The jersey scene across the NHL saw some serious changes during the 2020 offseason. With multiple teams changing up their everyday home and away setups as well as the release of the Adidas Reverse Retro line, there’s plenty of new looks to digest. Let’s take a look around the NHL and pick the top five best kits in the league.
Number 5: Colorado Avalanche
While the current Avalanche home and away jerseys may not be as great as they were back in the day due to minor changes under Adidas, that style is still a great look. Their current alternate jersey are definitely on the whacky side, but it’s an homage to the state flag and the previous NHL franchise in Colorado, the Rockies. The Avs did however, knock their reverse retros out of the park. Taking the vintage Quebec Nordiques jerseys and re-coloring them with modern day Avalanche colors, it’s almost amazing they haven’t tried this in the past. Overall, the Avalanche already had some of the best jerseys in the league, but the addition of the Nordiques jersey pushes them into the top five in the league.
Number 4: Ottawa Senators
The Senators were one of the teams to completely start from scratch with their jerseys. Dumping their long-tenured red jerseys they’ve had since Reebok took over in 2007, they brought back a version of their original black and white jerseys from the early 1990s. It’s a simple, clean look that was a much needed upgrade from their previous kits. The reverse retro might have been telegraphed with a limited pool to pick from, but it’s a perfect compliment to their home/away jerseys.
Number 3: Calgary Flames
The Flames have teased their retro look for many years as an alternate jersey before they finally conceded and brought them back on a full-time basis for the 2020-21 season. Their darker red jerseys are kept as an alternate. Not only did they bring back popular jerseys for their everyday rotation, they also brought back “Blasty” the flaming horse crest for their reverse retro line. The combination of the three brought the Flames from a middle-of-the-pack team jersey wise to a top five team without a doubt.
Number 2: Vegas Golden Knights
The Golden Knights may never do anything wrong. Already owning some of the best home-away setups in the league, the introduction of their long-awaited gold alternate and their red reverse retro are perfect additions to their look. The gold jersey has been in the works for over a year as the team had to tinker with the color so it wouldn’t be an eyesore on TV, and the red jersey with their alternate logo on the crest has been something the fans have been dreaming of since day one. They’re two perfect alternates to add to an already perfect rotation.
Number 1: Arizona Coyotes
You can say a lot of not so nice things about the Coyotes organization, not one of which is their jersey setup. After almost a decade of rolling out maroon as their primary color, they finally returned to their roots and brought back the Kachina as their full-time home jersey. The organization did keep the maroon jersey as an alternate and have yet to make a change to their away jerseys, but what set their set over the top was the release of their Adidas reverse retro jersey, which paid homage to their original alternate desertscape jersey. The purple was a bold choice, but one that has paid off in spades. Overall it is a damn beautiful setup that has perfectly blended tastes of the past and present.
By: Dan Esche (@DanTheFlyeraFan)
photo credit: shop.nhl.com coolhockey.com
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