Ranking All 18 NHL Third Jerseys
By Mike Majeski
No. 12 – New York Islanders
Feb 14, 2015; Uniondale, NY, USA; New York Islanders center John Tavares (91) readies a pass during the second period against the Columbus Blue Jackets at Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Anthony Gruppuso-USA TODAY Sports
The New York Islanders are the only team to use their Stadium Series jersey from last season as their official alternate. Considering the terrible third jersey it is replacing, you can understand why this jersey has been popular with the fans. However, the team is expected to get a new alternate once they move to Brooklyn next season, so this one may have a very limited lifespan.
Besides its lame-duck status, the chrome NY logo (as mandated by the Stadium Series) looks out of place. I like the NY logo, but the chrome just diminishes what could be a very nice jersey.
No. 11 – Minnesota Wild
Feb 3, 2015; Saint Paul, MN, USA; Minnesota Wild forward Mikael Granlund (64) celebrates his goal with teammates during the second period against the Chicago Blackhawks at Xcel Energy Center. Mandatory Credit: Brace Hemmelgarn-USA TODAY Sports
The uniform that brought green back to the NHL – a welcome sight. It also started the overused vintage white trend. The Minnesota Wild are one of the rare teams to have a distinct template and color palette for each of their jerseys. The home and alternate jerseys share the use of vintage white, but they went with the traditional white for their away jerseys.
The alternate draws from classic uniform design and features a slight tribute to the Minnesota North Stars (as does the primary logo) with the inclusion of a shooting star to dot the “i” in Minnesota.
When looking at the third jersey, you can’t help but think it would look much nicer with the regular shade of white, rather than the dull vintage white.
No. 10 – Carolina Hurricanes
Dec 18, 2014; Raleigh, NC, USA; Carolina Hurricanes defensemen Andrej Sekera (4) celebrates his 3rd period goal with teammates against the Toronto Maple Leafs at PNC Arena. The Carolina Hurricanes defeated the Toronto Maple Leafs 4-1. Mandatory Credit: James Guillory-USA TODAY Sports
With a team named after one of most power forces in nature, you’d expect a sufficiently stormy looking jersey – and that is exactly what the Carolina Hurricanes have with their all-black alternate uniform. Now weather nerds will point out that technically the flag featured on the front of this jersey designates a tropical storm (hurricane warning flags feature two flags), but we’ll allow some artistic license here.
The triangle in the logo is a reference to the Research Triangle area of North Carolina that the team calls home.
This uniform used to fit in perfectly with the Carolina Hurricanes home and away jerseys, but after their Team Canada-esque re-design it now looks a little out of place. However, we won’t hold that against the Hurricanes third jersey, as it is the home and away uniforms that should be modified.
Next: Numbers 9-7