NEW YORK -- The NHL will break with tradition next season by ushering in a new, streamlined uniform that blends fashion with functionality, commissioner Gary Bettman said Wednesday.

Bettman said the new-look uniforms, designed over the past two years, will be unveiled at the All-Star Game in January.

In an interview with Reuters at the NHL's headquarters in New York, Bettman said the players who have tested it so far "have been thrilled."

While the new tapered uniforms are fashionable, Bettman said they were designed with players in mind.

"The new uniform takes advantage of developments in new fabrics," he said. "But the change was done not for the stylistic. It was done for performance and safety. It was time. Our basic uniforms haven't changed in 40 years."

NHL teams have worn basically the same outfit, with big, square shirts, bulky pads and wide socks with horizontal stripes since the 1940s.

The new leg pads are designed to stay in place when a player moves and not ride up toward the waist.

"The players will have the ability to have their joints flex and be able to move their arms and legs better than ever before," Bettman said.

In a wide-ranging interview, Bettman said attendance during the first two months of the season is down about one percent from last year's record-setting campaign.

"In terms of the vital signs, last season was strong," the commissioner said. "This season remains strong."

The league is having attendance problems in some of its bigger markets, such as New Jersey and Chicago, but some of the franchises in non-traditional hockey areas such as Raleigh, N.C., and Nashville, Tenn., are solid.

"Last year, we set an all-time attendance record," Bettman said.

"Part of that record was the strongest October we had ever seen. ... If you take away last October, we would have set an attendance record for October this year."

Despite sagging attendance in some markets and low television ratings, Bettman said he was thrilled with the way the league has rebounded from the lockout that wiped out the 2004-05 season.

"I think 25 teams last year either made the playoffs or were within 10 points of making the playoffs," Bettman said. "And I think we're doing better than that this year. So almost everybody is competitive and is in the hunt."

Bettman said the NHL was committed to boosting its television ratings but added he has secured deals with Internet video firms to reach younger fans.

"The challenge moving forward with the foundation we have is, 'How do we grow new fans? How do we take casual sports fans and turn them into hockey fans?' That's what we're working on," he said.

"No one can question that this is a solid business, a strong league with an unbelievably strong brand. What other brand could shut down for a year and not lose its customers?

"Hockey fans are the most loyal fans in sports, and for that we are so grateful."

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This is pretty cool. I wouldn't mind a change.

ill make up my mind when i see the new uniforms, but i think this is kinda lame. if they want to change something, change that stupid fucking instigator rule.

Or the rule that says every city south of the Mason-Dixon line needs an NHL franchise (thus depleting the talent pool even more).

um....so what do they look like?

this is old news, the Canadian Junior Team used them last winter and the men's Olympic team tried them out during practice

what a stud this guy is

i hope you can still pull these jersey's over peoples heads

i don't see any "noticable" changes, but then again, it's not often I've seen the canadian national team jersey

The Sabres new jersey is the prototype for the new designs, so that's what you're in store for.

I'm having a hard time imagining the Rangers, Blackhawks, Canadiens, Leafs, etc. in different styled-unis (regardless of the colors and logos).

I hope the leafs hold out on this. I have seen the prototype jerseys from last year at the olympics practices and they were fucking ugly. I also remember hearing players voicing displeasure towards them.

I have complete faith in the NHL that this won't suck at all.

...we just got new unis.

I think all they are doing is tapering them so that they are tighter and not so baggy. I could really care less.

I always get my jersey stuck on the back of my shoulder pads... I wouldn't want anything smaller.

if i recall, i don't think the olympic players liked them because nome of them could put their sweaters over their gear by themselves. also, i really hope they don't fuck with teams like toronto, montreal, chicago, etc...

Yeah don't fuck with these guys.

I don't even wear shoulder pads and I wouldn't want a smaller jersey