3rd Jersey Ranking Revealed
Friday · Nov 28 · 2008 | 9:18 AM PSTThe Icethetics Third Jersey Ranking has been released.
See the Icethetics Third Jersey Ranking!
The ranking includes my personal views on this year's crop of third jerseys but there will be an opportunity for you to make your voice heard soon. For now, you can check out my ranking and leave your comments about it on this blog post. I'm sure it won't be all that popular.
Since you're still here, I thought I'd take a moment to talk about what lies ahead for Icethetics. Many of you have asked what place Icethetics has in the world now that all the third jerseys are out. I assure you, this site was never about that. It simply got eaten by third jersey news for a while.
In December, I fully plan on bringing Icethetics back to what it was meant to be — a place to enjoy the artistic side of hockey. On the way is the site's first concept post and a brand new Concepts section which will include a number of Featured Artists and their talents.
Logo tournaments will get back in full swing. We'll finish up the Flashback '98 tournament which has continued to be delayed. Also, the IceHL will get back on track with logo rating for the Northeast Division and voting on the final 3 for the Pacific.
Those tabs at the top of the page are going to be your best friends starting next month. The blog will likely be updated less frequently while those pages above will flourish with content. At least that's the plan.
I'm also going to be introducing a new artist to you guys who will be creating most of the graphics for the new Logo & Uniform History section that will be launching probably after the new year. He's very talented and his work will make Icethetics a resource for information in its own right. I'm very excited about this project. More on that later.
If you have any other questions about the future of Icethetics, please email me if you want a response.
Reader Comments (99)
Your rankings are pretty good. Obviously not exactly as I would rank them because nobody's rankings will be the same, but they are not too far off.
The only real glaring discrepancy from my own opinion is Ottawa's. That thing is right near the bottom of my list. You made the point that after seeing it in action it is impossible to hate this. But really it was the opposite for me. I didn't think it was that terrible until I actually saw it in game action.
Also, I really don't like Phoenix's jersey. In my list it would second last after Atlanta's.
And finally, the Flyers' jersey needs to be higher.
I think the REAL reason Chris ranked them this way was so that he could stagger the pictures of black jerseys. lol
I enjoyed reading your ranking. Good Job! I think you've got it pretty close, I agree with most of your comments, even the ones about the Senators 3rd. It takes you some time to get use to new jersey's but once you do, you really start to like ones you at first hated, this is the case here.
Dude are you
Ottawa and Tampa Bay's thirds were the BEST! I have to say that I was a little concerned at the start, but now I'm so jealous and want to be a Sens and/or Bolts fan! I agree on everything about the Canucks (fav team) except that they should have gone for the orca on the shoulder. The Pens jersey should have been so much lower, because they just copied there Winter Classic jersey. They should have gone with a white jersey that sad Pens across it, although that would be overusing the Lightning and Sens idea. Chicago should have taken there winter classic logo but left the jersey design. I also disagree on the ranking of the thrashers sweater, because I though that was AWESOME. And just to tell you, a gold boston jersey would look REALLY ugly.
I agree with most of your rankings except for a few. In my opinion, Ottawa has the worst third jersey. They had one of the best jerseys (home and road) when the entered the NHL, but they have ruined a good thing. The wordmark SENS ruined the whole jersey.
I think Toronto's is better then their home and road jerseys which look like pratice jerseys, but how about going really retro and bringing out a green Toronto St. Pats jersey?
I love the Coyotes jersey until they put it on with the rest of the uniform. The red helmets, pants and gloves just don't go with the jersey. For someone walking down the street wearing the jersey it is awesome.
The Sabres jersey is awesome. I don't mind the sliver and gold striping, I think it improves the jersey. Like you said the sliver piping could go, but it is not the worst thing. I would also dump the front numbers. They don't seem to fit because the logo is so big on the front. They work on the slug jerseys because the logo is smaller.
And finally Dallas' might not be the best third jersey, but it is better then their last third jersey.
While i agree with alot of your choices and why... I just can't agree on all of them. I like the Coyotes but I agree that they could have done more, they really dropped the ball on that one. I love the vintage looks of the Iles, Oilers, Sabers and Pens. I would have raised St. Louis higher i really like the choice of blue. LA's is so boring.. its almost as bad as the Thrashers or Stars... the leafs just threw one out there in my opinion. Philly's is nice and probably should have gotten more mid of the pack. The Canucks, I agree should have gone with green... that'd look mint. I hate the "Bolts" and the"Sens" those to me are the worst choices... the colours on the sens is really nice, but the word is just awful... the bolts again great colour scheme but its like they both called in the front design. Finally there are the sharks... i like this, though i do think its missing something, the shark is just kinda out there, it needs something...
I just want to end with what the hell is the numbers on the front? Do we really need to see the players number from every freakin angle?
i think the reason why toronto did a white jersey is because thats the one they used to wear at home before teams started to wear the dark jerseys at home. they wanted to bring backk an old tradition
Great Work! Only if teams would be a little more adventurous while acknowledging the past...
Go Pens!
My Rankings:
1. Buffalo Sabres
2. St. Louis Blues
3. Los Angeles Kings
4. Pittsburgh Penguins
5. Vancouver Canucks
6. Edmonton Oilers
7. Toronto Maple Leafs
8. Boston Bruins
9. Chicago Blackhawks
10. New York Islanders
11. Carolina Hurricanes
12. San Jose Sharks
13. Ottawa Senators
14. Philadelphia Flyers
15. Atlanta Thrashers
16. Tampa Bay Lightning
17. Phoenix Coyotes
18. Dallas Stars
1. The fact that you have the Bruins jersey 17th out of 18th makes this one of the worst rankings ever. Espcially with teams like Ottawa, Tampa Bay (thats your homer pick but still unacceptable), Atlanta, Phoenix and San Jose in front of them.
2. Blackhawks 15th are you kidding me??? Thats just laughable.
3. I think I am the only one but I think that Buffalo jersey is UGLY. It has WAY TOO MUCH STUFF, especially with their numbers in the left shoulder on the front on their game jerseys. EWWW!
I used to like your analysis buy am starting to question it with this post.
My Rankings:
1. Islanders
2. Oilers
3. Canucks
4. Blues
5. Penguins
6. Kings
7. Blackhawks
8. Bruins
9. Flyers
10. Hurricanes
11. Sharks
12. Coyotes
13. Sharks
14. Senators
15. Lightning
16. Maple Leafs
17. Thrashers
18. Stars
Mine:
1. Pittsburgh Penguins (you nailed it in your decription, Chris)
2. Edmonton Oilers (simply beautiful)
3. Vancouver Canucks (make these the home unis and add a green Johnny Canuck 3rd)
4. New York Islanders (nice clean uni)
5. Philadelphia Flyers (back to orange! about time!)
6. Toronto Maple Leafs (love the "woodsy" leaf)
7. St. Louis Blues (a shade too dark, but traditional design is an improvement)
8. Buffalo Sabres (much better)
9. San Jose Sharks (black, but full-body shark is cool; needs bottom striping)
10. Tampa Bay Lightning (nice color, though "Bolts" is somewhat juvenile)
11. Chicago Blackhawks (should use Winter Classic uni)
12. Los Angeles Kings (should have been purple and gold)
13. Boston Bruins (inferior to regular jerseys; should be gold)
14. Dallas Stars (should be green, needs logo)
15. Ottawa Senators (striping and 'Sens" sucks, wasted chance for "O" uni)
16. Carolina Hurricanes (sorry, I think this is both too busy and ugly at the same time)
17. Phoenix Coyotes (no real redeeming qualities)
18. Atlanta Thrashers (every bad "RBK"i-ified design element)
I'm surprised that you have the Blues that low down on the list. I thought it was one of the best ones this year!
my friend bought a pens 3rd jersey in canada this week
its sooo sharp
Nick, I agree 100% percent with almost everything in your post.
I don't understand why you'd "definitely put a tie-up on an Original Six jersey". The first tie-ups were worn by the Canadiens back in the 1941-42 season. 15 years after each of the original 6 franchaises had started. The next team to join them was the Rangers in 1950-51. Chicago then added tie-ups in 1955-56, and Toronto in 58-59. The Bruins did not don a jersey with a tie-up until 1967, and by then, the NHL also included the California Seals, L.A. Kings, Minnesota North Stars, Philidelphia Flyers, Pittsburgh Penguins, and St. Louis Blues. Detroit has never had a tie-up. There is plenty of history that doesn't include tie-ups. Personally, i'm not a fan. I don't see why they seem to be a staple of "retro" or third jerseys.
Oh and Chris why would the Bruins go away from black??????? The Bruins are the first team to wear black and should be the only team to wear black. Its not thier fault like EVERYONE else went to play.
As evidenced by your rankings. The more color the better for you, huh?
After watching the Bruins in their thirds today, I have to say THEY ARE AWESOME. I wasn't sold on them at first but they look damn good now!
Pretty on the mark, I think. I would have moved the rankings around, but the comments were pretty solid. Especially the Sens/Bolts comments. Those are the truest ones of all. I disagree with the Maple Leafs commentary though, I think that classic white sweater is the only white alternate that works. The Dallas one on the other hand, it a pathetic attempt at a uniform.
The truest of all??? Try the ugliest of all.
I agree with most but....
1. Pittsburgh Penguins - Amazing!!! Near perfect.
2. Vancouver Canucks - Almost perfect but I would add laces and get rid of the Vachon shoulder patches (the skating Johnny logo is great...the V is wrong). I also agree with Chris in changing the jersey to green for a 3rd Jersey. Overall this sweater is very acceptable.
3. Toronto Maple Leafs - Classic.
4. Buffalo Sabres - Beauty (reminds of the old LA colours...let's bring them back).
5. New York Islanders - Finally, but I would like to see the stripes on the arms decreased in size or change the striping arrangement to something like the Penguins....hmm not sure. I still love it.
6. Philadelphia Flyers - Vintage 70's!
7. Edmonton Oilers - They should never have changed them in the first place. When you've won like the Oilers have you shouldn't change a thing.
8. Tampa Bay Lightning - Okay but I think they could have been better. Better than the what's left below.
9. Ottawa Senators - Same as above.
10. Chicago Blackhawks - What a waste and boring. It's classic but there is so much potential
11. Boston Bruins - Same as above.
12. Carolina Hurricanes - It could have been better if it were not for the patchwork around the waste. It's too distracting but other than that it kind of works and the logo is good.
13. St. Louis Blues - It's boring and loses out to mediocrity. I think I understand where they are going with the logo (Pitts, Minni) but the font is not big enough nor is the striping.
14. San Jose Sharks - Just because you make a black jersey it doesn't immediately give you the best looking jersey. Where's the imagination?
15. Phoenix Coyotes - Same as above.
16. Dallas Stars - Come on!!!!!Give up already. Three completely pathetic attempts at a retro look. Take a note from Montreal, Detroit, New York. Three strikes and your out.
17. Los Angeles Kings - What are these guys doing. When I heard 3rd jerseys were coming out I immediately started searching for LA information. I was so hoping for a Dionne style jersey. This jersey logo came right out of a high school art class and is absolutely embarassing!
18. Atlanta Thrashers - There's not much of a jersey to comment on so I won't.
First of all, Your rankings suck. Philadelphia 12? And don't give me this "tie up " front. The Flyers never wore a tie up jersey so why would they put that in their retro 3rd jersey? And to put Tampa ahead of anyone? Give me a break "Bolts". Vancouver has the same exact jersey now, all they did was switch a logo. And any Chicago fan needs to stop crying, it's not that hard to turn a red or white jersey into black. That is so 90s. Same with LA. I would of been more impressed if they went back to old purple and gold.The teams that actually went retro should be all up top.
Gotta say, I do disagree with a lot of this. But heck, I don't come here to read your opinions anyways, so it really doesn't matter.
Just one thing, no Flyers jerseys have ever had those tie up collars. A throwback with one would make no sense. And personally, I hate those tie up things anyway.
lol the penguins and sabres are the top two. If anything it should be the blues at #1, the most innovative and original new third jersey. At least its not a throwback like every other one up there. I thought this website was free of traditional jersey favoritism and more in favor of artistic quality (because if it was the pens would be way lower), but I guess not and it disappoints me. I'm not surprised though.
Having just gotten back from the Garden, I must comment on the Bruins' 3rds. Taken standalone, as a jersey, they're not terribly exciting. But with the black socks, the whole kit and kaboodle looks amazing. It comes off as modern and sleek rather than stodgy and boring. I'd rather wear the regular home jersey with a pair of jeans, but I actually almost prefer the 3rd for a full uniform.
What few blurry photos I took are located here: http://picasaweb.google.com/caleputnam/BruinsVsIslanders#
I like the Canucks' the most.
You were a little to homer on the bolts jersey, that one and the sens are easily the worst. i personally hate the pens jerseys, i know its old school but the logo really sucks, thier normal jerseys are bad too, they should do this 4rd jersey style but with black and yellow and a different logo. black and gold and baby blue with anything are some of the worst color combos.
1. Pittsburgh
2. St Louis
3. New York
4. Carolina
5. Buffalo
6. Vancouver
7. Tampa
8. Toronto
9. Chicago
10. Atlanta
11. Edmonton
12. Boston
13. Philly
14. Phoenix
15. Dallas
16. San Jose
17. LA
18. Ottawa
I agree with a lot of your commentary but I'd switch the rankings up somewhat.
1. Buffalo
2. Pittsburgh
3. St. Louis
4. Vancouver
5. LA
6. Islander
7. Oilers
8. Carolina
9. Senators
10. San Jose
11. Philadelphia
12. Toronto
13. Phoenix
14. Bruins
15. Chicago
16. Tampa Bay
17. Thrashers
18. Dallas
MY RANKINGS:
1. Sabres - Simply the best
2. Oilers - Love the retro and the collar
3. Isles - royal is in
4. Penguins - Winter classic style was smart
5. Canucks - To much like the home. Should have used green
6. Bolts - Great except for the BOLTS
7. Hawks - Love the black design
8. Flyers - Great to bring back orange and retro
9. Coyotes - Great new design but new collar
10. Sens - Ugly design and bad to put SENS
11. Canes - Bad design but good logo
12. Sharks - Needs more stripes but love the full body shark
13. Leafs - No comment
14. Bruins - Should have used yellow. Also more stripes
15. Kings - HATE IT. UNDERLINE THAT! Looks like a practice jersey. HATE ALL FROM #14
16. Stars - Just an idiotic copy. Like Chris said, it looks like a colledge jersey
17. Thrashers - 3rd worst jersey ever! (Old Mighty ducks third first)
18. Blues - Looks like McDonalds sponsered them to make it look like them. Otherwise....NO COMMENT
OK. TOP9 looked okay, then I saw the Senators jersey and I started to laugh. Put Sens, Bolts, Kings, Coyotes and Trashers to the end and Boston should be higher. That's my opinion, I respect yours, but I don't like it :/
I think you should've waited to see them all on the ice before making this.. The Coyotes uni's looked fantastic
The Bruins jersey looked AWESOmE today.
i think if you swapped the pens jersey with the stars jersey not even ranked the thrashers jersey moved the oilers and canucks jersey down to where the sens and bolts are and ranked from the bottom up you would be a heck of a lot closer to what the ranking should be.
The only thing I can really disagree with is the Canucks. It barely qualifies as a third jersey; it's only a different set of logos on the exact same jersey. I really like the Ottawa and Tampa jerseys, it's just a shame they had a brain fart and forgot that whole "logo" thing. And Dallas, and to a lesser extent Atlanta, well... they don't even deserved to be talked about.
I think my top three in order are Buffalo, Carolina, and Pheonix. I really don't know why I like the new Coyotes one, but I actually do...
i could argue with a few of these, but your rankings are definitely solid.
i'd swap the blues and the hurricanes in the rankings, because i think the blues have the best original third jersey out there. it's very traditional, but looks very modern, a "created vintage" much like the wild did very successfully not long ago.
i can agree that you were a bit harsh on the bruins...and i think you put the sens and bolts jerseys too high (especially with that butt logo), but with your explanations, i can see where you're coming from and i can definitely respect that. good rankings.
Cap'n Canuck...just give up now. go stare at a montreal canadiens red sweater until you realize what a hockey jersey is meant to be.
one more thing, will you post any kind of updates on the home page saying that stuff has been added to the other tabs? i'd hate to search all those tabs every time i check this site...
Overall, I don't have the same opinion as you Chris, but that's no excuse for me to tear yours apart. People, the man has taste. May not be the same as yours but that's what makes us unique. Now I'll share my taste a bit here:
1. St. Louis Blues - fits the look of the team very well.
2. Philadelphia Flyers - Absolutely beautiful. Classic and appealing.
3. Edmonton Oilers - Everyone was asking for it, and they got it. Flawless.
4. Pittsburgh Penguins - Great, original colour. It's hard not to like it.
5. Buffalo Sabres - A little old with a little new. It definitely works.
6. New York Islanders - Stunning. Just make sure the pants match next time.
7. Los Angeles - Goes perfectly with the home and away to make a great set.
8. Toronto Maple Leafs - Will always look brilliant. This look never gets old.
9. Carolina Hurricanes - Great concept and mostly, it came together well. However, a brighter red and less squares would help.
10. San Jose Sharks - Looks nice, but one horizontal stripe would've made it a whole lot better.
11. Chicago Blackhawks - Nothing new, but it still looks clean.
12. Phoenix Coyotes - Great logos. The jersey design made it a lot worse.
13. Boston Bruins - Add some horizontal stripes and you have yourself a winner.
14. Vancouver Canucks - Had there not been so many wordmark jerseys, this would've been last. Can't tell a difference between it and the home. Lazy.
15. Ottawa Senators - One logo change away from a beauty. The Heritage Jersey would've been tops in the league.
16. Atlanta Thrashers - Jersey design is nice. Shoulder patches are too big. Needs a logo. The patch would've been nice front and center.
17. Dallas Stars - Way to ruin the look of your franchise. Bland arms, bland base, no logo. Needs to stop.
18. Tampa Bay Lightning - "A tribute to our fans" my ***. Lame. Great colour. Great jersey. The lack of a true logo absolutely kills it.
I don't think the batch of 3rds this year can be called a great one nor can it be called a horrid one. On the plus side, there were more good-looking jerseys than there were hideous ones.
1. Islanders - They got it all right...you don’t have to mess with a great scheme -- less is often more (IMO) when it comes to hockey uniforms.
2. Penguins - Same as above! Very nice! Do a white version and go to this full time.
3. Flyers - I love it! I also would’ve been happy if they went with the 90’s era orange jersey.
4. Canucks - I like the updated rink and stick. Drop the shoulder patch. Too many teams abuse shoulder patches. The V logo is grreat, but it doesn’t need to be on the uniform.
5. Sharks - I like it -- dump the front numbers and the ‘SJ’ on the shoulders leaving just the fin.
6. Maple Leafs - Good. It would be nice to see this full-time w/ the blue to compliment the set for home games (like the ’67 set).
7. Oilers - Bring back this full-time!
8. Blackhawks - Playing it safe but it’s still better than most team’s thirds or otherwise.
9. Senators - Weird, but I sort of like it. Loved their originals from the early 90’s. Imagine what could’ve been if the did a really old throwback...at least the ‘O’ logo.
10. Bruins - Great secondary logo, but whatever. Again, no need for shoulder patches here (or on their primary sets)!!! Shoulder patch abuse on hockey jerseys remind me of every team in the NFL that feels the need to do black cleats to look retro. White cleats can look very good too.
11. Lightning - Would look a lot better if they removed or reduced the thick horizontal sleeve stripes.
12. Stars - What a disappointment.
13. Hurricanes - Doesn’t do anything for me.
14. Sabres - Buffalo is a cursed city when it comes to sports uniforms. HOW HARD IS IT TO SIMPLY BRING BACK THE 70’s/80’s CLASSICS??? Too much crap going on here. At least the Bills got it right with their throwback ‘thirds.’
15. Kings - Seems like this franchise could’ve come up something better. There’s a lot to draw from past themes -- even mixing in with the new (save for that ‘Los Angeles’ going across the bottom of the primary set).
16. Blues - Ugghh. Everyone likes it but me. I like some of their looks from the 70’s...and even the late 90’s up until the Edge re-do’s. Oh well, glad most people like it.
17. Coyotes - Good grief.
18. Thrashers - Where to begin? That does it, I won’t even start!
And if we’re counting Winter Classics, Detroit would land at #4 and Chicago’s would be #5. Everybody else below would move down two slots.
1. Sabres- Absolute perfection!
2. Penguins- They looked great at the Winter Classic (i was there).
3. Edmonton- Change the color and they'd be excellent.
4. Vancouver- Go GREEN!!! and have Johnny Canuck as the front logo.
5. Tampa Bay- I REALLY like this. Maybe a Secondary logo and it would def be in the 'top 3'.
6. Carolina- It just works for them.
7. New York- Its better than the Fishstick.
8. St. Louis- Nice modern retro feel to it.
9. Los Angles- Turned out a lot better than originally first thought.
10. Philadelphia- Nice to see orange back. Should be primary jersey
11. Chicago- Have one of the best jersey sets in the league...but could have used something new.
12. San Jose- worked for them before.
13. Toronto- Slowly easing its way as the primary away jersey.
14. Phoenix- Change the red shorts and the "fox."
15. Atlanta- Would've looked good with the ariel view of the thrasher.
16. Boston-could've been a lot better.
17. Dallas- Terrible.
18. Senators- (gag) having the "O" wouldve have made it respectable.
Islanders retro looks great but i have always like their orange third. http://farm1.static.flickr.com/6/6891799_f4f645e2a2.jpg?v=0
would love to have seen a canucks green third jersey
Tampa's looks great except for BOLTS
toronto's is a classic
atlanta's colours and striping is good but would have liked to see the thrasers head or the t on the front
edmontons retro looks great but the old third was also really sharp http://img34.photobucket.com/albums/v104/newovad/EdmontonOilersThird2001-.jpg
i too would have loved to see a yellow bruins third or at least some sort of striping at the bottom of their jersey would have been nice
san jose should look at worchester's black jersey and have tried something like that
Dallas i like their home jersey with the text across it. its unique and different, but introducing a second identical to it, just looks bad. They should have brought back a black or green or even tried a yellow with their primary logo on it.
i really wish that the rangers had brought back the lady liberty third and that the devils made a black third or tried a now common theme of bringing back a retro.
No commentary on the Winter Classic jerseys?
wow...you put the Thrashers AHEAD of the Bruins? how is that even remotely possible?
and the Blues should be in the top 3 on ANYONE'S list. no way the Sens should be ahead of the Blues.
Pretty good. Ottawa should've gone with the O in front of the flag, though. Dallas didn't do anything wrong except make it boring. It looks better than the normal white jersey. My Sharks could've gone without the numbers on front and could've made orange outline on the numbers.
Chris, it's great that you're reporting all these jersey developments so concisely, but you have THE WORST AESTHETIC TASTE I have ever encountered.
ALSO: about the Flyers
your comments show you clearly don't know a thing about the Flyers uniform history. its supposed to be a direct replica of the first uniforms they wore. Laces? absolutely not. they Flyers have never had laces on the front. you can't throw them on every jersey just because its "retro"...not every team came into being in the 20s. and yes, the sleeve / arm numbering is awkward...on purpose. that's the way they were back in the day.
I think you missed the point entirely.
I don't quite understand your opinion on the Flyers 3rd.
It is what it is: a retro jersey. No yellow moons, green clovers, or red balloons needed. It's fine how it is.
Well Chris, most of your rankings were pretty good, but I don't know about why St,Louis was not higher. Atlanta should have been lower than Boston and the "Sens " jersey should just be near the bottom. I would put my Canucks in the middle, rather than the bottom as some people in the comments have been doing. The Canucks have an ok third and there is no need to put them so low on the list just because the design element is nothing new... at least their jersey is not a mess of colours like Ottawa or Atlanta. I am looking forward to the return of the tournaments and artist features. I hope Freakout Fridays come back as well!
Two things:
First the tie-up jerseys have officially been overdone. They were fine when it was on the throwbacks for the teams that were actually around to have sweaters and not jerseys. But everyone's doing them now. I applaud the teams that DON'T at this point.
Second, as an Islanders' fan; no lighthouses. Ever. Stay with the classic Isles look, the look that won them four Stanley Cups. Lighthouses lead to memories of the Gordon's Fishermen look they sported for that horrible period a few years back.
i believe the Blues jersey should be first and the "Sens" jersey should be much lower. the Blues made it work, when you think about it making a jersey that has the logo, arch, and team name AND IT WORKING!!! IS VERY HARD TO DO
The thrashers jersey is the worst jersey ever made, idk why is it not last on ur list. Heck it's even worse than the pea green jerseys the Hawks (Atlanta's NBA team) used to wear during the 70's and early 2000's.
My Top 18 of the 2008 NHL Third Jerseys.
18: Dallas Stars: I Agree Fully. Since they decided to put "DALLAS" on their Home Jersey Last Year, their look has downgraded drastically...and not just the Jersey. 1/5
17 & 16: Phoenix Coyotes & Atlanta Thrashers. Both teams failed at putting a decent logo on the front of their jersey and at the same time made a Minimal or Wacky and Wild Striping Pattern. The Coyotes Paw logo would have been an upgrade on a new jersey. It's too bad they didn't redesign their original logo or maybe put a reference to the Jets in their third. and the Thrashers could have just tried going with a new logo altogether. 1.5/5
15: Ottawa Senators. They should have just gone with the 2-D Senators logo or the O Logo. That Striping Pattern is just too crowded, "SENS" doesn't help either. 1.5/5
14: Chicago Blackhawks. I sort of agree with Chris about using the Winter Classic Jersey. But it should be a more updated version of that jersey with their current primary logo in the circle. Using their secondary logo wouldn't have been a bad idea either. Either way Chicago has a lack of originality. 2/5
13: LA Kings. There is one reason this isn't in the tie with the 12th place jerseys is because it looks a bit more bland. The Gretzky days colours are a nice touch but there are two flaws. one, the piping that goes from the collar to the end of the arm, and two, a very small waist stripe, if they had made it match the arm stripes this would have got a higher rating. But then again, they should have just used the Gretzky days jerseys. 2/5
Tie 12 & 11: Boston Bruins & San Jose Sharks. While I must agree that these are both sharp jerseys, they're missing a few things. Before we get to the big obvious ones I think that the collars could have either switched jerseys or they both could have been tie-ups. The Sharks could have used Teal on their collar too. Oh, and they lack one major detail very apparent in many RBK Edge Jerseys...wait for it...WAIST STRIPES! 2.5/5
10: Carolina Hurricanes. I'm glad to see the hurricane flag logo on a jersey even though it's technically a tropical storm flag. Probably one of my only pet peeves about this jersey is the waist stripes, they should have made the hurricane flag stripes red with black in the middle with silver as the outline. Otherwise everything else is fine. 3/5
9: Tampa Bay Lightning. Despite going with "BOLTS" on their jersey Tampa actually got the text jersey right unlike the other teams that did it looking at it again, it's like the arrangement of the Rangers' Jersey. The royal blue goes well with the white silver and black text. The matching waist and arm stripes go perfectly with it. The only thing that needs to change is the piping around the arm pit. But besides being great it's still a text jersey 3.5/5
8: Toronto Maple Leafs. Putting aside the lack of originality. This jersey is very nice. I think the only thing I'd change is to lower the waist stripe an inch or two. Otherwise, for Toronto there's no other direction to go other than the 35 point maple leaf. I think going further back than this logo is strictly for a Winter Classic jersey. 3.5/5
7: Philadelphia Flyers. It's a nice revival of their classic uniform and a return to an orange jersey goes a long way. Using a white nameplate was also a nice touch. The difference between making Philly and T.O. a tie was the "Originality Factor." 4/5
It's pretty Much a 5 Way Tie!
6 & 5, Edmonton Oilers & New York Islanders.
4, Buffalo Sabres.
3 & 2, Vancouver Canucks & Pittsburgh Penguins.
I can go on forever about how each of these jerseys are great but I'll make it short and sweet. VINTAGE REVIVAL. That's all I need to say. 4.5/5
And the #1 Third Jersey of the 2008 Crowd is....
1. St. Louis Blues. Since it debuted I have loved this jersey. It's just so perfect. It combines a classic look, made modernized, using a familiar St. Louis landmark, with the Blues logo. St. Louis is probably one of the only team that can say they had one of the worst third jerseys to date (that was never used) and one of the best third jerseys to date. 5/5
the fact that any jerseys were ranked below the "sens" and "bolts" jerseys, were reason enough to disregard this post.