Colorado Avalanche: Ranking the Best Jerseys in Franchise History

The Colorado Avalanche franchise has technically been around since 1972 when said franchise was still the Quebec Nordiques. Let’s take a look back at all the jerseys in franchise history and rank them.

Give me a reason to write anything else about the Colorado Avalanche right now.

Silence….

Ok then, let’s begin.

This list will also include alternate jerseys, so I have a lot of jerseys to go through, but that’s ok. And, it will obviously be biased because I am the one writing it.

However, the good thing about broadcasting your opinions to the world is that the world can dispute your opinions.

Also, a break down of the rules:

• I’m going to go slideshow style here, starting from the worst and ending with the best.

That’s all the rules. Hop to the comment section to file a formal complaint, and as Joe Walsh would say: “just leave a message, maybe I’ll call.”

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Shall we begin?

Oh one more thing, this post isn’t willy-nilly in case you’re wondering. Adidas is taking over from Reebok next season in the making of all NHL jerseys, and apparently they’re about to nix all alternate jerseys, but more on that later.

Let’s get started.

The Current Jerseys Are an Absolute Bust

I can sum it all up in one sentence. They got rid of the yeti foot, which is blasphemy, and they also have the strangest piping, which many have come to call the “unipron.”

Essentially, as you can see much better in the photo below, our jerseys look like an apron.

Hopefully our new jerseys will look different next season under the guidance of Adidas.

However, there will be no changing the fact that the Avalanche got rid of the yeti foot, which is why these jerseys get the worst ranking.

Let’s move onto the next jersey, a close second to being the worst.

The Unipron is Still There

Just to give you an idea of how much I dislike the new logo on the shoulders, this slide had to be included.

I’ve been trying to get a yeti foot jersey for the past month. I finally found one that I wanted, Gabe Landeskog with the Captain’s C, but the NHL store has now sent me two jerseys without the “C” on it.

These jerseys are going to go out of commission soon, so it’s time to stock up ahead of the new contract with Adidas.

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Also, have you guys ever played any of the EA Sports NHL games? Mike “Doc” Emrick still “announces” the games, and the past two years he still says — at the beginning of any game the Avs are involved in — “featuring a team with a yeti foot imprint on the shoulder,” or something along those lines.

The yeti foot should still be there, even if the jerseys look awful as aprons. I really have nothing else to say on the matter. Let’s move onto the next jersey on this list.

The “Blueberries” Were Great Alternate Jerseys

These jerseys were the Avs’ alternate jerseys from 2009-2015, and were a staple during that time. They have much in common with the alternate jerseys found on this list earlier.

Both sported the Avalanche logo on the shoulder, and both incorporated slanted lettering down the chest. Furthermore, both had similar piping on the lower arm.

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However, where these jerseys take it up a notch from the other third jerseys is in the inclusion of burgundy on the shoulders. They aren’t solely blue even if they are predominately blue. There is still recognition of burgundy in the jersey design, which is imperative.

The Avs discontinued these jerseys in favor of the new alternate jerseys at the conclusion of the 2014-15 season.

Now, let’s take a look at the jerseys the Avs only wore one time.

These Jerseys are Plain, Simple and Awesome

When the Colorado Avalanche announced that they were getting a stadium series bid, Avalanche Territory was elated.

What will the Avs do for their jerseys? Who will play in the Alumni Game? And thank God, they are playing the Detroit Red Wings.

Well, the jerseys were an immediate hit. You can still see people wearing them at games today, and the design is quite nice.

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The numbers are huge so that fans could see what player had the puck in Coors Field, and the logo design was nice and simple, just a colorado “C.”

These jerseys certainly deserve to be on the list, even if they were worn only once.

Now, it’s time to take a step back and check out the next jerseys on this list.

The Nordiques, or “The Men from the North”

These are some of my favorite jerseys in Avs history. They’re simple, they have heritage, and they still look good today.

The logo features an igloo with a hockey stick and a puck, and the fleur-de-lis runs along the bottom of the jersey as well as being the staple of the team’s shoulder patch.

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When the Nordiques were in existence, they were the most northern team in the league, hence the “men from the north” nomenclature.

These jerseys continue to be worn in Canada and in Colorado. And, they may be worn one day again — or at least something similar — if Quebec ever gets a team back.

Now, it’s time to decide if you prefer the dark blue Nordiques jerseys or the baby blue ones:

From what I can tell, the dark blue ones were worn longer than the baby blue ones, but that’s some tough bit of history to track down. Maybe the baby blue ones were just an alternate jersey.

Anyway, the decision is up to you guys.

Time to move on to the final two jerseys on this list.

The Mountain Piping

These are certainly the most iconic jerseys in Avalanche history because the Avs won two cups in these jerseys. Furthermore, some of the greatest players in NHL history played in these jerseys.

Ray Bourque, Patrick Roy, Rob Blake, Peter Forsberg and Joe Sakic all donned this jersey. Teemu Selanne even wore that jersey above.

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The piping on the bottom is meant to resemble mountains. It even goes all along the arms unlike the jerseys the Avs wear today, where the colors sort of just stop and become the color on the shoulder. Scroll up to see what I’m talking about.

And of course, the yeti foot is there. Most would argue that these jerseys are the best jerseys the Avs have ever worn, but I have a dark horse candidate.

The Colorado Rockies Return

The Colorado Rockies were the first NHL team ever in Colorado, and the Avs brought them back in their alternate jerseys, which debuted during the 2015-16 season.

These jerseys are hot! They sport the burgundy and blue, and the piping scheme is pretty great too. And, this is especially relevant because, as I mentioned on the first slide, Adidas is likely to nix all third jerseys next year.

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So, this may be the final season the Avs wear these jerseys. Even if Adidas rolls out something similar, the design will certainly be different because that’s just how it works when new contracts and sponsors are part of the design.

At least Avs fans got to see two years of this jersey before it’s likely to be taken off the market. Buy one while you can folks, if you’re a jersey collector like I like to think I am.

Conclusion

Well, now you know what jersey won the race to the top. And, now I know that there will certainly be some people who dispute the rankings.

If you’re one of the people who wants to dispute, then place your formal complaint in the comment section, as I said.

Next: Avs Are Not Developing Prospects Properly

The Avs franchise has worn a lot of different jerseys since 1972, and most of them have been worn solely by the Colorado Avalanche.

It’s always interesting to go back in time, and see how things have either improved or gotten worse over time.

It’s unfortunate that Adidas is likely going to get rid of the alternate jerseys next season, but hopefully they’ll make a return with vengeance when Adidas rolls out their own alternate jerseys.

Thanks for stopping by folks.