By Mark Lazerus, Julian McKenzie and Sean Gentille
The novelty of outdoor games has worn off a bit since the first Heritage Classic in 2003 and the magical Winter Classic in 2008. This weekend’s – and – games will be the 40th and 41st outdoor games put on by the . This year’s game between the host and the reigning champion had the lowest ratings of any Winter Classic (which is probably why the league went running back to its old standby, the , for next season’s event at Wrigley Field). Outdoor games are great fun for the local markets and make the league a lot of money, but their leaguewide significance seems to have faded a bit.
Except for the jerseys. We’ve had 82 jerseys created for these games now, and seemingly every single one elicited strong reactions — positive, negative, both — from all corners of the fan base. There have been throwbacks, fauxbacks, color reversals, unretired logos and the 2011 basically opting out of the exercise entirely. The jerseys create more conversation — and likely make more money — than the games themselves do.
With that in mind, our intrepid trio set out to rank the 10 best outdoor jerseys — and the 10 worst. Each of them rated each jersey on a scale of 1-10 to come up with the list. These rankings are correct and irrefutable, and we will accept no dissent in the comments section.
Gentille: 10
Lazerus: 10
McKenzie: 10
Lazerus: It seems like the NHL has been trying to live up to the original Winter Classic for 16 years. It hasn’t happened yet — not on the ice, not in the merchandise department.
McKenzie: This is the only jersey on our list that got a unanimous 10-out-of-10 approval from all three of us. The light blue, the stripes, the retro penguin logowinnipeg jets vintage t shirt. Its legacy as an all-time classic jersey, outdoor or otherwise, is secured. You can’t tell the story without this jersey. That’s how good it is.
Gentille: It probably benefits from being one of the original jerseys, but I’m not sure how that matters. Also, it’s hard to overstate how much blue Penguins gear you’d see around Pittsburgh for years after this game, and years after they’d mothballed the jerseys altogether.
Gentille: 10
Lazerus: 10
McKenzie: 9
Lazerus: For the record, these are my No. 1. I covered this game (I cover the Blackhawks, so I’ve covered seemingly EVERY outdoor game), and these were simply gorgeous to behold in person. You know a specialty jersey is good when it becomes part of the regular rotation. Just make it the primary home jersey already. It’s flawless.
McKenzie: I love the blue jersey with the yellow collar and stripes. It’s an incredible jersey, but I couldn’t quite rank it high enough to be No. 1. But it’s so close.
Gentille: What percentage of people watching on TV said some version of “They should just wear those all the time?” Fifty? Seventy-five?
Gentille: 8
Lazerus: 9
McKenzie: 9
Lazerus: Our top three seem to indicate we’re all suckers for baby blue. At first blush, the wonkiness of the lettering here bothered me, but the quirkiness grew on me every time I saw it.
McKenzie: I fell in love with the jersey as soon as I saw it. I think it’s so cool that a new franchise has already created one of the best outdoor jerseys ever made. I love the red S with “Kraken” inside that somehow blends perfectly with the different blues, gray and white base.
Gentille: Kraken don’t miss. It takes skill to nail a faux retro jersey for a team in its third season.
Gentille: 9
Lazerus: 7
McKenzie: 9
Lazerus: I’m always torn on the nostalgia play. On the one hand, these look GREAT. Just like ’s Whalers jerseys do. On the other hand, it’s such a cold move to take a city’s team and then rub its nose in it by wearing their colors and making money off their logo. It’s just a little unseemly. I’m guessing Nordiques fans did not appreciate the “homage.”
McKenzie: C’est un beau jersey.
Gentille: Yeah, I deducted a point for the stolen valor element, but these are too good to slide any further.
Gentille: 9
Lazerus: 9
McKenzie: 7
Lazerus: I remember hating these when they came out. I grew up on Long Island, and upon first glance, I was like one of those Star Wars fans who watched Luke’s (very human and very understandable) character arc in “The Last Jedi” (the second-best Star Wars movie; fight me) and immediately started crying about how Rian Johnson ruined their childhoods. But I really came around on them. Also, go watch “Andor.”
McKenzie: These jerseys are pretty solid. I like the big NY logo and mostly blue body with white shoulders and orange stripes. They’ve since become part of the Islanders’ jersey rotation. Unlike Lazerus, I don’t have a Star Wars movie or show to recommend (you’ve probably seen them all, anyway).
Gentille: I thought I was alone in my sentiments here, but it seems like lots of online Isles fans enjoy these. It helps that every other recent attempt by the org at a third jersey has been a disaster.
Gentille: 8
Lazerus: 8
McKenzie: 8
Lazerus: I’m a sucker for the old-timey look. I know we’re technically rating jerseys here, but it’s impossible not to factor in the faux leather hockey pants and gloves, which are very cool. The jersey number on the front is a neat touch, too.
McKenzie: The Oilers’ blue and orange was always a winning combination, but the revamped oil drop along with the vintage pants and gloves help make this an all-time outdoor jersey.
Gentille: Two-point deduction for the khakis, actually. The jersey is too good to ignore.
Gentille: 8
Lazerus: 8
McKenzie: 8
Lazerus: To me, the Jets’ modern home blues are top-three in the league, so I don’t have any wistful yearning for this old-school logo. But the deep red embedded in the dark blue looks great.
McKenzie: The dark blue jersey with red and stripes just works for me. That 2019 Heritage Classic game was an all-time jersey battle, as far as I’m concerned, with the vintage road whites that have now become their main road whites.
Gentille: I resisted the temptation to go low here due to lack of creativity, but sometimes the easy choice is the correct choice.
Gentille: 7
Lazerus: 9
McKenzie: 7
Lazerus: I’m glad the Wings didn’t bust out the white gloves from the 2016 version for this one. Not a fan of the hospital-worker look. But everything works on this one, particularly the barber-pole socks.
McKenzie: It’s a simple, yet solid outdoor jersey. A good mix of red and white. The royal “D” emblazoned over the front. It’s a good look for the Red Wings for the great outdoors.
Gentille: Tough to mess up a gothic “D.”
Gentille: 8florida panthers team store blues
Lazerus: 7
McKenzie: 8
Lazerus: These take me right back to my childhood and hating Dale Hunter.
McKenzie: I think the Capitals did well with this retro callback. I love the stars at the top of the jersey and the red shoulders. Also, if the Capitals get another outdoor game, I will consider paying a lot of money for a proper eagle throwback jersey. Especially if it’s anything like their original reverse retros.
Gentille: Definitely part of the “hey, why don’t they just wear those all the time” group.
Gentille: 8
Lazerus: 7
McKenzie: 8
Lazerus: Love the colors, don’t love the double-stripe.
McKenzie: Love the colors and the double stripe. The Sabres have two great outdoor jerseys that are sort of similar, but I prefer the white from 2018 over their cream-colored look from the 2022 Heritage Classic.
Gentille: Doesn’t get much cleaner than this.
Gentille: 2
Lazerus: 2
McKenzie: 2
Lazerus: The “A” stands for awful. No, wait. The “A” stands for abominable. No, wait. The “A” stands for AAAAAAH, MY EYES; THE GOGGLES DO NOTHING.
McKenzie: I love the Avalanche’s regular jerseys. We hyped up their Nordiques reverse retros. So, it’s disappointing to know this jersey exists in their history. It should be so much better.
Gentille: I wanted to give them points for audacity here, but I couldn’t bring myself to do it.
Gentille: 3
Lazerus: 2
McKenzie: 3
Lazerus: These look like the sweater a very rich person from a very preppy boarding school wears around his or her neck for the annual club fox hunt. Only much uglier.
McKenzie: I’d like these better if they didn’t just slap “ISLES” on the front. It looks like a jersey designed in five minutes.
Gentille: I’m not against a two-color palette, but combining it with that crest is just too lazy to let slide.
Gentille: 2
Lazerus: 3
McKenzie: 3
Gentille: The Caps haven’t worn many different uniform sets, so there’s no real throwback look to crib for its outdoor looks, but this is still pretty rough. The striping is busy, and there’s too much text on the crest.
Lazerus: There is just so much going on here. Busy is definitely the right word.
McKenzie: If this Capitals jersey had any more white stripes, it would upset Jack White. This jersey is all over the place with those stripes and the red and blue. Washington has better outdoor jerseys in its history. This won’t be among them.
Gentille: 2
Lazerus: 4canucks jersey china
McKenzie: 3
Lazerus: I wish “Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind” were real so I could unsee Jonas Hiller’s orange goalie pads and orange mask with these orange jerseys.
McKenzie: I want to live in a world where the Mighty Ducks jerseys return for an outdoor game. Until then, you can miss me with these.
Gentille: The Ducks’ all-orange everything/webbed-foot logo combo has never led to anything good.
Gentille: 5
Lazerus: 3
McKenzie: 2
Lazerus: I want to destroy this font with a sledgehammer like one of those cars outside Bridgestone Arena during the playoffs. This font is an absolute crime against humanity. Comic Sans would have been better.
McKenzie: I hate the “SMASHVILLE” and the basic blue and yellow. Their 2020 jersey was white and yellow, but at least the “Nashville Predators” on the front was stylish and the overall look was clean. This one just isn’t good.
Gentille: Again, I find myself appreciating the audacity here, but … they’re also boring and lazy? Odd.
Gentille: 4
Lazerus: 5
McKenzie: 1
McKenzie: With respect to my colleagues, I think the Kings got off easy here. I don’t like these inverse, glass-half-empty-looking jerseys. I think they’re among the worst of the bunch. These outfits make them look like futuristic milkmen. We never needed these. Into the trash compactor they go.
Gentille: The 2015 batch was rough all around, so I graded the Kings on a curve, but I’m not trying to defend them, either.
Lazerus: These are the definition of mid. They’re certainly not “good,” but I’m surprised Julian hated them so much; they’re pretty innocuous.
Gentille: 2
Lazerus: 4
McKenzie: 4
Lazerus: With some notable exceptions (see my honorable mention below), I’m generally opposed to black jerseys when a team has a more vibrant primary color. I feel like the Sharks’ teal changed sports uniforms forever, so to dull it down like this is disappointing.
McKenzie: I like black on a jersey as much as the next guy, but this jersey would’ve been so much better if they just stuck with teal and didn’t just have whatever that black bottom is supposed to be. Still better than those Kings jerseys they played against that night.
Gentille: Yep. It’s a major downgrade from what we see from them on a nightly basis.
Gentille: 4
Lazerus: 5
McKenzie: 1
McKenzie: I think the Vancouver Canucks’ outdoor jerseys are awful. The “Vancouver” written inside the V just doesn’t do it for me. The side stripes are eyesores. I completely forgot about these jerseys before we started this ranking, and I’ll do my best to forget them again.
Lazerus: I’d actually like these quite a bit if not for the sleeves. To quote one of our great statesmen, Thor, “The red, the white, just pick a color. Ridiculous.”
Gentille: Yeah, I like the crest. Adding that striping to the sleeves is a hat on a hat, though.
Gentille: 3
Lazerus: 3
McKenzie: 5
McKenzie: I actually think these are fine. If the jerseys weren’t paired with bright yellow helmets, I would’ve given these a 6.
Gentille: Congrats to Purdue’s club hockey team on its Winter Classic appearance.
Lazerus: Clear eyes, full hearts: Can’t lose!
Gentille: 4
Lazerus: 5
McKenzie: 3
Gentille: They’re reminding me of the T-1000, but not in a good way.
McKenzie: Am I watching the New York Rangers or the Hartford Wolf Pack? The Rangers didn’t need to look to their American Hockey League affiliate for jersey inspiration.
Lazerus: The meh-est meh that ever meh-ed.
Lazerus: One of my favorites is the black-and-white 2019 Blackhawks from the Notre Dame Stadium Winter Classic. I know I said I don’t love black jerseys, but these really worked for me. The Blackhawks wore them a handful of times per year for the next couple of seasons, and they’d lean into the theme, with an all-black-and-white scoreboard, and it created a really cool vibe in the arena. I gave it an 8, but Julian — our resident fashion expert, no less — totally tanked it with a 2.
McKenzie: The 2019 Calgary Flames’ road ones should be on this list. They’re so good, the Flames have them as their main road whites and they’re considered among the best jerseys in the league. Ol’ Lazerus thought they were a 6 out of 10, though. These jerseys would absolutely leave the 2019 Hawks ones in the dust.
Gentille: I might be a apologist — their neon set is still one of my favorites — but whatever. Their set for the 2020 Classic was solid. Green is underrepresented in the NHL, and they managed to do it without ripping off the Minnesota North Stars. Not one of the 10 best, but it deserves a mention somewhere.
(Top photo of the Seattle Kraken’s : Steph Chambers / Getty Images)
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