With the 2020-21 NHL season delayed by at least three months, the league needed to do something to stay in the news and create some excitement, or at least maintain some sort of interest.
The “throwbacks with a twist” bring back a jersey from each team’s past, but incorporate a different colour scheme and other changed elements to make each jersey unique. It’s unclear at this point how often each team will wear these jerseys in the coming season — it’s rumoured they will be worn infrequently and likely while their opponents are also wearing their Reverse Retro jersey.
Part of the appeal of these jerseys is that, as one-offs that won’t be worn very often, teams could have fun with the concept and bring back an unusual or particularly nostalgic jersey. Some teams embraced the concept, while others played it safe.
As expected, the Canucks went fairly recent for their “throwback,” making many Millenials feel very old — since when are the early 2000’s retro? — bringing back the gradient third jersey that originally debuted in 2001. The twist is that the jersey uses green instead of maroon, with the gradient giving it a certain shimmer as it transitions to the darker, navy blue at the top.
Overall, the jersey looks pretty good, though the lighter blue outline on the orca logo looks a little out-of-place against the darker blue of the jersey. But where does the Canucks’ Reverse Retro jersey rank against the other 30 teams?
I counted the jerseys down from best to worst, ranking them in tiers. Like Drake, we’re going to start from the bottom.
There’s a lot wrong here. This looks like a straight-up practice jersey — plain white with the only “reverse” element a silver band around the arms and waist instead of red — which is frustrating because the Red Wings have a long history to pull from.
Part of the problem is they have already been involved in four different outdoor games that used retro looks from the past, so it’s understandable that they wouldn’t want to repeat a jersey they’ve done relatively recently. Still, they could’ve gone back to their original illustrated “D” logo from when they were the Detroit Cougars and simply reversed the colours for a nice, primarily-red jersey. That would be different enough.
Alternatively, they could have embraced the concept and brought back the utterly bizarre Cougar logo from their 1928-29 season. Anything would have been better than the decidedly blah design they landed on.
The Leafs have never had a blue leaf on a blue jersey. That’s the twist. That’s it.
Turns out, it’s for a good reason. It looks bad. Given an opportunity to do something fun and different, the Leafs made a bad, bland, and boring jersey.
They had other options. They could’ve made a St. Pats jersey in blue and white. They could’ve switched up the colours on their jersey from the 30’s with multi-striped sleeves. They could’ve made a white verse of the Toronto Arenas jersey from 1918. But they didn’t do any of those things.
This is just the current Islanders jersey in a darker shade of blue. Did they not get the memo? It seems like they procrastinated all summerr and then had to submit something last minute. It’s the “cup of dirt” of hockey jerseys.
Is it a bad jersey? No, because the Islanders have a nice jersey. It’s just the pure laziness and lack of effort and creativity that stings here, particularly when they had the opportunity to bring back the most gonzo jersey in their history: the “Fisherman” logo from the late 90’s, complete with wavy stripes along the bottom and askew name and number on the back.
The fisherman jersey has experienced a resurgence in popularity of late due to nostalgia and a new appreciation for kitsch. This was a perfect chance for the Islanders to bring that logo and jersey back for one more fling, sell a boatload of jerseys, and then once again relegate it to the past.
I understand the idea of taking the old-school Jets jersey and redoing it with modern-day Jets colours, but when that results in a boring, slate-grey jersey, you’ve gone astray. This would’ve been a good opportunity to use the light blue accent colour of their current jerseys as a primary colour.
The Stars late 90’s and early 2000’s jersey with its unique star-shaped striping is a classic jersey design unique to the team. It’s the jersey they were wearing when they hoisted their first Stanley Cup in 1999. It made perfect sense to bring it back for the Reverse Retro series, but they butchered it by making the whole thing white instead of using a different colour for the bottom of the jersey. On top of that, the “Stars” wordmark element of the logo doesn’t stand out enough from the white of the jersey.
I can only imagine how bland these will look on a white ice surface.
Something about the old Blackhawks logo just rubs the wrong way. Placing it on what appears to be a surplus Carolina Hurricanes jersey certainly doesn’t help.
What made the rollout of the Blackhawks Reverse Retro jersey particularly uncomfortable is how the NHL seemed well aware of how controversial this particular logo is. It was the only picture that didn’t show the front of the jersey in the NHL’s announcement and even the Blackhawks initial video only flashed the front of the jersey for a fraction of a second.
I have never been a fan of the diagonal wordmark on an NHL jersey, not even on a “classic” jersey like that of the New York Rangers. At least with the Rangers it has decades of history and tradition: when other teams borrowing the diagonal wordmark design it just looks wrong.
The Colorado Avalanche had a diagonal wordmark jersey and it was bad. The Tampa Bay Lightning and Carolina Hurricanes had diagonal nickname jerseys — “Bolts” and “Canes” — that were even worse.
This Penguins jersey has nostalgia attached to it because it was worn by a number of greats in the 90’s, like Mario Lemieux and Jaromir Jagr, but it’s a bad jersey. Switching the black to white doesn’t improve it and arguably makes it worse.
This should have been easy for the Sabres. The late 90’s and early 2000’s was the only time in their history they strayed from some sort of blue and yellow colour scheme, instead using black and red. Bringing back that buffalo head jersey in blue and yellow would have been a slam dunk.
They went with their third jersey from the same era with the secondary crossed-sabres logo and an odd, unnecessary “Buffalo” word mark in the stripes on the bottom. It doesn’t look bad, necessarily, but it doesn’t look amazing either and it’s such a missed opportunity that it drops them down the rankings.
Bringing back the original logo is the right move, even if I’ve never been a huge fan. The real issue is that switching the main colour to red, in combination with a logo that features so many stars and a prominent hockey stick, makes this look like a Washington Capitals jersey. Whoops.
If the Capitals didn’t exist, this jersey would be much higher on the list, as it’s overall a decent look.
This Flyers jersey is fine, but it was never my favourite design from their history and it doesn’t do anything fun with the Reverse Retro concept. The trouble is that the Flyers have basically had the same jerseys for their entire history, so they don’t really have an unusual retro look to play with.
A fan of the Calgary Flames would probably disagree with my ranking the Flames this low, but I’ve never been a fan of the flaming horse’s head logo, or “Blasty” as it’s known to fans.
I’m doubly disappointed because it’s yet another black jersey in a league that has far too many black jerseys to begin with. Hockey is one of the only sports that is played on a white canvas: let’s paint that canvas with bright, vivid colours!
The Golden Knights were in a tough situation: how do you do a retro jersey when you’ve only been in existence for three seasons? Their solution was pretty ingenious: give a nod to the hockey history in Vegas by bringing back a jersey design from Las Vegas Thunder, who played in the now-defunct International Hockey. League.
Fun fact: Manon Rhéaume played for the Thunder, as did Pavol Demitra, Curtis Joseph, Petr Nedved, and Alexei Yashin.
The jersey itself is fine, with some bold diagonal stripes borrowed from the Thunder, but that’s a lot of red and I’m not sure the secondary logo works as a primary logo. This might have looked better with their primary knight’s helmet logo.
Don’t get me wrong, I like the throwback to the 90’s here, but it’s missing something. Perhaps it’s because the names on the back are in a bland, modern font rather than the retro-futuristic font used in the original jerseys from their first season or the curved namebars they used from 1995 to 2001.
Alternatively, they could have embraced the chaos and brought back their utterly bizarre “storm” third jerseys they wore from 1996 to 1999. This is fine, but a bit safe.
I love that logo and I’m glad to see them bring it back for this Reverse Retro series — see my aforementioned hate for diagonal wordmarks — but this is missing some added pops of colour to make it stand out. A shoulder yoke would no go amiss or some stripes along the bottom or a second colour on the bottom of the sleeves.
This is a nice jersey. I’ve like the Predators’ modern yellow as opposed to the mustard yellow they once used, and it looks good on their original jerseys. And that’s all I have to say about that.
The original Panthers jerseys were among my favourites when I was younger and this update in navy blue looks great. The only flaw is that they’re very similar to the darker Panthers jerseys they wore in the 2000’s. That knocks it down several notches for lack of creativity, but I still love the jerseys.
The Montreal Canadiens’ jerseys have remained essentially unchanged since 1917 and there’s nothing wrong with that. The only issue is that it makes this whole “Reverse Retro” concept a little bit challenging.
In my opinion, they did the best they could, switching up the blue and red, giving them the first primarily blue jersey in team history. The end result looks quite nice.
This is a pretty sharp look, but they get knocked for a lack of originality. It’s not too far from their current jerseys, just with slimmer stripes, and it’s not too different from its inspiration: the classic jerseys the Oilers wore for around 25 years.
Still, the orange shoulder yoke on a white jersey is a new twist we haven’t seen before, so that keeps it from sliding down the rankings any further.
I’m happy to see a yellow jersey from the Bruins, a colour they haven’t worn on a regular home or away sweater since the 60’s. The Bruins get some points for bringing back the insensitively-nicknamed “meth bear,” a secondary logo that made its debut in the late 70’s. They lose points for not making it the primary logo on the jersey for the first time in their history.
I didn’t like these jerseys at first glance, but on closer inspection, they’re pretty clean and crisp. Many Senators fans are happy the team is bringing back the original 2D logo for next season and this Reverse Retro jersey keeps the nostalgia going with a take on the team’s inaugural jerseys with red as the main colour instead of white or black. It’s simple, but it works.
I’m not typically a fan of grey jerseys, but something about this just clicks. Maybe it’s because sharks are grey, so it brings to mind the smooth skin of a great white. Maybe it’s because they retain strong design elements with the curved sleeves, a unique element pulled from their 2000’s era jerseys, and their bold teal colours.
It could just be nostalgia triggered by the original Sharks logo.
The Canucks’ blue-and-green take on their early-2000’s gradient jersey looks good. It’s good. It’ll probably look very nice on the ice. But…
It’s hard to shake the feeling that they could have gone a little wilder with the Reverse Retro concept. A blue-and-green flying-V jersey or a Johnny Canuck jersey really could have bumped the Canucks up a level.
Still, it’s a nice jersey and sneaks into my top-10.
A primarily red jersey for a team named the Blues? Reviving the weirdest jersey design in Blues history, non-trumpet edition? Embracing the whole look, including the weirdly diagonal baseline for the numbers on the back?
The Coyotes’ late-90’s third jersey, with just the head of the classic kachina logo and a surreal desert landscape along the bottom, is arguably their worst jersey. Bringing it back and changing the main colour to purple, a colour previously only seen in the dark of the moon on their shoulder patch? Pure insanity.
Is it a good jersey? Oh lord no. Is it fun and wild? Will it be a hoot to see on the ice? Absolutely.
You may hate this jersey, but you have to respect that the Ducks didn’t shy away from the ugliest jersey in their history. This is what the Islanders should have done with the fisherman jersey: embraced it with sheer confidence and chutzpah, just asking the hockey world to hate it and not caring if they did.
This is exactly what the Reverse Retro series was made for and the only thing keeping it from being higher on the list is that it really is quite ugly. But sometimes ugly works.
All of these jerseys are essentially the same idea: taking the colours and design of a team that isn’t actually them: the Avalanche are not the Quebec Nordiques, the Hurricanes are not the Hartford Whalers, and the Wild are not the Minnesota North Stars.
Still, there’s something wonderfully nostalgic about seeing those old logos and designs, even if it’s somewhat controversial for hockey fans in Quebec City and Hartford who want their teams back.
The Nordiques logo looks surprisingly good in Avalanche maroon and I’m a sucker for the Whalers logo and its brilliant use of negative space. In my books, however, the Wild nail the throwback look the best. They don’t have the rights to the North Stars’ logo, so they instead used the green and yellow on their main logo and it really sings. It’s not a jersey they should wear all the time, but it’s perfect for the Reverse Retro theme.
This is such a great retro look that when you first see it you could swear that the Devils have already worn this exact jersey in the past and they didn’t change anything. But the Devils have never actually worn green as the main colour on a jersey before, even if they used to wear green pants.
There’s nothing fancy happening here, just a great jersey in an uncommon colour and I like it.
The Capitals embraced the Reverse Retro concept, throwing back to the 90’s, the only time in their history they didn’t have the modified “Capitals” wordmark as their main logo. The “screaming eagle” is big and bold, while the diagonal striping screams the 90’s.
The eagle jerseys were a weird light blue, a colour that didn’t connect with their history. Updating that look with a bright red and dark, navy blue really brings this jersey together.
To me, the Kings absolutely nailed the entire Reverse Retro concept. Instead of just taking an old jersey and remaking it in modern colours, they mashed up two classic jerseys to make something fantastic.
The design is the classic 90’s Kings jersey made famous by Wayne Gretzky. The colours are royal purple and gold from the Marcel Dionne era. Together, they look gorgeous. It’s simultaneously vintage and retro, while also fresh and exciting. The NHL needs more bold colours and this jersey really delivers.
What do you think? Did the Canucks nail the Reverse Retro challenge? Which Reverse Retro jersey is your favourite?
RIYADH, Saudi Arabia – Canada’s Gabriela Dabrowski and New Zealand’s Erin Routliffe remain undefeated in women’s doubles at the WTA Finals.
The 2023 U.S. Open champions, seeded second at the event, secured a 1-6, 7-6 (1), (11-9) super-tiebreak win over fourth-seeded Italians Sara Errani and Jasmine Paolini in round-robin play on Tuesday.
The season-ending tournament features the WTA Tour’s top eight women’s doubles teams.
Dabrowski and Routliffe lost the first set in 22 minutes but levelled the match by breaking Errani’s serve three times in the second, including at 6-5. They clinched victory with Routliffe saving a match point on her serve and Dabrowski ending Errani’s final serve-and-volley attempt.
Dabrowski and Routliffe will next face fifth-seeded Americans Caroline Dolehide and Desirae Krawczyk on Thursday, where a win would secure a spot in the semifinals.
The final is scheduled for Saturday.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published on Nov. 5, 2024.
EDMONTON – Jake Allen made 31 saves for his second shutout of the season and 26th of his career as the New Jersey Devils closed out their Western Canadian road trip with a 3-0 victory over the Edmonton Oilers on Monday.
Jesper Bratt had a goal and an assist and Stefan Noesen and Timo Meier also scored for the Devils (8-5-2) who have won three of their last four on the heels on a four-game losing skid.
The Oilers (6-6-1) had their modest two-game winning streak snapped.
Calvin Pickard made 13 stops between the pipes for Edmonton.
TAKEAWAYS
Devils: In addition to his goal, Bratt picked up his 12th assist of the young season to give him nine points in his last eight games and now 15 points overall. Nico Hischier remains in the team lead, picking up an assist of his own to give him 16 points for the campaign. He has a point in all but four games this season.
Oilers: Forward Leon Draisaitl was held pointless after recording six points in his previous two games and nine points in his previous four. Draisaitl usually has strong showings against the Devils, coming into the contest with an eight-game point streak against New Jersey and 11 goals in 17 games.
KEY MOMENT
New Jersey took a 2-0 lead on the power play with 3:26 remaining in the second period as Hischier made a nice feed into the slot to Bratt, who wired his third of the season past Pickard.
KEY RETURN?
Oilers star forward and captain Connor McDavid took part in the optional morning skate for the Oilers, leading to hopes that he may be back sooner rather than later. McDavid has been expected to be out for two to three weeks with an ankle injury suffered during the first shift of last Monday’s loss in Columbus.
OILERS DEAL FOR D-MAN
The Oilers have acquired defenceman Ronnie Attard from the Philadelphia Flyers in exchange for defenceman Ben Gleason.
The 6-foot-3 Attard has spent the past three season in the Flyers organization seeing action in 29 career games. The 25-year-old right-shot defender and Western Michigan University grad was originally selected by Philadelphia in the third round of the 2019 NHL Entry Draft. Attard will report to the Oilers’ AHL affiliate in Bakersfield.
UP NEXT
Devils: Host the Montreal Canadiens on Thursday.
Oilers: Host the Vegas Golden Knights on Wednesday.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 4, 2024.
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Patrick Mahomes threw for 291 yards and three touchdowns, and Kareem Hunt pounded into the end zone from two yards out in overtime to give the unbeaten Kansas City Chiefs a 30-24 win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Monday night.
DeAndre Hopkins had two touchdown receptions for the Chiefs (8-0), who drove through the rain for two fourth-quarter scores to take a 24-17 lead with 4:17 left. But then Kansas City watched as Baker Mayfield led the Bucs the other way in the final minute, hitting Ryan Miller in the end zone with 27 seconds to go in regulation time.
Tampa Bay (4-5) elected to kick the extra point and force overtime, rather than go for a two-point conversion and the win. And it cost the Buccaneers when Mayfield called tails and the coin flip was heads. Mahomes and the Chiefs took the ball, he was 5-for-5 passing on their drive in overtime, and Hunt finished his 106-yard rushing day with the deciding TD plunge.
Travis Kelce had 14 catches for 100 yards with girlfriend Taylor Swift watching from a suite, and Hopkins finished with eight catches for 86 yards as the Chiefs ran their winning streak to 14 dating to last season. They became the sixth Super Bowl champion to start 8-0 the following season.
Mayfield finished with 200 yards and two TDs passing for the Bucs, who have lost four of their last five.
It was a memorable first half for two players who had been waiting to play in Arrowhead Stadium.
The Bucs’ Rachaad White grew up about 10 minutes away in a tough part of Kansas City, but his family could never afford a ticket for him to see a game. He wound up on a circuitous path through Division II Nebraska-Kearney and a California junior college to Arizona State, where he eventually became of a third-round pick of Tampa Bay in the 2022 draft.
Two year later, White finally got into Arrowhead — and the end zone. He punctuated his seven-yard scoring run in the second quarter, which gave the Bucs a 7-3 lead, by nearly tossing the football into the second deck.
Then it was Hopkins’ turn in his first home game since arriving in Kansas City from a trade with the Titans.
The three-time All-Pro, who already had caught four passes, reeled in a third-down heave from Mahomes amid triple coverage for a 35-yard gain inside the Tampa Bay five-yard line. Three plays later, Mahomes found him in the back of the end zone, and Hopkins celebrated his first TD with the Chiefs with a dance from “Remember the Titans.”
Tampa Bay tried to seize control with consecutive scoring drives to start the second half. The first ended with a TD pass to Cade Otton, the latest tight end to shred the Chiefs, and Chase McLaughlin’s 47-yard field goal gave the Bucs a 17-10 lead.
The Chiefs answered in the fourth quarter. Mahomes marched them through the rain 70 yards for a tying touchdown pass, which he delivered to Samaje Perine while landing awkwardly and tweaking his left ankle, and then threw a laser to Hopkins on third-and-goal from the Buccaneers’ five-yard line to give Kansas City the lead.
Tampa Bay promptly went three-and-out, but its defence got the ball right back, and this time Mayfield calmly led his team down field. His capped the drive with a touchdown throw to Miller — his first career TD catch — with 27 seconds to go, and Tampa Bay elected to play for overtime.
UP NEXT
Buccaneers: Host the San Francisco 49ers on Sunday.
