Dec

Ranking the 3rd Jerseys

By Joshua

We all know the Flames have the best uniforms in the NHL, and obviously have no need of a third jersey. What would a third jersey do that the beautiful red home uniform doesn’t already do? Not every NHL fan is as lucky as we are, and that marketing machine that is professional sport has devised the concept of more and more jerseys that can be hocked to the fans. That’s great if your team did a good job of designing their alternate uniform, but as we will see here, this is not always the case. Here is my ranking, from worst to best, of the alternate jerseys being sported in the NHL this season.

19		Atlanta Thrashers Are these guys actually wearing hockey jerseys? They look like motocross jerseys to me. You can’t see it well in this photo, but the swooping bird heads on the shoulders make these look like the NFL Rams’ uniforms. These things are an abomination, but in the big picture they aren’t that much worse than the powder blue home jerseys these guys are burdened with. If you are a Thrasher fan, you have my sympathies, as your team is my winner for the worst of the third jerseys.
18		Phoenix Coyotes The worst part of this is that when the Coyotes rolled out their maroon rebranding, it took them from one of the worst looking teams in the NHL to one of the best. Granted, these ones aren’t as bad as the original Phoenix alternate; however, the lame logo on the front of these jerseys is the killer on these ones. If it were up to me, Wayne’s boys would stick with their everyday uniforms.
17		Dallas Stars Another case of not as bad as their old third jersey, but oh-so-lame because it’s only a colour reversal of their less than spectacular home jersey. They would’ve looked better in the old star pattern jersey.
16		Ottawa Senators I thought this one was a joke when I first saw it. “What? Really?” Who thought the giant nickname wordmark was a good idea on these? I don’t mind the pattern on these ones, and the stripes on the arms work for me by making me think of the Ottawa 67’s uniforms, but that “logo” is just laughable.
15		Boston Bruins I’m pretty sure I saw leaks of this one last spring. I wasn’t impressed with it then, and it hasn’t really grown on me. Don’t get me wrong, it’s not terrible, but it’s not overly creative or unique. The black third jersey is uninspired, and when you’ve got Zdeno Chara and Milan Lucic on your roster, do you really need to look more intimidating? Maybe I’m just the crazy one for liking their old yellow thirds.
14		Chicago Blackhawks Yes, we’re solidly in the it doesn’t suck, but it’s not really turning my crank category. I don’t mind the Hawks’ new get up, but swapping white for black just seems kind of boring. It is a classic look that’s worked for decades and still works; it’s just not as exciting as the kids who are wearing it.
13		San Jose Sharks Overall, I thought their RBK redesign was a moderate step backward from their previous look. The third jerseys pretty much continue that with another mundane black entry. Do guys really get excited to wear these?
12		Carolina Hurricanes When the ‘Canes first joined the NHL I despised the square blocks along the waistline, but after learning the significance of said blocks I gave it a pass, and I’m glad they kept that element here. I kind of like the crest on these ones, too. It’s good to see a modern club who isn’t having a visual identity crisis.
11		Los Angeles Kings The Kings have a terrible track record on third jerseys, so the fact that this one isn’t ranked #19 is almost a miracle. I like the black/white/gray that harkens back to the Gretzky era in LA, so the Kings get a pass on the black shirts. Extra points for incorporating modern and classic design elements into the same jersey.
10		Toronto Maple Leafs Considering they’ve barely changed their look in their entire history, it’s tough to stray far from the classic look. This design is expected, but timeless.
9		New York Islanders Glory day throwbacks are all the rage, right? If you’re ever presented with the choice of (a) Captain Highliner, (b) 70’s Championship throwback; choose B every time!
8		Edmonton Oilers I know the City of Chumps loved the McFarlane third jersey, but I thought it was too far of a departure from the identity of the club. When I see this jersey it reminds me of the classic Battle of Alberta, complete with Lanny McDonald and 1989. Go Flames!
7		Tampa Bay Lightning This was a tough one for me, because the “Bolts” crest is downright stupid. I love the colour and pattern of the jersey, though, so despite the awful crest, it’s starting to grow on me. I’d love to see it with the proper logo crest on there.
6		Philadelphia Flyers Bold move to bring back the Broadstreet Bullies look, but for another club who has never deviated far from their original look, I think this works well.
5		Vancouver Canucks I think I’ve made my feelings on the everyday Canuck sweaters pretty well known. In short, I think they look like a peewee team who is trying too hard. The orca crest sucks, and the arching “Vancouver” crest is a visual mismatch to the crest. This alternate may be the biggest improvement over the everyday sweater on any team in the league. The classic look with some contemporary style tweaks wins with me, even if the Canucks don’t.
4		Pittsburgh Penguins The Penguins overshot the glory day throwback a little bit, but sometimes vintage wins for its visual impact. Having seen the league’s poster boy posing in this jersey since last year’s Winter Classic, this one has had plenty of time to grow on me. As a Lemieux fan, I’d prefer a 1991 throwback, but this one’s pretty cool too.
3		Buffalo Sabres The modern life of the Sabres has been one ongoing identity crisis. I like to think that this throwback is an admission of wrongdoing on so many of the jerseys since.
2		St. Louis Blues Personal sentiment aside, this is probably the winner of the best jersey. It’s clean, it has a classic look, and it integrates the arch into the crest design. The Blues at one time nearly had a pretty loud alternate (pardon the pun, and thanks to Mike Keenan for withholding that monstrosity), so the discretion shown in this design is refreshing. If I was a Blues fan, one of these would already be hanging in my closet.
1		Montréal Canadiens Habs win. This may be my bias, but the modern-looking throwback is the best looking jersey on NHL ice. Except for the Flames’ jersey, of course.