NHL Reverse Retro Jersey Ideas 2022-23: Metropolitan Division

Carolina Hurricanes- Hartford Whalers Twist on Hurricanes Uniform

For the first wave of Reverse Retro jerseys, the Carolina Hurricanes turned back the clock to their days as the Hartford Whalers. They sported a gray version of their classic uniforms. It was a nice jersey and it obviously was accepted by almost everyone because of the nostalgia it provided. I enjoyed it myself as well.

However, when it comes to the second wave of the jersey program, I don’t think Carolina is going to bring back the Whalers jersey again. Last year’s Reverse Retro was the second time the Hurricanes brought back a Hartford uniform, which includes the Heritage uniform that they’ve occasionally worn since 2018.

Other than their Hartford Whalers days, the Carolina Hurricanes don’t have much to go back to when it comes to dishing out another retro alternate. It is possible that they could just throw out the navy blue Whalers jersey that they wore in 90’s before moving southeast. But just another Whalers design would just be a little overdone in my opinion.

So, to usher up something different, I would like to see the franchise take another approach. I think it would be a neat idea for the Hurricanes to bring back their original jersey design. They wore this specific version of their home jersey from the time they arrived to North Carolina, all the way until 2013. But rather than just doing a simple color swap and making this jersey primarily black, I’ll take the creativity a step further.

I think it would be a great idea to use this specific design and put a Hartford Whalers twist on it. What do I mean by that you ask? What I mean is to actually replace the black, red and gray color scheme and switch it over to the light green and navy blue combination of the Whalers. As far as what color to use primarily, the Canes could use any. They could make it navy blue, green or even white. To me, it really doesn’t matter.

The logo could either continue to be the Hurricanes’ own, while obviously replacing the red and black to the blue and green. Or they could just use the Whalers crest on this design instead. I think the hurricane warning flag striping on the bottom would look really neat in Hartford’s color scheme. A Carolina jersey design mixed with Hartford colors would give a breath of fresh air and it would be something different. I would love to see something like this.

Columbus Blue Jackets- Color Swap of 2003-07 Alternate or Columbus Chill Designed Jersey

The Columbus Blue Jackets are one of the NHL’s newest franchises. Although it feels like they’ve been a staple of the league for a long time, the franchise has only been around since the beginning of the 21st century. Because of this, the Blue Jackets don’t have a huge collection of jersey designs to fall back on.

For 2021, the Jackets came out with a red version of their original uniform, a design that they wore up to the 2006-07 campaign. The opinions of their Reverse Retro for that year were extremely divided. Some people enjoyed the look while others disliked it. I quite enjoyed the jersey myself and I definitely would’ve bought it if I had a chance. I’ve always been a huge fan of the Blue Jackets’ original jersey and logo, including the Stinger logo. I also love the fact that it was red, marking the first time they wore a red jersey.

Now for this time around the Blue Jackets are pushed up against the wall here. As stated before they don’t have many options to dig up for this edition. They could do either one of two things. The first is to bring back their first-ever alternate jersey. It was introduced in 2003 and lasted until 2007. This jersey is notable since the front crest logo was what Columbus uses as their primary logo today. It also had black sleeves and a black bottom. This is one of the more forgotten alternate designs in NHL history.

They could simply bring back this design and do a simple color swap. If I had to choose on what color I’d primarily make this, it would definitely be black or white. I wouldn’t go primarily red with this design. I don’t think it would look too good. But overall, I think a simple color swap would be nice here.

Now for the second option, I decided to dig into the archives of pro hockey in Columbus. The Blue Jackets could revive one of the jersey designs of the Columbus Chill. Who you might ask? The Columbus Chill used to be an ECHL team in the 1990s. They were a part of the league from 1991-1999. While they never won a Kelly Cup, the short-live franchise was quite successful. In their eight seasons, the Chill made the playoffs five times and won two division titles. The Chill proved that hockey could work in Ohio, which led the NHL to add the Blue Jackets as an expansion team in 2000.

With the impending arrival of the Blue Jackets, the Chill packed their bags and moved to Reading, Pennsylvania to become the Reading Royals, who still exist today. I would really want the Blue Jackets to go the extra mile and bring back a design of a former minor league team. The Chill were extremely popular back in the day, so I’m sure the diehard fans that were around during that era would appreciate the NHL team showing some love to the roots of hockey in the city.

As far as a specific design, I would love to see them bring out the 1996-97 jersey. Personally, I think it’s a neat design to go with and it’s something different. The Blue Jackets have the opportunity to be one of the few teams that actually call back to another franchise in another hockey league that was around prior to the NHL’s franchise taking over.  They can simply discard the black and silver for the navy blue and red color scheme and replace the Chill logo with their own. Now they can use a wordmark logo and have it facing upward like in the original jersey, or they can use their primary logo and place it normally in that exact spot. I would like to see this jersey primarily red with navy accents but they can go either way.

Although the New Jersey Devils have been around since the early 1980s, the uniform history hasn’t been that extensive. They have worn almost the same jersey throughout their entire history. The only difference that has been seen was a slight change in the secondary color from green to black and striping. For 2021, the Devils once again went to their original color schemed uniforms and swapped the placements of the colors. As a result, the jersey was primarily green.

The Devils are going to have to go in a different approach when it comes to next year’s Reverse Retro jersey. Since they don’t have much else to work with when it comes to their history in the meadowlands, New Jersey is going to have to throw it back to their Kansas City or Colorado days. For those who don’t know, the New Jersey Devils used to be known as the Kansas City Scouts. They played in Kansas City for two seasons between 1974-76. They then moved to the rocky mountains to become the first ever team in NHL history to call Colorado home. The then Colorado Rockies stuck around from 1976-82. Then they eventually moved over to New Jersey.

The Devils have never mentioned these short-lived portions of their history very much. It’s even gotten to the point where the Scouts and Rockies’ records weren’t even listed in media guides and programs. I’ve never really understood the reasoning for this. I think it would be a great idea to go back to one of the eras for the first time ever in some way shape or form. I would personally like to see the franchise go back to specifically their Kansas City Scouts days.

They could go about this in a few ways. Now one way the Devils can pay homage to the Scouts era is to just once again sport their original uniform and swap out the red, green and white for the blue, gold and red color scheme. But I don’t that would be accepted all too well, especially by the Devils faithful. Instead, I think it would be wise to bring out the Scouts’ actual jersey and recolor it using the red, green and white. If possible a couple hints of black can also be thrown into the uniform as well. I think it would be a nice look and something new. As I stated before, the Devils have never gone back to their origins as a franchise. I would love for them to do so with the upcoming Reverse Retro line.

New York Islanders- Re-release of Infamous Fisherman Jersey

I know as soon as individuals see this jersey, they decide to get a heart attack and become a keyboard warrior if possible. The Islanders Fisherman jersey from the mid-90’s is one of the most polarizing uniforms in not just NHL history, but in the history of sports. Personally, as someone who loves when teams bring out something different, this is one of my all time favorites. I’ve never really understood why this design get so much flack as I have seen worse.

When analyzing why people hate this, the only logical reason I can think is because the franchise was a massive joke during this era. Obviously the notorious Mike Millbury was around when the franchise brought these out. The glory days of the 80’s were long gone and fans didn’t want to let them go. That’s why the redesign was so unpopular amongst most Long Island diehards. However, when just looking at the design and not taking into account on how bad the team was during this era, one might realize that it’s not that bad of a jersey.

Whether people want to except it or not, this is a jersey design that has etched it’s place into hockey history. It’s an all-time classic. The Islanders should bring this back for the Reverse Retro occasion. In 2021, New York brought out one of the laziest and worst jerseys for that years line. It was replicating the 1979-80 home uniform. However, all they did was flip the placements of the white and orange stripes and used the darkened shade of blue the Isles wore in the late 90’s to early 2000’s.  To put it bluntly, I think this would be a way better idea to try and bring out than what they eventually came out with in 2021. I would appreciate the return of the Fisherman jersey very much and I’m sure I’m not alone.

New York Rangers- Red Edition of 90’s Lady Liberty Jersey

As stated multiple times over the course of these pieces, the Original Six franchises are a little bit difficult to come up with ideas for Reverse Retro uniforms. There is some merit to that statement when it comes to the New York Rangers. For a large majority of their existence, the Rangers have worn their classic diagonal blue “Rangers” jerseys. There has obviously been some alterations to the look as the years have gone on.

However, when it comes to other looks, the franchise in Broadway has had their collection of alternates and other default home and away looks. There are a few that immediately come to mind. The first distinctly different look is the uniform the team wore for two seasons in the late 70’s. However, I don’t think the team would go back to that look for this occasion. It was so short lived and it’s highly forgettable. Then there is the Heritage alternate that they wore from 2010-17.

But when it comes to discussing alternative looks that the Rangers have worn, I think the collective can say the Lady Liberty jersey the team wore from 1996-07, was the best ever. Even for non-Ranger fans, like myself, I can say that this look is absolutely beautiful to look at. It for sure has it’s place as one of the greatest alternate jerseys in NHL history. In my opinion, this is the only right way to go for next years’ Reverse Retro line.

Now in 2021, the Rangers ended up bringing these back. Even though it remained largely the same, keeping the navy blue, there were some slight alterations that were made. They came up with a different striping pattern and had no white on the numbers. For this time around, I would love to see this design brought back once again. However, I would love to see this in primarily red. If they end up doing so, it would be the first time in franchise history that the Rangers would skate on the ice with a primarily red jersey. A simple color swap and placements of the navy blue and red will go a long way in making the alternate feel brand new, especially since the Lady Liberty is being used once again. I think it would be a massive win from an aesthetic point of view. And like said earlier, the Rangers don’t really have more appealing jerseys to wear for Reverse Retro than this one.

Pittsburgh Penguins- Robo Pen Jersey with Original Baby Blue Color Scheme

The Pittsburgh Penguins have a large collection of different jersey designs, logos, and colors throughout their entire five-decade history. When it comes to style, the Penguins are definitely at the top of the list. They have come out with some of the most memorable uniforms in NHL history and they have plenty of choices to choose from for this year’s Reverse Retro line.

In 2021, Pittsburgh brought back the diagonal road uniform that they wore from 1992-97. However, instead of the jersey being black, like in the original version, the Pens made it all white. I enjoyed it quite a bit. I think it was one of the better Reverse Retro jerseys of 2021. What I really wanted to see though was the return of the Robo Pen era from 1992-02.

This specific era in Penguins’ history is my personal favorite when it comes to the uniforms. I love the logo. This is the perfect opportunity for the franchise to throw it back to the phenomenal days of Jaromir Jagr fully cementing his status as a superstar. There were definitely some great moments during the time the Penguins donned the Robo Pen jerseys, especially in 1995-96, when Jagr created the famous “Sky Line” himself, playing with Mario Lemieux and Ron Francis.

The Penguins have never gone back to this era in any particular way. I think it’s time the Robo Pen makes a triumphant return this upcoming season through the Reverse Retro line. I wouldn’t mind if they used the white home jersey but I would really like to see them use the gradient fade-away jersey pictured above. With this design, it would be cool to also see the Pens incorporate the original baby blue color scheme when the franchise first began in 1967. Using a baby blue base with accents of navy blue and white would look really sharp. I think the gradient fade in the middle should go from navy to white. The logo would probably be baby blue on the left portion. The middle would stay white and the right portion/head would be navy blue.

Philadelphia Flyers- Throwback to early 1930’s Quakers days

Unlike their in-state rivals, the Philadelphia Flyers haven’t had a huge collection of different logos and jersey designs. Ever since their inception in 1967, the Flyers have had only one logo and mainly one uniform design. There have been some minor changes to the uniform over the years but primarily it has stayed largely the same. It wasn’t even until 1997 that the franchise finally came out with an alternate, which was primarily black.

In 2021, the Flyers did an okay job when it came to their Reverse Retro alternate. Philly brought back their orange jerseys, specifically the version from 1982-2007, and swapped the black and orange elements out for one another. It looked pretty good. But this jersey program is supposed to bring out new creations and be different. The Flyers 2021 retro didn’t feel different at all. It wasn’t a breath of fresh air to me and it didn’t feel new.

This wasn’t entirely the fault of the people who were coming up with the design. As said earlier, the Flyers don’t have much to work with, so their hands were tied behind their backs. But it’s always nice to have a second chance and I’m going to do my best to compensate for that. In order to do so, we need to go back all the way to 1930 when there was an entirely different franchise in Philly that no longer exists today.

Ladies and gentlemen, It’s time to talk about the short-lived Philadelphia Quakers. As a quick history lesson, the Philadelphia Quakers came into the league during the 1930-31 season. They were a relocated franchise. Ironically, the Quakers were previously known as the Pittsburgh Pirates(don’t get confused with baseball). The Pirates called the Steel City home from 1925-30. Then they moved to Philly. In the 1930-31 campaign, the Quakers were by far the worst team, going 4-36-4. After the terrible year, the franchise then suspended operations for a few years and eventually folded on May 7, 1936, because of The Great Depression.

Now with that out of the way, I know people might question why my idea for the Flyers involves a defunct terrible franchise that posted a historically bad record. There are a few reasons why I went this route. As stated earlier, the Flyers don’t have much to work with. So because of that, we have to think outside of the box. Secondly, Philadelphia has morphed into a city where hockey is arguably the main attraction as far as sports are concerned. Because of that, I believe it would be wise to go back to the city’s pro hockey roots and show admiration to really the beginning of hockey being a player in the pro sports landscape.

Thirdly, I kind of like the uniforms. I’m okay with the design of it. For a jersey from 1930, it doesn’t look all that bland. I like the script font logo on the front as it’s something that really hasn’t been replicated at all for a wordmark logo. It’s unique from that aspect. I like the simple striping on the bottom as well. I think mixing in some elements of a Flyers jersey with some elements of the particular Quakers jersey would work really well. I would add some white in between the stripes at the bottom. I would get rid of the stripes on the sleeves as I think it’s too much. Of course, names on the back would need to be added. The shade of orange can either stay the same or change into the specific shade of orange the Flyers use now. And as far as the front crest is concerned, I would recommend switching it to the Flyers logo. The Quaker’s wordmark is a little bland for today’s standards, even though I like it. I think an inspired jersey from the Quakers would be widely accepted by tons of fans and I think it has the potential to look really good.

Washington Capitals- Original Jersey with Late 90’s Color Scheme

We have finally reached the end of this fun little discussion topic here on Puck Prose. The one team that we have yet to talk about is the Washington Capitals. The franchise representing America’s capital has had numerous jersey designs since their inception in 1974. In 2021, the Capitals reverted to the road uniform they wore during the late 1990s. This was the uniform the Capitals wore when clinching their first ever Stanley Cup Finals appearance in 1998. For the Reverse Retro edition, the Capitals recolored it, using their current color palette. It was one of the most popular Reverse Retro jerseys when announced, and it sold like hot cakes.

For the Reverse Retro jersey in 2022-23, the Capitals should go back to their original uniform. I know the Capitals have brought back their original uniform on a few occasions, including wearing a white version for the 2011 Winter Classic.  However, this is one of the best-looking jerseys in history and there is a reason why Washington donned this as an alternate throughout the years. Now a person might say that the Capitals should go back to their black road jersey from 1997-2007 but I don’t think many would want that back.

It’s possible that the Caps could use that design instead but I don’t think it will happen. I could be wrong though. Now going back to the original uniform, it would be nice for them to bring this back once again but change the colors. Rather than doing a basic placement change of the red, white and blue, the Capitals should use their late 1990s color scheme of black, bronze and royal blue. I think a royal blue base with accents of bronze, black and white would look amazing on this jersey. The stars above could be black and bronze. The shoulder can get changed to black and the striping on the bottom could be just bronze and white.