The National Hockey League and Adidas have come together to create a line of jerseys called “Reverse Retro”. All 31 teams will be wearing one this upcoming season. Before I unveil what they look like, here is a bit of background information about the Reverse Retro jersey program.
I first came across info regarding the Reverse Retro series back in March through one of my favorite websites that I’ve been following for years called Icethetics. They report on news relating to hockey jerseys, logos, etc. Every year they come out with a post called “Jerseywatch” and the Reverse Retro series was mentioned in this years edition.
The Reverse Retro jerseys are essentially a twist on a teams retro jersey. It could feature an inverted colour scheme with the teams current logo (ex. Montreal), or it could be a retro logo, on different retro colours (ex. Los Angeles). It could also be a retro design with a retro logo, but in the teams current colours (ex. Colorado). Possibilities were endless for all 31 clubs. Each team will wear these jerseys a handful of times during the season, and they will most likely be worn against rival teams.
Also before I show what they look like, my apologies if some of a teams jersey is cut out of the picture, I was having a hard time making a collage, especially for the Central division. The other day on Facebook, I mentioned that the Atlantic division looked the best, based on the teasers, but now that I’ve seen all the jerseys, I think the Pacific division is the best.
Here are all 31 Reverse Retro jerseys, released today. I’m going to go through them by division, and give each team a rating out of 10.
Atlantic Division
Tampa Bay Lightning: A blue jersey, with white shoulders, black and white stripes. It features the Lightning’s original logo worn from 1992 to 2007. The jersey is inspired from 2004, the year they won their first Stanley Cup. My rating: 7/10.
Detroit Red Wings: A white jersey, with a silver stripe on the bottom and on the sleeve, with their current logo. The jersey was inspired from 1998. It doesn’t seem like a lot of effort was put into designing this one. The Red Wings have a storied past, being one of the Original Six teams. Before they were named the Red Wings, they were called the Detroit Cougars, and the Detroit Falcons, so there was two options they could have gone with. My rating: 2/10.
Ottawa Senators: A red version of their new/old jerseys. In early October, the Senators brought back their original 1990s uniforms, with some slight alterations. This new jersey was inspired from 1992, the year the Senators entered the NHL. My rating: 6.5/10.
Florida Panthers: The Panthers are going to be wearing a navy blue jersey, with their original leaping panther logo. They first introduced a jersey similar to this in 1998. The jersey was inspired from 1996, the year the Panthers made their first, and only Stanley Cup Final appearance to date. My rating: 6.5/10.
Buffalo Sabres: Buffalo will be wearing a white jersey with royal blue and gold striping, and the front crest will feature their alternate crossing swords logo that was worn from 2000 to 2006. On the bottom of the jersey it will have the wordmark “BUFFALO”. The jersey was inspired from 2000, the year they introduced their red, crossing swords alternate jersey. My rating: 5/10.
Toronto Maple Leafs: Toronto will be wearing a blue jersey, with gray shoulders, and a logo from 1967. The jersey is inspired from 1970, and are very similar to the ones worn from 1970 to 1992. There were many directions the Leafs could’ve gone with this one, but in my opinion, adding the logo from 1967 kills the jersey completely. My rating: 3/10.
Montreal Canadiens: The Habs will be wearing a blue jersey, with a red stripe in the middle, and two smaller white stripes on either side of the red. It will also have two small red and white stripes on the bottom of the jersey. The jersey was inspired from 1976, the year the Canadiens won the Stanley Cup, and when they embarked on their greatest season in franchise history. During the 1976-77 season, the Habs finished with a record of 60 wins, 8 losses, and 12 ties. The blue on the jersey is inspired by the first ever jersey they wore way back in 1909. My rating: 8.5/10. (Yes, I know I’m biased)
Boston Bruins: Finally, the last team from the Atlantic division, the Boston Bruins. The Bruins will be wearing a yellow or gold jersey, whichever you prefer to call it, with their logo from the early 90s. The jersey is inspired from 1990, the year the Bruins made it to the Stanley Cup Finals. My rating: 7/10.
Metropolitan Division
Pittsburgh Penguins: Their jersey will feature a diagonal “PITTSBURGH” wordmark. It will be white, with yellow/gold and black stripes. It was inspired from 1997, when they wore a black version of this uniform. My rating: 5.5/10.
Columbus Blue Jackets: The Blue Jackets will be wearing a red jersey, with white sleeves, and blue and white striping. They will also be wearing their original logo on the front. The jersey is inspired from 2000, which was the year Columbus entered the NHL. My rating: 6/10.
Carolina Hurricanes: The Hurricanes will be wearing a gray Hartford Whalers jersey, with blue and green striping, and the “Pucky” whale logo on the shoulders. The jersey is inspired from 1979, when Hartford joined the NHL from the WHA following the NHL/WHA merger. My rating: 8.5/10.
Washington Capitals: Washington will be wearing a red jersey, with their “Screaming Eagle” logo on the front, and their late 90s alternate logo on the shoulders, which would eventually go on to be their primary road logo from 2000-2007. It also features a “WASHINGTON” wordmark on the bottom of the jersey, but is slightly slanted/diagonal. The jersey is inspired from 1997, which was the year that kicked off their run to the 1997-98 Stanley Cup Final. My rating: 6.5/10.
New York Rangers: The Rangers are bringing back a fan favourite logo, Lady Liberty. The jersey will be navy blue, with red and white striping on the sleeves. The jersey is inspired from 1996, when they debuted the original Lady Liberty jerseys. Not much of difference between the 1996 ones, and the current ones, but it’s still a solid jersey regardless. My rating: 8/10.
New York Islanders: The Islanders could have gone a few different directions with this jersey, such as bringing back the fisherman logo, but all they decided to do, was wear a navy jersey, with orange and white striping. The jersey was inspired from 1980, when the Islanders won their first Stanley Cup, and their first of four straight Stanley Cups. My rating: 4/10.
Philadelphia Flyers: The Flyers are wearing an orange jersey with black sleeves and shoulders, with white on the bottom of the sleeves, and a black stripe on the bottom of the jersey, with their current logo. The jersey is inspired from 1995, when they wore a black version of this jersey. My rating: 5/10.
New Jersey Devils: The final team from the Metropolitan division is the New Jersey Devils. The Devils will be wearing a green version of their retro jerseys they had from 1982 to 1992. The jersey will also feature white and red striping. It is inspired from 1982, when the Devils relocated from Denver, Colorado. My rating: 7.5/10.
Central Division
Chicago Blackhawks: The Blackhawks will be wearing a predominantly black uniform with red shoulders, and red and white striping. The jersey is inspired from 1940, when they wore a similar version of the logo that will be on the jersey. My rating: 4.5/10.
Dallas Stars: The Stars will be wearing a white jersey, with black and green striping on the bottom of the jersey and the sleeves in the shape of a star, similar to what they wore in the late 90s until 2006. The logo is also from that same era. The jersey is inspired from 1999, when Dallas won their first and only Stanley Cup. My rating: 2.5/10.
Nashville Predators: Nashville will be wearing a yellow/gold jersey, with silver/gray shoulders, and sleeves, and also with navy blue striping. The logo on the front will be similar to the one they first wore when they entered the NHL. The jersey is inspired from 1998, their first season in the NHL. My rating: 5.5/10.
St. Louis Blues: St. Louis will be wearing a red jersey, with blue and yellow striping. They wore both a white and a blue version of this in the late 90s, which is where this jersey was inspired from (1995). My rating: 6/10.
Winnipeg Jets: The Jets are going to be wearing a charcoal gray, navy blue, and white jersey, with their WHA logo on the front, also in the same colour scheme. The jersey is inspired from 1979, the year the original Winnipeg franchise joined the NHL following the NHL/WHA merger. My rating: 6.5/10.
Colorado Avalanche: For the first time since relocating to Denver, the Avalanche will be wearing a Nordiques jersey, with their current colours. The jersey will be white, with a burgundy collar, the bottom of the sleeves will also be burgundy, and so will the Fleur-de-lis at the bottom of the jersey. The jersey is inspired from 1979, when the Quebec Nordiques joined the NHL following the NHL/WHA merger. My rating: 10/10.
Minnesota Wild: The final team from the Central Division is the Minnesota Wild. The Wild will be turning to hockey’s roots in the state of Minnesota by wearing a white jersey, with green and yellow striping, paying homage to the Minnesota North Stars. The Wild will also wear their current logo on the front, with North Stars colours. The jersey is inspired from 1978. My rating: 8/10.
Pacific Division
Arizona Coyotes: Before I say anything about their jersey, it is hands down my favourite one, other than Montreal’s. The Yotes will be wearing a purple version of their green “Peyote” coyote alternate jersey from the late 90s. The jersey is predominantly purple, with a black collar, desert skyline on the bottom, and orange/brown gecko patch on the shoulders. The jersey is inspired from 1998, when they first wore the green “Peyote” coyote jersey. My rating: 11/10.
Los Angeles Kings: The Kings will be wearing a purple jersey, with a yellow/gold collar, and yellow/gold and white striping with the logo from the 1990s. The jersey was inspired from 1989, which is the first year they started wearing this logo. My rating: 7.5/10.
Vancouver Canucks: Vancouver will being a navy blue and green version of their early 2000s gradient fade alternate jersey. The jersey was inspired from 2001, which was the first year they wore the original gradient fade jersey. My rating: 7/10.
Calgary Flames: The Flames are bringing back their “Blasty” logo, and it will be on a predominantly black jersey again. The striping will be a little different than the original Blasty alternate uniform. The jersey was inspired from 1998, which was the first year they wore the original Blasty jersey. My rating: 7.5/10.
Vegas Golden Knights: Yes, I know the Golden Knights haven’t been around for very long, but they will be participating in this jersey series by going back into hockey’s roots in Las Vegas. The jersey will be red, with diagonal steel gray, metallic gold, and black striping on the sleeves and bottom of the jersey. The logo will be Vegas’ current alternate logo, featuring two swords, and a star. The jersey is inspired from 1995, the year the jersey design is from, and it is based on the Las Vegas Thunder’s uniforms from that year. The Thunder were a minor pro team in the IHL. My rating: 5/10.
Anaheim Ducks: The Ducks will be bringing back their “Wild Wing” logo from their mid-90s alternate jersey. The jersey will be white, with teal, and eggplant striping, and features the original Mighty Ducks logo on the shoulders. It is inspired from 1995, when they first wore the original Wild Wing jersey. My rating: 7/10.
San Jose Sharks: The Sharks are going to be wearing a gray jersey, with black shoulders and sleeves, with teal and white striping also on the sleeves. It will feature their original logo on the front. The jersey is inspired from 1998, when they first started wearing this style of jersey full-time. My rating: 7.5/10.
Edmonton Oilers: The final team from the Pacific division is the Edmonton Oilers. The Oilers will be wearing a white jersey with orange shoulders, and orange and blue striping on the sleeves. The lettering on the jersey also appears to be orange. It was inspired from 1979, when the Oilers joined the NHL following the NHL/WHA merger. My ranking: 5.5/10.
Final thoughts
For the most part, Adidas, and the NHL did a really good job with these jerseys. A handful of them I found to be poor, but I quite enjoy roughly 22/23 of the 31 released today!
My top 5: Montreal, Arizona, Colorado, Carolina, and Tampa Bay.
My worst 5: Detroit, Dallas, Toronto, New York Islanders, and Vegas.
Thank you for reading, as always. I hope you enjoyed today’s article!
-Cooper.