2022-2023 NHL Jersey Changes

[IceCap]

20 minutes ago, sitboaf said:

i would have loved to see a Minnesota Fighting Saints jersey, instead of 2 versions of the same thing.

The NBA's been willing to dip into the ABA. The NFL had a whole anniversary season for the AFL. The NHL hasn't been super eager to jump on the WHA nostalgia though.

[Ridleylash]

25 minutes ago, IceCap said:

The NBA's been willing to dip into the ABA. The NFL had a whole anniversary season for the AFL. The NHL hasn't been super eager to jump on the WHA nostalgia though.

I think part of the problem is that not a lot of WHA teams even have that much nostalgic value besides the ones that jumped to the NHL or ones in markets without an NHL franchise due to how much teams moved in the league.

 

Like, there's some you could work with; a Cougars jersey for the Hawks, a Toros jersey for the Leafs, a Blades jersey for Washington, a Roadrunners jersey for the Coyotes, a Whalers jersey for the Canes, a Spurs jersey for the Avs, a Cowboys jersey for the Flames, a Nationals jersey for the Sens and a Sharks jersey for the Kings.

 

But then other prominent teams in the WHA just...don't have an NHL equivalent, like the Racers and Mariners (though I guess you could throw them onto Anaheim). Others have market incompatibilities with existing teams (like how having a Dallas team wear Aeros jerseys would be sacriliege for both cities) and then you get cases like the Blazers where two current franchises could throw back to that team, so who do you give that to?

 

There's two teams from Ohio in the WHA and only one in the NHL, so does Columbus go Stingers or Crusaders? It's all a bit of a mess that I don't think the league cares to sort out to remember a league that lasted not even a full decade.

[IceCap]

8 hours ago, Ridleylash said:

a Toros jersey for the Leafs

That would be hilarious given that the Leafs routinely shut the lights off at Maple Leaf Gardens during Toros practices. 

[maz]

10 hours ago, M4One said:

If the NHL does something like the retro's again, then the Wild should throwback to...the Wild.  The name might seem awful to some, but they have had spectacular jerseys throughout their history.  After going with a North Stars jersey the first time, they definitely should have gone with something from their own history this year.  A red version of their original green jersey with green sleeves would have looked nice.

 

I've been thinking this all along. I absolutely understand the nostalgia for the North Stars, but the Wild have been Minnesota's team for over two decades now, and the North Stars were gone for a little under a decade before the Wild began playing. And, like you said, the Wild have had some decent jerseys in their own right. If they ever move back to North Stars colors full time, I'll be pretty disappointed. Forest green, red, and gold is one of the most unique color schemes in the NHL, and when I think about Minnesota (granted, as someone who has never been there), I think about vast forests and wilderness, which the Wild's colors communicate very well.

 

And if they insist on cashing in on North Stars nostalgia, the jerseys they wore with hints of black I grew up seeing in highlights and photos of the Pens' first Stanley Cup championship were always among my all-time favorite unis, and the black added a good amount of contrast to an otherwise way-too-bright jersey. A black version of one of those, like someone mentioned here, would look downright slick.

Edited November 19, 2022 by maz
Fact checked myself and saw the team was "founded" in '97 but began playing in 2000

[Sport]

The Stars have already played more years in Dallas than they played in Minnesota. In 2026 the Wild will have played more seasons in Minnesota than the North Stars played in Minnesota. The Stars belong to Dallas, people. 

[IceCap]

25 minutes ago, Sport said:

The Stars have already played more years in Dallas than they played in Minnesota. In 2026 the Wild will have played more seasons in Minnesota than the North Stars played in Minnesota. The Stars belong to Dallas, people. 

Yeah. I get that "Wild" isn't the best name but it's been twenty-two years. That's the name. And no complaining about the North Stars moving or how they should have been this or that instead is going to change that. They're the Wild. Have been for over twenty years. Accept it and move on. 

[spartacat_12]

13 hours ago, M4One said:

If the NHL does something like the retro's again, then the Wild should throwback to...the Wild.  The name might seem awful to some, but they have had spectacular jerseys throughout their history.  After going with a North Stars jersey the first time, they definitely should have gone with something from their own history this year.  A red version of their original green jersey with green sleeves would have looked nice.

 

This script on a red inaugural jersey would be a cool RR.

[tBBP]

2 hours ago, IceCap said:

Yeah. I get that "Wild" isn't the best name but it's been twenty-two years. That's the name. And no complaining about the North Stars moving or how they should have been this or that instead is going to change that. They're the Wild. Have been for over twenty years. Accept it and move on. 

 

No go ye thereforth and proclaim the same thang to all them folk who keep crying about bringing the Houston Oilers back...

[Echo]

I know it won't happen, because $$$, but I really wish the NHL would cool it with the league-wide alternate jersey programs for awhile.  Between the 3rd jerseys and Anniversary jerseys and Winter Classics and Heritage Classics and Stadium Series and two different rounds of Reverse Retros we've had enough throwbacks and faux-backs to last us for awhile.  I'm starting to get a little burned out on the whole thing.

[monkeypower]

13 hours ago, IceCap said:

The NBA's been willing to dip into the ABA. The NFL had a whole anniversary season for the AFL. The NHL hasn't been super eager to jump on the WHA nostalgia though.

 

It's basically just been the Jets.

 

13 hours ago, Ridleylash said:

I think part of the problem is that not a lot of WHA teams even have that much nostalgic value besides the ones that jumped to the NHL or ones in markets without an NHL franchise due to how much teams moved in the league.

 

I think that's mostly it. I don't know how many people are clamouring for WHA throwbacks. It definitely has nowhere near the same cache as the AFL, obviously, nor the ABA.

 

The Hitmen wore Cowboys (which are just Blackhawks jerseys without the black) jerseys a couple years ago for one game of a three games they played at the Calgary Corral before it was demoed. 

 

And the Spruce Grove Saints of the AJHL use the Fighting Saints logo.

[VampyrRabbit]

14 hours ago, Ridleylash said:

I think part of the problem is that not a lot of WHA teams even have that much nostalgic value besides the ones that jumped to the NHL or ones in markets without an NHL franchise due to how much teams moved in the league.

 

Like, there's some you could work with; a Cougars jersey for the Hawks, a Toros jersey for the Leafs, a Blades jersey for Washington, a Roadrunners jersey for the Coyotes, a Whalers jersey for the Canes, a Spurs jersey for the Avs, a Cowboys jersey for the Flames, a Nationals jersey for the Sens and a Sharks jersey for the Kings.

 

But then other prominent teams in the WHA just...don't have an NHL equivalent, like the Racers and Mariners (though I guess you could throw them onto Anaheim). Others have market incompatibilities with existing teams (like how having a Dallas team wear Aeros jerseys would be sacriliege for both cities) and then you get cases like the Blazers where two current franchises could throw back to that team, so who do you give that to?

 

There's two teams from Ohio in the WHA and only one in the NHL, so does Columbus go Stingers or Crusaders? It's all a bit of a mess that I don't think the league cares to sort out to remember a league that lasted not even a full decade.

I have no idea why Washington would do a Blades Jersey throwback. The team was based in a different city and stunk out the joint in their sole season in Baltimore. That season, they finished second bottom and couldn't draw flies to a turdpile.

Similar story with Anaheim and the San Diego Mariners. No way would the Ducks throw back to a franchise that played in a different city and county.

[spartacat_12]

Panthers wearing their reverse retros tonight. Everything looks great except for the numbers/NOB. They're barely legible on TV, and the cool coloured numbers don't match the warm coloured stripes. They really should be red outlined in white or yellow, with solid white NOBs.

[Sport]

I do think the Panthers look is pretty attractive, but ever since it was unveiled I was trying to put my finger on why it felt so familiar. 

 

 

Finally occurred to me today why I liked it so much

 

[monkeypower]

14 minutes ago, spartacat_12 said:

Panthers wearing their reverse retros tonight. Everything looks great except for the numbers/NOB. They're barely legible on TV, and the cool coloured numbers don't match the warm coloured stripes. They really should be red outlined in white or yellow, with solid white NOBs.

 

My parents are at that game and that's what my dad said. He likes them a lot but the names are hard to read.

 

They should have just used the old red names and numbers.

[seasaltvanilla]

20 hours ago, sitboaf said:

i would have loved to see a Minnesota Fighting Saints jersey, instead of 2 versions of the same thing.

I made this a couple weekends ago.

[uniformity]

I see Toronto decided to pretend that in 62 they wore the same generic socks they wear today. Also just noticed that the RR is not a lace up like the original. is it too much to ask that the Leafs wear the same idiosyncratic triple stripe pattern socks and double hem stripes they donned when they were winning cups?

 

The Leafs are so bad at being themselves. It's been a total :censored: show since 1967. Ballard era, RBK minus hem stripes, black Bieber jerseys, centennial classic MTL knock offs, all white stadium series, etc. The current ones are a mess too with the single hem stripe and the bland Ballard era socks. Who is this team?

[uniformity]

3 hours ago, Sport said:

I do think the Panthers look is pretty attractive, but ever since it was unveiled I was trying to put my finger on why it felt so familiar. 

 

 

Finally occurred to me today why I liked it so much

 

Much better than the Canadiens knock off red and blue with mid stripe they wear lately but not as good as their original unis with the arched numbers and leaping panther. Makes you wonder if they and the Lightning are trying to court all the Canadian snowbirds down there.

[Digby]

The white outlines on the Panthers' RR are really throwing me, given the relative lack of white elsewhere on the uniform. The number/lettering should be different, though I can't decide on what -- navy outlined in yellow? Red outlined in yellow? Red outlined in navy? 

[DTConcepts]

Truth be told, I don't hate the navy/white lettering on the Panthers' RR. I did some quick mockups of other colorways, though, and I think red/yellow would've looked really sharp.

[Ridleylash]

I think the reason they didn't go with red lettering because it would end up bleeding into the base powder color too much, and adding the yellow outline would only exasperate that issue, especially since they're placed between the yoke and hem.

 

Navy contrasts sharply with powder, red and yellow, making the names and numbers quite easily legible from a design angle; especially in motion where you have a dark color surrounded by light, as opposed to two light colors with a thin dark outline, or three light colors all competing for attention.