OTTAWA, ON – FEBRUARY 6: Cody Ceci #5 of the Ottawa Senators prepares for a faceoff against Leo Komarov #47 of the Toronto Maple Leafs during an NHL game at Canadian Tire Centre on February 6, 2016 in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. (Photo by Jana Chytilova/Freestyle Photography/Getty Images)

12-1: Elegance and Class on the Runway

(This is high-end fashion. You’d buy knockoff versions of these jerseys from a guy selling them off a sidewalk in New York)

12. Buffalo


What works: The logo. The lettering. The numbers. The number on the shoulder. The collar. The shoulders. This is hockey’s most perfect jersey except…

What doesn’t work: …what is up with the grey armpit sweat? It’s as if someone drew nude stick figures doing it on the Mona Lisa. And what sense does it make? No one sweats in Buffalo. If someone wants to remove those for next season, you will be a top-three jersey.

Rating: 6.5

 

11. Detroit


What works: Two colors and a thin red line near the waist. The logo tells the story. This is what you get with old franchises that don’t update the jersey every five years.

What doesn’t work: This is where I’d like to write, “Asking taxpayers in a city with 25 percent unemployment to fund a new arena,” but that actually worked so we move on to the next jersey.

Rating: 6.8

 

10. Calgary


What works: The Flames have a similar issue to the Capitals, in that these jerseys are reminiscent of their flawless 1980s jerseys but aren’t quite them. The difference here is these are still gorgeous. They’d be higher if we didn’t know they could be better.

What doesn’t work: The ‘C’ is too big, like one of those logos you’d see on a college basketball court that’s overcompensating for something. I get the ‘C’ is supposed to crackling, like a fire, but it looks more like really thick back hair blowing in the wind. And now it will look that way to you too forever.

Rating: 6.9

 

9. Boston


What works: Everything! It’s crazy to think how close this team may have been to having a stupid bear as its logo (it used to and does on its thirds) but opted for the simple ‘B’ instead. Love the colors. Love the piping. Great work.

What doesn’t work: The spoked portion of the ‘B’ is weird. Why is it spoked? I guess when it’s this or a bear, you take the spoked ‘B.’

Rating: 7.4

 

8. San Jose


What works: Teal. Teal always works. Why don’t more teams use teal? The New York Yankees would be so much more likable if they went with teal. Much like the Sharks, someone should be hauled away in handcuffs for making this team with beautiful teal jerseys in their closets wear all black jerseys on occasion.

What doesn’t work: Considering how today’s referees always call slashing penalties when a stick breaks, your shark logo would spend the entire game in the penalty box for chomping through a stick.

Rating: 7.6

 

7. Philadelphia


What works: It shouldn’t be possible to make this much orange look this good. Even the dark jerseys look good, and that’s a lot of orange. It’s a mystery how the Flyers can make orange work and the Ducks make you wish there was a way to wipe orange from the color spectrum.

What doesn’t work: I always feel compelled to take an eraser and rub it over the black wrist things. I know. You’re the Orange & Black. Your pants are black. Count that as the black part of the uniform and go all orange on the cuffs.

Rating: 7.9

 

6. N.Y. Rangers


What works: Everything is compact. The red and blue piping is right on top of each other. With all the white space, your eye is drawn to the colors in a much more … sorry, my week at the Fashion Institute came out there.

What doesn’t work: The shadows on the logo, name and numbers. Why? It’s blue on white. We can see it. The red shadow is keeping the Rangers from having a truly elite jersey and also Carrot Top’s nickname should he ever choose to fight crime under the cover of night.

Rating: 8.2

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