red/White style of the
New York Rangers.
Season 16- 1971-72
With their relationship with the parent Vancouver Canucks worsening by the day the sixteenth season of Rochester Americans
hockey was anything but sweet. Team uniforms were the same as the previous year with two exceptions. Both sweaters now carried
a bottom hem stripe. Red was used on the home White while a White stripe adorned the bottom of the away Red.
But what the Canucks did to the stately Americans' crest was clearly unthinkable. The proud shield, which had been the team's
official logo since its inception in 1956 and had adorned the sweaters in some form since the 1959-60 season, was to be no more.
Replacing the Star-Spangled emblem was a modernistic 1970s-style circular emblem that mimicked the parent Canucks'
"Stick-in-a-rink-forming-a-C" logo. Two standing hockey sticks were placed back-to-back with their blades pointing outward to
form an "A." The upper part of the circle was filled in with Royal Blue while the remaing area forming the "A" was filled in Red.
The entire logo was surrounded with a Red circle. This is the emblem that would appear on the sweaters. The team's official logo had
the words "ROCHESTER AMERICANS" in reversed White inside of the bottom Red curve. The new logo was not well-receieved
by either the fans or the players. It was just another arbitrary decisicion on the part of Vancouver and just further proved to Amerk fans
that the Canucks were totally in charge.
Season 17- 1972-73
In the summer of 1972 a group of eight Rochester businessmen purchased the franchise from Vancouver amid rumours the team
would be moved or folded. One of the first things the local owners did upon taking over was to restore the Americans shield logo
to its rightful place. New sweaters and socks were again purchased from Champion Knitwear. New co-owner Joe Fox was also
the president of Champion Knitwear. White home sweaters made locally. Made from heavier weight Nylon Trict mesh.
Red V-Neck. Sleeve stripes in two-color Northweatern pattern of Red/White space/Royal Blue/White space/Red.
Because the stripes were screen-printed onto the jersey they now featured White stars in the Royal stripe. The same pattern adorned the
socks. The Americans' tradition crest was back this year and has not changed since its re-appearance. Numbers remained the same
as last season as did the Red hem stripe. The same five-star pattern once again appeared in Red on the shoulders. Something
new appeared on the front of the sweaters with three 1/2" Red stars in a horizomtal row with the center star just below
the point of the V-Neck. Red road sweaters were in the same style as the home sweaters. Sleeve and sock stripes were now Royal
Blue/Red space/White w/Red Stars/Red space/Royal Blue. White stars on shoulders and front. White numbers w/Royal Blue outline.
Same hockey pants as last year. Same gloves as last year.
Season 18- 1973-74
The Amerk uniforms were the same as the year before. The only change was the addition of player names on the back of the home
White jerseys in mid-season. Names were sewn onto a piece of material in 3" Royal Blue tackle twill and affixed to the sweater.
This was the first time that the Amerks' sweaters had players names on them.
Season 19- 1974-75
No changes in uniforms.
Season 20- 1975-76
No changes in uniforms.
Season 21- 1976-77
No changes in uniforms.
Season 22- 1977-78
For their 22nd season the Rochester Americans uniforms underwent some minor tweaking. The home white sweaters were now
purchased from Stall and Dean of Brockton, Mass. The home White sweaters were now made out of Warp-Knit Nylon Pro-Mesh.
This material was heavier than the previous Tricot Mesh and had a softer feel or "hand." the V-Neck was now Royal Blue and the
sleeve stripes were now sewn-in to the material and done in the Boston Bruins pattern of Red/White space/Royal Blue/White space/Red.
It was also repeated on the bottom hem. All lettering and graphics were once again done in tackle twill. The familiar Amerks' crest returned.
A single, large, Royal Blue star outlined in Red adorned each shoulder yoke in the style borrowed from the WHA's Houston Aeros.
Numbers were Royal Blue w/Red outline and done in Stall and Dean's standard block font. Names were on the back in 3" Royal
w/Red trimmed letters. The socks were White with Boston Bruins-style stripes of Red/Royal Blue/Red. The Red road sweaters were also
done by Stall and Dean. They had Royal Blue/Red space/White/Red space/Royal Blue stripes on the sleeves and bottom hem. Numbers and
stars were White w/Royal outline. The Amerks' crest was sewn onto a piece of White material and then affixed to the sweater for better
contrast. Names on the back were 3" White w/Royal trimmed letters. The socks were Red with Bruins-style stripes of White/Royal/White.
The same style of pants and gloves were again used.
 
1977-78 Amerks uniform. Click above photo to "super size"
Season 23- 1978-79
Same uniforms as last year.
Season 24- 1979-80
Same uniforms as last year except numbers were now Wilson-style full block.
Season 25- 1980-81
Same uniforms as last year.
 
-Terry Proctor
February, 2009
 
 
Ruby's Sporting Goods advertisement from 1965-66 Amerks program

ROCHESTER AMERICANS
Uniform Number List 1956-68 

 all goaltenders
1956-57- Charlie Hodge, Bobby Perreault
1957-58- Gerry McNeil
1958-59- Gerry McNamara, Gerry McNeil
1959-60- Ed Chadwick
1960-61- Ed Chadwick
1961-62- Don Simmons, Gerry Cheevers
1962-63- Gerry McNamara, Bobby Perreault, Gerry Cheevers
1963-64- Gerry Cheevers
1964-65- Gerry Cheevers
1965-66- Bobby Perreault
1966-67- Bobby Perreault
1967-68- Bobby Perreault


1956-57- Benny Woit
1957-58- Benny Woit
1958-59- Al MacNeil, Reggie Fleming
1959-60- Howie Young
1960-61- Bill White
1961-62- Bill White
1962-63- Bob Armstrong
1963-64- Don Cherry
1964-65- Don Cherry
1965-66- Don Cherry
1965-66- Don Cherry
1965-66- Don Cherry
1966-67- Don Cherry
1967-68- Don Cherry


1956-57- Tommy Williams
1957-58- Tommy Williams
1958-59- Tommy Williams
1959-60- Hank Ciesla
1960-61- Hank Ciesla
1961-62- Larry Hillman
1962-63- Barry Trapp, Al Arbour
1963-64- Al Arbour
1964-65- Al Arbour
1965-66- Al Arbour
1966-67- Al Arbour
1967-68- Marc Reaume


1956-57- 
1957-58- Noel Price
1958-59- Reggie Fleming
1959-60- Dick Mattiussi
1960-61- Dick Mattiussi
1961-62- Darryl Sly
1962-63- Darryl Sly
1963-64- Darryl Sly
1964-65- Darryl Sly
1965-66- Darryl Sly
1965-66- Darryl Sly
1966-67- Darryl Sly
1967-68- Darryl Sly, Jim Dorey


1956-57- 
1957-58-
1958-59- Claude LaBrosse
1959-60- Claude LaBrosse
1960-61- Roger Cote
1961-62- Roger Cote
1962-63- Arnie Brown
1963-64- Arnie Brown
1964-65- Larry Hillman
1965-66- Larry Hillman
1966-67- Larry Hillman, Darryl Edestrand
1967-68- Larry Hillman, Jim McKenny


1956-57-
1957-58-
1958-59- Bo Elik, Steve Kraftcheck
1959-60- Steve Kraftcheck
1960-61- Steve Kraftcheck
1961-62- Steve Kraftcheck
1962-63- Norm "Red" Armstrong
1963-64- Norm "Red" Armstrong
1964-65- Norm "Red" Armstrong
1965-66- Norm "Red" Armstrong
1965-66- Norm "Red" Armstrong
1966-67- Norm "Red" Armstrong
1967-68- Norm "Red" Armstrong


1956-57-
1957-58-
1958-59- Rudy Migay, Murray Balfour
1959-60- Rudy Migay
1960-61- Pat Hannigan, Gary Jarrett, Ron Howell
1961-62- Bruce Draper
1962-63- Bruce Draper
1963-64- Mike Corbett, Duane Rupp
1964-65- Duane Rupp
1965-66- Duane Rupp
1966-67- Duane Rupp
1967-68- Milan Marcetta, Len Lunde


1956-57- Mike Nykoluk
1957-58- Mike Nykoluk
1958-59- Guy Rousseau
1959-60- Ted Hampson, Guy Rousseau
1960-61- Wally Boyer
1961-62- Wally Boyer
1962-63- Gary Jarrett
1963-64- Wally Boyer
1964-65- Wally Boyer
1965-66- Wally Boyer, Larry Jeffrey
1966-67- Don Blackburn
1967-68- Bob Barlow


1956-57- Earl Balfour
1957-58- Earl Balfour
1958-59- Gary Collins, Billy Hicke
1959-60- Dave Creighton
1960-61- Dave Creighton
1961-62- Dick Gamble
1962-63- Dick Gamble
1963-64- Dick Gamble
1964-65- Dick Gamble
1965-66- Dick Gamble, Brent Imlach
1966-67- Dick Gamble
1967-68- Dick Gamble


1956-57-
1957-58-
1958-59- Pat Hannigan
1959-60- Stan Smrke
1960-61- Stan Smrke
1961-62- Stan Smrke
1962-63- Stan Smrke
1963-64- Stan Smrke
1964-65- Stan Smrke
1965-66- Stan Smrke
1966-67- Stan Smrke
1967-68- Jean-Paul Parise, Garry Unger



1956-57- Eddie "Spider" Mazur
1957-58- Eddie "Spider" Mazur
1958-59- Gene "Max" Mekilok
1959-60- Billy Saunders
1960-61- Billy Saunders, Gene Ubriaco
1961-62- 
1962-63- Gene Ubriaco
1963-64- Les Duff
1964-65- Les Duff
1965-66- Les Duff
1966-67- Les Duff
1967-68- Les Duff


 
1956-57-
1957-58-
1958-59- Bobby Nevin
1959-60- Pat Hannigan
1960-61- Jim Pappin, Ken Girard
1961-62- Jim Pappin
1962-63- Jim Pappin
1963-64- Ed Litzenberger
1964-65- Ed Litzenberger
1965-66- Ed Litzenberger
1966-67- 
1967-68- Bryan Hextall


 
1956-57-
1957-58-
1958-59- Norm Johnson, Guy Rousseau
1959-60- Guy Rousseau
1960-61- Guy Rousseau
1961-62-
1962-63- Larry Keenan
1963-64- 
1964-65- Jim Pappin
1965-66- Mike "Shaky" Walton
1966-67- Mike "Shaky" Walton
1967-68- Andre Champagne, George "Duke" Harris


 
1956-57-
1957-58-
1958-59- Billy Carter
1959-60- Bobby Nevin
1960-61- John MacMillian
1961-62- Les Kozak
1962-63- John MacMillian, Rudy Migay
1963-64- Lou Angotti
1964-65- Billy "Hinky" Harris
1965-66- Eddie Shack, Jim Pappin
1966-67- Mike Corrigan
1967-68- Jim Pappin


 
1956-57-
1957-58- Fred "Skippy" Burchell
1958-59- Al MacNeil, Cecil Hoekstra
1959-60- Cecil Hoekstra
1960-61- Alex Faulkner
1961-62- Alex Faulkner
1963-63- Ed Lawson
1963-64- Pete Stemkowski
1964-65- Pete Stemkowski
1965-66- Pete Stemkowski, Darryl Edestrand, Eddie Joyal
1966-67- Darryl Edestrand
1967-68- Bob Cook


 
1956-57-
1957-58-
1958-59- Jimmy Moore
1959-60- Dick VanImpe
1960-61- Dick VanImpe
1961-62- Bill Dineen
1962-63- Gary Jarrett
1963-64-
1964-65- Don McKenney
1965-66- Brian Conacher
1966-67- 
1967-68- Brian Conacher, Murray Hall


 
1956-57- Bronco Horvath
1957-58- Stan Smrke
1958-59- Willie Marshall, Murray Balfour
1959-60- Al MacNeil, Billy Hicke
1960-61- Mike Donaldson
1961-62- Mike Donaldson
1962-63- John MacMillian, Bronco Horvath
1963-64- Bronco Horvath
1964-65- Bronco Horvath
1965-66- Bronco Horvath
1966-67- Bronco Horvath
1967-68- Garry Unger, Bronco Horvath


 
1956-57-
1957-58-
1958-59- Dick Bouchard, Gary Aldcorn
1959-60- Reggie Fleming, Joe Crozier
1960-61- Gerry "Tex" Ehman
1961-62- Gerry "Tex" Ehman
1962-63- Gerry "Tex" Ehman
1963-64- Gerry "Tex" Ehman
1964-65- Gerry "Tex" Ehman
1965-66- Gerry "Tex" Ehman
1966-67- Gerry "Tex" Ekman
1967-68- Mike Byers, Kent Douglas


 
1956-57- Al "Junior" Langlois
1957-58- Al "Junior" Langlois
1958-59-
1959-60-
1960-61- Garry "Duke" Edmundson
1961-62-
1962-63-
1963-64-
1964-65-
1965-66-
1966-67-
1967-68- Lynn Zimmerman (G)

 
1956-57- Gil Boisvert (G)
1957-58- Jerry Fluery (G)
1958-59- Ken Girard
1959-60-
1960-61- Joe Crozier
1961-62- Larry Keenan
1962-63-
1963-64-
1964-65-
1965-66-
1966-67-
1967-68-

 
1956-57-
1957-58-
1958-59-
1959-60-
1960-61-
1961-62-
1962-63-
1963-64-
1964-65-
1965-66-
1966-67-
1967-68-

 
1956-57-
1957-58-
1958-59-
1959-60-
1960-61-
1961-62-
1962-63-
1963-64-
1964-65-
1965-66-
1966-67-
1967-68-

 
1956-57-
1957-58-
1958-59-
1959-60- Ed Babiuk (G)
1960-61- 
1961-62- Dave Dryden (G)
1962-63-
1963-64- Ed Babiuk (G)
1964-65- Gary Smith (G)
1965-66- Gary Smith (G)
1966-67- Gary Smith (G)
1967-68- Lynn Zimmerman (G), Carl Wetzel (G)