Re-Ranking the Top Stadium Series Jerseys After Bruins and Lightning Reveal
We've got all kinds of outdoor games to look forward to in the coming months, and while we're zeroed in on the Winter Classic in Miami, it won't be the only city in Florida to host an outdoor game.
The Tampa Bay Lightning will host the Boston Bruins at Raymond James Stadium on February 1, 2026, and now we'll know what they'll be wearing in their color-on-color matchup. The Bruins in bright yellow and the Lightning in a stormy blue color will duke it out at the home of the Buccaneers just in time for Gasparilla.
Getting a look at these distinctive jerseys got us thinking about how many different ones we've seen for the Stadium Series, and we've got to rank the best of the best. What makes this extra fun is that there are a whole lot of stinkers to sort through, but it helps make the great ones stand out even more.
These tend to be different because they're made to be seen by everyone inside the huge stadiums hosting the games, so that means big logos, big numbers, and big style. With more than 30 jerseys to sort through, we're picking our top 15 favorites from Stadium Series history.
15. Colorado Avalanche, 2016
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When the Avalanche and Red Wings met in the 2016 Stadium Series at Coors Field in Denver, most people had the rivalry between the two teams from the mid-to-late 90s and early 2000s in mind.
Although the rivalry had long since cooled, the two teams made it look nice on the ice in their uniforms.
Colorado's ode to the Rockies NHL team with the crest design served almost as a visual pun since they were playing at the home of the Colorado Rockies baseball team, but the white jersey with the Colorado state flag style "C" on the front and the puck in the middle of it is a classic look.
With the Avalanche colors on the shoulders and sleeves and coloring the numbers and letters, it's a style that just worked great. What helped make it look even better was the jersey they wore at the 2020 Stadium Series game at the Air Force Academy, which was quite the opposite of good:
14. Toronto Maple Leafs, 2018
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When the Leafs went to Washington to take on the Capitals in the 2018 Stadium Series, they brought the whiteout with them with their all-white setup.
White jerseys, helmets, pants, socks, gloves... all of it was white, apart from the blue stripes and outlines of the Maple Leafs logo.
Given that the Capitals wore navy blue sweaters, it provided the proper contrast for the evening game under the lights. As it's been for most of the Stadium Series contests, the numbers were big and bold on the shoulders, and it helped make these jerseys pop a bit more.
Although a lot of Stadium Series jerseys leave a lot to be desired, the Maple Leafs' minimalist look worked nicely.
13. Chicago Blackhawks, 2016
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Chicago has been a fixture in outdoor games since the NHL started doing them in 2008. The Blackhawks have appeared in either the Winter Classic or the Stadium Series seven times, and trying to create new looks that many times is difficult.
When Chicago took on the Minnesota Wild at TCF Bank Stadium in Minneapolis in 2016, though, it found a look unlike anything in its history.
The white jersey with the big, bold black-and-red stripes, along with the black shoulder yoke and collar featuring a nod to the City of Chicago flag, was a great touch.
With the Blackhawks' classic crest on the front and their usual shoulder logo in a more prominent position at the middle of each sleeve, it had all the classic accoutrements of the Chicago jerseys we've come to know.
12. Detroit Red Wings, 2025
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The matchup between the Red Wings and Columbus Blue Jackets at The Horseshoe at Ohio State was one of the most incredible settings in Stadium Series history, and capturing the heat of the Michigan-Ohio State rivalry on the ice was fantastic.
The Red Wings' uniform for the game paid homage to football, with their helmets featuring the Red Wings logo painted on the sides, but their white jerseys, with "Detroit" written in classic script across the front, gave the great old-time feel you want for an outdoor game.
It was a simple design that didn't try to outdo the Blue Jackets' style for the game, and that's a good thing because they didn't stand a chance of doing so. It was a great complementary look for what turned out to be a great game with a 5-3 win by the Jackets at home.
11. Boston Bruins, 2026
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If you're going to play an outdoor game in Tampa, you'd better break out the bright colors, and the Boston Bruins understood the assignment with these sunshine yellow sweaters.
Given we've seen so many different styles of Bruins jerseys for outdoor games, it's tough for them to find something new and different enough to fit the motif for any game. Strangely enough, this will be their first Stadium Series game after appearing in four previous Winter Classics.
The jerseys for this game feature subtle designs that make them special. In the Bruins' case, the sleeves feature a sun-ray design that you'll notice when you zoom in or when you pick one up for your own collection.
The abbreviations for the New England states are also included on the back neck of the collars. Shout out to Hockey East. The standing bear on the front crest is the same one we've seen on the shoulder of their home and road set this year.
The bright yellow is something new for any jersey from the Bruins' history. Even their Reverse Retros from 2021 were more gold than yellow. Even if it happens to be a cloudy day in Tampa in February, it'll be hard to miss the team on the ice.
10. Tampa Bay Lightning, 2026
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A lot is going on with the Lightning's jersey for their upcoming Stadium Series matchup against the Boston Bruins.
They are breaking out the baby blues for this game. Playing outdoors at home in Tampa will be a special day for the team, and there are few things nicer than a cloudless sky in West Florida.
Although the "TBL" crest design is a bit of a bummer, it's the lightning streaks through the letters that make it pop even more. If it weren't for those, this jersey would be screaming for more, but getting that design involved is a great touch.
With it being Gasparilla time in Tampa, when the city pays homage to its pirate roots, the shoulder pays respect to that with a logo they've used in the past for special warmup jerseys, as well as a design contained within the sleeves:
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Would it have been way cooler to have those logos on the front? Maybe, but we're digging these jerseys the more we look at them and the more we take to the little things that make it more fun.
9. Pittsburgh Penguins, 2017
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Being a team featured in many prime-time events can be tough, especially when it means wearing special uniforms for them.
However, when the Penguins hosted the Philadelphia Flyers at Heinz Field, both teams rocked their team colors, though not the usual ones.
The Flyers wore black sweaters, while the Penguins rocked out in gold jerseys with black outlines and stripes. Every bit of it was a nod to the city's history with the steel industry and the Pittsburgh Steelers, and to how both the Steelers and Penguins have stacked up titles throughout their histories.
The big skating penguin crest was a natural fit, but the black sleeve stripes, the captains' patches in a triangle on the front (a nod to a design the Penguins had in the past), as well as a keystone-shaped patch on the sleeve with "City of Champions" written on it helped the hosts brag a bit (or a lot).
On top of that, the steel industry-stylized numbers were a nice touch, and of all the jerseys they've had for Stadium Series games, these are their best by a long shot.
8. Minnesota Wild, 2016
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For years, the Wild wanted to host an outdoor game.
From the moment the Buffalo Sabres and Pittsburgh Penguins finished their epic 2008 Winter Classic, Minnesota felt it was time to host one of its own, especially since it has been playing hockey outdoors in the city for ages.
When the Wild hosted the 2016 Stadium Series against Chicago, it was a long-overdue moment, and the jerseys helped set the scene with a classic look.
The forest-green sweaters with the Wild logo on the front and the cream-colored shoulder yoke with white-and-red sleeve stripes helped make this shirt look as classy as possible for the franchise's outdoor game debut.
It had an old-school feel, and given they trounced the defending champion Blackhawks, 6-1, it helped send the fans home happy and well-dressed if they took home a jersey of their own.
7. New Jersey Devils, 2024
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The 2024 Stadium Series was a unique event at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey because one night featured the Devils and Flyers, and the next saw the Islanders and Rangers duke it out.
The weekend of outdoor hockey also had two teams dress it up nicely, and one of them was the Devils.
New Jersey's minimalist-style sweater was bold because it was virtually monochrome, with deep red jersey, only black shoulders and stripes, and the Devils' "NJ" logo in solid black on the front.
If the team weren't known as the Devils, this ominous color combo and look would've been deeply off-putting. Instead, the style helped add to the "evil" feel and made it look mean when facing the Flyers, setting a great tone.
What the jersey might lack in design dazzles is made up for by the mood it sets. The absence of lighter colors really amps it up.
6. Carolina Hurricanes, 2023
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Carolina's first outdoor game in 2023 at Carter-Finley Stadium, home of the NC State Wolfpack football team, showed the up-and-coming Hurricanes hosting longtime Southeast Division rivals the Washington Capitals in what turned out to be a heck of a fashionable game.
The 'Canes went with a kind of "blackout" look for the game under the lights in Raleigh. The black jersey with red and dark gray hem stripes, as well as red and dark gray upper-arm sleeves with the Hurricanes logo in black and red on the front, was a beauty.
The jersey had a sneaky detail with a blacked-out patch of the North Carolina flag and was meant to give the aura of a storm with the full setup. Mission accomplished, we think.
The jersey was good enough that it inspired Carolina's new white road jersey this season, as it's essentially a full color swap of the shirt from this game.
5. Los Angeles Kings, 2014
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The first Stadium Series game featured the Los Angeles Kings and Anaheim Ducks at Dodger Stadium in L.A.
And although the Ducks came out in a nearly all-orange setup, the Kings went against most hockey customs and rocked a gray-and-black jersey with a throwback logo on the front.
The crown on the front of the Kings' sweater was similar to the one they wore on their uniforms from 1999 to 2013. But the jersey's layout was what made it work.
Gray shirts work great in baseball and virtually nowhere else in sports, but with black shoulders and pants to balance them out, along with black-and-white stripes on the sleeves and hem, these sweaters were a knockout success.
Given the Kings were in the middle of wearing a new set of jerseys with their home plate "LA" logo they sported when they won the Stanley Cup in 2012 and 2014, wearing any jersey with the crown on the front was going to make everyone a lot happier.
4. Detroit Red Wings, 2016
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The Red Wings' matchup against Colorado in 2016 had enough ties to the past and to the future for both teams, but while the Avalanche paid homage to the NHL Rockies with their jerseys, Detroit did something much bolder.
Its red sweaters featured a bolded, italicized old-style letter "D" from its time as the Detroit Cougars in 1926-27. Seeing that "D" wasn't new for the Red Wings, as their 2009 Winter Classic jerseys were essentially carbon copies of the Cougars sweaters from back in the day.
These were much more modernized, with a swoop of white across the middle of the red jersey and a stylized "D" at the center; despite being quite old, they looked very new.
With the oversized numbers on the sleeves and back, it was a kind of throwback from the future. And with the only "winged wheel" logo sitting on one of the shoulders, you'd almost think this was a different team entirely.
3. New York Rangers, 2024
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When the Rangers took on the Islanders at MetLife Stadium in 2024, it was not only a great setting for a classic rivalry but also gave us one of the best Stadium Series jerseys we have seen.
While the Islanders took the ice in a navy blue and orange minimalist jersey that only Lou Lamoriello could love, the Rangers hit the ice in white with their team abbreviation emulating their classic jersey, but in a massive setting. The white jerseys had the letters "NYR" running diagonally down the front in red and blue, in the classic Rangers font with a drop shadow.
The red and blue sleeve stripes were big, the blue hem stripe was thick, and the Rangers logo adorned the shoulder. The numbers were styled the same as we've always seen on their jerseys, both on the sleeves and the back, and everything about this sweater was all about being the Rangers.
If you love the Rangers, you probably loved this jersey.
If you've got an eye for hockey fashion and history, though, the uniqueness and classic familiarity of this jersey goes a long way.
2. Washington Capitals, 2023
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We love the "Weagle," and we love it even more when it's made gigantic to be seen from space.
When the Capitals took on the Hurricanes in Raleigh, going big for the jerseys was the theme. After all, they were playing at night at a college football stadium and if you're not going big there, you're not going at all, even in ACC country.
The Caps have always tried to be innovative or reverential with their looks for outdoor games, but in 2023, they went avant-garde by using their secondary logo, the "W" shaped eagle with the outline of the Capitol Building in the negative space as the design.
The Capitals' white sweater was fully emblazoned with the logo on the front, and the wings of the eagle were wrapped into the sleeves to serve as a wide stripe for the oversized numbers to fit into.
The thin red collar and the single red hem stripe broke up the overwhelming amount of white space, but seeing that incredible secondary logo receive the primary treatment proved why we love it so much.
1. Columbus Blue Jackets, 2025
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Boom, baby.
The Columbus Blue Jackets blew away the competition with their Stadium Series jerseys last season. If you've been to Nationwide Arena in Columbus or watched a game on TV played there, you know how famous (or infamous) the Civil War cannon is.
Every time the Jackets score, take the ice, or win a game, you'll be jumping out of your seat if you're not ready for the blast. And the team putting the cannon big and bold on the front of its jerseys for the game at Ohio State's Horseshoe was perfect.
The navy-blue jersey with the massive cannon on two wheels was a perfect look, and the captains' patches in the shape of Ohio helped lean even more into the hometown aspect of the team and the game itself.
Given how plain the Blue Jackets' home and road jerseys can be, seeing them go all-out with the cannon for the Stadium Series was a pleasant surprise, and the design of the jersey on the whole, with the silver and red stripes along with the classically massive numbers, was the exact right deviation from their regular designs.
Even though their light blue alternate jersey has the cannon as part of the design, that one is more about the old-time style of the jersey and less about the weaponry. There's no mistaking the inspiration for the Stadium Series jersey, though, and we love it for that.
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