Everyone has an opinion on NHL Reverse Retro jerseys...me too

The NHL "Reverse Retro" idea for alternate sweaters debuting this year were meant to capture the "unique and historical moments in each club's history, while refreshing the color and design combination for an all-new presentation," according to the NHL.

So there you have it. Some came out great. Others did not. And, as always, beauty is in the eye of the beholder.

The list that follows partially appeared in the comments section of my last blog. Some responses from Sabres buzzards referenced a sweet Colorado Rockies Jersey (with picture) that won't be used by the present Colorado Avalanche club or the city and team where the Rockies moved--the New Jersey Devils. Too bad, because it's awesome. Soon after the Rockies mention, the old Kansas City Scouts sweaters--an Indian atop a horse proudly and steadfastly scanning the terrain before him--was mentioned. It was an iconic sweater in my mind, and one of my all-time favorites. Unfortunately those Scouts sweaters, like the Rockies logo, won't be seen in Kansas City because they don't have a team, or in Colorado, a stop on their way to New Jersey, or in the Garden State, where that franchise eventually landed.

Since we're so intertwined with the New Jersey Devils at this moment, I'll kick off our thumbs up portion of the NHL Reverse Retro jersey review with them. The other two categories are thumbs down and meh. Of note, there's no particular order to any category.

Thumbs up:

--New Jersey Devils: Speak of the Devil(s,) they go with the version they first wore when coming over from Colorado making that sweater jump with that bold green base.

--Chicago Blackhawks: Any sweater that has the chief on it is as iconic as it comes in the NHL and is an immediate winner. And that black? Oh my!

--LA Kings: It's purple. I don't care how many hues of blue you throw at me it's purple...and gold. It's Lakers. It's Los Angeles. It's got the 90's logo and the crown. It's Wayne Gretzky meets Marcel Dionne. What more you can ask for.

--Florida Panthers: They're the "Cats". And that panther coming out of the deep blue (not purple) is headed your way. Anyone can wear this sweater with pride.

--Minnesota Wild: Another of my favorites from back in the day when they were the North Stars. The new bear head logo with inlaid pine trees is solid and the old colors do it justice when melding the two. But where's that big 'N' topped with the North Star. (Give it back, Dallas.)

--Vegas Golden Knights: "Welcome to Excalibur!" The franchise is only a few years old so there's not much retro involved, but those colors and that emblem make me want to joust for the King.

--Edmonton Oilers: These scream "Gretzky!" Back in the day, one could never really appreciate the color combination because the Northland Coliseum lighting didn't do them justice. Now we see what they were supposed to look like.

--New York Rangers: Always dug those Statue of Liberty thirds. Having it on a blue sweater makes it even better.

--Pittsburgh Penguins: There's a lot to be said for simplicity and this retro sweater was simple to begin with. That white background makes it all the more classy.

--Washington Capitals: That screaming, descending Bald Eagle looks even better in red, white and blue and should be a keeper.

--New York Islanders: Sure they didn't do much, and I would love to have seen what they might have done with the Gorton Fisherman logo as it's becoming somewhat of a cult classic. But, Denis Potvin, Billy Smith and Mike Bossy would approve of this sweater while reminiscing about the first of their four consecutive Stanley Cups.




Thumbs down:

--Calgary Flames: It was a strange looking horse to begin with. The flames coming out of it's nostrils comes off as silly. The color scheme is great, but you just can't do much with that image of Blasty (thx for that tidbit, Mark Lazerus of the Athletic.

--St. Louis Blues: That red. Oh my, I was having flashbacks. Just way too much going on.

--Vancouver Canucks: They went from red and blue ('01 alternate jersey) to green and blue but that chest design reminds me of a paisley and stripes combination that never really works. Love the colors, though.

--Columbus Blue Jackets: The logo looks as if it's a Christmas tree, which is great for the holiday season if you're looking for that ugly Christmas sweater.

--Montreal Canadiens: The Habs logo is iconic. One of the greatest in sports and brings me back to the days of playing table-top hockey which always had the Canadians vs. the Maple Leafs. But that blue just swallowed me whole.

--Winnipeg Jets: Never been to Winnipeg, but I've read that it's a pretty dreary place in the winter (which can seem to last forever, like in Western New York where I grew up.) There's a full array of colors are cool, and winter-like, and kind of depressing.

--Boston Bruins: Is there a dimmer switch for that yellow?


Meh:

--Buffalo Sabres: Either bring back the red/black with that logo or leave it be (I prefer the latter as I never liked the butter knives)

--Hartford Whalers/Colorado Avalanche: The Whale and the Nords sweaters are iconic regardless of era, but relevant to the teams today? (If so, bring back the North Star to Minnesota)

--Dallas Stars: Give Minnesota its star back for retro jersey.

--Toronto Maple Leafs: How many variances of a maple leaf can one have?

--Detroit Red Wings: The winged wheel on a washed out jersey really does nothing for me.

--Nashville Predators: It's as retro as can be, I guess. How 'bout goin with an image of Baby Puss (the Flintstones cat) as their alternate logo after all, Anaheim uses a cartoon?

--Anaheim Ducks: Not bothersome, but I always hated the "Mighty Ducks" sweaters during their inception.

--Ottawa Senators: Unexciting.

--Philadelphia Flyers: Solid, but will be looking for them to be skating around in those stupid sweat pants from the Lindros era.

--San Jose Sharks: Logo is great, color scheme not so great with all that grey.

--Tampa Bay Lightning: Yawn. (Yeah, I realize you just won the Stanley Cup)

--Arizona Coyotes: 'Yotes in 6 (sorry for the inside joke)