Winter Classic 2011: Ranking NHL Alternate Jerseys
This year, there will be two outdoor regular-season games in the NHL.
In the Winter Classic, which takes place Jan. 11, 2011, Sidney Crosby and the Pittsburgh Penguins will play Alexander Ovechkin and the Washington Capitals.
This is Sid the Kid's second Winter Classic (the first taking place in Buffalo during the 2008 season) and the first time a Southern team has been involved in the outdoor game.
The game will be played at Heinz Field, home of the Steelers.
The Pens are reportedly retiring the baby blue uniforms in favor of their new Winter Classic sweaters.
In the Heritage Classic, two historical Canadian teams, the Calgary Flames and Montreal Canadiens, will compete in Calgary's McMahon Stadium on February 20, 2011.
The Canadiens are coming off a stellar year when their eighth-seeded team went all the way to the Eastern Conference Finals.
Calgary is rebounding from their first non-playoff year since the NHL Lockout.
With the addition Olli Jokinen and Alex Tanguay the team is looking to restore their winning ways by adding the former Flames.
The following is the history of third jerseys worn by NHL teams. Seven teams currently do not have alternate jerseys.
23. Florida Panthers
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The moribund Panthers needed to do something in order to generate interest in the Miami area.
Their new jerseys are far from original, they look awfully similar to the third jerseys used by the Penguins, and do not feature the original team colors.
The powder blue and encircled logo, which looks more like a house cat than a threatening jungle beast, are certainly a deviation from the original design but probably does not satisfy the die-hard fans that still attend their games.
Success, rather than flashy sweaters, will bring fans back to Sunrise; however, their third jersey is far from flattering.
22. Dallas Stars
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Dallas' current alternate uniform was at one time their standard away uniform.
However, the popularity of their current home and away uniforms, which read Dallas and place the players' number in front of the sweater.
Original fans with traditionalist inclinations may be upset that the team has changed their home color to black in favor of the original green.
They may be irked by seeing a number on the front of a players' sweater, but the new jerseys have generated revenue for a once-proud franchise that has run into recent economic troubles.
21. Nashville Predators
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Instead of going with the infamous mustard sweaters, which were polarizing in the NHL community, the Predators played it safe when they released their third jerseys last year.
The jerseys are curiously similar to their home uniform and some fans wonder why they didn't at least use an alternate logo on the chest.
The Preds are reportedly using their blue jerseys as their home uniform next year.
20. Boston Bruins
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As an Original Six Team, the Bruins were careful not to upset their most loyal fans by presenting a radical third jersey.
Understated in design, the sweater emphasizes the shoulder logo on their home and away jerseys (which looks similar to the icon used by Buffalo Wild Wings) and does not deviate drastically from the standard home jersey.
19. Atlanta Thrashers
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Perhaps the most daring third jersey in the NHL, Atlanta introduced their red and white jersey during the 2008 season.
Although the team has not been very successful on the ice, the few die-hard fans that attend Thrashers games following the jersey overhaul in 2007 get to see much more attractive sweaters worn by their favorite players.
The team used their old third jersey, a blue design with the primary logo in front and Atlanta written down the left sleeve, as their home jersey and used an away jersey similar to their old white sweater.
Some traditionalists will dislike the placement of a number on the front of their jersey, and others dislike that the team has deviated from their traditional colors, but for a team that needs increased attention and revenue going bold is the right decision.
T17. Vancouver Canucks
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The Canucks have some of the greatest uniforms in hockey, so when they introduced their alternate uniform in 2008 it came as no surprise that they did not deviate from their standard jerseys.
Vancouver's alternate uniforms, one in white and one in blue, are essentially their standard sweaters with different logos.
Their third jersey features the "Stick-in-Rink" from the shoulder of their standard uniforms with a "Johnny Canuck" V shoulder patch.
T17. San Jose Sharks
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"If it's not broken, don't fix it": the Sharks' black alternate uniforms are not incredibly original, but are popular among the Sharks' faithful.
The Sharks' logo was revamped following the uniform overhaul in 2007, where teal was added to the body of the shark and it's eyes were colored orange.
The third jersey features a whole shark body, without the triangle background and SJ on the shoulders.
Like the Sharks, who are consistent in their performance over the last few years, their uniform designers have gone back to a design that has worked before.
16. Colorado Avalanche
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Similar to their previous third jerseys, the Avalanche introduced a new alternate uniform last year.
The Avs, who hold the NHL record for the longest consecutive attendance sellouts with 487, disgruntled their fans with a brutal 2008 season.
However, the team has gained momentum and by winning with a post-Sakic, younger team.
Last year the team almost upset the top-seeded Sharks in the playoffs and have many great years ahead of them.
By releasing their third jersey last season the team has capitalized on their new-found popularity.
15. Minnesota Wild
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The Wild have gone through a few jersey changes since entering the league in 2000.
Originally Minnesota had two jerseys that looked similar, one white and one green, but after the Reebok overhaul in 2007 the team used their alternate jersey as their home sweater, while retaining the white uniform.
Their current alternate jersey was released last year. The team is still riding momentum from their arrival in 2000 after a seven-year NHL absence, but is going to need more than a new, retro-looking, jersey to keep fans interested in the long run.
14. Carolina Hurricanes
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The first team to unveil a new sweater in 2008, the Hurricanes moved their "Storm Warning Flag" shoulder patch to the front of their uniform and replaced the red background with black.
The triangle behind the storm warning flag represents North Carolina's Research Triangle Park. The three points are Durham, Chapel Hill, and Raleigh (where the team is located).
13. Toronto Maple Leafs
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A historically significant franchise that has fallen on tough times, the Maple Leafs introduced a throwback white jersey to their hometown fans in 2008.
The new jersey is nothing flashy, but fitting for a team with a traditionalist fanbase.
12. Philadelphia Flyers
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Modeled after a uniform from the early '70s, the Flyers introduced a vintage third jersey in 2008 and used a corresponding white jersey for the Winter Classic last year.
After the jersey became popular among the Philly faithful, the team began using the orange sweater as their home uniform last year.
T10. Ottawa Senators
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Like the Lightning -- who also expanded in 1992 -- the Ottawa Senators used their nickname, the "Sens," on their third jersey.
The jersey features the team's new logo, which was revamped during the 2007 uniform overhaul, on their shoulders and does not deviate from the team colors.
The nickname jerseys have been polarizing, but when used sparingly they are usually accepted as a breath of fresh air.
T10. Tampa Bay Lightning
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The Lightning went through a uniform makeover following the Reebok overhaul in 2007. They sharpened the text and lightning bolt on their logo while retaining the color scheme.
Tampa's blue uniform fits the team's colors while following the trend of their fellow 1992 expansion team, the Ottawa Senators, by writing the team's nickname, the "Bolts," along the chest.
9. Pittsburgh Penguins
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Pittsburgh's baby blues, originally unveiled at the Winter Classic in 2008, are based off of the uniform worn by the team in the late '60s.
The team is reportedly retiring the blue jerseys in favor of a new alternate uniform following this year's Winter Classic, taking advantage of the team's recent popularity.
8. Los Angeles Kings
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A unique blend of new-era Kings and retro nostalgia, the Kings unveiled a new third jersey in 2008 which they used in the playoffs last year.
Although the team may have been better off emphasizing silver, the color Gretzky wore during the franchises' greatest era, the jersey is modish without being tacky.
The Kings have capitalized on the rejuvenation of their fanbase by winning games and looking good while doing it.
T6. New York Islanders
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The Islanders, like a few other teams around the NHL, will be using their third jersey as their primary uniform next season.
Originally introduced as a throwback uniform in 2008, the Islanders' former alternate sweater was popular on the island.
A corresponding white uniform was unveiled at the Islanders' Draft Party this year.
T6. Edmonton Oilers
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Originally introduced as an alternative uniform in 2008, the Oilers' current home uniforms are a throwback to the days of Gretzky and Messier.
Certainly an upgrade over their previous oil drop third jerseys, the Oilers are desperate to remind their fans and the NHL community that their current problems are only a blip in the history of their proud franchise.
5. Chicago Blackhawks
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Chicago has had two alternate jerseys since the Reebok overhaul in 2007.
The first was very understated: it was essentially their home uniform, but with a black background.
While the Hawks may have the greatest looking sweaters in all of hockey, third jerseys typically are created in an intriguing manner in order to get people to purchase the new jersey and therefore generate additional revenue.
The team's current alternative uniform was used in the 2009 Winter Classic. The sweaters are a throwback to the design used in the 1936-37 season.
4. Calgary Flames
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The Calgary Flames franchise celebrated their 30th anniversary last year by wearing jerseys similar to the original ones worn in their Atlanta years (1972-80).
Calgary's standard home and away sweaters feature the original "Flaming A," which was worn by the Atlanta Flames (named after William Sherman's burning of Atlanta during the Civil War) but the Flaming A is not used on their alternate uniform.
The Flames will don a new uniform in the 2011 Heritage Classic, which are based on the design of the Calgary Tigers in 1920.
3. Buffalo Sabres
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The Sabres, a small-market team, change their jerseys often in order to generate additional revenue.
Their third jersey, introduced in 2008, is a throwback to the pre-1996 blue and gold days.
Similar to the sweaters worn during their Winter Classic against Pittsburgh, their alternate sweater emphasizes the sabres in their name rather than the buffalo, which shares the same name as their home city.
The Sabres are reportedly using their alternate jersey as their home sweater next year.
2. Phoenix Coyotes
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Featuring a new logo and a black color scheme, the Coyotes unveiled a new jersey in 2008.
Understated and original, Phoenix's alternate uniforms are some of the classiest in hockey.
While generating revenue for the bankrupt franchise is vital, the 'Yotes may have been better off releasing their alternate uniform last year to capitalize on the team's recent success.
1. St. Louis Blues
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St. Louis, a historically strong franchise that was in need of rejuvenation, unveiled the classiest of the recent influx of new uniforms.
Instead of something radical like their previous alternate sweaters, the Blues designed a jersey that, like Phoenix's, was understated but original.
On the front is the Gateway Arch superimposed in a circle with the team's logo.
