Every Team's Best Look Ever - NHL Edition (Official)

[twi]

Alright, I'm going to do this one division at a time. I fully expect some of my choices to be different than the norm and look forward to debating them!

Here's the Atlantic division.

Devils: Pretty straight forward.

Penguins: I prefer the Penguins in vegas gold rather than sport gold. This style is much better than the Edge ones so here we are. I would use the baby blue jersey from their first WInter Classic appearance as a third jersey.

Flyers: To me, the cleanest the Flyers have ever looked. Everytime I see the contrasting nameplates and numbers overlapping the arm stripes on the current ones it's the visual equivalent of nails on a chalkboard. However, the Flyers' management must swear on their life that the black jersey is a third, never again to replace orange as the primary.

Rangers: Another no-brainer. I believe the third shown here is exactly what a third should be; it takes the identity of the team in a slightly new direction without divorcing from it entirely.

Islanders: The Islanders look their best when they keep it simple (see: wave jersey template and current black third). I would keep their pre-Reebok orange jersey as a rarely used third, maybe for Sunday afternoon home games or something like that.

[twi]

Southeast division.

Hurricanes: I went with the pre-Reebok version to avoid the piping that creates a same color shoulder yoke. I would retain their black alternate jersey.

Panthers: Again, pretty easy for me to settle on this set. I prefer the red as the primary color but love the novelty of third jerseys. The navy one pictured here is vastly superior to the double blue one they have now.

Lightning: Their best set. This particular one features the third of three fonts they used with this jersey and is the cleanest and most legible. The current blue Bolts jersey is retained as a third.

Capitals: I dislike wordmark logos, so once again the choice comes down to minute details between a couple of sets. The only difference I would use from the picture below is the original version of the white jersey, which had the CAPITALS lettering to match the blue.

Jets: We all know where Winnipeg is, we don't need a red leaf in two different logos. Using this set also avoids the dreaded "double blue with a circle logo" syndrome. This set sorta wins by default.

[twi]

Northeast. I think I will be displaying some minority opinions here.

Maple Leafs: It's remarkable how the numerous, relatively minor tweaks the Leafs have made over time have really resulted in sometimes drastically different looks. I like this combination of logo and striping the best. Of course, names would be added to the back.

Canadiens: This white jersey is one of my all-time favorites. NOB would be added.

Senators: The Senators have never had neither a good logo nor a good jersey, the alternate below being the lone exception to the latter. I guess I would match up that third with the Reebok era home and road, just so the damn things actually match.

Bruins: I don't love the shoulder patch but absolutely prefer this crest.

Sabres: Mainly because I like the logo. The blue jersey they used right before this would be the third. I just hate that they use the same (uninspired) logo three(!) times on the same jersey.

[TornadoGTS]

I'm pretty sure that Disney owns the rights to the name "Mighty Ducks" so the chances of it coming back are slim to none.

But I am with those that want it to come back

[Cujo]

Just to get back to the Oilers debate for a second....

>>>>>

[twi]

Central:

Red WIngs: No comment necessary.

Blackhawks: I kept the ones with the outline on the crest. I think it gives a unique look, it's a color I don't think is used by any other team.

Blues: A double blue jersey! Chosen because this set is the first one the Blues have had where the crest really stands out on the dark jersey.

Predators: I really wanted to include their unique, original third jersey but it just doesn't fit in with this set. I like the Predators in yellow better than in navy.

Blue Jackets: Yep, there's Stinger. I envision the team using that electric green like the Seahawks do with their green on gloves and the like. And in a huge departure from what I'd normally do, I'd keep the current alternate. Much like I stated with the Rangers, it takes the identity in a different direction while also staying true to it.

[twi]

Northwest:

Oilers: Someone agreed with me! lol. I think this is a great color scheme, and went with this white one as it keeps the different shoulder coloration that those orange and blue abominations have. The retired alternate with the gear crest would be used also.

Flames: This graphic doesn't do the red version justice, it's such a vibrant shade that's perfect for a team named the Flames. I'm a sucker for the horse head third tying in with the Saddledome and the rodeo and all that.

Canucks: Yikes, what a mess this team has been over the years. So many drastic shifts in identity and color. I firmly believe the orca is their best logo by far, and love these colors. (Although I think they are kinda sorta similar to division rival Edmonton.) The third jersey would be the blue one the team recently used as part of its 40th anniversary celebration, with the V striping on the sleeves.

Avalanche: The version with the darker burgandy. Both of their third jersey attempts have been bland, neither are carried over in this project.

Wild: Finally, home and road match again. No third jersey.

[IceCap]

Jets: We all know where Winnipeg is, we don't need a red leaf in two different logos. Using this set also avoids the dreaded "double blue with a circle logo" syndrome. This set sorta wins by default.

It's been said before, but it should be repeated every time someone claims the Jets' current logo represents leaf creep. The Jets' logo does not feature a tacked on maple leaf. It's representative of the roundel of the Royal Canadian Air Force. Air force? Jets? It fits.

Heck, I'm pretty sure that before the current identity was unveiled you said an air force look for the Jets would be cool. Well they certainly weren't going to adapt a USAF themed identity....

[twi]

Pacific:

Stars: It's a shame that their best look is just a rip of old All-Star jerseys. Much like Ottawa, a team that I would prefer to just start from scratch on, but that's not in the rules of this game.

Mighty Ducks: An iconic look. The white alternate isn't used.

Coyotes: There is no better matching of a team's jersey with their location. As an aside, these jerseys are really something to see in real life. I have an authentic black and I've never seen any other jerseys that use the same woven style that the striping has. I love the green alternate but feel it's just a step or two too out there.

Kings: Use the purple! The alternate would be the original yellow jersey that they wore, not the one seen here.

Sharks: Had a hard time with this one. Ultimately I decided that I liked the orange. The third jersey is not to be used as the home in the playoffs.

[ColeJ]

i spent way too much time on google images to do this... and still had to settle for "Best look i could find a decent photo of" for a few teams...

[IceCap]

If any uniform needs to make a return as soon as possible, it's these. The only good thing about the Duck's new set is that Webbed D logo. Recolor that to Eggplant and Jade, slap Mighty in front of Ducks again, and I don't even care about any other of the NHL's messes anymore. I'll sacrifice the rest of the league for the greatness to be restored in Anaheim.

Yes, truly that uniform is hockey's answer to the Yankees' pinstripes.

YES! No but really they aren't like that, they are no Blackhawks red or anything like that. But that jersey is awesome and lightyears ahead of what they have now. And I'm a fan of Orange and Black normally, but their old identity was so unique and instantly identifiable. The guys who signed off on the change should be ashamed. Yeah I get the whole "separate us from Disney" but Disney aside this set rocks.

My aversion to the Mighty Ducks' look is well documented here, so I'll just say I find the duck mask logo overly cartoony and not befitting a team what's supposed to be the premier hockey league in the world, and the Disney tie in makes it all the worse for me. While the current home and road set has its problems...I still prefer it to the Disney era.

[Lights Out]

[hockey week]

No, they said BEST look, not absolute worst. Seriously, at least 20 of those are looks tht should never come back. Robo penguin? Edge islanders? Buffaslug?! 90s bruins? Cactus coyotes? Even when Detroit had the wonky font? It would be very hard to disagree with you more. Even on easy ones like the Flyers, you pick the edge version that screwed up their shoulder stripes? Yeesh.

[nash61]

Anaheim, Boston, Buffalo, Calgary, Carolina, Chicago, Colorado, Columbus, Dallas, Detroit, Edmonton, Florida, Los Angeles, Minnesota, Montreal, Nashville, New Jersey, Islanders, Rangers, Ottawa, Philadelphia, Phoenix, Pittsburgh, St. Louis, San Jose, Tampa Bay, Toronto, Vancouver, Washington, Winnipeg

Bonus: Atlanta, Hartford, Minnesota N.S.

[Morgan33]

image didn't feature all 30 teams

[rmackman]

moderators, please merge Morgo's unofficial thread underneath this title. He's been flagged with a 5-yard penalty for false-start!

Since you're apparently the master of all threads now, I'll post this again.

No, just the master of my own topics/creations

[twi]

re Jets: The red leaves in the logos just seemed tacked on and superfluous. Yes, I know what the one is allegedly there for, it just doesn't go with the aesthetic of the team, imo of course. And that's all I really care about. It's the only places in the whole identity that red shows up, along with the shoulder patch. I think the jet figure in the new primary crest would be stronger visually without it.

Interesting to see a few consensus picks among the various posters. I think this could be one of my all-time favorite topics.

[hockey week]

Ok, I'll stop complaining and throw in my picks:

[Billy B]

Atlantic

Rangers - The home and away are classics. The white jersey is my favorite stand-alone jersey in the league. And the Lady Liberty alt is great in limited use

Penguins - I'm definitely more of a fan of athletic gold than Vegas gold for the Penguins. I've always liked the Cup-era jerseys. The numbers are better on the sleeves on the actual Cup jerseys, but I like the yellow alternate too much.

Flyers - I like the striping on these better than the real old jerseys and the current ones. I'm not against the contrasting nameplates on the orange, but the black nameplate on the white jersey just looks bad. I hated when they wore black as the primary, but I don't mind it if it's used sparingly.

Devils - Not much to say about these. I like the black better than green.

Islanders - I'm one of the few that actually liked their first Edge jerseys, but the classic look is still better. That shade of blue works great with the orange.

[Billy B]

Northeast

Bruins - Their original Edge look is by far their best. Just a classic look with clean striping. I'm not a huge fan of their current alternate. I think it would look a lot better if it were a gold alternate with that logo.

Senators - I picked this one solely for the black jersey. By far their best jersey in their history IMO. The white jersey is just okay and the red could work as an alternate, but the black jersey is what does it for me. If they brought that back now with a matching white jersey, they'd look perfect.

Sabres - I actually like the navy blue better than the lighter shade on the throwbacks. The alternate in this set is fine for an alternate, nothing special.

Maple Leafs - I like the current leaf better than the older ones with more points. I like the blue shoulders on the alternate. They could do away with ditching any alternate if they had a blue shoulder yoke on the aways.

Canadiens - Obviously not much to choose from in terms of the home jersey. I had to go with the set that had the chest stripe on the white jersey.