Top 5 NHL Jerseys of All Time

The NHL is about to kick off it’s 94^th season on the ice tomorrow night with the Bruins raising their first championship banner since 1972^, and the annual kickoff event in Toronto before the Canadiens and the Maple Leafs take the ice. One thing the NHL has always had over all other pro sports is its jersey’s. An NHL jersey is the most recognizable uniform in all of sports (unless you play for the University of Maryland, then all bets are off apparently). So without further ado I present to you the Top 5 NHL jerseys of all time, and there are many to choose from. This was not an easy choice and I’m sure a lot of you Rioters! Will have your own lists, and I want to hear them. Send them to thesportsriot@yahoo.com and be sure to blast my list apart as much as you can.

5- St. Louis Blues and Hartford Whalers – Right off the bat I started re-thinking this “Top 5” idea and felt like it should be a Top 10, but traditions are traditions for a reason so I decided a tie for the fifth slot was appropriate.

 -St Louis Blues -  I don’t know what about this jersey is so cool, but it is.  Maybe it’s because I’m a musician as well as this brilliant sports commentator, or it’s the colors but the Blues jersey has always appealed to me. Especially the all dark blue away jersey from the 80’s and 90’s. They’ve introduced some red over the past few years which I’m not crazy about, but it’s still a cool jersey.

Hartford Whalers – Maybe I’m being nostalgic here but there is something about those bright green jerseys with the “WH” logo on the front. The Whalers were never really very good, but I always enjoyed the random appearances they would make on my TV from the Connecticut cable affiliate we had the pleasure of having. In any case the Hartford Whalers had very memorable jerseys.

4- Minnesota North Stars – Let’s be clear here, the Dallas Stars have no place on this list, those jerseys suck.  But the Minnesota North Stars jerseys are a fantastic sight to see. Emerald green with a golden flair and a white “N” with a star on the top of it; you really couldn’t ask for much more in a jersey. One of my first sports memories was the North Stars being thoroughly embarrassed by the juggernaut NY Islanders in the 1982 Stanley Cup Finals. It was ugly to say the least, but damn those North Stars looked damn good getting their asses handed to them in 5 games by Billy Smith and the boys from Long Island.

3- Colorado Rockies/NJ Devils – Let me say this before I even start talking about the jerseys that I like the New Jersey Devils about as much I like canker sores on my lips; not very pleasant. But the jerseys that this franchise has produced over the years have been just abominably awesome. First, at it’s inception as the Colorado Rockies (bet you thought they were just a baseball team), they had these electric blue jerseys with red and yellow trim and a mountain with a “C” in the middle of it. It was awfully awesome. If I were a jersey wearer on a daily basis, I would sport one of these bad boys every week.

Then as the Devils in the 80’s they came out with these red jerseys with green trim and a “NJ” configuration that formed devil horns at the top of the lettering. It was a special thing to see. They eventually became a good team thus making them ditch the awesomely bad jerseys for something more marketable, but those 80’s teams had something special; hideous jerseys.

2- Vancouver Canucks – This North Western Canada team has a long lineage of awesomely bad jerseys. From its inception in the mid 70’s, the Canucks have been providing hockey fans with some serious eye candy. First there were the ugly home yellow sweaters with the brown and orange “V” around the neck and then the away browns with a hideous yellow and orange striped neck. Those were definitely the most outstanding versions of the Canucks wardrobe, but then in the late 80’s heading into the 90’s they came up with these s**t brown jersey with a skate as the emblem and the word “Canucks” as the skate blade. It was a true work of art back in the late 80’s/early 90’s. Vancouver since then has gone a completely different route with a blue and green color scheme instead of the chocolate banana color scheme they so tried to make work for nearly 20 years.

1-Winnipeg Jets – I know what you’re saying, “of course they would be number one, they are a Riot! team,” and you know what I have to say about that….you’re probably right in this case. The Jets jersey, albeit wonderfully 80’s and not something you’d want to wear to fit in somewhere, is not the most dynamic or interesting bit of clothing an NHL’er has donned in my 35 years of existence. However, it is historic, nostalgic, and still pretty badass. Purple? Who has purple jerseys anymore? NOBODY! Not even the new look Jets for that matter. They’ve gone grey and navy blue with this badass Jet on the front (it’s a sweet jersey, no bulls**t here).

So there you have it, the Top 5 NHL jerseys ever. Disagree? Let me know by emailing me at thesportsriot@yahoo.com or follow us on Twitter, which is always a party @TheSportsRiot. Alright, the puck drops tomorrow night so call your dentist and strap in because it’s going to be a good one.