Best Looks in the League: Power Ranking the NHL's Home Uniforms

By (Analyst) on August 20, 2012

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Bruce Bennett/Getty Images

Most sports fans can agree that the NHL has the best and most interesting uniforms out of all the "Big Four" major professional sports leagues.

This week, ESPN's UniWatch has been having fans rank uniforms in each of the "Big Four" leagues, and also having their experts rank them.

Because of this, I will write lists of the best NHL jerseys throughout this week, starting with the colored sweaters that teams wear on home ice.

30. Dallas Stars

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Ronald Martinez/Getty Images

The colors aren't terrible, and the all-black look is somewhat intimidating, but hockey jerseys don't have wordmarks with numbers on the front instead of a logo. Let's leave that in football and basketball.

Not to mention, there is hardly any design to the jersey other than a few small white and gold stripes.

This jersey makes most fans want to fall asleep.

29. Pittsburgh Penguins

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Justin K. Aller/Getty Images

At least there is a logo on the front of this jersey (albeit not a great one), but other than that, it's basically the same story as Dallas's threads.

The color scheme is unique, but very dull and on a boring template at the same time. The Penguins need to make some changes to either the template, the colors, or both so that one of the league's better teams could have some better jerseys.

28. Ottawa Senators

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Richard Wolowicz/Getty Images

The colors aren't bad by any means, but they are used by too many teams in the NHL and the template is the exact same boring look as the Penguins.

Something about this jersey makes it look kind of blank. The logo is decent, but it is right in the middle of absolutely nothing but red.

27. Washington Capitals

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Greg Fiume/Getty Images

I understand the whole "Rock the Red" campaign and it's great to see an arena full of red during the playoffs, but these jerseys are extremely boring.

Once again, it's another wordmark instead of a logo in front of the jersey and the color scheme is overused, especially with a somewhat dull shade of blue.

The design is kind of unique, but it is not flashy or exciting by any means.

26. Colorado Avalanche

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Doug Pensinger/Getty Images

The logo and color scheme are good, but the template is somewhere between ugly and boring.

It's the same generic Reebok EDGE template that many teams got rid of right away, and it's pretty easy to see why.

The piping looks irregular and minor league-ish for an NHL jersey.

25. Anaheim Ducks

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Victor Decolongon/Getty Images

The logo (wordmark) is a little comical, the stripes are irregular and the color scheme is kind of boring, but this isn't a horrible jersey.

Sure, the third jersey is much better, but the orange line—a tribute to Orange County—does a lot to make this jersey look alright.

24. Carolina Hurricanes

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Grant Halverson/Getty Images

The Hurricane warning flags around the waist are pretty cool, but there are some flaws in these uniforms.

First of all, they're definitely a downgrade from those of the Hartford Whalers; the franchise that moved to Carolina.

Second, the color scheme is decent, but overused.

Third, the shoulder yoke outline is completely unneeded.

And lastly—the logo looks too much like a toilet bowl to some people and it's tough to tell that the "eye of the storm" is supposed to be a hockey puck.

23. Calgary Flames

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Mike Ridewood/Getty Images

The colors, logo and shoulder flags on this jersey are decent and unique, but the piping as well as the fonts for names and numbers is somewhat obnoxious.

These jerseys fit into the category of irregular jersey templates that don't look very good.

22. Nashville Predators

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Frederick Breedon/Getty Images

Nashville did something unique when they changed their jersey before this past season, becoming the first team in decades to have a primarily yellow home jersey.

They also get points for uniqueness due to their tributes to the city of Nashville and it's musical history (guitar strings in the numbers, a guitar pick as a shoulder patch and piano keys on the inside of the collar).

However, the yellow looks like it's a little too vibrant for a hockey jersey, and the template as well as the font of the numbers are both annoying.

21. Phoenix Coyotes

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Jeff Gross/Getty Images

These aren't too bad; it's a unique shade of red, a unique stripe pattern and a decent logo.

However, there are hardly any stripes to the jersey and the design gives it a pretty boring and generic look.

This uniform isn't ugly, annoying or overly boring, but adding a few more stripes or a more pronounced design wouldn't hurt.

20. St. Louis Blues

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Dilip Vishwanat/Getty Images

The Blues have a great logo and great colors, and have had some terrific uniform designs throughout history.

These look great on the ice, but they have the same template as the Predators, which is irregular and annoying. There is also a little too much blue anywhere below the shoulders.

I say keep the shoulder yoke pretty much the same, get rid of the yellow stripes down the side and make a dark blue stripe around the waist and wrists, outlined in yellow and white.

19. Florida Panthers

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Joel Auerbach/Getty Images

The Panthers made a great decision to go back to red before this past season, as these are pretty nice jerseys.

The color scheme is great and the logo isn't bad. The only problem with this jersey is that the template is a little too generic and boring.

18. Winnipeg Jets

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Tom Szczerbowski/Getty Images

The colors and stripes aren't spectacular, but overall, this is a fairly clean and nice look.

The best part about this jersey is the logo. It looks like the Canadian Royal Air Force roundel, and incorporates a Jet as well as the look of a compass pointing north. Very creative.

17. Tampa Bay Lightning

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Al Messerschmidt/Getty Images

These jerseys would be higher on here if they weren't an exact cross between the Maple Leafs and Red Wings, and if the logo didn't look like something a superhero would have on his shield.

The colors and design are very clean and simple, but there are too many elements taken from the Leafs and Wings, and the logo is too cartoonish for an NHL team.

16. Los Angeles Kings

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Jeff Gross/Getty Images

These jerseys are intimidating and unique in terms of the color scheme.

There are a few slight problems, such as the template and that the team could afford to lose the stripes on the pants, but overall, this is a pretty solid jersey.

15. Columbus Blue Jackets

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Justin K. Aller/Getty Images

The design of these jerseys is kind of boring, but the colors and logo are great.

The jersey looks very patriotic, and the logo is one of the better ones in the game. The red pants also make this uniform look more appealing, and the fonts of the names and numbers are unique but not annoying or ugly.

14. Buffalo Sabres

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Rick Stewart/Getty Images

These jerseys are nice updates to the Sabres' original uniforms, but they look a little more modern than they should.

They use the same classic logo as before, but the blue is too dark and the random silver stripes on the arms are unnecessary.

Overall, this jersey has a nice look to it and combines two different eras.

13. Vancouver Canucks

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Rich Lam/Getty Images

The colors and design of these jerseys are both among the best in the league, as they picked the right shades of blue and green.

The orca logo isn't very impressive, however, as well as the fonts of the names and numbers and the wordmark above the logo.

12. San Jose Sharks

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Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images

The Sharks have always had great jerseys since they picked a very unique color with teal and made it work perfectly.

The newer logo is a little cartoonish, but it still looks fierce and the jersey has a great look to it due to the simple design and unique color scheme.

The Sharks could improve this jersey by going back to their original logo and removing the pointless numbers on the chest. This way, there would be a place to put the patch if they make the Stanley Cup Final any time soon.

11. New Jersey Devils

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Bruce Bennett/Getty Images

These jerseys have a great creative logo and a clean and simple design and color scheme. Some may call them boring, but they are one of the NHL's best designs and always look great on the ice.

No wonder the Devils have stuck with this same design for so long.

10. Minnesota Wild

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Hannah Foslien/Getty Images

The color scheme of these jerseys is terrific, mixing great shades of red and green together as well as an off-white to create the look of a true old-time hockey jersey.

The template is strange and a little boring, but the throwback effect of this uniform makes it look great on the ice.

9. Philadelphia Flyers

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Paul Bereswill/Getty Images

Philadelphia has an outstanding logo that has been the primary mark for the Flyers ever since their inception, and the throwback look as well as unique color scheme of their current jerseys make them some of the best in hockey.

The only problem fans have with these jerseys are the contrasting nameplates, which are kind of strange and unnecessary, but still add to the throwback look of the sweater.

8. Montreal Canadiens

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Richard Wolowicz/Getty Images

I may have to take some heat for putting an "Original Six" jersey so low, but the truth is that if this jersey was designed today, it wouldn't get as much praise as it does.

The blue helmets and blue pants look great with the simple, clean and unique jersey; but not much about it stands out from others other than its heritage and its historic design.

7. New York Islanders

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Chris Chambers/Getty Images

The Islanders made the right decision by returning to their original colors and using a royal blue instead of the dark blue that they had been wearing.

This jersey is very nice and clean, and it has a classic look to it as well as a decent logo.

6. Edmonton Oilers

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Dale MacMillan/Getty Images

Edmonton made the right move by bringing back their original Gretzky-era jerseys.

The logo is one of the best in the league, and the color and design work perfectly together, creating a classic yet still eye-catching look.

5. New York Rangers

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Bruce Bennett/Getty Images

I've said bad things about words instead of logos on a jersey, but the Rangers are the only team that can pull this off right.

The tie-up collar, the simple and classic template and the vivid yet simple color scheme make this one of the best jerseys in the game's history.

4. Boston Bruins

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Bruce Bennett/Getty Images

If you're going to use yellow and black in hockey, this is the exact shade of yellow you need.

Although I have never understood the praise of the spoked-B logo, the stripes and shoulder yoke of this jersey add the perfect amount of yellow to complement the black, making this jersey nearly perfect.

3. Chicago Blackhawks

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Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images

This is one of the best jerseys in sports, but honestly, the white version is a lot better.

The warrior logo is one of the most iconic of all-time, but the colors of it as well as the shoulder patches contrast a little too much with the rest of the jersey to put this jersey as number one, even though many people will disagree with me.

2. Toronto Maple Leafs

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Abelimages/Getty Images

I really wanted to give this jersey the top spot in the list, but the only reason I couldn't is because I have seen better primary logos in Maple Leaf history.

If they used the logo seen here, the Leafs would without a doubt get the No.1 spot on the list and this could possibly be considered the best uniform in sports.

The shoulder patches, the lace up collar, the simple font, the perfect shade of blue—this is an ideal hockey jersey.

1. Detroit Red Wings

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Gregory Shamus/Getty Images

The white versions are a little bit better, but this uniform is pretty much as flawless as you can get.

The logo is one of the greatest and most iconic in sports, the stripes are simple, the arched names look terrific and the color scheme of red and white are enough to make this the best home jersey in the NHL today.

No wonder the Red Wings have not changed this look in three decades.

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