Ranking the NHL’s Stadium Series Jerseys

January 26, 2014 / Rich Sports Talk / Leave a comment

7: Pittsburgh Penguins

Why not bring back the powder blues?

For the Winter Classic the Penguins have been known to wear their old school powder blue uniforms or some combination of the powder blues. It was a surprise when they released a jersey with none of these elements for the Stadium Series game. True it may not be as important as the Winter Classic, but it would have been nice to see the Penguins in their old school blue jerseys. What makes it worse is that they just basically rolled out a watered down version of their current jerseys. The only change is the striping on the jerseys which is boring. If anything, they could have gone with the old black and yellow color palette instead of basically the same exact jersey colors they use all the time. With so many options for the Penguins, it was disappointing that this was the best they could come up with.

6: LA Kings

Grey and boring

Even though black and grey is a great color scheme, the Kings somehow screwed this up. Instead of doing a solid black jersey or bringing back the old Kings logo during the Gretzky era, the Kings just put out a grey jersey that looks like it should be a practice jersey. With weird LA should logos, the old crown logo, there just isn’t much to say about these uniforms. They’d have been better off with more black or going back to the old school purple and gold. The would have been awesome to see the purple and gold on the ice again.

5: New York Rangers

Really? Let’s just rip off the Hartford Wolf Pack

The Rangers Winter Classic is one of my favorite jerseys of all time. I had high hopes for the Stadium Series hoping they would bring back a cream colored jersey or another old school look. Instead, the Rangers created a new look that looks like a combination between their old 90s alternates and the Hartford Wolf Pack. Silver? Really? The silver makes no sense, I’d rather see cream than silver. If they were going in this direction, they should have brought back the old statue of liberty logo instead of the New York script across the chest. With better logos and colors, the Rangers struck out when it came to Stadium Series jerseys.

4 Chicago Blackhawks

Back in Black

The Blackhawks had the best Winter Classic jerseys with their classic logo and design. This year, the jerseys are good, but nothing special. It just feels like a lazy attempt. Just a basic black jersey with the current logo. Sure the black looks great with the red and black, but it would have been nice for the Blackhawks to bring back their old logo or jerseys. While it’s not the worst jersey, it’s by no stretch the best.

3: Anaheim Ducks

Orange is tough to pull off, but the Ducks do it well

These jerseys by the Anaheim Ducks are very good. I love the orange color which both pops, but at the same time isn’t obnoxious like some orange jerseys can be. The burnt orange color is something different that you never see in a uniform and looks great with the black, gold, and white trim. The reason this jersey isn’t higher is the logo. While the Giant webbed D is good, we’ve seen it before. True it’s better than the “Ducks” script jersey, but I would have like to see them use the old Mighty Ducks logo with the mask and interlocking sticks. I have always been begging the Ducks to bring back that logo and think that would have been a great time to bring it back. Had they used that logo, they could have been on the top of the list, but without it they stay at number three.

2: New York Islanders

Old school and new school meet for a great combination

Given the Islanders’ illustrious uniform history which includes some of the worst jersey disasters in hockey history, I was skeptical when it came to their Stadium Series jerseys. However, the Islanders jerseys are incredible and the one jersey in the Stadium Series that should become the team’s third uniform. This would be so much better than those stupid black jerseys the Islanders have. With the classic blue, orange, and white colors, this jerseys looks beautiful. Add in the horizontal stripes on the arms and pants, clean white shoulder stripes and this is an aesthitically pleasing jersey. Then the logo, finally a team that tried something new. I love how the Islanders incorporated the NY part of their logo with a modern twist on the chest. Overall this is a great jersey, and I hope the Islanders keep using these after the Stadium Series.

1: New Jersey Devils

A Classic

The Devils jersey may not be new or innovative, but it’s nice to see at least one team honor their heritage. Sure Christmas colors may not sound like a winning combination on a hockey sweater, but the Devils make it work. The red, white, and green is simple and beautiful. These jerseys pop with their red color scheme and the green and white highlights are crisp and mesh well together. Sure it may look like Christmas on ice, but who doesn’t love Christmas? Finally the Devils have one of the best logos in hockey, so why mess with perfection? Great logo, great jersey, clearly the winner. Do you agree or disagree? Which was the best Stadium Series jersey and which was the worst? Comment and like below!

The 5 best uniforms from the NHL’s Winter Classic

September 22, 2013 / Rich Sports Talk / Leave a comment

The NHL Winter Classic has become one of, if not the most entertaining part of the NHL season. It may be only one game, but seeing the pros in an outdoor game the is reminiscent of the days when kids would play pond hockey is something special. Being outside in the winter elements was is hockey hockey was meant to be played, and watching your favorite players battle it out in the snow on an outdoor rink is highly entertaining. Apart from playing in the elements and visiting some of the most unique outdoor venues in sports, one of the best things about the Winter Classic is the uniforms. Some of the best hockey jerseys come from the Winter Classic as team’s bring back classic uniforms or combine aspects of older teams to create unique and gorgeous looks. Winter Classic jerseys are some of the league’s best-selling uniforms and have even become some team’s alternate jerseys. While I want to see some of these jerseys be used full-time, the fact that they are one and done for the most part makes them even more special. Here is my list for the best jerseys the Winter Classic have provided.

Honorable mention: Philadelphia Flyers

These are great uniforms, but didn’t break the mold like others did

For the 2012 Winter Classic the Philadelphia Flyers wore these great uniforms against the Rangers. While there 2010 jerseys would eventually become their regular jerseys, the 2012 jerseys bright orange and black jerseys were eye-popping. Why did I officially leave them off the list even though they were great? Most winter classics really mixed it up compared to a team’s normal set. While different the Flyers jersey didn’t stray too far from the normal home jerseys the flyers wear. True the black and off were different and while they looked terrific these sweaters just didn’t break any new ground. Sorry Flyers fans, these are great but I fell the Flyers could have done better in terms of a Winter Classic Jersey.

5) Boston Bruins:

Reinvent the spoke wheel? I think that’s a yes

Yellow and Brown. Sounds like a horrible combination. These colors make you think of a rotten banana, but somehow the Boston Bruins were not only able to pull it off, but look good in the process. Bringing back the original colors of the franchise in this clean and sharp look was a major win when the Bruins took the ice at Fenway Park. When the Bruins said they would be updating the spoked wheel logo many fans would have said this was sac-religious. However, the spoked wheel featuring a curvier B looked create and proved that you can tweak an original six logo and still make it look good.

4) Pittsburgh Penguins:

How would’ve thought baby blue could work as an NHL jersey?

When you mention the color of baby blue you think of little boys in footsie pajamas, not men with their front teeth knocked out. In the first Winter Classic the Pittsburgh Penguins went deep into their uniform archives to bring back the original logo and color for the team. Most Penguins fans never even knew the team had blue colors in their history. These jerseys were simple, clean, and well-balanced between the three colors. With the snow falling throughout the game, it just made the jerseys even more appropriate because the white snow with the cool blue Penguins jersey just made you think of winter. While this is a difficult color to pull off, the Penguins did it in fine fashion. It also helps that when people think back to the inaugural classic they remember Sidney Crosby scoring the game winning goal in this beautiful sweater.

3) Detroit Red Wings

Another original six team that has combined great colors with a classic logo

Ok, I know these haven’t technically been used yet but I love them already. The Red Wings will wear these classic uniforms for the 2014 Winter Classic in the Big House. I love the use of the original Red Wings winged wheel logo. The red and tan color pattern both pops and adds a great intimidation factor. Other things I love about this sweater is the double stripe pattern with one thick and one skinny stripe on the shoulders, arms, and bottom of the jersey. Another first is that these jerseys will have the captain and assistant captain’s letters on the right sleeve stripe just like they used to do in the early days. Add in the awesome “Detroit”script and these jerseys are a winner.

2) New York Rangers

A throwback that I wish the Rangers would make a permanent alternate

Man I love these jerseys. Can the use these to replace the current alternates. The Rangers Winter Classic jerseys are great. The off white color with the red and blue stripes looks both vintage and patriotic. Then you add in the original Ranger shield logo and you have a perfect jersey. I personally prefer the curvier shelf the Rangers used in these jerseys because it actually looks like an actually shield unlike the current logo. With the Rangers terrible current third jerseys I propose that the Rangers bring these uniforms back full-time as the alternate jersey. Without question these are my favorite sweaters the Rangers have ever worn.

1) Chicago Blackhawks

The best of the Blackhawks jerseys. Bring them back full-time

This is one of, if not my favorite hockey jersey ever. Look at these beauties don’t they just scream hockey. Not says intimidating like a black and red jersey. These black jerseys have a great combination of colors from the red, tan, and black color palette. The hockey pants with the red and tan outlines and the red triangles add details make these the pants my favorite hockey pants on a uniform. Colors only do so much for this jersey. I love the old school design of the horizontal stripes in the jersey which is both different and breaks up the jersey nicely. It also draws your eyes into the logo which is the best Blackhawks logo in their history. The crest with the Chicago Blackhawks script surrounding the original Blackhawks logo is one of the best logos not being used in the NHL right now. I love these jerseys so much I think that Blackhawks should bring these backs as their third jersey if not their regular jersey. While the later is less likely to happen I’m begging that the Blackhawks bring back not only the best Winter Classic jersey but one of the best jerseys in NHL history. What was your favorite Winter Classic classic jersey? Do you agree of disagree? Comment below and take the poll to vote for your favorite.

Chicago Fire: Blackhawks surging!

March 6, 2013March 10, 2013 / Rich Sports Talk / Leave a comment

Blackhawk up Chicago has dominated the NHL in 2013

Lockout? What lockout? The NHL is back with a bang despite the shortened 2013 season. What’s amazing is that there’s already a clear favorite for Lord Stanley’s Cup. While Chicago Fire may be the hottest new show without question the hottest thing in the windy city is the Chicago Blackhawks. The Blackhawks are on a historic start in which they have set an NHL record of 23 games with accumulating at least 1 point. They remain the only team with a big goose egg in the lost column as they’ve scorched through the NHL season with a 20-0-3 record to start the season. How have the Blackhawks been so dominant on route to a league leading 43 points? Well for starters the have one of the best goals per game average of 3.13 and one of the best penalty killing units by killing 88.8% of their opponents power plays. But the real key to the success of the Blackhawks has been their goalkeeper Corey Crawford. For years the goaltending for the Blackhawks has been a large question mark. In 2013 though Crawford has seemingly come out of nowhere to lead the league in wins for NHL net minders.

Crawford could be the final piece to a Stanley Cup picture.

He is second in the league in both save percentage .940 and GAA 1.53. We’ve known the Blackhawks can score but now add in one of the best goaltenders in the NHL and you have a deadly combination. It’s a pretty easy equation when trying to figure Chicago’s success. When your one of the best teams at putting the puck in the net while also being one of the best at keeping it out of your own net your going to win a lot of games. Patrick Kane has added 12 goals and 15 assists while Jonathan Toews and Marian Hossa have added a combined 19 goals and 19 assists apiece. The talent on this team is without question, but the only question that remains is when will this team finally drop a game? That will be interesting because it’s easy to win when you’re on a winning strike, but great teams can quickly adapt to adversity. If this team loses a game and goes on another win streak then they will have solidified themselves as Stanley Cup favorites. However, if they go on a losing streak or play 500 hockey for an extended amount of time then you have to question this team’s ability to overcome losing. While it’s great for hockey if the Blackhawks keep winning, we will not really find if this is the best team in hockey until they lose some games. Things are going great in Chicago right now and this team is hot, but you also have to worry as a Blackhawk’s fan is this team getting too hot too early?

How Toews and the rest of the Blackhawks overcome losing will show the team’s true character

Don’t forget it’s better to be hot in the playoffs then at the beginning of the season. No one will care how amazing this team’s start was if they lose early in the playoffs. The old saying “it’s not how you start it’s how you finish” is a great analogy for this team because if the season ends well short of a Stanley Cup victory then it has been a failure. While the playoffs are still a few moths off one thing I do know is this. This is by far the most dominant team I’ve seen in the NHL in a long time. If they continue to play anywhere near this level come playoff time, I think we will be seeing the Stanley Cup residing in the Windy City at the end of the 2013 season.