Good morning! If you’re a hockey fan, then today is the day you’ve been looking forward to for a while — the day when the NHL is unveiling all 32 Reverse Retro jerseys (and, if we’re lucky, the full uniforms) for this season.
You can see all of the jerseys above. For additional info and images, search on the #reverseretro hashtag.
There’s a lot to process here, so let’s just enjoy the flood of new designs today. I’ll have a rundown of all the designs tomorrow, and then I’ll assess them more fully in a Uni Watch Power Rankings piece next week.
ITEM! New Premium Article
My Premium article on Substack this week is an in-depth interview with Daniel Horine, the brilliant artist behind the excellent Pop Fly Pop Shop, who’s found the ultimate nostalgic sweet spot by combining retro sports and retro comic book art. I’ve been meaning to interview him for a while now, and it was a blast. I really think you’ll like it!
You can read the first few paragraphs of the article here. In order to read the entire thing, you’ll need to become a paying subscriber to my Premium content on Substack. (Didn’t hear about my move from Bulletin to Substack? Additional details on that, including the “Pay What You Wish” subscription option, can be found here.)
Coyotes could be really special if they pick a black helmet and pants to go with it.
Sort of like the NBA’s revolving door of uniforms it seems hard to get interested in these. A team unveiling a new home, road, or alternate uniform has some meaning because they are (or at least were) intended to last and hopefully (if well received) be the identifiable look for the team for a decade or more. I honestly don’t know what to make of alternate designs that are purposely intended to disappear and be replaced by another short term design in the near future.
This probably goes without saying, but all I get out of this is that teams are looking for another piece of merch to sell, and are giving said mech a degree of legitimacy by having their team wear it a few times. Some of these designs by the NBA, NHL, and MLB are actually pretty good (or have good elements that could be adopted into a full time uniform). It feels like a bit of a cheat for teams to introduce uniform concepts on the basis that people may like them enough to buy them, but not just make it their actual uniform.
This…exactly.
I enjoy seeing this stuff on the ice, but I would never buy one of these jerseys and I would never go out of my way to pay to see these in person. That might mean these aren’t for me, but I’m sure most fans feel the way I do.
BUT….
Will the announcement be on NHL Network?
The original Preds thirds are some of the most underrated jerseys ever. They got a lot of heat at the time, but I really like them a lot.
Die-hard Devils fan here. Blue in our jersey is disgusting. NJ fans have nothing against Kansas City, but honoring a team that won 27 games in two seasons is ridiculous. The JERSEY jersey was bad enough, now the team is forced to scout this :(
Agreed. They need to bring back the jerseys from 1992-2017. One of the best in the NHL!
I would appreciate a black version of their Stanley Cup sweater.
I was expecting the striping from the Scouts unis. Seeing the colors on the 1982 Devils striping just seems really off.
There were a few ways to go with a Devils/Scouts reverse retro and I think they should have spent more time examining their choice of the more obvious possibilities. After a short look, at least to my eye, it looks off.
Striping colours would look MUCH better as the Scouts style; you could have even extended that striping in a subtle modification of the outlining of the Devils crest. Another way would just have used a Scouts jersey with red as the dominate colour along with the Devils crest. A straight up Scouts jersey (recoloured ) with NJ Devils logo as shoulder patches.
For a bit more out there, even a Devil riding the Scouts horse might have worked out okay (or for more bizarre, a Scout riding a devil).
If only slightly tweaking with what they went with, I think it might have looked a tiny bit better with gold in the background of the Devils crest instead of white. maybe.
Not sure if their chosen design was a quick cut and paste of colours or a compromise decision on a design choice by committee.
It’s not even that. It just feels like there wasn’t even much of a push to do something unique here. Basically it feels very much like “well let’s just take the standard template and change a couple of colors.” At least if you’re going to do that, take the Christmas jersey and reverse the colors or something. Feels like a weak effort.
Flyers looking like Medicine Hat Tigers. NHL return of Cooperalls!
link
Forget just wearing them in warm-ups. We need to get the Flyers wearing them in the games. Must be done.
A black version of their home sweater would look better.
Considering the Wings and Hawks have practically the same sweater, that tells you everything you need to know about this program. Most of these look like bad knock offs to barely get around trademark issues.
And bonus that it looks more like a retro Sens jersey.
I know I’ll be in the minority here, but I’m so happy to see the Fisherman back for the Isles. I like them, always have. Not more than the real uniforms, but as a third jersey I’ve wanted them back for a long time (they’re certainly better than all the other third jerseys they Isles have trotted out) ♀️ Wish they’d kept the teal though.
Those sports/comic covers are super nifty.
I find that funny that you like them as much ridicule as that jersey got. It still looks bad. It is time for an update for the primary uniform
Nothing says retro quite like the Seattle Kraken!
I like the St Louis Blues and Detroit on here, but some of these are gross (the KC Scouts colors on the Devils looks bad especially considering the marvelous green color the Devils have).
wings and blues look nice. knights and cannucks need to replace regular rotation unis with these. the rest can head straight to the TJ Maxx clearance rack
Surprised that the Kraken are making us wait an extra season for the inevitable Metropolitans sweater.
To me, it’s interesting – and soothes my OCD – to see that all numbers on the New York Rangers’ Reverse Retro jersey appear to be uniform. On the standard home and road jerseys, it’s always grated on me that some of the sleeve/TV numbers (the “2s”, namely) do not serif up (is that a term?) to match the numbers on the helmets and backs of the jerseys.
Amusingly, while the Blues are wearing a uniform based on a never-game-worn prototype, the Penguins are simply wearing an actual (if Adizero-fied) prototype design! It does follow their previous RR uni, which was a white version of their 1992-97 road black jerseys, which did have a white counterpart in the design stage (albeit with “PENGUINS” in the diagonal lettering instead of “PITTSBURGH” since they would’ve been the home unis). Of course, the 2021 RR unis used the skating penguin (sans Golden Triangle) on the shoulders (an element carried over to their current thirds), so this will be the first proper on-ice use of the Robopen since it was dropped from the shoulders when the Edge unis debuted in 2007.
There’s a “retro” Jersey that’s referencing the early 2000’s…
Now I feel old
Love the new take on Nashville’s mustard cat.
I loved the original third jersey. I’m sure we’ve talked about this before but the original jersey wasn’t really “mustard” it was (I think) Nashville’s basic yellow colour but with blue underneath the mesh so that it appeared darker than it really was if you were looking at it more than a foot or two away. I’m assuming the new one is just straight-up yellow.
link
I’m pretty sure there’s never been another NHL jersey that attempted anything similar to that.
Nashville’s best insignia is the fossil skull.
I assume the Flames jersey is going to be paired with he original shorts with the oddball striping
link
That uniform is my favorite of all the black-trimmed Flames’ designs.
I wish the Kings would go back to purple & gold full time.
I’m surprised how drab white uniforms look trimmed in gold and purple. My eye really anticipates the full blast of color when it doesn’t come.
You’d think the NHL would be embarrassed to force their teams to wear fashion jerseys on the ice.
When you’ve painted yourself into a corner to be solely beholden to generating revenue, you get nonsense like this, jerseys advertisers (not one, but two!) and the shambles that are today’s dasher boards.
No wonder most sports fans in America can’t take the NHL seriously.
Lee
Truth.
Like the Kings, always wanted a white jersey with the purple and gold. Ducks should have gone retro with the purple and teal with the new logo.
Gotta say I like my Blues RR jersey a lot. They have had some top notch extra/third jerseys lately.
The Florida light blue, Edmonton and Colorado are nice as well.
Sharks and Stars are horrendous. The rest are meh.
Love it: Coyotes, Kings, Sharks, Canadiens, Wild, Jets
Hate it: Panthers, Ducks, Sabres, Islanders, Avalanche
Nothing it: Blues, Predators, Red Wings, Blackhawks, Blue Jackets, Flames, Bruins, Capitals, Kraken, Oilers, Canucks
Why bother?: Devils, Flyers, Hurricanes, Vegas, Maple Leafs, Penguins, Rangers, Senators, Lightning, Stars
I believe 2.0 launch of the reverse retros have more hits then misses over the original launch. There are a couple of jerseys that seem to miss. A few that had good elements but with a slight change could have really improved. Along with a few jerseys that are in conversation to be a top 8 or in the upper quarter for best overall jerseys. I do see a few locks that are easily in the top 8 to medal contender rankings. I just wonder if this idea will go on after the season ends since Adidas will no longer be the supplier for NHL jerseys. It was a decision they made. The revenue is to be made by the next jersey partnership.
The Kings should go back to that color scheme and that jersey, like, yesterday.
Love the Jets, Flames, Ducks, Sens and Flyers (though definitely a Medicine Hat lookalike).
Like the Sharks only because it is basically a Seals jersey. (So bad that they look cool!)
Many of the others are bad.
The Avs went from the best Reverse Retro to the worst…
I’m surprised there isn’t more love in the comments for the Wild’s “North Stars” look. Such a nicer green than that awful crap they wear currently. The Kings’ white jersey is also brilliant.
I guess I’m in the minority as I like the Avalanche jersey! But I remember going to a Rockies (NHL) game.
Part of me *really* wants to get a Sakic 19 jersey…but dang, $280? I’ve never owned a real hockey jersey before so I have no idea what size I’d get!
I’d still like to see the Wings either break out the wing or the wheel and do something with a single element.
Maple Leafs could incorporate a maple trim color, and maybe use it in the gloves and helmets.
And the Hawks should go big with the four feather colors as a set of horizontal stripes.
Big winners in this round are Habs, Kings, Knights and Jets.
I agree with comments about the Devils, but folks are forgetting those were also the Colorado Rockies colors- given that the Scouts only lasted two seasons v. six for the Rockies. Speaking of the Rockies- not sure why the Avs didn’t go for the original Rockies unis, which in my view were great!
Absolutely agree. At the very least the slapdash Avalanche primary logo should be replaced with the classic Rockies mountain crest.
As usual with every team getting an extra jersey, hits and misses (plus a lot of why bother, mediocre).
Best ones: Coyotes, Canadiens, Panthers, Blues and Wild. Keepers, all five.
Worst: Devils (missed opportunity), Islanders (lazy design), Blackhawks (what a dull mess), Kraken (just do the Metropolitans!) and Stars (very cheap looking outfit)
The rest: yeah, sure.
Honourable mention: Detroit. Cannot hate on it as grandma seems to have knitted it. But it will never leave the cupboard unless we visit her.