The Best Hockey Uniforms

Today I was asked what I think about the Tampa Bay Lightning logo.  I like the primary logo, but I'm not really a fan of that blue lightning bolt they use on the ice.  Anyway, a couple months ago I ranked the best baseball uniforms from 1-30 and promised future countdowns in other sports.  With that discussion about the Lighning logo on my mind, I decided to continue that series with a ranking of the best hockey uniforms.  (In baseball, I didn't really consider the logos since they're not always part of the uniform, but since virtually all hockey sweaters have a giant logo in the middle, I didn't have a choice but to factor the logos into the rankings.)

30. Anaheim Ducks-Like baseball, this was an easy one.  The Anaheim MIGHTY Ducks had a cool logo and cool uniforms.  The Anaheim Ducks don't have either.  Maybe that's what made them mighty.

29. Minnesota Wild-Yes, their name is an adjective.  But their logo is kinda cool.  However, that awesome logo stands alone only on the road jerseys.  The logo's way too small on the home jersey (and stuck inside that big circle that says "Minnesota Wild"), and that jersey happens to be red.  The third jersey is just plain ugly.

28. Atlanta Thrashers-I need someone to explain to me why they have "Atlanta" going down the sleeve.  The third jersey is red and doesn't feature the logo at all.  Again the away jersey is the only redeeming one.

27. Florida Panthers-The Panthers aren't good, and it's not like they have cool jerseys that are popular on the shelves.  The panther looks like its flying, and the navy is ugly.  I'm not sure why they have powder blue trim on their third jerseys.  Or why the logo on them is just the head.

26. Ottawa Senators-The Senators changed their uniforms like everybody else when the NHL went to the Reebok EDGE jerseys in 2007-08.  The logo itself isn't that bad, but the home red jersey is really ugly.  And the number font is weird.

25. Carolina Hurricanes-I'm not sure what the Hurricanes' logo is supposed to be.  I also don't get those red and black squares along the bottom of the jerseys.  They're lucky they've won a Cup and made the Finals another time, otherwise the rank would probably be lower.

24. Dallas Stars-Boy are the Stars lucky six teams have really bad uniforms.  That's the only way Dallas made it this high on the list.  The logo's been the same since they moved from Minnesota, but it's relegated to the sleeves on both primary jerseys.  Instead they've gone with the Boston University look, with the number in the middle and "Dallas" arching over it.  Basketball jerseys are supposed to look like that.  Not hockey jerseys.

23. Vancouver Canucks-"Canucks" is a nickname for Canadians, but their logo is some sort of screaming whale thing.  It's kinda cool, it just doesn't make any sense.  I'm not a fan of the blue and green color scheme or the arched "Vancouver" above the logo.  But this franchise is the Houston Astros of the National Hockey League, and the current uniforms aren't anywhere near as bad as some of the ones they've had in the past.

22. Los Angeles Kings-Like the Canucks, the Kings have had some pretty bad uniforms over the years.  The current logo is a vast improvement, but they can't get away from their most recent ugly old logo, which is on their alternate jerseys.  I also don't get the obsession with putting your city name on your jersey, which the Kings do with "Los Angeles" along the bottom.

21. Colorado Avalanche-When they moved to Denver, I thought the Avalanche's new logo was so cool.  17 years later, their uniforms are essentially the same, and now I'm getting bored with them.  (The fact that Colorado hasn't been that good over the past couple seasons hasn't helped either.)  I like the blue color on the alternate jerseys, but I'm not a fan of the diagonal "Colorado" on them.  Bonus points for the foot on the sleeves.

20. Phoenix Coyotes-Phoenix's first logo and jerseys after moving from Winnipeg were just bad.  However, they redesigned the logo and introduced new uniforms in 2003-04, and these represent a drastic improvement.

19. Columbus Blue Jackets-Their name evidently honors Ohio soldiers in the Civil War (I just found that out on Wikipedia).  Now that I know that, the name "Blue Jackets" makes a lot more sense and I like the logo much more.  This was already a nice-looking uniform, though.

18. Calgary Flames-There are a lot of good things about the Flames' uniforms.  For starters, the decision to make the "flaming C" black instead of white on the red home jerseys was the right call.  It was also a classy touch to add the flags of Canada and Alberta on the shoulders.  They use their classic uniforms that they won the Stanley Cup in as a third jersey.  Hopefully, those ugly throwbacks they wore in the Heritage Classic were a one-game thing.

17. New York Islanders-Life was so much easier when the Islanders had that stupid fisherman logo.  It was so much easier to make fun of them while they were wearing that.  They went to a darker orange and blue when they went back to the old logo, but have since reverted back to the lighter shades that they used when they were actually good.  And I just found this out, but I'm not sure how I feel about taking Brooklyn and Queens out of the Long Island silhouette in the logo.

16. Edmonton Oilers-The Oilers and Islanders are almost interchangeable, since their uniforms are almost exactly the same.  Like the Islanders, the Oilers had a darker shade of blue and even changed the orange to copper for a little while before switching back.  The Gretzky Era orange thing on the top of the home jerseys belongs back in the '80s, but whatever, that's a small thing.  The Oilers aren't the Islanders, so they get the higher ranking.

15. Nashville Predators-They used to have a stupid triangle behind the logo, which they don't anymore.  The "Nashville" on top of the logo on the road jerseys is acceptable because it's small.  And I really like both the silver sleeves and the number font.

14. Washington Capitals-Like a lot of other teams, the Capitals tried a new logo, fans hated it, and they went back to the old one, albeit a little modified.  I like the alternate logo better than the primary logo, but going back to the red, white and blue color scheme was a good call.  And they modified that old logo enough to make it cool and modern.

13. Tampa Bay Lightning-The team that inspired this list comes in at No. 13.  Like I said, I'm a fan of the current Lightning uniforms and logo, but that might change when they unveil a new logo next season.  So for now, I'll enjoy Tampa Bay's current look.  The only slight issue I have is the numbers on the front.  This isn't baseball.

12. San Jose Sharks-Just like the Lightning, the Sharks changed their uniforms a couple years ago, but didn't really change anything except for updating the logo.  The only slight point deduction is for the numbers on the front, but those are gained back for the excellent black alternate jerseys, which might be the best in the league.

11. Philadelphia Flyers-Making their throwback uniforms permanent dropped the Flyers out of the Top 10.  They aren't horrible.  It's just that 70s throwbacks belong back in the 70s.  Everybody who's changed uniforms recently did so because either their logo or uniform (or both) was bad.  That wasn't the case with the Flyers.  And they dropped the black alternates, which were sweet!

10. St. Louis Blues-The beneficiary of the Flyers' dropping out of the Top 10 is the St. Louis Blues.  They've had some bad ones in the past, but the current look is a winner.  A navy logo on a blue jersey is something other teams should consider.  Because it looks really good.

9. Toronto Maples Leafs-At No. 9, the Leafs have the lowest ranking among the Original Six.  The reason why?  All the different variations of basically the same exact logo.  But it's classic and simple.  Such a beautiful look.  Of course, the plural of "leaf" is actually "leaves," but they've spelt it wrong for so long I'm willing to overlook it.  That might even be the Canadian way to spell it.  Who knows?

8. Chicago Blackhawks-If I have such a problem withe the Toronto Blue Jays' primary color being black, why do I think it's OK the Chicago Blackhawks' primary color is red?  Because they're named after the Native American, that's why.  Every time they've had a black primary jersey, it was ugly.  The current one is red and its nice.  The old school black alternate jersey is cool for the once in a while diversion that it is.  Of course, some people are probably offended by the logo, but I'm not one of them.

7. Buffalo Sabres-When I lived in Buffalo, the Sabres had the black, silver and red buffalo head logo.  There was nothing wrong with this look, but fans missed the original colors.  So blue and gold were revived with a disgustingly bad new logo.  That logo's gone and been replaced by (what else?) a modern version of the original.  The Sabres started that whole number on the front thing, but since they're the Sabres, I'll allow it.

6. New York Rangers-The Rangers are the only team that gets a pass on the no logo thing, since they've been doing that diagonal "Rangers" for a long time.  There isn't really much to dislike about the Rangers' jerseys.  They were the ones who brought back the strings on the collar, which used to be a staple of NHL sweaters and a lot of other teams have adopted since.  And the Staute of Liberty alternate might be the best one out there.  This is my team, but I can't give them bonus points for simply being the Rangers, since the Top 5 are all better.

5. Boston Bruins-This is the only spot the Rangers possibly could've taken.  But I decided to give it to Boston because they have their actual logo in the center, which the Rangers don't.  That "spoked wheel" hasn't changed much over the years, but they have had some ugly alternates (does anyone else remember the gold one with the growling bear?).  However, the franchise has existed since 1924, so that's to be expected.  And they've had more hits than misses, including the current incarnation.

4. New Jersey Devils-It might seem high to some of you, but I love the New Jersey Devils' uniforms.  Once they changed the green to black, there really isn't that much to dislike about the Devils' uniforms.  And they don't try to overdo it with crazy number fonts or anything like that.  Just keeping it nice and simple.  They've won three Cups in these and Martin Brodeur, easily the greatest player in franchise history, has worn them for his whole career.  Plus, they either haven't felt or have resisted the urge to create a black alternate jersey, which would be a mistake.

3. Pittsburgh Penguins-The Penguins are the highest-ranking team outside the Original Six.  They've tinkered with their uniforms over the years, but have settled on a classic look.  After switching back to their original logo in 2001, they made the right decision to switch the yellow to gold.  And the logo they used in the mid-90s wasn't that bad, either.  Bonus points for pulling off the powder blue alternates, which looked so awesome in the Winter Classic.

2. Detroit Red Wings-The only Western Conference team to crack the top seven, the Red Wings are as clear a No. 2 as you can get.  The only slight problem with the Red Wings' sweaters is the fact that the "C" and "A" are on the right instead of the left.  But that's a minor thing.  The Red Wings have as classic a look as anybody.

1. Montreal Canadiens-Like the Yankees, the Canadiens are the gold standard of their sport.  This jersey hasn't changed much over the years.  You see that red jersey with the blue stripe and the interlocking "C-H" in the middle, you know you're looking at a Montreal Canadien, whether its Georges Vezina, Maurice Richard, Guy Lafleur, Patrick Roy or even P.K. Subban.  The franchise was founded in 1909, has used the same basic logo design since 1914, and they're going on 50 seasons of the exact same uniforms.  They've won 24 Stanley Cups in these jerseys.