By Nick Lenahan
Since the Adidas Reverse Retro jerseys debuted this year, there has been a lot of talk about past sweaters, so I decided to rank the top 20 NHL jerseys of all time. Here in Buffalo, we’ve had some of the best and worst jerseys that the league has ever seen. The 80’s and 90’s seem to be a common thread of consistency when going through each team’s uniforms. I’d go as far to say that if I asked you to name any team from the 90’s, the jerseys they wore would rank right at the top of their club’s history of sweaters. Regardless, here are my top 20 jerseys of all time.
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20. St. Louis Blues (1968-1984)
The St. Louis Blues debuted with these light blue jerseys during the 1967-68 season and pushed their way to the Stanley Cup Finals in each of the first two years in the franchise’s history. Unfortunately, they did this only to be swept by the Montreal Canadiens in both appearances.
19. Washington Capitals (1997-2000)
While these jerseys were a refreshing change from the red and white sweaters from 20 years past, the blue jerseys were first worn in the Capitals’ first playoff-less season in 15 years.
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18. Atlanta Thrashers (2000-2006)
20 years after the Flames relocated from Atlanta, the Thrashers entered the league in the 1999-2000 expansion, showing off their minimalist style bird in maroon, gold, and navy.
17. New York Islanders (1996-1997)
After a very disappointing season for the Islanders during the 1996-97 campaign, their famous fisherman jerseys were thrown back into the vault the following year. From wavy nameplates, to the orange and blue color scheme, these jerseys absolutely had to make it on my list.
16. Montreal Canadiens (2016)
These winter classic jerseys were a great pick not only for their simple changes to the color scheme, but for the setting. These primarily white uniforms looked amazing in an outdoor setting. Montreal has never had to fix their classic jersey, but this was a refreshing change of pace for an Original 6 team.
15. Boston Bruins (1995-2006)
These “pooh-bear” jerseys made a ten year run and were a personal favorite for many Bruins fans in that late 90’s – early 2000’s era. The bear head was a shoulder patch on their other jerseys for nearly two decades, and went out with a bang as the team’s alternate primary logo until its retirement.
14. Calgary Flames (1998-2006)
“Blasty” was the primary home logo for the flames for 3 years before being retired, until this past season in the Reverse Retro revival campaign from Adidas. Mark Giordano was the only player to wear the original horse head logo, as well as the the modern version.
13. Buffalo Sabres (2000-2006)
Accenting the “goat-head” style Sabres jerseys that debuted in the 90’s, this alternate jersey would be their final jersey before introducing the “slug” logo that would be worn by one of their better teams in franchise history the following year.
12. Mighty Ducks of Anaheim (1996)
Based off of Wildwing Flashblade, an animated Disney series from 1993, these jerseys are one of the most unique designs to be displayed in NHL history.
11. Pittsburgh Penguins (1992-2002)
These Penguins jerseys were a staple in an impressive run through the 90’s with Hall of Famers like Scotty Bowman, Paul Coffey, Mario Lemieux, Ron Francis, Mark Recchi, and Bryan Trottier. Oh thats right, and Jaromir Jagr.
10. Florida Panthers (1993-2007)
These Florida Panthers red jerseys are just entirely too clean. Great shoulder patches and perfect overall color scheme to accent the logo. Florida would wear these during their 1996 campaign where they won the conference finals before getting swept by the Colorado Avalanche in the Stanley Cup finals.
9. Phoenix Coyotes (1996-2003)
The “Kachina” coyote was a huge step in creativity with NHL jerseys, showcasing southwestern colors and paying homage to the area’s history. These jerseys seem to always draw attention and are as popular with fans now as they were in ‘96.
8. Vancouver Canucks (1989-1997)
Vancouver went with these mostly black jerseys after years of having very large, ugly orange stripes around the arms and waist with the same set up. These jerseys would be a monumental change for the team, regardless of how minor the change may have been.
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7. St. Louis Blues (1995-1998)
While St. Louis introduced this hint of red into their uniforms and added Wayne Gretzky into the lineup, the only downside in the 1995-96 season would be Wayne hitting the 100 point plateau for the final time, 81 of his 102 points that season were with the Kings prior to his trade to St. Louis.
6. Minnesota North Stars (1978-1988)
The Minnesota North Stars would don these classic jerseys for 10 years. Never winning the Stanley Cup in Minnesota, they would win 6 seasons later when relocated to Dallas. Originally, ownership was looking to set up their new team in Anaheim but didn’t realize that Disney had already signed an agreement for an expansion in southern California resulting in the Mighty Ducks of Anaheim rather than the Los Angeles Stars.
5. Mighty Ducks of Anaheim (1993-2006)
These Mighty Ducks of Anaheim are just an absolute classic. The nostalgia connected with these jerseys and the movie/animated series is enormous. Not to mention you have guys like Paul Kariya and Teemu Selanne lighting the lamp. After their first 9 seasons, the Ducks only had one playoff series win in the Western Conference. That 10th year they lost in the Stanley Cup to the Devils but earned another chance in 2006-07 against the Senators and finally lifted Lord Stanley for the first time.
4. Calgary Flames (1980-1994, 2009-2013, 2016-2017)
The red and orange color scheme on these Calgary jerseys are so good they just have to keep bringing them back. I mean, come on. These are one of the most memorable jerseys in league history. Tell me these jerseys don’t look great in this Theo Fleury clip.
3. Los Angeles Kings (1967-1980, 2010-2014)
These purple and yellow threads absolutely pop on the ice. Bringing back the original threads that guys like Marcel Dionne made famous, posting 50 goal seasons in 5 of 12 years in the City of Angels. Not bad.
2. Buffalo Sabres (1983-1996)
Royal blue and gold might be one of the cleanest looks in the NHL especially when you have such a talented lineup. Even though the Sabres never won the cup with these jerseys, these jerseys are one of the most desirable of the franchise. Fans in Buffalo begged for the royal blue to be brought back and an updated version of this style debuted in the 2020-21 season. No matter the turmoil in Buffalo, it’s a small victory to have a team that’s at least aesthetically pleasing.
1. Detroit Red Wings (1984 – Present)
These Red Wings jerseys are the most memorable and storied jerseys in league history. Detroit really takes “if it ain’t broke, dont fix it” to a whole new level. Donning the same jerseys for almost 40 years, winning 5 Stanley Cups, 6 Conference championships, and 6 Presidents’ trophies, these jerseys cement themselves as the top sweaters of all time.
All-Star Honorable Mentions
(1992)
(1989-91, 1993)
(1994-97)
(1984-86)
(2011-12)
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