NHL Uniforms: Ranking All 30 Teams’ Home Unis

Jun 15, 2015; Chicago, IL, USA; Chicago Blackhawks center Marcus Kruger (16) skates with the puck against the Tampa Bay Lightning in the third period in game six of the 2015 Stanley Cup Final at United Center. Mandatory Credit: Dennis Wierzbicki-USA TODAY Sports

NHL uniforms are arguably the best in all of sports. Teams in the NHL really show off their team’s colors and logos and make their uniforms part of their identity.

Unfortunately, not all teams hit the bullseye with their designs. NHL uniforms range from absolutely gorgeous — and I am talking an 11 on a scale from 1 to 10 — to totally ugly. I feel sorry for those fans that have to see their team play in ugly jerseys several times a week — myself included.

The criteria were clear for me. What counts when judging how good an NHL uniform looks?

• The colors and use thereof. Too much of one color? Just the perfect amount of each? Or something in between?
• The logo. Logos can really catapult an NHL uniform far up in this ranking, while others prevent their team from ranking higher.
• Design. Striping, piping and anything the like — on jersey, pants and socks.
• How unique is the design? The Lightning almost looks like the Leafs, while everybody can tell when the Predators are on the ice — from 10 miles away.

In the end, I made some decisions that even surprised myself. Jerseys I once thought I liked, suddenly looked quite ugly compared to ones that are actually nice. There sure will be some unpopular opinions in here.

But as you’re enjoying this ranking, always remember the most important part: everybody has different taste.

30. Carolina Hurricanes

Apr 11, 2015; Raleigh, NC, USA; Carolina Hurricanes forward Jordan Staal (11) and forward Eric Staal (12) during the game against the Detroit Red Wings at PNC Arena. The Red Wings defeated the Hurricanes 2-0. Mandatory Credit: James Guillory-USA TODAY Sports

The Hurricanes looked decent-ish, before they got their new uniforms. But what is this now? An ugly version of Team Canada? Too much red — and not the nice shade — combined with weird, thick stripes.

I used to “design” hockey jerseys when I was little. This could’ve been one of them.

29. Colorado Avalanche

Jan 2, 2015; Denver, CO, USA; Colorado Avalanche left wing Alex Tanguay (left) celebrates with forwards Matt Duchene (9) and Daniel Briere (48) after scoring the winning goal during the overtime shoot out period at Pepsi Center. The Avalanche won 2-1. Mandatory Credit: Chris Humphreys-USA TODAY Sports

Yup… Here we are. *Sheds a tear*

I’m absolutely in love with our colors and the logo. They have so much potential. But these jerseys… I don’t know. They just don’t do it. The piping is the worst in the league and the reason why the Avalanche dropped down this far. I’m sorry.

28. Columbus Blue Jackets

Oct 11, 2014; Columbus, OH, USA; Columbus Blue Jackets center Artem Anisimov (42) celebrates a goal against the New York Rangers during the first period at Nationwide Arena. Mandatory Credit: Russell LaBounty-USA TODAY Sports

So you are the Blue Jackets and wear blue jerseys — I guess jackets would be inconvenient for hockey. All good up to this point. Throw in some red, some stars and some stripes and you’ve got yourself some almost decent American uniforms. Unfortunately, the design is totally boring.

The team has awesome alternate uniforms and it would be best for them to use those regularly.

27. Ottawa Senators

Feb 18, 2015; Ottawa, Ontario, CAN; Ottawa Senators right wing Bobby Ryan (6) skates with the puck in the third period against the Montreal Canadiens at the Canadian Tire Centre. The Senators defeated the Canadiens 4-2. Mandatory Credit: Marc DesRosiers-USA TODAY Sports

Speaking of boring, it’s time for Canada’s capital. Red, gold and black also has a lot of potential (maybe I’m biased because I’m German). Unfortunately, the only gold part is in the logo and the design is boring, too. You could argue that it’s clean and simple — which is a good thing — but it’s the boring kind of that.

These guys also have much more exciting and awesome looking alternates, though.

25. Florida Panthers

Apr 9, 2015; Sunrise, FL, USA; Florida Panthers right wing Jaromir Jagr (68) sits on the boards during the announcement that he has recorded 1,800 points in his career with an assist on a goal by center Jonathan Huberdeau (11) in the third period of a game against the Boston Bruins at BB&T Center. The Panthers won 4-2. Mandatory Credit: Robert Mayer-USA TODAY Sports

I love unique color combinations and the Panthers sure have one. Their logo is cool, too. Unfortunately, that blue stripe all the way from one hand to the other destroys a lot. A simple shoulder yoke would have made things a lot better. At least they got rid of the piping — one step ahead of the Avalanche.

24. Anaheim Ducks

May 17, 2015; Anaheim, CA, USA; Anaheim Ducks right wing Corey Perry (10) passes the puck against the defense of Chicago Blackhawks center Brad Richards (91) during the first period in game one of the Western Conference Final of the 2015 Stanley Cup Playoffs at Honda Center. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports

A year ago, the Ducks would have been even farther down on this ranking. They made their alternates their home jerseys, which was a nice upgrade.

However, that logo still looks stupid — especially when keeping the Mighty Ducks one in mind. All-black usually looks cool (do you hear that, Las Vegas Black Knights?), but not with those socks and weird stripes and piping on the sides.

If only they went back to this… Quack, quack, quack.

October 13, 2013; Anaheim, CA, USA; Anaheim Ducks right wing Teemu Selanne (8) moves into position against the Ottawa Senators during the first period at the Honda Center. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports

23. Phoenix Coyotes

Jun 26, 2015; Sunrise, FL, USA; Dylan Strome poses for a photo after being selected as the number three overall pick to the Arizona Coyotes in the first round of the 2015 NHL Draft at BB&T Center. Mandatory Credit: Steve Mitchell-USA TODAY Sports

The Coyotes are still trying to find the perfect NHL uniforms. Are the new ones an upgrade over the old ones? We probably have to wait until we see them in action. But at least it’s a unique style with a unique color and a cool logo.

That said, the throwback ones were simply outstanding.

Mar 5, 2015; Glendale, AZ, USA; The Arizona Coyotes celebrate after the shootout against the Vancouver Canucks at Gila River Arena. The Coyotes won 3-2 in a shootout Mandatory Credit: Joe Camporeale-USA TODAY Sports

22. Buffalo Sabres

Jan 17, 2015; Buffalo, NY, USA; Buffalo Sabres center Zemgus Girgensons (28) celebrates his second goal against the Philadelphia Flyers in the third period at First Niagara Center. Flyers beat the Sabres 4-3. Mandatory Credit: Kevin Hoffman-USA TODAY Sports

The Buffalo Sabres recently went back to their original logo and jersey style. The color combination is cool and their logo is awesome. But it really isn’t special. Furthermore, the numbers on the front make it look messy. Why do some people seem to think numbers on jersey fronts are cool?

21. Vancouver Canucks

Mar 14, 2015; Vancouver, British Columbia, CAN; Vancouver Canucks forward Henrik Sedin (33) skates against the Toronto Maple Leafs during the second period at Rogers Arena. The Vancouver Canucks won 4-1. Mandatory Credit: Anne-Marie Sorvin-USA TODAY Sports

It hurts to put the Canucks this far down, but I have to if I want to stick to my criteria. Blue and green combined is unique, which is cool, but I’m not a fan of it. It’s alright, but nothing more.

What really kills this one is the logo. The alternates — which are exactly the same with a different logo — would be quite a few ranks higher. There aren’t many fans of the “orca” logo in general. While I still like the logo itself, I highly dislike the humongous “Vancouver” writing on the chest.

If I got to pick, I would either take this jersey without the lettering or go back to the black, red/orange and yellow color scheme. To be honest, I like these a lot and originally had them in the top 10. But once I look at them too long, they just go into free-fall mode.

20. Nashville Predators

Feb 26, 2015; Nashville, TN, USA; Nashville Predators defenseman Seth Jones (3) skates with the puck during the third period against the Minnesota Wild at Bridgestone Arena. Mandatory Credit: Christopher Hanewinckel-USA TODAY Sports

I said I generally liked unique colors. The Predators definitely have them. A strong yellow, combined with navy blue works well. The logo is also really cool.

The reason why the Predators aren’t ranked higher is the piping. I’m not a designer — there’s a reason for that — so I don’t know what kind of stripes would make these look better. All I know is that this isn’t it.

19. Los Angeles Kings

February 26, 2015; Los Angeles, CA, USA; Los Angeles Kings right wing Dustin Brown (23) moves the puck as center Anze Kopitar (11) trails against the Ottawa Senators during the first period at Staples Center. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports

So I like unique color combinations. But there’s nothing wrong with a good black and white look either. The logo is simple, the uniforms are simple — and it works. All-black is cool, I’ve mentioned it before.

However, it is also nothing special, which is why these aren’t ranked any higher than this. There’s nothing wrong with them, but there are better NHL uniforms around.

18. Winnipeg Jets

Apr 4, 2015; Winnipeg, Manitoba, CAN; Winnipeg Jets forward Mark Scheifele (55) celebrates his goal with teammates on Vancouver Canucks goalie Eddie Lack (31) during the second period at MTS Centre. Mandatory Credit: Bruce Fedyck-USA TODAY Sports

Just when Jets fans thought they were getting their original team back, the club came up with a redefined style. A new logo and totally different jersey style, along with some new colors. And what can I say? It looks really good!

The two shades of blue go well together and the new logo is awesome. The striping is sure unique, but it’s also what bugs me a little bit about these uniforms. That’s why they aren’t ranked any higher.

17. Pittsburgh Penguins

Mar 26, 2015; Raleigh, NC, USA; Pittsburgh Penguins forward Sidney Crosby (87) skates after the puck during the 3rd period against the Carolina Hurricanes at PNC Arena. The Carolina Hurricanes defeated the Pittsburgh Penguins 5-2. Mandatory Credit: James Guillory-USA TODAY Sports

This is one of the cases I mentioned before, when I said that I made decisions I could not have seen myself making. For a long time, these looked absolutely terrible to me. But, for some reason, I changed my mind.

All-black is great. The “golden” (is that what it is?) accents go well with it. It’s a simple design without any striping on the jersey.

Is it better than the new alternates? Not sure about that. But I wouldn’t be mad if the Penguins switched to these as their regular home unis.

Jan 13, 2015; Pittsburgh, PA, USA; Pittsburgh Penguins defenseman Christian Ehrhoff (10) handles the puck against the Minnesota Wild during the second period at the CONSOL Energy Center. The Penguins won 7-2. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports

16. San José Sharks

Feb 11, 2015; San Jose, CA, USA; San Jose Sharks center Logan Couture (39) celebrates with his team after scoring a goal during the second period against the Washington Capitals at SAP Center at San Jose. Mandatory Credit: Bob Stanton-USA TODAY Sports

The San José Sharks have one of the best alternate jerseys in the league. It’s all-black, with a cool logo and a very simplistic design. The club went with that same simplistic design for their new home and away uniforms and it’s working.

Nice, unique colors with a great logo. The numbers on the front are again a completely stupid idea. But it’s acceptable here, simply because the rest of the jersey is anything but busy.

These alternate uniforms would likely be ranked way higher.

Dec 18, 2014; San Jose, CA, USA; San Jose Sharks center Tomas Hertl (48) left wing James Sheppard (15), defenseman Marc-Edouard Vlasic (44) and defenseman Matt Tennyson (80) celebrate after Tennyson scored during the third period against the Edmonton Oilers at SAP Center at San Jose. San Jose won 4-3. Mandatory Credit: Bob Stanton-USA TODAY Sports

15. Calgary Flames

Apr 25, 2015; Calgary, Alberta, CAN; Calgary Flames left wing Johnny Gaudreau (13) skates with the puck against the Vancouver Canucks during the second period in game six of the first round of the 2015 Stanley Cup Playoffs at Scotiabank Saddledome. Mandatory Credit: Sergei Belski-USA TODAY Sports

The Calgary Flames have an awesome color combo. They are the Flames, so the red and yellow makes sense. Thankfully, the Flames got the memo that all-red doesn’t look too great. They added black helmets, gloves and pants, and threw in some white accents. It all results in a great jersey.

14. Detroit Red Wings

Mar 22, 2015; Detroit, MI, USA; Detroit Red Wings left wing Justin Abdelkader (8) celebrates his goal with left wing Henrik Zetterberg (40) in overtime against the St. Louis Blues at Joe Louis Arena. Detroit won 2-1 in overtime. Mandatory Credit: Rick Osentoski-USA TODAY Sports

The Detroit Red Wings’ uniforms are widely regarded as some of the greatest in all of sports. Occasionally, they are also named one of the ugliest NHL uniforms.

Personally, I have to say that it is just too much red again. The jersey by itself would easily be in the top 5. Red and white looks great, especially when you have one of the most iconic logos in the history of sports. The design is simplistic, which makes it simply beautiful.

No weird striping, no weird piping — just a clean look. But red with red, red, red and some more red? Nah. That’s how you fall down to 14th.

13. Minnesota Wild

Dec 17, 2013; Saint Paul, MN, USA; Minnesota Wild forward Brett Bulmer (54) against the Vancouver Canucks at Xcel Energy Center. The Wild defeated the Canucks 3-2 in a shootout. Mandatory Credit: Brace Hemmelgarn-USA TODAY Sports

A lot of people actually hate these. They say they look too christmassy. I guess it’s true, the combination of green and red does look a lot like Christmas. But, there’s nothing wrong with that.

After all, hockey is played in the winter time. And regardless of that, the uniforms actually look pretty cool. Red goes well with green, and the cream accents fit in, too. Nice striping, no weird piping, nice colors. All good.

The alternate uniforms — which seem to be used at least as much as the primary homes anyway — would be ranked even higher.

Apr 4, 2015; Saint Paul, MN, USA; Minnesota Wild defenseman Mathew Dumba (55) against the Detroit Red Wings at Xcel Energy Center. The Red Wings defeated the Wild 3-2 in a shootout. Mandatory Credit: Brace Hemmelgarn-USA TODAY Sports

12. Toronto Maple Leafs

Jan 19, 2015; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; Toronto Maple Leafs forward Nazem Kadri (43) gets ready to take a face-off against the Carolina Hurricanes during the second period at the Air Canada Centre. Mandatory Credit: John E. Sokolowski-USA TODAY Sports

I know I said all-red isn’t good. But all-blue is a different story. It is scientifically proven that red makes agressive — which may even be the reason why some teams wear it — while blue doesn’t. Blue and white is just a simple, but great combination.

11. Tampa Bay Lightning

Jun 13, 2015; Tampa, FL, USA; Tampa Bay Lightning center Steven Stamkos (91) at game five of the 2015 Stanley Cup Final at Amalie Arena. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports

Speaking of blue and white, the Tampa Bay Lightning’s rebranding may or may not have copied the Leafs a bit. However, the club followed one important rule: be better than the style you copy.

The Lightning’s uniforms are completely simplistic, from the logo to the jersey design. Single stripes on jersey and socks, the lightning crest and lightning on pants simply make it one of the best NHL uniforms.

10. St. Louis Blues

Apr 11, 2015; St. Louis, MO, USA; St. Louis Blues center Jori Lehtera (12) is congratulated by teammates Jaden Schwartz (17) and Vladimir Tarasenko (91) and Paul Stastny (26) and Alexander Steen (20) after scoring a goal during the third period against the Minnesota Wild at Scottrade Center. The Blues won the game 4-2. Mandatory Credit: Billy Hurst-USA TODAY Sports

As mentioned before, I am still a fan of nice color combinations. Blue and white is cool, but blue, white and yellow is even cooler. The Blues went from one of the worst designs in the entire NHL to one of the best. Classic striping in nice colors and it works.

9. Montréal Canadiens

Mar 19, 2015; Montreal, Quebec, CAN; Montreal Canadiens left wing Max Pacioretty (67) celebrates his goal against Carolina Hurricanes with teammates during the third period at Bell Centre. Mandatory Credit: Jean-Yves Ahern-USA TODAY Sports

The Montréal Canadiens have been wearing essentially the same home uniforms since 1917 — almost 100 years ago. They made minor changes to the logo, the pants, the collar and such, but that’s it. It’s a classic look that has no need to ever be changed. Well, for the new season, the Canadiens added laces to the collar. But that’s one of the minor alterations I was talking about.

8. Philadelphia Flyers

Jan 20, 2015; Philadelphia, PA, USA; Philadelphia Flyers center Claude Giroux (28) celebrates overtime win against the Pittsburgh Penguins at Wells Fargo Center. The Flyers defeated the Penguins, 3-2 in overtime. Mandatory Credit: Eric Hartline-USA TODAY Sports

You will notice that the majority of my top 10 NHL uniforms has a unique jersey style with unique colors. The Philadelphia Flyers are no exception. A nice, strong orange with unique white striping and black helmets, gloves and pants.

They wore this design from 1967 to 1982, before switching it up. In 2008, it returned as the alternate jerseys, before being used as the primary homes again in 2010.

The Flyers’ former NHL Winter Classic uniforms are now their alternates and actually look even better than the primary homes.

Apr 5, 2015; Philadelphia, PA, USA; Philadelphia Flyers center Brayden Schenn (10) celebrates with center Ryan White (25) and right wing Jakub Voracek (93) after scoring a goal against the Pittsburgh Penguins during the second period at Wells Fargo Center. Mandatory Credit: Eric Hartline-USA TODAY Sports

7. Dallas Stars

Mar 30, 2015; Dallas, TX, USA; Dallas Stars center Tyler Seguin (91) skates against the Calgary Flames during the game at the American Airlines Center. The Flames defeated the Stars 5-3. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports

This may be the first big surprise of the top 10. Between all those classic looks, we find the Dallas Stars new uniforms, which just got introduced in 2013. The Stars are one of the few teams that did everything 100 percent right when rebranding their team.

The new logo has a great, modern look and shines on the uniforms that remind of the Chicago Blackhawks. In fact, these jerseys really look like the Blackhawks in the Stars unique shade of green, with simplified striping. Well, I love it!

6. New Jersey Devils

Mar 23, 2015; Newark, NJ, USA; New Jersey Devils defenseman Adam Larsson (5) skates with the puck during the first period at Prudential Center. Mandatory Credit: Ed Mulholland-USA TODAY Sports

The New Jersey Devils are one of the teams that surprised me personally. Fans have always been saying that these are one of the greatest NHL uniforms, but I could never really see it. Compared to all other 29, however, they do look outstanding. Simple, but outstanding. That will be the reason why the design has been the exact same since 1992.

5. Edmonton Oilers

Dec 1, 2014; Edmonton, Alberta, CAN; Edmonton Oilers forward Leon Draisaitl (29) skates against the Arizona Coyotes at Rexall Place. Mandatory Credit: Perry Nelson-USA TODAY Sports

No matter how much you hate the Edmonton Oilers as a franchise, you can’t tell me these aren’t gorgeous. Because, they are, really. The same look Wayne Gretzky once wore, the Oilers went back to the design, after trying something new between 1996 and 2008. Well, something new was simply ugly — sorry, but it was.

Blue and orange is the Oilers’ identity and they made it look great again. A well deserving 5th rank among all NHL uniforms.

4. New York Islanders

Jan 6, 2014; Uniondale, NY, USA; New York Islanders center Ryan Strome (18) and center John Tavares (91) celebrate a goal against the Dallas Stars during the third period at Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum. The New York Islanders won the game 7-3. Mandatory Credit: Joe Camporeale-USA TODAY Sports

Hey look, I didn’t forget the New York Islanders! They are actually just ranked in the top 5!

Now am I crazy? I hope not. The Islanders went back to their original design from 1972, when they introduced their current home uniform as the alternate in 2008. It’s a great combination of colors — like the Edmonton Oilers have — with very simple striping. Can’t get much better than this.

I was never really a fan of the logo, until I realized what’s really in it. Long Island, a hockey stick as the letter “Y” and the “I” in “Islanders” points at Nassau Coliseum. It’s actually pretty cool.

3. New York Rangers

May 16, 2015; New York, NY, USA; New York Rangers center Derek Stepan (21) celebrates after scoring a goal against the Tampa Bay Lightning during the second period in game one of the Eastern Conference Final of the 2015 Stanley Cup Playoffs at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Adam Hunger-USA TODAY Sports

The New York Rangers have one of the best looks in the NHL, without a doubt. They are the only team that’s allowed to use diagonal lettering instead of their logo — since they seem to have invented it — and it really works for them. Blue jerseys with nice and simple striping, red pants — simply outstanding.

It is obvious why the style hasn’t changed since 1926. Never change a winning team, and never change your awesome uniforms. That’s how it goes, isn’t it?

2. Boston Bruins

Jan 15, 2015; Boston, MA, USA; Boston Bruins center Patrice Bergeron (37) celebrates with Bruins defenseman Zdeno Chara (33) and Bruins left wing Brad Marchand (63) after scoring a goal during the first period against the New York Rangers at TD Garden. Mandatory Credit: Winslow Townson-USA TODAY Sports

With the Bruins ranked second, we know that the top 3 is completely made up of Original Six teams, with all six being in the top 15. What could be better than that?

Again, unique color schemes are what makes jerseys great and the Boston Bruins sure have one. Black jerseys with yellow and white striping, as well as a great, classic logo. Awesome!

The one thing that bugs me about these is the yellow socks. There I have to ask: why?????? But it doesn’t really matter when the jerseys look that great. Change the socks to black with yellow and white striping and you’ve got yourself a new No. 1!

Actually, I’d almost say the alternates are at least as great.

Mar 17, 2015; Boston, MA, USA; Boston Bruins center Patrice Bergeron (37) skates with the puck during the first period against the Buffalo Sabres at TD Banknorth Garden. Mandatory Credit: Bob DeChiara-USA TODAY Sports

1. Chicago Blackhawks

Jun 15, 2015; Chicago, IL, USA; Chicago Blackhawks players pose for a team photo with the Stanley Cup after defeating the Tampa Bay Lightning in game six of the 2015 Stanley Cup Final at United Center. Mandatory Credit: Dennis Wierzbicki-USA TODAY Sports

Congratulations to the Chicago Blackhawks for winning the two major sports awards. The Stanley Cup and the award for the best NHL uniforms — which has yet to be invented. Oh well.

A classic look for an Original Six team that hasn’t really changed since 1995. Unique striping, great colors and one of the greatest logos in the history of sports — if not the greatest logo in the history of sports. Well deserved.

What are your favorite NHL uniforms? What do you think of my ranking? Let us know in the comments!

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Next: 5 Teams With Best Alternates

Next: 5 Ugliest NHL Uniforms

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