Reviewing Detroit Red Wings AHL Affiliate’s Amazing Veterans Day Jerseys

This past weekend saw the NHL commemorate men and women in uniform as the United States celebrated Veterans Day and Canada celebrated Remembrance Day.

NHL coaching staffs proudly sported the tradition of wearing a poppy. Most NHL teams held Veterans Day events as a thank-you to those who served.

The NHL also continued one of its favorite traditions of special edition jerseys. Hockey’s minor leagues got into the patriotic spirit as well. The team that did it best was the Grand Rapids Griffins, the AHL affiliate of the Detroit Red Wings.

Most NHL teams gave their normal jerseys a camouflage overlay to resemble a military uniform (for example, here’s a look at the New Jersey Devils’ version, currently being auctioned off for charity).

The Red Wings affiliate, the Griffins, knocked their jerseys out of the park.

There’s no camo to be found in Grand Rapids, as the team went for the patriotic ensemble of red, white, and blue. The gold accents are really what make this jersey pop and catch our eye.

Gold accents look great on a jersey, just look at the Buffalo Sabres’ 50th-anniversary jerseys from the 2019-2020 season.

The team’s logo is still front and center, in the red, white, blue, and gold. We’ve seen NHL teams try to give their logo an American flag overlay on various t-shirts, but the way the Red Wings affiliate designed it seems to work a lot better.

It helps that the “griffin” logo closely resembles a bald eagle for that extra patriotic push. It actually looks a lot like the United States jerseys from the 1976 Canada Cup.

What I love about this jersey is that it’s a jersey that not only looks amazing but can be used for many different occasions. It works for Veterans Day. It works for Memorial Day. It works for the Fourth of July, although hockey season is almost always over by then.

Last year, I wore a 1980 United States hockey jersey to the Fourth of July barbecue, and I can see many Griffins and Red Wings fans doing the same with this one. The jersey including its own team logo makes it unique and gives it its own identity.

The only downside to this jersey (and it was hard to find one) was that it doesn’t include Canadian hockey fans. The overdone camo jersey designs of the NHL work because American and Canadian armed forces wear almost identical-looking uniforms.

As much as the American hockey fan in me loves this jersey, our neighbor to the north would probably love a red and white version with maple leaves.

We haven’t seen the Grand Rapids Griffins confirm or deny if these jerseys are on sale for the general public. Judging by the comments on Twitter, the Red Wings’ affiliate would have a top seller on their hands. Let’s hope more teams follow suit.