Yesterday the NHL and adidas released all 31 home uniforms for each NHL team. Many rejoiced at the fact that adidas didn’t brand each one with their 3 stripes, while others complained about redesigns. As a jersey collector myself and someone who is constantly analyzing every little detail about new jerseys, I think overall the adidas switch went smoothly. There’s very few jerseys that had unfavorable reviews with the switch from Reebok to adidas. The thing that concerns me the most about the switch is the collar laces. They look weird to me right now, maybe I just need to give it some time. When Reebok switched from the 6100 system to the Edge system, people complained then too and the cycle will repeat itself every time they NHL’s jersey manufacturer changes. Overall I think for its first year, adidas did very well.
In this post I’ll look at the similarities and differences between the Reebok and Adidas home jerseys as well as my take on each.
ANAHEIM DUCKS
The Anaheim Ducks carried over the same design onto their new adidas jerseys. Personally, I think this Ducks design could be a lot better, but that’s no fault of adidas. There’s just too many colors in awkward striping patterns for me. I also have a thing for jerseys that have waist stripes, so these Ducks jerseys don’t cut it for me. With the adidas switch, I’m actually a fan of the collar and tied-down laces here. Although the jersey design is identical, I actually think the adidas jersey looks nicer.
ARIZONA COYOTES
Like the Ducks, the Coyotes carried their design over to adidas. This Yotes jersey design is not my favorite. Again, it’s missing waist stripes and doesn’t look as good as it could. The adidas jersey here also looks better than it’s Reebok counterpart, maybe it’s just the cut of the jersey I like better.
BOSTON BRUINS
The Bruins were rumored to be 1 of 13 teams getting new jersey designs with the adidas switch, but the jersey remained exactly the same. The only change was that the numbers and letters lost their black outline. If only the adidas lacing system was different here, I’d be a fan. For now I’m giving the edge to Reebok on this jersey.
BUFFALO SABRES
The Sabres finally got rid of those weird grey pits and piping. The new adidas jersey is much cleaner than the Reebok one. I’m a fan of the laces here on the adidas since they’re not loose like the Bruins one. The loose vs. tied down laces is a small change but for some reason makes all the difference to me in the adidas jerseys! People complained about still having numbers on the front, but I don’t mind them.
CALGARY FLAMES
Like Buffalo, the Calgary Flames decided to lose some unnecessary piping and gave the jersey an overall cleaner look. A lot of people don’t like the flags on the shoulder remaining, but those are actually my favorite features about the Flames’ jerseys. Adidas definitely improved on Reebok’s mistakes.
CAROLINA HURRICANES
It came as a surprise to many that there was a redesign when the Canes released their adidas jersey. After lots of complaining from fans that the Canes jerseys were boring, adidas made some fantastic design changes. Although I’m a fan of the Canes’ Reebok jerseys, I think the adidas version is even better. They reintroduced the “warning flags” to the waist stripes and added some black accents to the sleeves and waist. I think this one is definitely a positive change except for those darn laces on the adidas jersey.
CHICAGO BLACKHAWKS
The Hawks kept (and rightfully so) their classic Blackhawks jersey design in the carry-over to adidas. The only difference is the collar between the two. I’m really not a fan of the adidas collar color choices here, but maybe it’ll grow on me.
COLORADO AVALANCHE
Colorado's jersey is the biggest winner of the switch to adidas. Using the same design as they did from 1995-2007 was the smartest decision adidas could’ve made. I absolutely love the adidas jersey here. The Avs have gone from worst to best jerseys in the NHL with this switch. The Reebok jersey was too plain. It had the iconic bad piping that Reebok loved to throw on its jerseys and the blue and red touching which just looks awful. At least the Avalanche seem to have learned from their mistakes and brought back an absolute classic of a jersey.
COLUMBUS BLUE JACKETS
The Blue Jackets didn’t change anything other than the position of the piping. It was no doubt a bold and controversial move by the franchise, but I think it paid off. The shape of the jersey looks nicer and made a slight improvement over the Reebok ones.
DALLAS STARS
The Dallas Stars pulled a reverse-Carolina Hurricanes. The Stars were rumored to be changing and didn’t actually change anything. Although many don’t like these Stars uniforms I think they’re great. It has all the elements I love about a hockey jersey, waist and arm stripes! Once again I’m not a fan of the laces on the adidas but overall I like both jerseys.
DETROIT RED WINGS
Nothing to talk about here. The Detroit Red Wings jerseys weren’t changing and everybody knew that. The Wings will never change and shouldn’t ever change and that’s the way it should be. Would be nice if another team did the same *cough* New Jersey *cough*.
EDMONTON OILERS
Ok so technically we’re not comparing the Oilers’ new home jersey with their last, but it makes more sense to compare these two. Fans were upset that the Oilers would be using a darker blue than the previous orange crush jerseys, but I’m pretty indifferent. Fans also complained that they would be using orange jerseys full time at home which is another decision that I think was the right one. I like both jerseys here, but prefer the adidas collar to the Reebok one. I’m not a fan of how the blue collar lines don’t connect on the Reebok jerseys and think it was smart to keep it solid on the adidas jerseys. Oilers fans can relax now that they know they won’t have to see that thick white collar.
FLORIDA PANTHERS
The Panthers jersey followed the Bruins and Stars’ lead in having rumours about changing and then not doing anything. Many thought the Panthers would extend the chest stripe all the way around the jersey but that never came to fruition. Nothing really to talk about here, literally the exact same jersey just cut a different way. Still looks great!
LOS ANGELES KINGS
Like the Blue Jackets, the only difference between the L.A. Kings jerseys is where the piping is headed. On the adidas jerseys it goes slightly lower and again for some reason looks much better. Other than that, there’s not much to talk about here, on to the next!
MINNESOTA WILD
Minnesota is a green team once again with the new Wild jersey! The Wild scrapped thos ugly red things and created a beautiful new home jersey. I love everything about this adidas jersey. It’s a fresh look that we haven’t seen from the Wild and just works. The tied-down laces look great, the chest stripe looks great, and the sleeve stripes look great. Overall, just a fantastic job by adidas for the Wild. The thin white line at the bottom adds a nice touch to the jersey. Big improvement for the wild here.
MONTREAL CANADIENS
The Habs jersey is a classic just like most original 6 teams. The Habs will probably fall under the same category as the Wings where they rarely (if ever) change their jersey designs. The adidas jersey carries over the LNH shield which is a nice little touch that Reebok introduced not too long ago. Though the design of the jersey is identical, I still can’t get over the laces.
NASHVILLE PREDATORS
Oh boy. This is the new adidas jersey that everyone loves to hate. When this jersey was first leaked I thought “Please don’t let the other jerseys look like this, I hate it.” but the more I look at it, the more I like it. I think it’s an improvement over the last and works well. It could use something to break up all the yellow, but overall I think it’s a nice jersey. It’s not the worst jersey adidas released yesterday, we’ll get to that. Plus the guitar strings on the sleeves is a nice touch.
NEW JERSEY DEVILS
Oh boy x 2. The Devils have always had a classic jersey and now they threw that out the window. This jersey has been received by many as a disaster. I’ve heard things like “it looks like a long sleeve t-shirt that you’d buy at a Walmart”. Even though I dislike this jersey a lot, I think it looks much better when the player is wearing it. The way it looks on the players saves it from being a completely terrible redesign. Like others, maybe it’ll grow on me.
NEW YORK ISLANDERS
The Isles didn’t change anything design-wise so the jerseys look the same. However, those adidas laces are back and still don’t make any sense to me. They don’t even act like they pose a function.
NEW YORK RANGERS
Please see what was written for the New York Islanders.
OTTAWA SENATORS
The Sens made a minor change to their jersey design by making a boxier white area to the hips and a thicker, boxier black strip under the arms. It feels like these jerseys just have colors slapped all over the place. The Sens had one job: change their jerseys to the heritage ones. For some reason, they couldn’t do it. Because of that, they shall continue to be ridiculed for their practice-style jerseys. Here’s to hoping they bring back the Heritage jerseys in the future. This is by far my least favorite jersey to come out of the switch to adidas.
PHILADELPHIA FLYERS
The Flyers have a classic design and didn’t need to change anything. Everything still looks great, let the fans rejoice!
PITTSBURGH PENGUINS
The Pens have a great jersey. It’s a classic design and always looks great. However, for some very odd reason, the Pens added a thick piece of yellow to the collar. It now looks like Pittsburgh will be wearing yellow polo shirts under their jerseys. Again like so many other things, I’ll wait and see if it grows on me.
SAN JOSE SHARKS
The Sharks jerseys look like pyjama shirts. The removal of the waist stripes from a little while ago takes these jerseys down a notch. I still can’t get over the fact that the organization claimed it was to reduce the weight of the jersey! Adidas improved these jerseys with nicer shoulder patches but brought it right back down with it’s weird laces.
ST. LOUIS BLUES
The Blues kept their jersey design identical in a very smart move. These jerseys look great in both the Reebok and adidas cut. The Blues decided to change their yellow numbering to white in a very insignificant move in my opinion. I didn’t mind the yellow numbers and I don’t mind the white ones, still a great jersey. The adidas jersey is slightly better, but only because of the neck detail.
TAMPA BAY LIGHTNING
Tampa’s jerseys are nice but let’s face it, they’re just a Red Wings jersey in Leafs colors. I think Tampa made a smart move in staying away from laces when switching to adidas. The jersey has a cleaner look to it and definitely improved. However, it needs to get its own design going forward.
TORONTO MAPLE LEAFS
I think these look great except for one thing and I bet you can guess what it is. Otherwise, nothing to talk about.
VANCOUVER CANUCKS
New jersey manufacturer, same great jersey. Fans have been pushing to remove the “Vancouver” script from the jerseys, but as a Canucks fan myself, I like it. I think the Canucks have great jerseys as is and have a history of great looking jerseys to pull from when they decide to redesign. The jerseys look great, script and all. Though it should be of note that I don’t think the infamous Flying V Canucks jerseys are as ugly as everyone says, so hey what do I know?
VEGAS GOLDEN KNIGHTS
Since this is their first year as a franchise I don’t have a previous jersey to compare it to, I decided to just show both the home and away. I think the Knights did a fantastic job here for their first jerseys. I love the details in the arm bands as well, though I’ve heard others call it tacky or cheesy. There’s no doubt the Knights will look better than they’ll be playing. Although not part of the jersey, the white and gold gloves make their uniforms that much more spectacular fabulous.
WASHINGTON CAPITALS
The Caps have followed suit with the Jackets and Kings in improving their jerseys based solely on the piping destination. I really don’t know why, but the piping hitting lower on the collar just makes a jersey look nicer. Other than that, nothing else to see here.
WINNIPEG JETS
The Jets are keeping the same jersey design and in doing so are still looking good. Actually scratch that, they’re looking better. Once again I find that the adidas cut makes the Jets jersey look just a tad nicer. Winnipeg also opted for the tied-down laces rather than the loose ones. Overall it’s a small but good improvement for the team.
Every time the NHL switches jersey manufacturers, there are complaints. That’s just the way it is. Adidas will learn from their mistakes and we’ll complain again when the next manufacturer comes along. I just hope those laces grow on me or adidas figures out a better way. Overall I’m happy with the switch and think there have been many improvements.
Now that you’ve read my thoughts, what are yours? Agree? Disagree? Tweet at me @CoolHockey1 or comment on Facebook and tell me why I’m wrong! Also don’t forget to check out CoolHockey.com to get your hands on Reebok jerseys while they’re still around!
