The NHL’s oldest team has one of the smallest jersey history in the league, because, well they nailed it the first time over a hundred years ago. There have been a few one-offs for outdoor games, and Adidas’ Reverse Retro line forced some change to the curmudgeonly club, but they could never replace the classics.
Worst: NHL 100th Anniversary (2017)
The Canadiens break out silver trimmed versions of their jerseys from the late 1930s to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the NHL’s first game. It’s a rather barren jersey and in this case, the silver, even in a limited role, doesn’t do the look any favors.
Number 6: Heritage Alternates (1944-1947) (2006-07)
The Habs briefly tried to put a blue band around the chest of the away jerseys just like their home uniforms, but the look didn’t stick. They certainly don’t have the same pizzazz the red versions do. They had made appearances as one-offs a couple times in the early aughts before spending the 2006-07 season a full fledged alternates. They’d make a final appearance during the 2008-09 season before being retired for good… or so it seems.
Number 5: 2016 Winter Classic (2016)
Those white heritage alternates served as the base for Montreal’s first Winter Classic appearance. The inverted color of the crest and the light blue gives it a nice vintage feel, but just like the reference heritage jersey, the blue stripe just doesn’t sit well on a white torso.
Number 4: Reverse Retro 2.0 (2022-2023)
The Habs decided to pay homage to the Montreal Expos during their second Reverse Retro release. They’re not quite as perfect as the RR 1.0 release, but it’s a fun homage to the city’s sports history, and something totally different for the Canadiens.
Number 3: Reverse Retro 1.0 (2021)
It may be sacrilege to mess with the Canadiens’ jerseys… but these were awesome. The inversion of the red and blue turned out great. Montreal doesn’t really do alternate jerseys if they don’t have to, but if they ever felt compelled to change that, these would be perfectly fine to upgrade from one-off status.
Number 2: Current Away (1941-Present)
The Canadiens’ white jerseys haven’t been untouched quite as long as their red jerseys, but World War II was still ongoing when they debuted. It’s simplistic, but clean as hell and an absolutely legendary hockey jersey.
First: Current Home (1917-Present)
The Canadiens have been wearing more or less the same jersey for over one hundred years. There have been tweaks to the crest and minor changes to the sleeves, but there’s not reason to change perfection when you get it right the first time.
By: Dan Esche (@DanTheFlyeraFan)
brotherlypuck.com 