I figured I’d pass along my ratings of all of these jerseys. After all, what else is a message board for than slinging mud at professionals and pretending we could do it better?
A few things: I generally prefer dark to white jerseys, I like contrast (what’s the point of having team colors and not using them?), and I hate when teams use too much black or white. Also, along with my own biases, the “execution” will factor into my ratings as much as the actual look.
Anaheim: It’s on brand, for sure. I remember I bought the original one when I was 14. By the time I turned 16, I started to regret it. 2/10
Arizona: I know I’m in the minority, but I liked the original version of this. The 8-bit desert landscape really popped when coupled with the dark green. Maybe it’s because I generally hate purple and maybe the contrast isn’t great enough, but I don’t like these at all. 2/10
Calgary: Lazy and uninspired, and way too close to the jerseys they were based on. 0/10
Edmonton: A solid effort, but too much white. I know there wasn’t much in the back catalog that hadn’t been tried, but they should have recolored the crest. 6/10
Los Angeles: Again, I hate purple, but it was a great way to blend two distinct looks from two different eras. 8/10
San Jose: They took one of the most unique color schemes in the NHL and turned it a drab gray. 4/10
Vancouver: Great execution of the reverse retro concept and because of the colors, it doesn’t look as bad as the original. Still not good 5/10
Vegas: Loud and garish…perfect for Vegas 9/10
Carolina: I’m not big on teams assuming their predecessor’s identity after running from it, so that hurts this one in my eyes. Also, I love the green and blue, but hate the gray. 4/10
Columbus: This one looks more like a Capitals prototype than a Blue Jackets jersey. 4/10
New Jersey: Well done! I figured they would be doing this, and it looks great. I don’t want to see the Devils wearing this all the time, but it looks on brand and classy. 10/10
NY Islanders: I’m missing something here. What exactly did they do to make this reverse or retro? 0/10
NY Rangers: See Calgary 0/10
Philadelphia: They have the same problem as Edmonton, but this is more colorful and therefore better. 7/10
Pittsburgh: It works. Not great, but not terrible either. 5/10
Washington: They should have made the bottom and the sleeve-ends red to avoid mixing with the blue pants. Not bad, but it has an obvious flaw. 6/10
Chicago: This one looks like it could be a full-time third. I wouldn’t complain. 9/10
Colorado: I love the claret and blue colors (I even own a West Ham United kit for this reason) and I like how the team mixes up the colored elements, but the Avs shouldn’t use another team’s logo. The colors are worth an extra point to me. 5/10
Dallas: Too. Much. White. They took the team’s best jersey and stripped it of all its character. 2/10
Minnesota: Hey Carolina and Colorado, this is how you incorporate a predecessor’s history into your own look. 10/10
Nashville: It’s loud, garish, obnoxious, slightly nauseating…it fits in well with practically every other Predators jersey. 9/10
St. Louis: See Vegas and Nashville, and then remember that this is a team not known for being such things. 3/10
Winnipeg: Bland and boring. The gray is too dark and when paired with navy blue, it looks like something appropriate for a funeral. 3/10
Boston: On brand, simple, classic, yet never seen before. 10/10
Buffalo: This is, by far, the best a goathead-era jersey has ever looked. 8/10
Detroit: I know they didn’t have much to work with, but under the right lighting, I could see the silver blending in with the white. 1/10
Florida: I’d almost say the same thing as I did for the Islanders, but the differences in the striping are pretty obvious. Still, it’s bordering on boring. 1/10
Montreal: I remember Russia did the same thing for non-IIHF matches a few years ago. Good, but a bit jarring to see the Habs in blue. 9/10
Ottawa: Needs more white, but these would make a solid addition to the current set. 7/10
Tampa Bay: I’m torn. Part of me wants to give them a 10 because this is what the Lightning should look like. Part of me wants to give them a 0 because these should be the primary, not a one-off novelty jersey. 10/10
Toronto: When you have only one color and a back catalog with few variations, it’s hard to come up with something. The gray seems to dull the blue and make it fall flat. I'm not sure what they could have done, but it would have had to turn out better. 4/10