Forget for a second that Uncle Joey was the Full House character who played hockey in college and disregard the fact that Uncle Jesse would never play a sport in which a helmet would cause a full 60 minutes of “Watch the hair!” panic. Put these departures from the TGIF canon out of your mind and simply bask in the glory of the uniforms worn by the Philadelphia area’s preeminent amateur-ice-hockey tribute to John Stamos, The Rippers. This is no mere exercise is cheap nostalgia: The color scheme and design elements call back to both the show and the era during which it was produced, a time when many NHL franchises’ classic looks received supposedly “hip” updates, not unlike that time some record-label sleaze persuaded The Rippers’ namesake to record a vaguely rapped cover of The Beach Boys’ “Forever”.
The sweater’s real “have mercy”-worthy stuff is the product of a quality totally unfamiliar to Full House: subtlety. The jersey is dotted with Tanner-family Easter eggs, including the Golden Gate Bridge, shoulders emblazoned with the logos for The Smash Club and Wake Up San Francisco, and arms marked with symbols representing the beginning of Uncle Joey’s signature “Cut it out” gesture. Yes, The Rippers’ uniforms should be the envy of rec leagues and the professional ranks alike—and if anyone points out that Uncle Jesse couldn’t even skate, it’s only because they’re jealous. They’re probably the party responsible for slapping the Gorton’s Fisherman on the Islanders’ chests way back when—in which case they could doubly benefit from that clip and the throwback Red Wings jersey Dave Coulier wears in it. [The Big Lead]