Thursday
Dec042008
SI Ranks Third Jerseys
Thursday · Dec 4 · 2008 | 3:28 PM PSTComing on the heels of Icethetics' third jersey rankings, Sports Illustrated has released a ranking of their own. I respect it but for the most part I find it simply makes a lot of excuses for putting "classic" jerseys at the top of the list and becomes very whiny when talking about the more unique designs.
Just like me, SI puts the Penguins at the top of the list and the Stars at the very bottom. To see their complete rankings and read their mostly snide and cynical reviews, click here. Below is the list of their picks.
- Pittsburgh Penguins
- St. Louis Blues
- Philadelphia Flyers
- Montreal Canadiens (Centennial, not third)
- Chicago Blackhawks
- Edmonton Oilers
- Buffalo Sabres
- Toronto Maple Leafs
- San Jose Sharks
- Boston Bruins
- Phoenix Coyotes
- Carolina Hurricanes
- Vancouver Canucks
- Tampa Bay Lightning
- New York Islanders
- Los Angeles Kings
- Ottawa Senators
- Atlanta Thrashers
- Dallas Stars
Thanks to Spencer for pointing this out.
By the way, I plan to set up a rating system this weekend so you guys can weigh in on the new sweaters.
Reader Comments (33)
Please get the vote up. I think the general public voting is better than just one man's opinion. I'm really interested to see where the Blues are.
after reading each explanation i wonder if they know anything about hockey. ok they know a bit and i agree with some rankings but some of the things they say are just puzzling
The Stars failed so bad.
GREEEN!!!!!!!!!!!!
Surprised the Sabres and 'Canes weren't higher on the list.
Some of their write ups were good while the rest were typical "I hate the NHL" fare.
After seeing all of these in a list I am really saddened at how many are BLACK!!!!!!! Not good!
Glad to see that the Senators are near the bottom though.... where the hell did the 2D redesigned logo go from last year?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!!??!?!
This Sports Illustrated ranking is fairly bogus. I agree that classic thirds are the way to go, but decent jerseys, like LA, were ranked a little too low... I have read SI and there are rarely full hockey issues! Seriously, do they have anyone on their staff that isn't a complete football or basketball fan?
why are the hawks before the oilers? the islanders, sabres, and even sens should be higher
Isles only 15th?
Sports Illustrated covers hockey?? Some reporter there must have got there basketball schedule wrong.
But seriously, the rankings aren't as bad as I thought they'd be (and I thought they'd be way off the mark). Many of the comments on the other hand must have been written by one of the staff's children.
Love to see them ranked on a real hockey site - like this one.
"Vancouver, the only Canadian team without an iconic crest, should find one once they find an identity."
....when did the flaming "C" a modified Atlanta logo become iconic? Oh and then there's the constantly changing Senator in Ottawa.....
I agree with SI's picks for the most part, though the Isles and Vancouver should be much higher.
"Available in any color, as long as it's black!" LOL So true.
wingerdinger
yea si has staff thats not football or basketball fans, they call them baseball fans
SI's comments are all over the place; they say good things about retro-inspired jerseys in one place then diss them in another, same with the more simple designs... but I didn't really expect any serious or coherent critiques from them anyway
Finally, some love for the Flyers 3rds...they deserve to be up there...although they don't seem to be 3rds anymore...they've used them in all 3 home games since debuting them
Gman - my thoughts exactly. Picks were accurate exept NYI and Vanc.
I'm probably going to get heat from this, after reading how much everyone dislikes SI's ranking. I think we all know how little SI contributes to hockey, but critiquing uniforms isn't like
reporting the game. I think the ranking is very accurate. The top 3 are the ones everyone was gaga about after Chris's ranking. At first, I thought Buffalo should be at the top, but I'd prefer if they used the standard inaugurals that were used a few yrs back. They tweaked it too much. Look how good the Flyers look now. Sorry fellas, but retro has returned.....and for a reason. SI has all the ugly ones at the bottom, where they belong. The low rank on the Isles was a bit puzzling though. I believe the comment on the Thrashers was that it looked like an arena football jersey. Well golly gee....I've been using that comparison for years now! The NFL
and NHL have both gone to a look that to me is just way too drastic to get comfortable with. All the piping and unneccesary striping under arms,across other stripes,etc,etc, has made these modern uni's WAY to busy...looking like arena football indeed. I really feel that watching hockey with these old-time jerseys makes it so much more enjoyable.
Whoever said change is good......hasn't watched too many highlites from the original 6!
Guys....the ranking was not bad at all.
Dallas:You'd think a team with Vogue intern Sean Avery on it would be a little more stylish. But not only does this boring jersey bring absolutely nothing new or interesting to the table, it's white. Who makes their third jersey for road games? Maybe it's just a fashion statement about what's been going on in Dallas of late.
Doesn't Toronto have a 3rd jersey that's away too?
I was thinking the same thing Lightkun
The reasoning behind their choices are all over the place. It feels like one guy didn't want to write all the descriptions and handed the work off to three other guys.
I'd love to see how the people like the jerseys, and then laugh some at Dallas as they suck gravel at the bottom. Just like in the standings!
How are the SI comments any more snide and cynical than yours? or is it because they have the bolts jersey ranking near the bottom?
Its a sad day at Icethetics when SI has a more accurate ranking of third jerseys than Chris lol.
"I find it simply makes a lot of excuses for putting "classic" jerseys at the top of the list and becomes very whiny when talking about the more unique designs."
Didn't you do the exact same thing Chris? I still can't even believe people like the pens third so much, In my book it'd be the lowest ranking throwback because it throws back to a time when the team sucked, at least the isles, oilers, and sabres used to be good in their old jerseys. They don't even use blue in their actual colors now, its a joke of a jersey. Blues third jersey wins by far.
I would have ranked the Isles higher, the Bolts lower (much lower!), and bumped the Canucks up a few notches (above the Coyotes, Bruins, and Sharks). I don't really agree with the Pens being #1, although it is a very nice jersey. I think I would have gone
1) Edmonton
2) Toronto
3) Islanders
4) St. Louis
5) Philly
6) Penguins
etc.
etc.
2nd last) Tampa
FAIL) Ottawa
Shawn,
FYI, I am not Chris who runs the website, I am Chris the guy who makes humorous passes at the other Chris during live chats. I don't need to go around giving our friend a bad name!
Far and away better ranking than Chris'.
Definitely agree with Koho.
Wade....I agree with Koho as well. Not about the Pens being overrated (I love this jersey) but about Chris's dis of SI,when his sounded quite similar. I didn't hear much whining on SI's side.
All I saw was a ranking that seemed pretty accurate in my eyes....except for moving a few up or down. I thought they nailed it. Above all,these are just opinions, but my ranking would've been real close to SI's!
I agree with this ranking MUCH more than the Icethetics ranking. The only issue I have is the Islanders. I think they should be higher than 15th.
SI is a joke when it comes to hockey. Last time I checked that magazine, there was only one page talking about hockey.
I feel that the Isles and Canucks should be ranked MUCH higher. But then again, it's their opinion
Isles and Bruins should switch places on this list.
I actually think the SI rankings are almost perfect. I disagree with ranking the Canucks so low, even though I never saw them play with the classic stick and rink logo, and I kind of like the totem pole C, I always loved the classic logo. I would probably swap the Isles and Bruins, because the Isles, while uninspired, is middle of the pack, while the bruins needed do more than swap primary and alternate logos. What most pains me is ranking vile Diverburgh at the top, because their third jersey is so good, it remains untainted by their sickening cheating. The Flyers would take the top spot, if they had used the right orange, but unfortunately, it is not the "Blood Orange" of myth and legend, but just a run of the mill pantone orange.
1. Pittsburgh Penguins - Sickeningly Perfect
2. Philadelphia Flyers - Wrong color, would be better with a Liberty bell on the collar instead of the stamp of the NHL that hates them
3. St. Louis Blues - Makes me want a Big Mac
4. Montreal Canadiens (Centennial, not third) - Deserving, even if there all-stars aren't
5. Vancouver Canucks - Very underrated.
6. Edmonton Oilers - It may look like a cartoon, but it makes me think of Gretzky before he regretted going to the Rangers.
7. Buffalo Sabres - Wish they had more balls than slapping a good logo on their awful jersey.
8. Toronto Maple Leafs - Boring, but you can't think outside the box with their brand.
9. San Jose Sharks - I like it, but its missing something.
10. New York Islanders - Cliche faux-back with a pointless lace up collar and oversized pattern.
11. Phoenix Coyotes - Paw logo from shoulder shoulda been chest.
12. Carolina Hurricanes - Black on black on black, with bits of red?
13. Chicago Blackhawks - Replace primary color with black =1993
14. Los Angeles Kings - Black on black on black with bits of silver?
15. Boston Bruins - All they did was swap the primary and secondary logos, whats the point?
16. Tampa Bay Lightning - No headline shorthand on otherwise good jerseys
17. Ottawa Senators - No headline shorthand on godawful jerseys
18. Atlanta Thrashers - This isn't &@%#ing football.
19. Dallas Stars - This isn't %$@^$ing high school football.
Oh, and way too much stock in lace up collars, which were only used for a short time by a few teams. They looks absolutely stupid on every jersey, a completely useless flourish that does nothing functionally or aesthetically.
What is your problem with black? The only problem with black is when it finds its way onto primary jerseys. Every team has a white jersey, so why can't teams have black jerseys as thirds?
SI matters? I am surprised.
lol sorry maybe I overreacted a little when I said the pens third was a joke of a jersey. I just don't think it fits with the teams other jerseys and its only being used as a cheap way to make more money by leeching off it's success at last years winter classic. I'm just saying, put baby blue on any one jersey in the league and it will either look completely terrible or deceive people into thinking its amazing and that's what I think this third did.
KOHO.... What made the Pens jersey a success at last year's Winter Classic? Maybe the fact that is was 'actually a cool jersey years ago', and they wanted people to see that, while at the same time going retro for a day! If you call it 'leeching off it's success' to make more money, I think you can say the same for every other team that uses a 3rd. It sounds like you have a problem with the color more than the actual jersey itself. The Chargers went with powder blue 3rd's, and to this day it's probably one of the most popular ones in the nfl.
I'll bet you if the Kings EVER smarten up and go back to their original purple & gold uni's from 1967, they would become a success.....leaguewide, not just in LA.