Hockeyhead

For reasons unexplained, teams in the NHL tend to alter their jerseys more often than any other North American professional sports league.  While some teams only opt to make a few design changes to their uniforms, like the New Jersey Devils.  All too often a team will completely alter their logo and jersey with the results ranging from slightly favorable (i.e. The Phoenix Coyotes), to the downright hideous (see The Buffalo Sabres).

Here is a rundown of 5 of the NHL’s greatest jersey mistakes:

The Washington Capitals (1995-2007)

Luckily the Capitals reverted to their inaugural logo and a reasonably streamlined jersey design.  This patriotic emblem would have been much more at home emblazoned on the side of a football helmet.  Sadly, this wasn’t even the biggest jersey blunder of the 1995 season.  Sometimes it takes a superstar of  Alex Ovechkin’s caliber to force a team into re-thinking its appearance.  I applaud.

The Buffalo Sabres (2007-Present)

Unlike when Washington went back to basics, the Sabres blew it by only reverting to their original color scheme and giving us Barney Rubble’s hair as the logo.  Name me another professional sports team whose logo features both a symbol for the city and the team’s name.  The Buffalo Sabres = A buffalo and a pair of bad-ass sabres crossed, not this aberration.  And they have the nerve to tease us with the good jersey as their alternate.  Fix it!

The Anaheim Mighty Ducks (1993-2006)

Allowing Disney to enter the NHL fold was a sick joke.  The only people laughing were Emilio Estevez and Pacey J. Witter from Dawson’s Creek.  The NHL has always liked to market itself as the fastest and toughest game on the planet; a duck-billed goalie mask and the term “mighty” bleed toughness.  At least they shortened it to just “Ducks” and changed their shitty colors.  Now, if we could just get them to relocate and drop the “Ducks” altogether.

The Vancouver Canucks (Combination of 1998 logo with 2007-present colors)

The Canucks have had more than their share of bad jerseys and bad logos (i.e. puke orange with the “Flying-Skate”) over the years.  In 2003 they started to feature their bitchin’ “Stick-in-Rink” logo and original colors as their alternate jersey.  Then in 2007 they announced that they would be using those colors permanently!  Oh wait, they kept that stupid Orca Bay Sports and Entertainment logo.  That’s so clever, a whale jumping through ice to form a “C” for Canucks!  A whale?  At least do yourself some selfish service and change the name to the Vancouver Orca Whales.

The New York Islanders (1995-1997)

This “Fisherman” logo was very short-lived.  The Islanders actually saw their attendance dive considerably after they launched this shit-stew of a shirt.  There should be an unwritten rule that says if your team has won a Stanley Cup (let alone a dominant 4-year dynasty), and/or featured a player of Mike Bossy’s caliber, then the team should be expected to hold to that jersey for all eternity.  What were they thinking in 1995?  Their original logo featured a nifty “NY” with a hockey stick hanging for the “Y”, and a silhouette of Long Island.  The 1995 logo says one thing; FISH STICKS.

Honorable mentions:  Columbus Blue Jackets, Nashville Predators, Ottawa Senators, Carolina Hurricanes, Atlanta Thrashers, L.A. Kings (purple and yellow days), Colorado Avalanche, The Phoenix Coyotes, and The Tampa Bay Lightning.

SL