Hockey uniforms are huge part of the game and culture, but poor uniforms can also ruin the image of a team:
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10. 1996-2006 Boston Bruins “pooh bear” jersey
The bear itself isn’t all too bad, it isn’t great, but at the same time it isn’t terrible. The rest of the jersey is just plain awful though. The yellow is off, ,the striping is bad, and what is up with the Bruins text on the shoulders?
9. 2001-2007 Nashville Predators mustard yellow alternates
Unlike many others, I actually don’t mind the logo on these jerseys, it represents the team adequately enough, that mustard yellow coloring though is truly disgusting. It’s kind of unbelievable that these jerseys made it through the entire marketing department without anyone vetoing it.
8. 1995-1996 Anaheim Mighty Ducks “Wild Wing” alternates
Essentially a marketing ploy for Disney, Wild Wing, who looked like Donald Duck on steroids, appeared on Ducks’ jerseys in 1995-96 as a skating ad for the third Mighty Ducks movie which would be released during the course of that season. The jersey they should have used as an alternate is actually worn by Wild Wing upon this mistake of a uniform, teasing what could have been.
7. 2011 Calgary Flames Heritage Classic jersey
While not directly an advertisement like the jersey in the number eight spot, these Heritage Classic jerseys look like they were designed by the good folks at Heinz. The ketchup red and mustard yellow could potentially work in separate designs, but when put together as they have been, it induces a vomit like reaction.
6. 2020 Colorado Avalanche Stadium Series jerseys
You can see what they they were trying to go for with the design here, but it was executed terribly. It looks like a cheap hoodie you’d find at a Colorado truck stop, not an NHL jersey. The state flag is such a great design, there’s so much they could’ve done with that, but instead they tried to be unique and completely swung and missed with this one.
5. 1978-1984 Vancouver Canucks “flying V” jerseys
These jerseys were brought on in the 1978 season to “promote aggression” with a new color scheme, and I suppose they did, considering the Canucks made the playoffs all six years they donned them. This list isn’t about success however, so these abominations are featured at the fifth spot.
The design is certainly both colorful and unique, though not in a good way. Who thought a massive v-neck would make a better jersey than just slapping the crest they have on the shoulders of the jersey front and center? Apparently the marketing department realized this, because that’s what the team began wearing when the V was finally given the shelf after the 1984 season.
4. 1995-1996 Los Angeles Kings “Burger King” jerseys
Attempting to ride the gradient wave that took over the NHL in the mid-90’s, the Kings came up with this alternate jersey design and fell quite short of the mark. The sash looking stripe across the front makes the player wearing it look like a failed boy scout, and then there’s the awful purple Burger King knockoff logo strangely featured up by the shoulder, just a terrible jersey.
3. 2009 Montreal Canadiens throwback jerseys
Fortunately only worn once, these Canadiens throwbacks based upon a 1912-13 design are a literal eyesore. With the appearance of a bad optical illusion, I truly hope nothing of this sort ever graces an NHL ice surface again.
2. 2003-2006 Anaheim Ducks alternates
There’s so many great options the Ducks could choose to use as alternate jerseys, but again they went in the completely wrong direction. These alternates look like the generic jerseys from a bootleg, unlicensed hockey game, not a actual jersey to be used in game action.
1. 1995-1996 St. Louis Blues “trumpet jerseys”
Taking the cake on this list, the Blues trumpet jerseys from the 95-96 season is truly the biggest jersey abomination in NHL history, so bad, in fact, that they were never worn. Blues head coach Mike Keenan, true to his character, flat out refused to have his team wear them, truly setting the standard for the jersey revolution of the mid-90’s that valued uniqueness over quality.
Photo: NBC Sports
