Central Division
Chicago Blackhawks
1955-present Red jersey
The choices for best jersey are usually easy for Original Six teams. The Blackhawks are no different. After going through their first 30 seasons with jerseys that had more stripes than a zebra, the team toned it down to a red based jersey with black and white stripes just on the hem and sleeves, and the classic Native-American head logo on the front.
The jersey was made famous by legends Stan Mikita, Bobby Hull, and Glenn Hall, and continued along to the modern day dynasty Chicago has created through Jonathan Toews and Patrick Kane. Though the team has visited other jerseys for Winter Classics (they seem to be in every other game, so they must run out soon), the best one is the jersey they currently wear.
Colorado Avalanche
1995-2007 Original Burgundy jersey
After wearing gorgeous threads in Quebec for nearly 20 years, the Avalanche took the ice wearing burgundy and blue, with unique striping reminiscent of the Rocky Mountains where the team now resides. The triangular shaped hem pattern reminds of mountain peaks, and the logo on the blue shoulders was designed after Bigfoot (or team legend Adam Foote, scholars debate).
The team tried to keep the design through the change to Reebok in 2007, but the shoulder stripes straightened out, and the hem stripe was removed. The team has returned to a similar look in 2017, but it doesn’t quite measure up to the original jersey that lifted 2 Cups in the first 5 years in Denver. It’s similar enough, though, to tell us that the team is at least trying to mend the wrong Reebok did.
Dallas Stars
1997-2007 Green jersey
The Stars were brought to Dallas from Minnesota wearing mostly black uniforms with Dallas written down the sides of the pants. But after the 1990’s did their work on the All Star uniforms in 1994, the Dallas Stars decided to take that design and wear it for their own jerseys, and created a unique set that is unmistakably theirs. The green base with the star design is perfectly done and appropriate for their team name, and was the jersey the team wore when winning the Cup in 1999.
Unfortunately, the Stars were one of the many teams hit hard by Reebok, forcing these beauties into mothballs for jerseys that were just plain boring and unimaginative. They have since righted the wrongs with a great new look, which has aged nicely and looks perfectly fine. But the Mike Modano era jerseys were much more appropriate, and looked good during an era of team success.
Minnesota Wild
2000-2013 Original White jersey
The Wild came to Minnesota a few years after the Stars left, and had a much different identity than their predecessors. They debuted with a bear head shaped logo, which doubled as a forest scene (brilliant design). They had white and green jerseys, both with green shoulder stripes going from neck to arm. The jersey looked good, aged well, and was around for the team’s first few years.
The white jersey allowed more room for the logo to breathe, and also lasted a few years longer than the green jersey, thus finding it’s way on our list. The Wild then changed to wearing red jerseys with a completely different design, before returning to green full time in 2017 when Adidas took over. But the original white jersey stands out as their best jersey to date.
Nashville Predators
2011-2017 Yellow jerseys
The Predators first started with navy and silver jerseys with yellow trim, a look they kept until 2011, when they overhauled everything. The new uniforms featured a simplified logo, a removal of silver, and a promotion of yellow from trim to main color. The jersey also featured the numbers having guitar strings running through them, a nod to country music. Their current yellow jerseys look similar, but after removing the navy accents at the top, it looks like it’s missing something.
The Preds now own the color yellow across the NHL, being the only team to wear it in a primary role. The fans in Nashville filled their home barn with yellow during their recent playoff runs, and it’s perfect for a team that’s putting it’s roots down deep in their city. Their current jerseys seem a little bland, but the overall look is fine, basing off of the most successful uniforms the team has ever worn.
St. Louis Blues
1967-1979 Blue jersey
Over the years, the Blues have had many similar looks, not changing much each time, but changing enough to notice. For years they had red in their look, but most jerseys featured blue and yellow. Their original design was the cleanest look they’ve had, however. A simple blue with a yellow triple stripe on the sleeves, and featuring the clean, classic Blue Note logo on the front.
Since then, the team has had many designs, including arching the name over the logo, red stripes, almost wearing trumpets, before settling on a clean look in 1998. The Blues have since brought this jersey back as a Winter Classic jersey, before naming it their heritage jersey this past summer. Goes to show that many teams just get it right off the bat.
Winnipeg Jets
2011-present Original Blue jersey
The Atlanta Thrashers wore the most unique jerseys in hockey when they packed up their bags north to Winnipeg. The new version of the Jets started wearing brand new uniforms and logos, featuring tributes to the Royal Canadian Air Force, where the team gets it’s name inspiration from. The jerseys are navy blue, with light blue stripes, double on the sleeves, and single at the hem.
The current Jets don’t technically share their history with the original Jets, the now Arizona Coyotes. But before the Jets played in a Heritage Classic against the Oilers, the team wore throwback uniforms similar to that of the original Jets. But again, as the team has technically nothing to do with those Jets, we’ll go with the better looking of the two jerseys the team has worn in its brief history.