NHL Reverse Retro Tiers: Winnipeg Jets, Canucks Among Improved Renditions

Tier Two: Hey, Those are Pretty Nice

Washington Capitals

The Capitals’ black, teal, and gold screaming eagle jersey was a polarizing concept for the Reverse Retro. Despite returning to the eagle for the 2020 version, the jersey was red and felt more like their current home jersey.

This is a near replica of their early-2000s look and it looks great. Bring back Peter Bondra and Olaf Kolzig because these should be in the rotation more often.

Boston Bruins

The “Pooh Bear” jerseys were often joked about when discussing a Bruins throwback, and now they’re actually here. It is kind of goofy, but there’s something so nice about a whole bear head on the jersey.

The jersey itself is great with the little details on the shoulders and arms, all while balancing the different browns and yellows that make the Bruins so recognizable,

New York Rangers

The “Lady Liberty” logo is iconic, as the tweet says. The Rangers used the logo in their 2020 edition but used a darker blue jersey.

Now, the Rangers have used their regular blue color scheme, combining two iconic looks. If they used the darker blue again, this likely would have been tier one.

New York Islanders

Up for some fishing, anyone? The Islanders have finally returned to their fisherman look with some changes that modernize it a bit.

Losing the sea-foam green around the bottom of the jersey takes it out of the 90s, but it would have been cool to see. Seafoam makes it a tier one.

Pittsburgh Penguins

This one seems controversial, as many people seem to dislike the logo from the early 90s. That said, it is so crisp that it really just pulls the look together.

The colors remain the same but the logo and striping take it back to the days of Jagr and Lemieux dominating the league.

Anaheim Ducks

This one was really smart, as the Ducks know how people feel about their Disney era. Combining the classic cartoon logo and their current colors makes for a visually pleasant jersey.

Bringing back the eggplant jerseys more often seems like a good idea, but this is a good step in the meantime.

San Jose Sharks

Paying their respects to the California Golden Seals, the Sharks have released an ultra-simple Seals-inspired jersey.

The color combinations are iconic, and it is nice to see the teal and yellow back in the NHL.

Tier Three: Middle of the Road

Arizona Coyotes

The Coyotes effectively took the purple Kachina they released for the 2020 Reverse Retro and swapped purple for burnt orange.

It isn’t a bad look, as it connects well with the “desert” feeling, but it doesn’t move the needle much more than that.

Buffalo Sabres

This feels like a combination of the early 2000s “Bison Head” jersey and the mid-2000s “lose to Ottawa in the conference finals” jersey.

The older logo is placed on that color scheme, and it creates a decent visual. Simple, but quite effective.

Carolina Hurricanes

Not a lot to say about this other than it is a red version of their 2019 away jerseys. The reason they’re still higher in the rankings is because the 2019 away was terrific, and seeing the diagonal “CANES” is a welcome sight.

Edmonton Oilers

Another polarizing jersey, as many despise the “oil drop” logo that the Oilers had as an alternate in the mid-2000s.

Bringing back the dark blue is a good move, and the orange brightens it up a bit. It would have been higher up if it was an exact replica of the older version.

Seattle Kraken

https://twitter.com/SeattleKraken/status/1583121370413957120

Hard to have a retro jersey when you’re only one year old, but the Kraken did well with their limited jersey history.

The logo and shades of green are among the better combinations in the league, so it works well on its own. Nothing too exciting, but it does its job.

Tampa Bay Lightning

Tampa has returned to their weather jerseys, featuring lightning bolts, rain, and waves. It screams “retro”, which is what it needed to do.

That being said, it is difficult to place them higher purely because of the superior jersey designs. It falls into its own category of “so bad that it’s good”.

Winnipeg Jets

The Winnipeg Jets ditched the grey to go for a more simple look in 2022, paying tribute to the 90s teams that featured Selanne, Numminen, and more.

It’s not a particularly exciting jersey, but it’s clean and a vast improvement over last year. It works incredibly well for “whiteout” conditions too, and the “Winnipeg Jets” 90’s logo is elite.

Tier Four: Could be Better

Montreal Canadiens

Something just doesn’t seem right about the combination of the existing blue with the powder blue. It seems to stray from the retro piece and just creates a whole new concept.

It may look better on the ice, but the vision on this one seems a bit off.

Chicago Blackhawks

https://twitter.com/BlackhawksStore/status/1583132515941994496

The biggest indictment is really just that it’s too simple. Boring, even.

It certainly has a retro feel and fits more into the brand of the “classic Hawks” look. It’s also nice to see a Chicago jersey without the long-serving logo. Changes the feel of things a bit, regardless of how boring it is.

Dallas Stars

Speaking of boring, the Stars’ addition is really underwhelming. It throws it back to their early years, but there are definitely more exciting options.

It’s somewhat disappointing that the “Taurus” jerseys (that also happen to look like something else) haven’t made a comeback.

New Jersey Devils

https://twitter.com/NJDevils/status/1583112297366843392

There’s something inherently wrong in seeing the Devils wear anything other than black, red, and maybe green. Tapping into their Colorado Rockies history, they resemble the Avalanche’s jersey contribution.

It could work, but it doesn’t feel like their history is known quite enough to get the reference right away.

Ottawa Senators

Ottawa recently brought back the 2D senator as their logo, and all was right in the world. Their Reverse Retro, however, is beyond boring and barely changes their home jersey.

Aside from the font and some extra red stripes, very little separates this from their home jersey.

Nashville Predators

The lack of silver shoulders really hurts the design. Committing to the 2001, mustard yellow triangle design, it makes it a bit hard to look at.

The tiny “Nashville” just seems weird, even though it was a part of the original jerseys.

Philadelphia Flyers (Elite with Cooperalls)

The Flyers’ Reverse Retro is another less-than-exciting addition to the league’s jersey rotation. Most Flyers rebrands are somewhat similar, so there’s not much to work with.

That said, bringing back the Cooperalls (long hockey pants) for warmups on Reverse Retro games is a top-tier decision.

Tier Five: Could Be MUCH Better

Calgary Flames

Aside from being somewhat boring, the striping is obnoxiously placed. Despite being a part of the Flames’ jersey history, it just doesn’t work.

If you’re doing a black Flames jersey, leave it at the “Blasty” horse head jerseys they’re wearing as an alternate.

Columbus Blue Jackets

Too. Many. Blues.

The addition of royal blue to the arms of a black jersey goes against the rest of the blue in the logo. The stars on the arm also make it seem like we’re looking at a 2006 “Team World” all-star jersey.

Vegas Golden Knights

The fonts are all over the place despite being an homage to Vegas hotels. The weirdest part about it, however, is that the lettering glows in the dark.

Hockey isn’t played in the dark, so what’s the point?

Detroit Red Wings

Another year, another disappointing Red Wings alternate. They have a limited jersey history, yes, but they’re now 0 for 2 on Reverse Retro contributions.

There’s just nothing going on here that would place it higher.

St. Louis Blues

Woah, that’s a lot of yellow.

The yellow on the Blues’ jerseys is usually an accent, not a feature. This is just hard to look at and will be difficult to watch throughout the year.

Toronto Maple Leafs

This almost got its own tier of “Is this not the regular jersey?” but didn’t because the shoulder pads went unnoticed at the start. That said, it is quite literally their home blue jersey with white shoulder pads.

It feels like nearly no effort was put in.

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Winnipeg Jets Fans: Which jersey was your favorite? Do you agree with where we ranked the Winnipeg Jets? Let us know in the comments!