So I’ve given my two cents about the Winnipeg Jets jersey. I’m loving it. One of the best in the league, in my opinion. But what do others think? Does it stack up? Is it lame? What’s the barometer?
Well, I looked at Sportslogos and all of the current home jerseys. Readers can rate each jersey on a scale of 1 to 10, with the obvious 1 being horrible up to 10 is awesome. I’ll show you the entire list based on the ratings as they appear right now. Some have lots of votes, some not as many. I figure it evens itself out. Some teams will be very polarizing and people will vote simply based on their love/hate for that team. Those votes will likely be pretty close to even and therefore cancel each other out. That just leaves those judging on the jersey themselves, which is pretty much what I want. As a side note, even though the Jets’ jersey is new, a decent number of people have already voted on it, more people than some other jerseys even.
There are no instructions or guidelines to voting, so take that into account too. For example, the Chicago Blackhawks jersey is somewhat high on the list, possibly more for the classic or nostalgicness that is associated with it more than the pure look of it. If you want to see what jerseys I looked at for the list, check out my previous post.
After the list, I’ll give you my thoughts on some of these jerseys in a few categories. Some that didn’t get the love I think they deserved, some that were ranked way to high, my top three jerseys, and my bottom three jerseys. Without further ado…
Position ....Ratings..................Team
1....................8.6....................Chicago Blackhawks
2....................8.3....................Winnipeg Jets
3....................8.2....................New Jersey Devils
4....................8.1....................Edmonton Oilers
t5....................8.0....................Buffalo Sabres
t5....................8.0....................Nashville Predators
t7....................7.7....................Boston Bruins
t7....................7.7....................New York Islanders
9....................7.6....................Toronto Maple Leafs
t10....................7.3....................Montreal Canadiens
t10....................7.3....................San Jose Sharks
t12....................7.2....................Columbus Blue Jackets
t12....................7.2....................Florida Panthers
t14....................7.0....................Philadelphia Flyers
t14....................7.0....................Vancouver Canucks
t16....................6.9....................St. Louis Blues
t16....................6.9....................Washington Capitals
18....................6.8....................Los Angeles Kings
19....................6.7....................Detroit Red Wings
20....................6.6....................Minnesota Wild
21....................6.1....................New York Rangers
22....................6.0....................Carolina Hurricanes
23....................5.9....................Tampa Bay Lightning
24....................5.5....................Calgary Flames
t25....................5.2....................Colorado Avalanche
t25....................5.2....................Phoenix Coyotes
t27....................4.9....................Anaheim Ducks
t27....................4.9....................Pittsburgh Penguins
29....................4.8....................Ottawa Senators
30....................3.3....................Dallas Stars
Overall, I’m generally in agreement with the majority of this list. Sure, I’d tweek certain things. But overall, I think it sums up the good, the bad, and the ugly as I see them as well. How would I tweek the list significantly?
First, a couple of jerseys that rank way too high on the list.
The number one jersey should not be number one, or even in the top ten belonging to the Chicago Blackhawks. I don’t get why this jersey is at the top. It’s so simplistic, not very original, and a color scheme that is shared by a few others. The black, red, and white is also used by the Carolina Hurricanes, Ottawa Senators, and New Jersey Devils. The Blackhawks have so many colors in their primary logo, it’s shocking they don’t use more of them in the jersey. The Hurricanes don’t have another color, but distinguish themselves with the hurricane warning flags. The Devils have a great look with the black shoulders and broad stripes. The Blackhawks have a popular design based on three stripes used by several others . Granted, the jersey is a classic, but it’s still stale and overdone. Speaking of which, …
The Boston Bruins, Edmonton Oilers, and Buffalo Sabres all rank too high in my mind based purely on looks because they all look very much the same. The Oilers and Bruins are three stripes with a colored shoulder while the Sabres are very similar to the Blackhawks with the three stripe look sans the shoulders. All of them are based on a similar three stripe design around the elbows and waist with some variation as to whether or not the stripes are connected or not. And yet they all rank in the top 7. There is very much a love affair among Sportslogos readers for this design apparently (though the New York Rangers rank 21 despite falling into this general category). Because they all look so similar, I think they are ranked too high since there isn’t much diversity in the four.
Finally, I think the Toronto Maple Leafs are ranked too high as well at number 9. It’s such a basic, simple design that doesn’t really strike a cord with me. Again, I’m looking at things more from a totally unbiased opinion where it’s the pure look of the jersey and not so much the history behind it. Surprisingly, the Detroit Red Wings rank 19th despite having a very similar, simplistic design and a much better logo on the front. What’s even more surprising is the Tampa Bay Lightning coming in at number 23. Why? The jerseys are almost identical in color and design. The Lightning have a solid line design compared to the Leafs’ double line design. I guess this proves that history was taken into account when voting.
Now, let me give some love to some jerseys that seem way too low on the list. I’ll start again with a pair that are almost the exact same design, just with different colors.
The Pittsburgh Penguins and Ottawa Senators both have some neat designs (although they are almost identical) but with different colors. There must be a bias against the wrap under color coming from the cuff. I like the design and though neither should be extrodinarily high on the list, they don’t deserve to be scrapping against the bottom.
I cannot believe the Calgary Flames are so low. This is a sweet looking jersey with its unique design and amazing color scheme. The hint of a flame coming up in the sides of the jersey up under the pits with the use of yellow and white highlights against a predominate red and black jersey really make this sweater pop. I’d put it in the top 10 at least.
The final jersey that is ranked too low in my opinion is the Anaheim Ducks. Now, they don’t deserve to be in the top of the list by any means based on their lack of a decent logo, but the jersey design is unique and sweet. The use of a gold and white number with a hint of orange looks great on the ice and is different with the sparkly design.
So, who is in my bottom three jerseys that deserve to be at the bottom of the list, where they belong?
Without question the worst NHL jersey in use today is the Dallas Stars. The design is boring (nothing terribly unique), and no logo on the front, just the word mark with number. What? Is this a long sleeve basketball jersey? Horrible. Granted, the Stars have the worst logo in the NHL, so putting it on the front wouldn’t help all that much. But the Stars have green and gold in their logo, two colors not used all that much in jerseys. Especially green. No one has a green home jersey (though some have green alternates). This seems like a no brainer. They deserve to be at the bottom because they not only have great options they ignored, but made a horrible situation (their primary logo) worse by just writing their name on the front, which is even worse than putting their bad logo on there! At least the Thrashers ghaustly red jerseys had a unique wordmark and not just standard block letters. And my biggest complaint about the Stars logo, if you don’t know, is that the top point of the star isn’t connected to the rest of the star. Like a connect the dots someone screwed up. And it spells Dallas Stars. And the star isn’t very good. Hell, I’d rather see the uterus logo come back in Dallas than stick with that bland logo.
Another bad jersey is the Los Angeles Kings. This one gets low marks mainly for their going away from something original to something more and more bland. They killed the color purple from the regular home jerseys and their primary logo making them just black and white. And I shouldn’t have to explain how utterly boring that is.
The final bad jersey that would be in my bottom three is the Minnesota Wild. This is for a few reasons. First, they abandoned their standout, one-of-a-kind green jerseys (strike one, going against individualism); then they went and added a circle around their standout, one-of-a-kind logo spelling out the team name (strike two, because I don’t like to read); and they went to a green and red color scheme (merry strike three, ho ho ho). So, again, they have great options they are ignoring and they went with a red and green look which automatically makes me think of Christmas. And I can’t be the only one that thinks that.
Before going to my top 3, I have to give a dishonorable mention to the Tampa Bay Lightning. They have a new logo that they ripped off from the Flash superhero, so that’s bad. But then they got rid of something that made the Lightning jerseys truly unique. Once upon a time, the Lightning had a small patch of stripes hidden in the armpits of their sweaters. They were the only team that had them. And it really was tucked up in the armpits, not down the sides of the jersey. The point was that you couldn’t see these little patches unless the player raised his hands completely over his head. And, generally, the only time a hockey player does this is when they score a goal or hoist the Stanley Cup. So it was a hidden easter egg reserved for Tampa Bay celebrations. Very awesome. But those stripes are gone now, so they eliminated the awesomeness. Boo. Dishonorable mention.
My top 3, not in a particular order.
This should not be a big shock, but the Nashville Predators. They have a great, different look with the yellow jerseys, something not seen in a primary home jersey in the NHL. They also incorporate so many musical aspects without being “minor-league-y”. The guitar strings on the numbers. The inner lining with the keyboards around the neck. The guitar pick on the shoulder. Very slick looking overall on paper. I have yet to see it on the ice (so say we all), but I think this will look great.
Another jersey that deserves to be in the top jersey designs: the Vancouver Canucks. The use of green, blue and white complement each other so very well. It’s a thing of beauty. This does use the unnecessary wordmark, so that is a point against them. However, the jersey still really really works for me. The best solution? Use the alternate logo instead. You know, the one with the hockey stick. That is a fantastic, old school logo. And they use a variation of it on their alternate jerseys. So kudos to the Canucks. Good job. (Do better with your crowd control next Stanley Cup Finals.)
Finally, the San Jose Sharks. Now that is a great looking jersey on every aspect. The highlights with a not often used color (orange) against the black and white stripes and the amazingly colored aqua sweaters. Beautiful and awesome. And the logo is great. So much better than the original. Thank you Sharks! I would dwell on this more, but it’s more fun to say what’s wrong with something than ramble on about what’s right. When it works, it works. And the Sharks have something that works.
As an honorable mention, the Winnipeg Jets. Am I a little biased? Yes, that’s why it’s an honorable mention and not just flat out in the top 3. It is different, looks great, and stands out even while using a similar color scheme to many others. Things I would change (and hope to see in a future third jersey), more silver and a light blue jersey. That would be great. But the use of the double elbow stripes help it stand out design wise right now. Yay! I like.
And I’m not the only one who thinks the Jets have a winner on their hands. They are currently second of the 30 teams and seem to be getting good reviews from the jersey critic community. Good job Jets! And the best part is they will wait a whole year until possibly doing a third jersey, so they can let the initial thoughts on the jerseys mature leaving a more intelligent decision based on more careful thought and time leading to perhaps an even better design.
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