Grading the Reverse Retro Jerseys
The NHL has completely distracted the world from the fact that nobody knows when the 2020-21 season will begin. Hopefully we get a Jan. 1 Winter Classic season opener. For now, we’ll settle for debating over which team got the best “reverse retro” jersey. Adidas and the NHL teamed up for a concept of taking old-time NHL sweater and mixing up the colors to create the reverse retro look. Here’s my grades for all 31 clubs.
ANA: D-
The Ducks should have went with the old District 5 look. Almost anything is better than these. Leave this look in the 90’s where it belongs.
ARI: B+
Not bad at all. A great take on this old alternate jersey. The purple is a massive upgrade from the forest green color it used to have.
BOS: A
I love the yellow. Great idea and the colors play well together. Its sad that Boston didn’t go with the Pooh Bears jerseys. That would’ve gotten them the A+ in my book.
BUF: B-
The cross-sabre logo is cool. I still think the Sabres are due for a blue/yellow goat head jersey. Those would have been my choice, but the jerseys they chose aren’t too bad.
CAL: C-
Just a little too plain. I probably would’ve left the horse head logo behind in exchange for an Atlanta Flames “A” with some black added in.
CAR: A
The Whalers look will never fail. Just ditch the red and black and let the Hurricanes adopt these colors full time. The primary gray color looks awesome.
CHI: C
I feel like Chicago has to come up with a new jersey every season. They have to have the most alternate jerseys in NHL history because they’re always playing an outdoor game. These are a bit lackluster and could use a little more detail. However, the crest looks great.
COL: A
These are outstanding. The old Nordiques unis were some of the best in NHL history. They kept the logo intact with the Avalanche color scheme. Great look.
CBJ: B-
Too much white, but overall a decent jersey. These might look tough on TV because of the excessive white. It could clash too much with the opposing team. But for now, these aren’t too bad.
DAL: B+
The whiteout look is pretty cool. The Stars had awesome unis back in the 90’s and the unique star-pattern on their jerseys was always a hit. It always reminds me of Brett Hull scoring that OT goal in ’99. These are a nice take.
DET: D
Too plain. These could be practice jerseys. I don’t really know what else the Red Wings could actually do considering they’ve had the same jerseys for like 100 years. This just feels too boring and lacks any real creativity.
EDM: C
Did they really change anything? Too similar to the regulars, but they do have the royal blue. Edmonton seriously needs to drop the navy and go back to their royal blue roots.
FLA: A+
The old panthers logo is 1000 times better than the soccer shield they have now. That panther just looks incredible. The colors here are phenomenal too. These are surprisingly my favorite out of the whole bunch.
LA: A+
I’m a sucker for the purple and gold (shoutout to the Blizz). The 90’s jerseys with the retro Kings’ colors looks great. These are definitely going to pop on TV too. I still feel like LA should go back to the purple and gold scheme. Aren’t they rebuilding anyway?
MIN: A+
Just like LA, Minnesota should switch to these colors full-time. The Christmas-y red and green just does not carry the same weight that these bad boys do. If Dallas isn’t going to ever go back to this look, MIN should definitely capitalize on their chance.
MTL: A+
Kind of like Detroit, there’s not much else the Canadiens could really do, but I’m glad they went with these. It’s like looking into an alternate universe. I love the look though and the Canadiens have always had my favorite jerseys in the league.
NSH: A-
(Is that Vincent Chase?) I was expecting a lot worse from Nashville. They always find a way to push out bizarre uniforms, but these actually came out pretty great. I love how they kept the silver arms. Hopefully they have that silky college finish to them like the old Preds unis used to.
NJD: C-
Haven’t they done this jersey before? Maybe I’m wrong but a primarily black Devils jersey would’ve been my choice. The Devils need a black jersey and the retro green/red has been played out too many times for them.
NYI: C-
Haven’t they done this jersey before? Orange was the answer here. The navy is old news.
NYR: B+
I’m so happy Lady Liberty is back. Great logo. However, the jersey is just a little too plain. It could’ve used some more red. The gray 3D behind the numbers looks awesome though. I can’t wait to see the Breadman just buzzing around in these next season.
OTT: A+
Ottawa is just killing it lately. They’ve gone back to black jerseys full-time, and now they break out these? This team might still be a few years away from being a solid contender, but damn they’re going to look good.
PHI: A
Definitely the right choice. I’m glad the Flyers didn’t do another black variation. Awesome take on the old Lindros-era jerseys.
PIT: B-
Not a bad take on the baby blue jerseys. I love the diagonal lettering and the colors look pretty nice. The white jersey is also kind of refreshing here too.
SJS: D+
The Sharks definitely understood the idea behind reverse retro and they definitely followed instructions, but I hate these. These look awful. Maybe when I see the full setup I’ll change my mind, but for now these are not great.
STL: A
Maybe a little too much red, but these are sick. The red/yellow/blue jerseys are some of my favorites. The reverse on these looks great. I can’t wait to see the entire setup.
TB: B
I actually remember thinking of these jerseys when I was a kid. I always wondered why the Lightning didn’t think of this sooner. That logo is regarded as one of the ugliest of all time, but I love it. The black trim is a little too small around the bottom and wrists, but other than that these are awesome.
TOR: B
The gray looks nice and is a nice change up from the blue and white. The crest looks cool too. Not much else to say here. Decent jerseys.
VAN: B+
The gradient look was an interesting choice. I’m very surprised to see that Vancouver chose these instead of a reverse on the 90’s skate logo. These actually came out okay and look much better than the old gradients.
VGK: F
I understand that Vegas is a new team, and the retro concept was a bit difficult for them considering they’re basically brand new. They decided to go with the old Las Vegas Thunder striping and incorporated their current colors. These are awful. The logo looks terrible as a crest and it’s just a mess of colors. Yuck.
WSH: A+
I recently wrote on a reddit thread that I would love to a see an update to the scremin’ eagle. Well, here they are, and they are not disappointing. One thing is for sure: Henrik Lundqvist is going to look incredible rocking this look between the pipes.
WPG: C+
I don’t fully understand the color scheme here, but its not bad. It’s an unusual deviation from their typical colors of red, white, and blue. I don’t hate these, but I don’t love them either.
So, there’s all 31 teams. Only one F and 6 A+s. Not too bad.
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