To kickoff the Summer Series, I've decided to rank the NHL Uniforms starting from Worst (30th) to First. This is opinion & I based my opinion off of the elements of each teams logo/uniform & not off of what I think of the team. I'll be posting a separate Summer Series for 3rd jerseys. Now let's get started:
30.
Dallas Stars- The Stars NEED a new uniform set, their transition into the Reebok Edge Era hasn't started off well so it would be nice to see Dallas return to a green jersey in a non-football like uniform.
29.
Ottawa Senators- Ottawa took a huge step this past season by ditching their "Sens" jersey and going with a nice fan designed alternate that recognizes the history of the original Senators, now if only the team could give their home & road uniforms a much needed facelift.
28.
Minnesota Wild- While the wild have kept their white jersey the same throughout their history, the only reason they rank so low on my list is because of their home jersey. The home jersey would be good as the alternate it was from 2003-07 but having a jersey that looks nothing like its counterpart, there's only 1 team who's allowed to get away with that in the NHL, we'll see them later on in the countdown.
27.
Colorado Avalanche- Colorado's Edge transition is better then Dallas' but they could have done better, to me their original uniforms were so nice, they could have gone with a different template (like their thirds) to possibly make an improvement.
26.
Columbus Blue Jackets- Columbus is another team who could have done better in the Edge transition. While their current set is 100 times better then what they debuted with back in 2000, but after seeing concepts for what could have been, they could have had something special.
25.
Calgary Flames- Calgary has such a nice alternate/throwback uniform, they should just follow their fellow Albertans & go with something from the past full time!
24.
Anaheim Ducks- When the Anaheim shorted the team name & changed their colors they may have won the Stanley Cup but they certainly dropped in uniform rankings. They could have recolored the Mighty Duck logo (like they did for the shoulder patch on the new third) and used that. The webbed D is really nice but the entire word-mark makes the uniform look bad.
23.
Florida Panthers- Florida did a good thing last season and made red their primary color on their home uniforms once again, they could however use a different template to get rid of most of the blue that still exists.
22.
St. Louis Blues- Don't get me wrong, the Blues have nice uniforms but the reason for their low ranking is because of their lack of striping. It could be better, a lot better!
21.
Tampa Bay Lightning- When the Lighting first adopted their "Tampa Bay Maple Wings" uniform set I was shocked how bad it was but after the modifications, I have to say the uniforms grew on me. While I do miss the black uniforms & victory stripes, these are a nice subtle change for Tampa, although I'm hoping for at least a black alternate in the near future.
20.
Vancouver Canucks- The Canucks are another team with a better third jersey then their current home/away. Vancouver fans have been hoping for a change back to the stick in rink logo for the longest time and I hope they get it soon.
19.
Washington Capitals- Reverting back to Red, White & Blue along with an updated logo was a nice touch for Washington in the Edge transition but I think that the Caps uniforms could be better if they added stars to the uniform just like in their original uniforms.
18.
Carolina Hurricanes- The Hurricanes are one of those teams unfortunately down on this list. I think they have a uniform set that cant be touched but thanks to all the teams who have made their uniforms better over the years & fall to 18 on the list.
17.
Winnipeg Jets- When Mark Chipman said that his team wouldn't have any red in their jerseys, I was skeptical but after seeing what his team came up with was great. They may not be the Jets of old but these uniforms are instant classics in my opinion. Now if only he could realize the money that could be made with a good third.
16.
Pittsburgh Penguins- Everyone says the Penguins could have better uniforms, I disagree for the most part. A shoulder patch could work for them but I see nothing wrong with these uniforms, they made a better Edge transition then most of the other teams in the league but not as good as their Atlantic Division counterparts.
15.
Phoenix Coyotes- The Coyotes have made significant improvements to their uniforms. Hopefully this uniform sticks around for a long time in the dessert but we never know with some of these southern teams with low attendance, no one saw Atlanta moving as quick as they did last year.
14.
San Jose Sharks- The Sharks transition into the Edge Era was a great improvement over their Pre-Edge uniforms. Their uniforms now look traditional and classic, job well done by Sharks management!
13.
Nashville Predators- When the Predators redesigned their uniforms before last years Draft, everyone thought they would be changing their alternate blue uniforms to their home and a white variant that was used at a team event as their road but Nashville went in a different direction. They became the first team since the 1966-67 Boston Bruins to wear gold as their dark uniform and not an alternate. The new uniforms truly embraced Nashville's "Music City" reputation by having guitar strings on their numbers, a guitar pick as a shoulder patch and piano keys inside their collar. Of all the original uniforms that have come along in recent years, this is a top notch uniform set.
12.
Buffalo Sabres- The Sabres finally gave into their fans in 2010 by getting rid of the "Buffa-slug" uniforms and promoting their third jersey to their home uniform. Their current home/former third is an updated version of their original logo and added a white variant. While the jersey may lack a shoulder patch, I do like the fact that the numbers on the upper right chest have stayed.
11.
Edmonton Oilers- Keeping with the trend of righting the wrongs in NHL Unifoms, the Edmonton Oilers finally reverted back to their original uniform set last season. While adding a retro third back in 2008 (like Buffalo) to satisfy fans from their horrible set. The third was promoted in 2009 before the set was completed before the 2011 Draft with the white jersey making a return and ridding Edmonton of their bland/practice like jerseys.
10.
New York Islanders- Completing this trend is the New York Islanders, the Islanders had a great set in 1998 after ridding themselves of anything from their brief "Fisherman Era" but apparently didn't learn their lesson when the Edge Era began & yet again found themselves trying to right a wrong. In 2008 the team debuted a retro third (how original!) in the form of their pre Fisherman dark jersey. The Islanders deserve the top 10 for their home/road uniforms because of their history in them & inserting that history in their new uniforms (
http://nhluniforms.com/Islanders/Patches/IslandersCrests.png). On my 3rd jersey countdown the Islanders won't be as high as this, but again this is about home & road uniforms.
9.
Los Angeles Kings- When the Kings debuted their alternate uniforms back in 2008, they went to blend several eras into 1 jersey which was very successful. The Kings would use these uniforms at home during the playoffs and surprise surprise, the third got the promotion to home uniform. When Icethetics showed prototypes of a new alternate in October of 2010 it was confirmed these changes were on the way. The Kings did a good job in their transition and look what happened after this upgrade, in the sets first year the Kings won the Stanley Cup.
8.
Philadelphia Flyers- The Flyers came into the Edge Era with minor modifications to their Pre-Edge black & white uniforms. When teams were able to add Third Jerseys in 08-09 it was no surprise the Flyers would bring out an orange jersey and they did so with their mid 70's orange jersey complete with the with nameplates. In April of 2009, before that years playoffs, the Flyers announced that going forward the Orange Third would be their new home uniforms. The next season the team kept their white uniforms the same but as we've seen with the throwback/third promotion trend, its days were numbered. That year the Flyers played in the 2010 Winter Classic, breaking out a 70's like white jersey with a new nameplate (an inverse of the home jersey's name plate) and before the 2010-11 season they made it their away uniform. The Flyers have really done a good job with their uniforms and have a classic set.
7.
New Jersey Devils- The Devils are possibly one of the only teams to not make a big deal of the Edge transition. The Devils have kept the same uniforms since the fall of 1992 and have had only 1 major uniform change in their history by going from Red & Green to Red & Black. The Red & Green jerseys didn't look too different from the Devils current look and Lou Lamoriello is a man of tradition and hopefully the Devils never make a drastic change. Personally I know everytime I walk into a sporting goods store in this state, I know for a fact that I'll always see the same Devils jerseys hanging on the shelves. There's only 1 other team I can think of with a similar uniform history as the Devils, their 1995 Stanley Cup opponents, the Detroit Red Wings. Other then those two, it seems like every team has had more then 1 drastic uniform change in their history.
Now to I couldn't decided on these last few so I've decided that there's a 6 way tie for first & to no one's surprise it's these 6 teams...
THE ORIGINAL SIX
1. The Original Six (New York Rangers, Detroit Red Wings, Chicago Blackhawks, Montreal Canadiens, Toronto Maple Leafs & Boston Bruins)
Throughout the years and into the Edge Era, there have been 6 iconic uniform sets in the National Hockey League and it's no surprise it comes from it's senior members. While the Bruins uniforms weren't exactly classic from the fall of 1995 through the spring of 2007, they redeemed themselves in the fall of 2007 by reintroducing a look similar to their 1967-74 sweaters. The Maple Leafs on the other hand had a bad start to the Edge Era but redeemed themselves with a marvelous new set that debuted in the fall of 2010 and gave a vintage look to a team that's seen its fair share of changes through the years. The Canadiens have a classic set even though their uniform designs are different but it's been that way since the fall of 1947. The Red Wings haven't seen significant changes to their classic set since the fall of 1961. The Blackhawks may have undergone modifications to their logo but they perfected their uniforms in the fall of 1955. And last but not least, the Rangers. The Rangers uniforms have, for the most part, had RANGERS going down in a diagonal pattern with the exception of the 46-47 & 76-78 seasons. Even these teams third jerseys, winter classic jerseys and anniversary jerseys have been great. Montreal's Centennial jerseys were great to see on the ice, Toronto's alternates have been great, Boston's Winter Classic was nothing short of classic with their current third jersey logo paying homage to their 1924 logo, Detroit's 2009 Winter Classic uniform was spectacular, as was Chicago's jersey from the same game and Chicago's old black alternate fit well into their set & New York's are well off the chart beautiful with their heritage jersey honoring many past elements and doing the same for their 2012 Winter Classic Sweater.
That'll do it for the first Summer Series post, I'll be back throughout the Summer with more of them so as always STAY TUNED!
