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

The NHL has announced the return of the Adidas Reverse Retro jerseys

The NHL announced the return of the Adidas Reverse Retro jerseys and many of them have improved on their 2020 renditions. The Winnipeg Jets and Vancouver Canucks were among the improvements, while the Flames and Blue Jackets took a step back visually.

There are several that either remained in the “bad” category or were downgraded from good to bad. Fans appear split on the jerseys, as the subjective discussion of what fans prefer complicates the reviewing of jerseys.

Below I have categorized the 32 reverse retro jerseys into five tiers which go from “The Best of the Best to “Could be MUCH Better.”

Tier One: The Best of the Best

Florida Panthers

The Florida Panthers centered their Reverse Retro around their long-time shoulder patch, which is a phenomenal logo.

The powder blue jersey works well to compliment the other aspects of the design, while also not overcomplicating it. Overall, one of the most visually appealing designs of the roll-out.

Colorado Avalanche

The Avalanche have used elements of their state flag for many seasons, but have never committed to using the state colors.

This changes in their 2022 Reverse Retro, diving fully into the red, yellow, and blue that makes the Colorado state flag one of the more visually appealing. It’s not complicated, and using a white jersey really makes the bright colors pop.

Los Angeles Kings

The Kings’ purple color scheme should strongly be considered for a full-time role in their jersey rotation. Their 2020 Reverse Retro was a solid purple, so introducing a white jersey with purple elements really displays their rich jersey history.

They were among the best in 2020, and remain the best in 2022. Now that’s some consistency.

Vancouver Canucks

The Vancouver Canucks’ new Reverse Retro brings ‘Johnny Canuck’ back into the fold. Ditching last season’s gradient look, the Canucks return to a classic logo that should be used more often.

The jersey is simple, clean, and seems to live up to the “retro” piece of the assignment.

Minnesota Wild

The assessment of these is simple: The Minnesota North Stars color scheme is gorgeous and making a jersey with it is an immediate win.

Their 2020 rendition is a white version, so this seemed like the obvious choice.

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 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!