The NHL and Adidas made some history today, revealing new alternate jerseys for every team in the league. They’re called Reverse Retro and while the theme takes on a number of forms, there are some true gems in the lot. Now, where you’re talking about “retro,” the response from your audience is going to vary greatly depending on how old a particular audience member is. So I’m gonna rank all 31 jerseys and I will admit that as a child of the 1980s, I have a certain era that I look fondly upon and a certain era that I turn up my nose at (let’s just say the Dead Puck Era looked bad in all forms).
So let’s get to the rankings and spare no feelings along the way.
1. Colorado: This is the jersey we all wanted to see; the return of the Nordiques logo. With Colorado colors, it’s outstanding, right down to the Fleur-de-Lis border at the bottom and on the shoulders.
2. Los Angeles: Combining the Wayne Gretzky-era “Chevrolet” logo with the Forum Blue and Gold color scheme was an awesome choice. This is going to be tremendously popular both in and outside the hockey world.
3. New Jersey: Perhaps the perfect definition of “Reverse Retro,” the Devils get a flipped version of their classic 1980s sweaters. That Pine Barrens green looks so, so sharp.
4. Montreal: For a team that has done a lot of variations lately, the Habs still knock it out of the park with this blue number, which evokes teams that based their jerseys on Montreal, such as WHL Spokane or the Toronto Jr. Canadiens.
5. Carolina: Yesss, the Whale is back! We’ve seen Carolina go Hartford retro before, so this isn’t a shocker, but sometimes you just gotta give the people what they want.
6. Minnesota: It would have been fun to see the Wild go full North Stars, but bringing back the color scheme is still pretty good. Also, the jersey numbers on this look fantastic.
7. Columbus: Maybe I’m on an island here, but I really like the Blue Jackets’ look. The red is bold and it’s a first for the franchise as a main color. Makes the cribbage board logo really pop.
8. Arizona: The Coyotes have gone all-in on zany lately and hey, why not? It’s been working. The purple looks great and I fully enjoy that they refer to this mascot as the ‘Peyote Coyote.’
9. St. Louis: I didn’t like the original version of this jersey, but the Reverse Retro one really works for me. Flipping the script is exactly what this line of sweaters is about, after all.
10. Winnipeg: Bringing in a cool new understated color scheme gives the Jets a different vibe here than a lot of other teams, but that’s a plus in my book. Winnipeg zigs when most others zagged.
11. Toronto: I was worried the Leafs were going to go Full Harold Ballard Era, so it was a relief that the designers put a twist on the 1980s base they worked off here.
12. Chicago: Yeah, it’s both retro-cool and problematic – what’s new? This was the only logo not shown in the NHL’s official video (they showed the back instead) and that has to be an omen.
Chicago Blackhawks/Adidas
13. Pittsburgh: The Penguins have done so many looks due to outdoor games, but this one is nice, shouting out an old team font to create something unique.
14. NY Rangers: You don’t want to mess with the Rangers’ uniforms too much, so going back to Lady Liberty was a good, safe choice for the Blueshirts.
15. Washington: I’m really feeling this, though I’m not sure if I’m in the minority. Rocking the Red with a Peter Bondra eagle on the front? Yes, I’m in.
16. Buffalo: The color scheme is excellent, I’m just not 100 percent sold on the swords logo. Just a little too sparse for my tastes – it’s a shoulder logo and always should be.
17. Ottawa: Not too controversial, but still a twist on the Senators’ history. Adidas were like doctors on this one – the first rule is to do no harm.
18. Tampa Bay: This is one of those retro jerseys where I feel not enough time has passed to be effective. The team’s original font still looks too cartoonish – maybe wait another 10 years?
19. Edmonton: Other than going with the Todd McFarlane oil drop logo, Edmonton is kinda painted into a corner with their design choices. You can only do so much, but this one’s fine.
20. Boston: The Bruins are another team with the Outdoor Jersey Fatigue problem, as we’ve already seen so many variants in recent years. This one is fine, but I don’t know how many they’ll sell.
21. San Jose: The bar for Sharks jerseys is obscenely high, as San Jose has consistently rocked winners throughout the franchise’s history. This one is a little underwhelming.
22. Nashville: Shoulda made the skull logo the main logo – that would have been tight. Instead, we get a variation that is non-threatening but doesn’t really stand out.
23. Florida: As a jersey, this one is perfectly serviceable, but it’s hard to truly distinguish it from its forebearers. Again, this is a team that didn’t have a lot of options.
24. NY Islanders: Um, isn’t this just a regular Islanders jersey?
25. Philadelphia: The Flyers have a great logo and cool, unique colors, so they have a pretty good base to work off. But the arms on these are super-weird.
26. Vegas: Because the Golden Knights just entered the league recently, it’s hard to be inspired by a new look already. The red is OK, the shoulder logo should have stayed on the shoulder.
27. Anaheim: One of the most notorious jerseys in NHL history gets a reboot. Imagine Ryan Getzlaf pulling this over his shoulder pads in an actual game.
28. Vancouver: The gradient is unique, that is true. But it also doesn’t look good. Or to be more specific, it still doesn’t look good, even if these colors are better than the original.
29. Calgary: Personal preference, but I don’t like the horse. The flaming ‘C’ is incredible and I don’t think the Flames should have black in their uniform.
30. Dallas: The Stars’ original Dallas logo was never that great – the team’s uniforms now are much better. I like the new neon look more – at least it’s bold.
31. Detroit: It’s almost like they forgot about this until yesterday. Nothing could be done with the old Falcons or Cougars looks?
