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Power Ranking NHL Alternate Jerseys in 2019: Looking back at the year of 2019, we rank all of the current NHL alternate jerseys that are in use for the 2019-20 season. Countdown starts from #22 then goes to #1. #22: Winnipeg Jets Alternate Jersey Has a good colour scheme but the word mark devalues the design as its lazy and bland. Too many teams have been trying this and has backfired. #21: Los Angeles Kings Alternate Jersey The stripes and shoulder yoke are cool but it doesn't pop. The grey body doesn't suit the design and the logo. #20: Edmonton Oilers Alternate Jersey Unlike the previous two jerseys ranked lower, this jersey has the pop it needs to crawl out from the bottom of the power rankings. The problem is that its an odd design without a lot of good detailing on it. #19: Anaheim Ducks Alternate Jersey The Ducks did the right thing by bringing back the original Mighty Ducks logo but it has the orange, black and gold trim instead of the green, black and purple they had in the 90's and early 2000's. The silver season jerseys the Ducks during the previous season were better but too bad it was a one-off to commemorate their 25th anniversary. #18: Philadelphia Flyers Alternate Jersey This isn't a bad jersey but there are other jerseys on this list that have more stunning detail and character all around. Philly owns the nameplate and its implemented nicely on this jersey. #17: Columbus Blue Jackets Alternate Jersey The patriotic vibe this jersey has rubs off on you in a positive way. The colour scheme doesn't go together as well as it should have and that's a missed opportunity because this jersey has the potential to be a top 10 with a better choice of colours. #16: New York Islanders Alternate Jersey The logo on this jersey is sharp as it has the four orange dashes across it to honour the four consecutive Stanley Cup victories. Not sold on the lettering kits for these sweaters but the overall design is nice. #15: Colorado Avalanche Alternate Jersey The Colorado State flag and the logo for this uniform is awesome but it could use more pop. #14: Ottawa Senators Alternate Jersey The Senators are recycling the 2017 Heritage Classic jerseys to market a product within their budget. That's a Eugene Melnyk move all the way. They're clean and have a bit of pop to them. The colours match up nicely. Not bad. #13: Vancouver Canucks Alternate Jersey Smart move by the Canucks to go with the white stick-in-rink logo instead of the blue one. It standouts more and it rounds off the green/blue combo nicely. #12: Tampa Bay Lightning Alternate Jersey You have to admire the risk the Lightning have taken on to design a jersey with a gradient. Also known as the stealth jersey, this jersey was designed to be bold and elusive. The fact that this objective was met without making it look like a disaster deserves props. #11: Pittsburgh Penguins Alternate Jersey Originally the 2017 Stadium Series sweater, this jersey was reintroduced in 2018 with some minor tweaks and it looks gorgeous. The black sleeves and the yellow body look fantastic with the stand-alone Penguin logo front and center. A simple jersey with well blended elements. #10: San Jose Sharks Alternate Jersey Most modern designs don't work and break from the traditional standards we're used to seeing. This jersey however is done right. Another stealth jersey makes it high on this list because it incorporates elements that take risk with a potential of a big payoff. The blended Shark and the futuristic heathering between the blue stripes fits with the Sharks brand beautifully. If the white lettering kits were blue instead, it would be top 5 on this list. #9: St. Louis Blues Alternate Jersey This classic jersey is light and has a vintage feel to it. The cream coloured white along with the yellow used as stripes fits nicely with the blue. Simple but yet not like any other jersey on this list. #8: Chicago Blackhawks Alternate Jersey This jersey was so popular during the 2018 Winter Classic that it was brought back as an alternate for the 2019-20 season. A true classic with a busy striping pattern and circular logo is what makes it a winner and it might be around to stay for awhile. #7: Boston Bruins Alternate Jersey This jersey offers a simplicity that works with their brand. There's just the right amount of yellow and white to go along with the black body that makes it hard not to admire. Even if you're not a Bruins fan, this jersey is worth adding to the collection. #6: Carolina Hurricanes Alternate Jersey The depth this jersey has is whats most impressive about it. The blended North Carolina State flag on the shoulder, the two storm warning flags on the front that symbolize a hurricane incoming, and the notch between the two flags to indicate the map of North Carolina is what sets this jersey apart from the rest. It was so well received by fans that the Canes used it for their home playoff games during their run in 2019. There shouldn't be a reason why they won't use it if they make the playoffs in 2020 either. #5: Washington Capitals Alternate Jersey There isn't too many classic jerseys with a level of detail that look great. This jersey is the exception. The stars along the wrist and over the logo make it look gorgeous. The word mark logo surprising works well with the jersey. Will be a full-time alternate for awhile. #4: New Jersey Devils Alternate Jersey Some people will confuse this as a Heritage jersey but the truth is that its an alternate because this jersey is worn more than twice in a season. The Devils only brand as a Heritage jersey. For the 19-20 season, this jersey is worn four times and for good reason. They look stunning. The green elevates the whole aura of this jersey and it looks fantastic. It has a huge pop and a great mix between detail and simplicity. Well done. #3: Calgary Flames Alternate Jersey How are these not full-time home jerseys yet? They are bright, popular and stunning. It wouldn't be surprising if the Flames kick off the current home jersey in favour of this gem in 2020. #2: Buffalo Sabres Alternate Jersey The white, gold and blue makes this sweater a star. This jersey has the highest amount of pop on this list and the five stripes to symbolize five decades was a risk especially if you line it with gold. The good thing is that the risk paid off and you now have a great 50th anniversary jersey that'll leave a lasting impression for years to come. The sad part is that this jersey won't be used next season as it's just a one-off. #1: Arizona Coyotes Alternate Jersey Remember in the 90's when these were considered to be the ugliest tarps in the league? Flash forward twenty years and they're now ugly enough to be a modern art masterpiece. The detailing is superb and unmatched by any other. Winner winner chicken dinner. This article is brought to you in part by Oilfield Jersey Co. Head over there for authentic NHL & NFL fan gear. Follow our Facebook page for more article releases and product offerings.

TOP 10 WORST JERSEYS INTRODUCED DURING THE 2010’S Counting down all of the worst NHL jerseys introduced during the 2010’s. Winter Classics and Stadium Series jerseys do not count. There is a separate list for the best outdoor jerseys here: TOP 10 NHL OUTDOOR JERSEYS OF THE 2010’S #10: 2010 WINNIPEG JETS ROAD JERSEY They’re definitely not the worst jerseys out there but they’re not the best either. The light blue stripes along the arm don’t fit in well with the dark blue along it. Not clean. #9: 2014 PHILADELPHIA FLYERS ALTERNATE JERSEY Originally a Winter Classic jersey released in 2011, the Flyers decided to bring this jersey as an alternate in 2014 for some reason. It didn’t work out as it wasn’t cut out to be a full-time alternate as it was discontinued in 2016. Like the Jets road jersey, it’s not terrible but it the stripes and colours didn’t blend as smoothly as it could. A lot of potential that didn’t execute. #8: 2011 BUFFALO SABRES ALTERNATE JERSEY A lot of good classic elements including the light blue logo and the colours in this jersey. The problem is that it was poorly executed and it was less than desired among fans. It only lasted for two seasons as it was discontinued in 2013. #7: NASHVILLE PREDATORS HOME JERSEY The Preds made a mistake by taking away more of the dark blue from their sweaters when Adidas had taken over the jersey contract from the NHL. There’s too much yellow and combined with the logo, it makes it look like a mustard tiger. It’ll only look better if there was more detail just like the previous home jerseys when Reebok made them. #6: 2013 CAROLINA HURRICANES ROAD JERSEY The Hurricanes changed their road jersey in 2013 to make it look more refined. What they got was a bland, timid tarp that doesn’t even strike fear to a gerbil. End of story. #5: 2014 TAMPA BAY LIGHTNING ALTERNATE JERSEY The Lightning tried to make this jersey look bold in black but it looks too much like a L.A. Kings jersey. Thin stripes along the arm are difficult to make to them look great but the white line on this jersey looks like a line of bad cocaine. #4: 2015 NEW YORK ISLANDERS ALTERNATE JERSEY This jersey was made to honour Brooklyn and their inaugural season at the Barclay’s Center. Not only does the Barclay’s Center suck for watching a hockey game, the commemorative jersey does as well. It’s bland and it looks like it was crafted with no real care. #3: 2013 CAROLINA HURRICANES HOME JERSEY Boring and bland. That’s how you describe these uniforms. A Canes jersey is nothing without any storm flag detailing somewhere along the sweater and this jersey doesn’t even have an ounce of it. It was huge disappointment and it was discontinued in 2017. #2: 2011 NEW YORK ISLANDERS ALTERNATE JERSEY These jerseys are so bad that I’ve taken the time to slightly blur the image to save your eyes. The use of colours is highly questionable and the use of the wordmark along with the number makes it look tacky. Totally hideous. #1: 2013 BUFFALO SABRES ALTERNATE JERSEY If you think Steve Ott wanted to kill himself while wearing this ugly tarp, you’re probably right. The mustard tiger yellow on the front and navy blue on the back doesn’t make sense and it’s by far the worst jersey of the 2010’s. The Times New Roman font of the “Buffalo” wordmark is the icing on the cake. I’m willing to bet THG has a few of these ugly sweaters in his collection. This article is brought to you in part by Oilfield Jersey Co. Head there for official NHL & NFL fan gear!

TOP 10 NHL OUTDOOR JERSEYS OF THE 2010’S: The rankings for all of the NHL outdoor jerseys whether they’re Winter Classic or Stadium Series are based on design and how each jersey resembles the event taking place. #10: 2018 WASHINGTON CAPITALS STADIUM SERIES The great use of the navy blue instead of the traditional red to match the military theme at the Navy–Marine Corps Memorial Stadium, U.S. Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland is why this jersey is at number 10. It was a risk to switch the colour pattern from the Capitals main colour pallet but has paid off. It was also a risk to use the small case “caps” wordmark because it goes against their trademark hashtag #ALLCAPS but it works as well. Big props to the design team on thinking outside the box with making this jersey. #9: 2016 MONTREAL CANADIENS WINTER CLASSIC JERSEY These jerseys are too cool to pass up on this list. They’re light, soft and have a great mix between detail and simplicity. The globe adds a nice touch along the elbows for that extra detail. It seems like ages ago that Subban and Pacioretty were playing for Montreal. #8 2018 NEW YORK RANGERS WINTER CLASSIC JERSEY It seems like every time the Rangers use navy blue on any of their jerseys, it just seems to work. The wordmark along the front of the jersey is big and bold plus the white shield badge on the left shoulder is a nice touch. #7: 2019 CHICAGO BLACKHAWKS WINTER CLASSIC JERSEY The black and white tone works well with the Blackhawks design. It’s a good thing they’re only black and white as there’s a ton of stripes on this sweater. If there was any colour added onto this jersey it would of completely wrecked the design. Props to the design team for keeping it simple. #6 WINNIPEG JETS HERITAGE CLASSIC JERSEY The Jets have the best Heritage Classic jerseys out of all of the Canadian teams. The dark red and navy blue make this sweater pop and the logo is iconic. I strongly believe they’ll be full time home jerseys next season and why wouldn’t they? This jersey would be ranked higher on the list but it’s not the first jersey the Jets have introduced in a Heritage Classic. #5: 2017 PITTSBURGH PENGUINS STADIUM SERIES These jerseys offer a nice tribute to Steel City. The Keystone shaped “City of Champions” patch on the left arm is the largest patch stitched onto an NHL jersey in a game plus the triangular captaincy patch and the construction type font on the jersey makes the theme work. #4: 2014 LOS ANGELES KINGS STADIUM SERIES JERSEY Modern and remarkable. The design team was smart to utilize the crown and put it right in front of the jersey. The shoulder patch is good plus there’s a good mix between the black and grey. The white along the stripe is a nice touch as well. #3: 2012 NEW YORK RANGERS WINTER CLASSIC JERSEY The cream coloured body to go with the navy blue and union red stripes looks sensational. That’s what makes it look like a true Winter Classic jersey and it’ll be extremely difficult to beat something like this in the future. #2: 2016 WINNIPEG JETS HERITAGE CLASSIC JERSEY Unlike the blue version of this jersey, the white version pops a bit more and it amplifies the colour scheme of this sweater. It’s a fan favourite and it’s no surprise that it’s the Winnipeg Jets greatest jersey to date. I have a hunch that they will be their future road jerseys. #1: 2014 TORONTO MAPLE LEAFS WINTER CLASSIC JERSEY It doesn’t get anymore Winter Classic than this. These are hands-down the best NHL outdoor jerseys of the decade. The vintage, rustic Leafs logo and their use of the white stripes along the arms and waist make this gel together so well. Nothing better. This article is brought to you in part by oilfieldjerseys.com. Head over there for authentic NHL & NFL fan gear.

The rule for this list of NHL jerseys is only for home, road and alternate jerseys that were introduced in the 2010’s. Winter Classic and Stadium Series jerseys will get their own list soon. 2010: NEW YORK RANGERS ALTERNATE JERSEY The dark navy blue blended with the union state red and the cream collared white goes together like peanut butter and jelly. It’s not about the design of the jersey that makes it great, it’s about how the colours gel together that makes this sweater so stunning. 2011: TORONTO MAPLE LEAFS ALTERNATE JERSEY There weren’t a lot of jerseys introduced in 2011 but the the Leafs new alternate is a standout. A modern rendition of an old time favourite, this historically inspired sweater is simple and elegant. Easily the top choice for best new jersey in 2011 2012: NONE No new jerseys were introduced in 2012 due to the lockout shortened season. The Winter Classic and All-Star games were cancelled and therefore, no new jerseys from those events either. 2013: CALGARY FLAMES ALTERNATE JERSEY Lots of great elements to look at here. The “Calgary” wordmark combined with the C logo blends together well. The shoulder patch that depicts the view of Calgary overlooking the Rocky Mountain sunset is iconic. The striping is a bit overdone with the choice of colours and different thicknesses of each colour along it. Other than that, it’s a well done tarp. 2014: PITTSBURGH PENGUINS ALTERNATE JERSEY At the time it was introduced it was just used as an alternate sweater but now it’s their full-time home jersey. The combination of bright yellow and black to go along with the huge penguin logo makes this jersey bold and memorable. Great move by the Pens organization. 2015: WASHINGTON CAPITALS ALTERNATE JERSEY It was either going to be this jersey or the Colorado Avalanche alternate that was going to be the best choice of 2015. The Capitals jersey was the best jersey introduced in 2015 because the colours go together and the stars that reside above the logo are make it unique and iconic. They are also the Caps’ current alternate sweater and they still look great in Adidas threads. 2016: FLORIDA PANTHERS HOME & ROAD JERSEYS This sweater change was a welcoming site for the Panthers. Their previous jerseys were cool but these threads take it to another level. The Florida shield logo looks strong and their shoulder patch of the state flag is very patriotic. The colours go together well and they’re clean. 2017: COLORADO AVALANCHE HOME JERSEY A huge sigh of relief happened when the Avs changed their former home and road jerseys to the sharper, refined versions we see today. The old version of this jersey had the straight piping running along the chest and it looked hideous. The change to go with the current home and road jerseys was pivotal when Adidas had taken over the jersey production contract from the NHL. Many teams made tweaks and changes to their sweaters but out of all them, Colorado stood out on top. 2018: ARIZONA COYOTES ALTERNATE JERSEY The past has came back to life in the desert as these beauties were brought back as an alternate from the 90’s. Back then these jerseys were considered to be atrocious but nowadays they’re considered to be the peak of modern jersey fashion. The striping pattern is unlike anything else seen on a hockey jersey and the logo is one of the most detailed in the league. They’re a winner. 2019: BUFFALO SABRES ALTERNATE JERSEY The Sabres have taken a risk in using a golden element to their sweaters but it has paid off. The 5 stripes along the waist and the sleeve represent 5 decades of the Sabres being in existence. Sadly, they’ve won no cups yet. The gold and dark blue work on the white because it pops very nicely. This jersey will be a one off as it’s only meant to be worn during their 50th season. This article is brought to you part by oilfieldjerseys.com. Head there for authentic NHL & NFL fan gear.

Another year, another round of hype surrounding Stanley Cup contenders and their hockey fans. This is the time when more players finish their checks which translate to games that average 80+ hits a game instead of 30-40. Pleasant surprises and disappoints are bound to happen, it does every year. Who would of thought Vegas would go to the Stanley Cups Finals last season against a cup thirsty Ovechkin and his Washington Capitals squad. One thing is for sure; Washington isn’t cup thirsty anymore. Meanwhile, the Blues, Sharks, Jets, Preds, Golden Knights and Blue Jackets are in the hunt for their first one still (Jackets only team in the east). Can’t wait until June to see how this plays out! CALGARY FLAMES (P1) VS COLORADO AVALANCHE (WC2) ADVANTAGES: Offence: Flames Defence: Flames Powerplay: Avalanche Penalty Kill: Flames Goaltending: Avalanche X-FACTOR: Flames: Matthew Tkachuk Avalanche: Semyon Varlamov This will be a high-flying, run-and-gun series as speed and opportunity will be key for both teams for all of the games they play. The Avs are definitely an underdog but if Varlamov stands on his head, he’ll downright steal games from the Flames. Matthew Tkachuk can be a difference maker if he gets under the skin of Avs star players Nathan Mackinnon and Mikko Rantanen. This will NOT be a boring series and don’t expect a lot of structure in either team’s games which, by the way, will drive coaches crazy. THE VERDICT: The Flames will win this series in 6 games NASHVILLE PREDATORS (C1) VS DALLAS STARS (WC1) ADVANTAGES: Offence: Predators Defence: Stars Powerplay: Stars Penalty Kill: Stars Goaltending: Stars X-FACTOR: Predators: Roman Josi Stars: Jamie Benn It looks odd that the Stars have the advantage in almost category but they only had a slight edge in GA and PK than Nashville, who’ve been very good defensively as well. A lot of credit to the great defensive numbers the Stars have posted is because of Ben Bishop who has been outstanding all season. There are a few concerns with Nashville heading into the playoffs this season. Their powerplay is dead last in the league (12.94%) plus their trade acquisitions, Wayne Simmonds and Mikael Granlund have not been playing well since joining the Preds. Roman Josi is the captain of the team and needs to jump start their powerplay and his squad if they want to succeed as they’ve been flat during the late season stretch. The Stars have been playing clutch hockey during the stretch and have won important hockey teams against other teams vying for a playoff spot and they look very poised to do well as a darkhorse. Bishop has been their MVP posting great numbers (GAA: 1.98, Sv%: .934) all season long despite playing in front of an inexperienced defensive core. Their top scorers are scoring although their secondary scoring needs to step up a bit as the Stars are near the bottom in goals scored (29th in the league). The key will be Jamie Benn making big plays in clutch situations as that is where he thrives. THE VERDICT: The Stars will win this series in 6 games SAN JOSE SHARKS (P2) VS VEGAS GOLDEN KNIGHTS (P3) ADVANTAGES: Offence: Sharks Defence: Golden Knights Powerplay: Sharks Penalty Kill: Golden Knights Goaltending: Golden Knights X-FACTOR: Sharks: Brent Burns Golden Knights: Marc-Andre Fleury The Sharks and Golden Knights have become sort of a riddle that is like an enigma. During the month of March, the Golden Knights and Sharks have played great during the first half while they stunk during the last half of the month. Both teams come into the playoffs struggling but the small break between now and game 1 of their series will bring a new perspective into light. The Golden Knights have a great play-by-committee system where they use their depth to their advantage in exposing their opponents weaknesses in causing turnovers during their transition game. How the Sharks break out of their defensive zone (Mostly talking about Brent Burns) will be important and can’t afford any mistakes in that area. This is where the Sharks need to be clean if they want to win. While the Golden Knights play a great transition game, they will still have trouble with the amount of depth the Sharks have with their scorers. The Sharks have a top 9 up front that can downright snipe at will if given the opportunity. This is where Fleury will be tested and if he can fend them off he’ll steal some games for VGK. For the Sharks to have the best chance to win, they need to work a great powerplay and play a puck possession game down low. Luckily that is their strength but it’s going to take everything they have to beat Fleury. They need traffic in front of him in addition to taking good shots on him. THE VERDICT: Overall, this series will see a lot of strategy from both teams as the coaches will takeover the structure of the game. In the end, this will go to the Sharks in 7 games but man that was a tough choice. WINNIPEG JETS (C2) VS ST. LOUIS BLUES (C3) ADVANTAGES: Offence: Jets Defence: Blues Powerplay: Jets Penalty Kill: Blues Goaltending: Blues X-FACTOR: Jets: Patrik Laine Blues: Jordan Binnington You have to give the Blues huge credit for making an incredible comeback and saving their season. That is thanks to rookie goaltender, Jordan Binnington. He has been playing some unreal hockey down the stretch during the second half of the season and he is the MVP of this revived Blues squad. How he handles playoff hockey should come as some concern as expectations and ability to elevate your game are of most importance. His task won’t be easy on an offensively loaded Jets squad who have been playing mediocre hockey as of late but have won some key games against tough opponents during the stretch. The Jets boast one of the best offensive teams in the league and can score in many ways. The big issue is their penalty kill and discipline which sharply declined late in the season but luckily they have some time to work on those kinks before they kick off their series. Patrik Laine needs to get it going if the Jets want any hope on getting Binnington off his game. Will Laine start scoring again? The answer is yes. The Jets are a much bigger team than the Blues but it isn’t clear how much the Jets want to use their size and play a gritty game against the Blues. It is recommended that they play a more physical game against them as they players who can lay the body if they really want to. The Blues need to use their hockey I.Q. and quick feet if they want to catch Winnipeg taking some undisciplined penalties against them. That’ll be key as Winnipeg hasn’t had a good PK in quite some time. THE VERDICT: A lot in this series will depend on who can carry momentum the most and who can set the tone the earliest. Whoever is leading by game 3 will likely carry this series to the finish line. Jets in 5 games.

Another year, another round of hype surrounding Stanley Cup contenders and their hockey fans. This is part of our Stanley Cup prediction series. The Western Conference was covered the other day and it can be viewed if you’re interested: OJC OFFICIAL STANLEY CUP PLAYOFF PREDICTIONS: WESTERN CONFERENCE TAMPA BAY LIGHTNING (A1) VS COLUMBUS BLUE JACKETS (WC2) ADVANTAGES: Offence: Bolts Defence: Bolts Powerplay: Bolts Penalty Kill: Blue Jackets Goaltending: Bolts X-FACTOR: Bolts: Nikita Kucherov Blue Jackets: Sergei Bobrovsky One of the most intriguing series of the playoffs, The Jackets barely punched their stamp to the post season to have a date with the Lightning. The Lightning had one of the most dominant regular seasons in recent memory. Their speed and skill is simply unmatched and at times look like they play on a different level altogether. The only way the Jackets have a chance of winning is if Bobrovsky stands on his head every game. Kucherov has had a season to remember with 128 points which was the most anyone has scored in over 23 years. He isn’t likely to slump but it’s the playoffs,a nything can happen. THE VERDICT: The Lightning will easily handle this in 5 games. Bobs will steal one game. WASHINGTON CAPITALS (M1) VS CAROLINA HURRICANES (WC2) ADVANTAGES: Offence: Caps Defence: Canes Powerplay: Caps Penalty Kill: Canes Goaltending: Canes X-FACTOR: Canes: Sebastian Aho Caps: Alex Ovechkin This is pretty uncharted territory. The Canes haven’t been in the dance for over 10 years and the Caps have never met them in the playoffs before. The Canes have been the best feel-good story in a long time with the whole storm surge promotion and theatric post game celebrations. They’ve also been red hot since the new year with only the Blues having a better record since January 1st. The Caps will be looking to repeat as champs and pretty much have the same team as last season. THE VERDICT: The Caps will take the inexperienced Canes to 6 games and increase their chances in repeating as champs. PITTSBURGH PENGUINS (M3) VS NEW YORK ISLANDERS (M2) ADVANTAGES: Offence: Pens Defence: Islanders Powerplay: Pens Penalty Kill: Islanders Goaltending: Islanders X-FACTOR: Pens: Kris Letang Islanders: Matthew Barzal The Penguins had a rough start to their season but have bounced back nicely. Never count them out because they have absolute game-breakers like Crosby and Malkin. They face a stingy Islanders team who made a surprise turnaround without their former star, John Tavares. For Pittsburgh to beat the Isles, they need to work the powerplay and Letang has to work the powerplay as a quarter back. He is the only defenceman on the team that can work it as well as he can and he holds a lot of the responsibilty on the back end for that squad as well. Since the Islanders play a stingy game, everyone has to play a defence first, neutral zone trap kind of game. That is why guys like Barzal and Lee have seen a dip in their scoring. Barzal is one of the guys on the team that can light it up offensively if given an opportunity. He needs to create some for his team if they have a shot. The Pens are a loose team so don’t be surprised if the Isles win at least one game in a goal fest. THE VERDICT: It is not a David vs Goliath match up and it’s going to be good with a potential for a rivalry to be made but it is going to the Pens. 6 games are needed there. BOSTON BRUINS (A2) VS TORONTO MAPLE LEAFS (A3) ADVANTAGES: Offence: Leafs Defence: Bruins Powerplay: Bruins Penalty Kill: Bruins Goaltending: Leafs X-FACTOR: Leafs: John Tavares Bruins: Brad Marchand Once again, these two rivalries face each other in the first round. If history indicates anything, its that the Bruins have had their number on the Leafs and will have a good chance to beat them again this season although it will be close. Both teams have lines that can light it up offensively and have excellent powerplays. There won’t be a shortage on offence, that’s for sure. Brad Marchand will play a key role for the Bruins to see if he can get under the Leafs skin but he’ll be more likely to score as he has taken on a more offensive role in the last 2 years. THE VERDICT: Very tough to call but I think the Leafs will finally exorcise their demons and take this 7.

It is only fitting that the Toronto Maple Leafs play the Philadelphia Flyers wearing their St. Pats jerseys at a time of year when St. Patrick’s Day comes across people’s thoughts. The entire design of the jersey is inspired by the jersey the Toronto St. Pats wore between 1922 and 1925. This season, the Leafs will wear their St. Pats jerseys twice. Once on March 15th versus the Flyers and the day after facing the Senators. Things look pretty similar to the uniform the team wore in 2017, just carried over to the Adidas Adizero cut from the old Reebok Edge style discontinued by the league following that season, this includes the same unique numbering style on the back of the jerseys which saw the numbers placed on large blocks to fight against visibility issues with the horizontal stripe. POSITIVES The green and white mix along the entire jersey is clean The felt white blocks along the back give the jersey a true retro look The oval felt blotch with the St. Pats word mark makes it look original CRITIQUES None For the best NHL fan gear on the market, visit oilfieldjerseys.com today!

So earlier this week, the Tampa Bay Lightning made an unpredictable announcement by unveiling their brand new Stealth jersey. As they made their announcement, the Lightning wore those jerseys for their home game against the St. Louis Blues. The announcement come of as rather casual with no trumpets, no confetti and no hype whatsoever. It was almost as if the Lightning wanted a quiet unveiling because of the “stealthy” nature of the jersey. GREAT SALES STATS A very important indicator stemming from releasing the jersey is that the official Tampa Bay Lightning shop in Amalie Arena sold over 500 jerseys in 24 hours after the unveiling. That easily breaks the $100k CAD mark in merchandise sales. That is highly abnormal considering that the official shop usually sells around 80 jerseys in a day when the Lightning play at home. Take note that these are sales numbers from a non-traditional hockey market. That’s quite special. OUR TAKE The jersey is very simple and clean. You have to admire that this type of approach to designing a jersey like this is rarely done and very bold. Black goes well with the Tampa logo and overall scheme. A stealth jersey isn’t a stealth jersey unless it’s black because that is the colour of night, hence the new hashtag #disruptthenight. It makes sense. The secondary addition of grey along the sleeves is a good idea but instead of a pixelated transition from grey to black, a simple grey stripe would of sufficed. POSITIVES: Stealth branding is well connected to the theme of the jersey Very bold and clean look The grey adds a great addition to the sleeve The number and lettering kits offer a nice fade and are unique The “storm grey” shoulder patches match the stealth theme CRITIQUES: The pixelation from grey to black along the sleeve is an odd feature Missed opportunity to add a hint of blue along the sleeves For authentic NHL merchandise, visit https://oilfieldjerseys.com/ today!

Usually any NHL outdoor game creates a lot of anticipation for fans. The Winter Classics and the Stadium Series are an event almost every fan, regardless of what team you cheer for, take interest in. The one thing that piques the most curiosity on these games is always the grand, jersey reveal. There’s just one problem: The Flyers jersey was leaked. Not once, but twice. Also, the Penguins jersey was leaked along with the second time the Flyers jersey was leaked. Ouch! Someone was way too excited to show these off! The leaks soured any excitement fans had left about the official reveal. It was a bad kept secret. We got wind of these photos 4 days before the official unveiling and it was reported everywhere amongst Hockey focused Facebook pages and Instagram fan pages. It is clearly stated that these Stadium Series jerseys are supposed to resemble the “black and yellow construction signs” of Steel City to honour Pittsburgh’s history and all of those bright yellow bridges the city is famous for. What came out was an NFL colour rush jersey which is coincidentally similar to the Pittsburgh Steelers jersey they wore this season. The fade between the yellow and black along the detailed parts of the jersey is a nice touch to modernize the look. The “A Great Day For Hockey” punchline along the neckline is unoriginal for two reasons: 1) The font used for the lettering is the same as the letter font as the name lettering used for the 2017 Stadium Series jerseys. 2) The punchline itself is very generic and doesn’t pay tribute to anything connected with anything Pittsburgh specific at all. The Penguins would of made up for the blandness of the sweater by adding a patch honouring their back-to-back Stanley Cup championships during the 2016 and 2017 cup runs. That is missed opportunity because there isn’t knowing when the Pens will get another chance of participating in an outdoor game. Besides the differing shades of yellow and the striping, there isn’t much of difference between the Steelers Color Rush and Penguins Stadium Series jerseys. POSITIVES: The fade of the logo is a nice touch Modernization is apparent and distinguishable Letter kits are simple and match the jersey seamlessly CRITIQUES: Slanted yellow sleeves makes the overall pattern of the jersey awkward Punchline along neck is generic and cheesy Missed opportunity to utilize patch for back-to-back Stanley Cups (stripes along sleeves don’t count) Looks too much like the Steelers Color Rush jersey PHILADELPHIA FLYERS To go with the theme for the 2019 Stadium Series, the Flyers added a nice fade along the logo cutting out the white between the wing and orange dot in the middle of the logo. It’s clean and the orange and black were utilized the right way. The black name plate is a great touch to with the Flyer’s unique theme of adding offsetting name plates on most off their jersey designs. The black stripes along the sleeves are simple yet welcome feature about the jersey. The “Philly” signature along the neckline is used with an original font and it’s crisp. That feature might be used in future marketing efforts on how to effectively use it as a shoulder patch or along somewhere on the neck for a new jersey in the future. POSITIVES: Orange and black go well with modern twist on the jersey overall Black stripes along lower sleeve fit in nicely Fade along logo is clean Capitalized opportunity of the off-setting nameplate “Philly” along the neckline is a good touch CRITIQUES: A patch or punchline along the neck commemorating the “The City of Brotherly Love” would of been a great add-on since the Flyers are hosting.

The 41 game mark. It’s that time of year where many see where we are in our pools and if any of us made good on our pre-season predictions. Let’s be honest, most of us get pre-season forecasts wrong including many from established hockey news outlets. Since all of the NHL teams have played their first 41 games, we can now finally do this report. Today we’re talking about who would win the trophy’s if the season ended today and who we think will actually win it at the end of the season. Only season rewards without playoff appearances and reiterating accolades are listed so the Conn Smythe, Lester B. Pearson and Bill Masterton trophys are out. HART MEMORIAL TROPHY The Hart Memorial Trophy is an annual award given to the player judged to be the most valuable to his team. The winner is selected in a poll of the Professional Hockey Writers’ Association in all NHL cities at the end of the regular season. Winner if season ended today: Johnny Gaudreau Winner at the end of the season: Marc-Andre Fleury This is the MVP reward. This trophy, in layman’s terms, goes to the player who can carry their team on his back. Last season, Taylor Hall and Nathan Mackinnon were outstanding and were easy choices as the top 2 candidates with Hall eventually winning. This season, there are no standouts. Many players are having terrific seasons offensively which makes it hard to choose a forward. Johnny Gaudreau is an exemption because he is the main offensive cog for the Flames. He is the best at creating and finishing plays for the team plus his linemates play much better with him as a result of their success. If he goes down with an injury for a significant amount of time, the Flames risk losing their division lead and will be sorely missed in the dressing room by his teammates. Why Marc-Andre Fleury will win the Hart Trophy at the end of the season is because he has the ability to carry an average scoring team to the playoffs. Vegas started the season poorly but have put together a run to get back into playoff contention. That is all thanks to Fleury. Vegas is 14th in scoring and 4th in goals against, but yet, are 3rd in the West. Vegas does not score many goals and they don’t have a game-changer on both the offensive and defensive side of the ice. Fleury needs to be the backbone of this team to get Vegas over the top and into the playoffs. That is achievable. CALDER MEMORIAL TROPHY An annual award given to the player selected as the most proficient in his first year of competition in the NHL, selected in a PWHA poll Winner if season ended today: Elias Petterson Winner at the end of the season: Rasmus Dahlin Petterson has been the best thing to come to Vancouver since sliced bread. The problem with Petterson is that he is already injury prone. I want to hand the rookie-of-the-year honours to Petterson but he poses a lot of risk in doing so. He’s not very big and has yet to fill out. Dahlin on the other hand has been as steady as they come and he has been a consistent producer for the Sabres. He won rookie of the month honours in November and I don’t doubt that he’ll win another rookie of the month award before seasons end. Dahlin is a safe bet and that’s why he’s the guy to win the Calder. VEZINA TROPHY The Vezina Trophy is an annual award given to the goalkeeper adjudged to be the best at this position as voted by the general managers of all NHL clubs. Winner if season ended today: Marc-Andre Fleury Winner at the end of the season: Marc-Andre Fleury No goaltender has gotten close to get as many shutouts or as many wins as Fleury so far this season. He has carried Vegas to a place where they can push for the playoffs once again. Fleury has been so good that Dunkin Donuts is going to need him as a spokesperson because of all of the shutouts (six donuts so far) he’s been getting. JAMES NORRIS MEMORIAL TROPHY An annual award given to the defenseman who demonstrates throughout the season the greatest all-round ability in the position. Winner if season ended today: Mark Giordano Winner at the end of the season: Kris Letang This was a tough one because there’s a feeling of cognitive dissonance for giving this award to guys who only rack up assists because their star forwards convert the breakout passes into goals. I look at both defensive and offensive stats when it comes to this one and that’s why I chose Mark Giordano (+/- 30, 6G, 34A, 40PTS and 38 HITS 85 BS). Those numbers tell you he’s very well rounded defenceman who can do it all. He’s having a terrific season for the Flames and is on pace for a career best. Kris Letang, meanwhile, has had an excellent first half for the Penguins after a slow start to their season. With Crosby, Malkin and Kessel playing their best hockey right now, Letang can help jumpstart their offense from the backend much easier now than before. The Penguins have a history of playing great hockey in March and there is no reason why they can’t do it again. Letang is physical and blocks shots at a rate to match the NHL’s best. Another great two way defender who doesn’t get the accolades he deserves. ART ROSS TROPHY The Art Ross Trophy is an annual award given to the player who leads the National Hockey League in scoring points at the end of the regular season. Winner if season ended today: Nikita Kucherov Winner at the end of the season: Connor McDavid Regardless if the Oilers make the playoffs or not, one thing is for sure. McJesus will score at will. Now that Brandon Manning is sitting in the Oilers press box, Connor won’t have to worry about him breaking his collarbone like he did in his rookie season (Oh how the tides have turned). On a serious note, if McDavid plays all 82 games, he’ll likely beat his previous career best of 108 points and get 120. He’s on pace 134 right now but that’s stretch, even for a guy like him. Kucherov has been on a tear as of late but I think he’ll settle down near the end of the season. FRANK J. SELKE TROPHY The Frank J. Selke Trophy is an annual award given to the forward who best excels in the defensive aspects of the game. Winner if season ended today: Sasha Barkov Winner at the end of the season: Alex Barkov If you’re wondering if these are different people, they’re not. And he’s Finnish, not Russian. MAURICE ROCKET RICHARD TROPHY An annual award given to the NHL’s top goal scorer by the NHL Board of Governors. The winner(s) are determined based on regular-season play. Winner if season ended today: Alex Ovechkin Winner at the end of the season: Patrik Laine Ovechkin could be the oldest player to win the Richard trophy at the age 33 unless Patrik Laine stops playing Fortnite until 3.A.M. and actually decides that he wants to score again. That pretty much sums up the situation. KING CLANCY TROPHY Given to the player who best exemplifies leadership on and off the ice and has made a noteworthy humanitarian contribution in his community. Winner if season ended today: Brock Boeser Winner at the end of the season: Brock Boeser It’ll be hard to top Brock Boeser taking the girl with down syndrome out to a prom date which happened before the season started. He’s definitely a sweetheart. WILLIAM JENNINGS TROPHY An annual award given to the goalkeeper(s) having played a minimum of 25 games for the team with the fewest goals scored against it, selected based on regular-season play. Winner if season ended today: Pekka Rinne/Jusse Saros Winner at the end of the season: Pekka Rinne/Jusse Saros Pekka Rinne is an absolute brick **** house in net. Nashville’s defense is near impassable on most nights and there is no sign of them slowing down. Expect Nashville to be the defensive team of the year. PRESIDENT’S TROPHY An annual award to the club finishing the regular season with the best overall record. Winner if season ended today: Tampa Bay Lightning Winner at the end of the season: Tampa Bay Lightning To put in perspective on how dominate the Lightning were in the first half, the Lightning could play at .500 from here on in and still have a better chance at winning the President’s Trophy than the Leafs, Flames and Golden Knights. For authentic NHL gear, visit https://oilfieldjerseys.com/ for your fan needs today!

Another year has gone by and oh what a year it was. There was a plethora of alternates introduced from NHL teams during the fall of 2018 and 2019 will be no shortage of new jersey releases either. Icethetics is offering the expected changes that might during the next year and we’ll give you our take on what the new jerseys could look like and in some cases, what it should like look like. ANAHEIM DUCKS 2019 THIRD JERSEY: Expected. Yes, we’re going on this ride one more time! The Ducks debuted a new third jersey with some throwback elements for their 25th anniversary — but this is a one-off jersey for the 2018-19 season only. It’s been reported that the Ducks will return to their orange third jersey in 2019-20 and I think that’s a safe bet. Our take: We think the orange eggplant jersey will come back as well. Knowing Adidas and how they love to utilize the neck, they’ll throw in “Anaheim” in gold writing along the inside of the collar as well as adding an “OC” shoulder patch on one side. OC meaning Orange County which is based in Southern California. Ducks third jersey in 2015. BOSTON BRUINS 2019 THIRD JERSEY: Expected. The Bruins will rejoin the third jersey fray in 2019-20, but what design will they use? They have no shortage of outdoor jerseys from recent years. Will they go with something familiar or completely new? Our Take: We think it’ll be the 2019 Winter Classic jersey. It is arguably the best looking Bruins Winter Classic jersey released to date. Lots of teams have used their previous outdoor game jerseys as alternates this season and that list includes the Flyers, Penguins, Blues, Kings, and Senators. The Bruins and Blackhawks 2019 Winter Classic Jerseys BUFFALO SABRES 2019 THIRD JERSEY: Expected. Buffalo is in the mix for a third jersey in 2019-20. Could it finally be the royal blue throwback fans have been begging for? 50TH ANNIVERSARY: The Sabres will turn 50 in 2020, so the question is whether the team will mark the milestone anniversary in 2019-20 or 2020-21. I haven’t seen anything definitive yet. (For what it’s worth, they marked their 40th in 2010-11 along with the Canucks. But the Canucks have already made plans to celebrate their 50th in 2019-20. So take that however you choose.) Our Take: We’re going out on a limb with this one and say that it’ll be a brand new jersey combining elements of the 2018 Winter Classic except it’ll be the home version of it. It’ll have a graphic of New York State along the shoulders plus the jersey itself will have a royal blue body with a large yellow stripe along the waist that has a white outline along the top and bottom of the yellow. Imagine something like this but with with an additional white stripe along the bottom of the yellow CALGARY FLAMES 40TH ANNIVERSARY: The Flames celebrated 30 years in Calgary during 2009-10, so in my mind the 40th is possible in 2019-20. The franchise relocated from Atlanta in 1980. It doesn’t mean much other than possibly some shoulder patches. They’re already wearing their original jersey as a third. Our Take: Despite no news of any changes, we think Calgary will make a surprise move with the direction on what they’ll wear for their home and road game jerseys. Just like Philadelphia in 2012, Edmonton in 2011 and Pittsburgh in 2016, Calgary will use their alternates full time and introduce the matching road jersey along with it. They should do it for their 40th anniversary. The timing couldn’t be better. Would a modernized version of this beauty be a better replacement than their current road jerseys? CAROLINA HURRICANES 2019 ROAD JERSEY: Redesign expected. It’s been reported that Hurricanes owner Tom Dundon is not a fan of his team’s white road sweater. That’s been backed up by the new Adidas catalog which indicates a new design is coming in 2019-20. Will they redesign it to match the home sweater or try something new? What if it wasn’t white at all? What if it was a light grey like the outline of their logo? As an aside, the Hurricanes are the first team in years to provoke a regular season color-vs-color game by wearing their home red jerseys on the road against the Ducks who wore black. And with the Whalers jersey coming back this year, I’m not sure any Canes jersey prediction is safe! THROWBACK JERSEY: Speaking of the Whalers, the green jerseys will show up at least once more in 2019 (March 5 in Boston). But given the very mixed reaction — the displeasure of many New Englanders in particular — do we think we’ll see these again beyond the 2018-19 season? For what it’s worth, 2019 marks 40 years since the Whalers originally joined the NHL after the WHA folded in 1979. Our Take: We agree with the road jersey redesign. The current roadies aren’t as good as the home sweaters. As for the Whalers jerseys, they’ll be back for another 2 matches next season. They’ll keep the current 3rd jerseys as it is. CHICAGO BLACKHAWKS 2019 HOME & ROAD JERSEYS: Expected. The biggest surprise of the catalog was seeing new primary uniforms listed for the Blackhawks in 2019-20. That would be insanity! Or would it? Chicago’s jerseys are untouchable and everyone knows it. Don’t forget Montreal was in this position in 2015 before they simply revealed a new collar design, leaving everything else alone. Is that what the Hawks are doing? They haven’t used a lace-up collar since 1965, but could it be back in 2019-20? As much as I dislike the Adidas collars, some have grown on me. Chicago’s has not. At all. Our take: We think some tweaking will be done on the neck but nothing more than that. If anything, they’ll make a black alternate jersey just like the two previous times they had alternates in 2003 and 2009. the 2014 Chicago Blackhawks Stadium Series jersey. DETROIT RED WINGS 2019 THIRD JERSEY: Expected. The Red Wings have never had a regular third jersey so this is big news! Like the Bruins, they have a number of outdoor jerseys to consider but they could also surprise us with an entirely new design. Time will tell. Our Take: We think that the Wings will come out with something new but with the big D as the centerpiece on a new concept, similar to the Winter Classic in 2009, except, it’ll be in red. We think this the jersey they’ll as a starting point with more details following up later. EDMONTON OILERS THIRD JERSEY: Expected. The Oilers are lined up for a new third jersey in 2019-20, but there’s really only one of two ways to go. Either they promote the royal blue retro jersey from this season or they try a navy blue version of their home jersey — much like the AHL’s Bakersfield Condors have. But since I’ve never seen an NHL team follow an AHL team’s lead in terms of jerseys, the former is more likely. Our Take: No way, Jose. We believe the latter is expected. The dark blue will look really good on the body and having a orange stripe along the bottom will make it all the better. FLORIDA PANTHERS 2019 THIRD JERSEY: Expected. Just three years after their rebrand, the Panthers will add a new third jersey! The most obvious choice, would be a navy blue design with the modernized leaping cat front and center. Our Take: We agree with this one. A dark blue body will look really good with a gold and white stripe along the waist. The possible logo for the alternate uniform in the 2019-20 season. MINNESOTA WILD 2019 THIRD JERSEY: Expected. The Wild are in the mix for a new alternate uniform in 2019-20 but as for what it will look like, your guess is as good as mine. Will they go back to red again like their first third jersey in 2003? 20TH ANNIVERSARY: I know, last time. Like Columbus, the Wild turn 20 in 2020. But also like Columbus, their 10th anniversary was in 2010-11, so we’ll probably see this in 2020-21. That is all. Our Take: Knowing the Wild, they’ll always try something new with their design. I think they’ll slap a giant M (Just like the one on their shoulder patch) on the front of their jersey with a couple of stars engraved on the letter. Having a circle around it and on the outline it’ll say something like “Minnesota Wild Hockey Club.” The body of the jersey should still be green. The current shoulder patch for the Wild NASHVILLE PREDATORS 2019 THIRD JERSEY: Expected. The Predators will be back in the third jersey fray for 2019-20! They haven’t used one since redesigning their logo and uniforms in 2011. An obvious design choice would be navy blue, but as with the Panthers, I hope they do something a bit more interesting. Our Take: Please do make the navy blue uniforms. Those were some the best looking alternates that Reebok ever designed. The Preds alternates in 2011 NEW YORK RANGERS 2019 THIRD JERSEY: Expected. Another Original Six team will add a new third jersey in 2019-20! Will the navy blue Heritage jersey return? Maybe the Lady Liberty design from the late ’90s? Or will we be treated to something all new? Our Take: We see Navy Blue being a big trend in 2019 so it’ll be no surprise if the Rangers make a Navy Blue alternate as well. The Rangers are also very good at designing Winter Classic uniforms so they might just throw in the 2018 Winter Classic as their alternate. We can see this coming back. OTTAWA SENATORS 2019 THIRD JERSEY: Expected. Because the Adidas catalog lists the Senators with other teams getting new thirds in 2019-20, I don’t think we’ll see the red NHL100 Classic jersey again. It’s more likely the Sens get something new. Our Take: The Sens need new primaries, period. The leftover Reebok uniforms they currently wear aren’t doing it anymore for the Sens and they really need to do some soul searching. Even having the vintage “O” jerseys they wore as alternates would be a better fit for a primary. At least that represents history. The Sens also released 6 different logos to their season ticket holders and they had a vote on what designs looked the best. The winning designs would be used for future consideration when designing their next uniforms. Spoiler alert, the fans have already voted the current Sens logo as the best design on the list. Home. And Road. TAMPA BAY LIGHTNING 2018-19 THIRD JERSEY: Expected. Icethetics obtained images of the new Lightning third jersey in November. At that time, I was told by multiple sources that the jersey was still a work in progress and that certain elements had yet to be finalized — elements not seen in the leaked image (could mean things like number font, nameplate, helmet color, pants, or socks). LAUNCH DATE: I’ve also been told a January launch is likely, though the Lightning have yet to say anything official on the subject. It could be the NHL’s first January third jersey debut since 1997 when the Bolts introduced their first-ever alternate uniform. Our Take: The photos that Icethetics released will only be a starting point to what Tampa will do with their alternate uniform. The fade from grey to black doesn’t look nice and one can only hope that will be changed until the official release. The official photo released from Icethetics. TORONTO MAPLE LEAFS 2018-19 THROWBACK JERSEY: Expected. Icethetics obtained images of a Toronto St. Pats throwback jersey in the Adizero cut. A source told me the St. Pats jerseys could be returning late in the 2018-19 likely as a one-off throwback for St. Patrick’s Day rather than a proper third jersey worn more often. NOTES: The Leafs wore the St. Pats uniform for a game during the 2016-17 season as part of their 100th anniversary celebration. Our Take: The Leafs should wear these uniforms during Patrick’s Day. They are gorgeous and resemble a lot of team history. Other than that, we expect no changes from here on in. The leaked St. Pats jerseys VANCOUVER CANUCKS 2019 HOME & ROAD JERSEYS: Expected. After the Blackhawks, the other big surprise from the Adidas catalog was seeing new primary sweaters listed for the Canucks in 2019-20! It’s unclear whether the Canucks are working on sweeping changes or maybe just updating the crest to remove the superfluous “Vancouver” arched across the top. But I also wouldn’t be that shocked to see a new primary logo to coincide with the 50th anniversary. 2019 THIRD JERSEY: Confirmed. Canucks COO Jeff Stipec told TSN in August that there will be a new third jersey in 2019-20 — in addition to the throwback sweater fans voted for over the summer. The Adidas catalog does corroborate this. 2019 THROWBACK JERSEY: Confirmed. In addition to the new third, the Canucks will wear a throwback jersey for select games in 2019-20. After an online fan vote, the team determined they will use their 1989 “Flying Skate” design. Our Take: There’s a lot to digest here. The Canucks are on the verge of celebrating their 50th anniversary. My guess is that the Canucks want to make the anniversary a grand all-year party. I believe the Canucks will do something completely new with the primaries. There is no real projection as to what they’ll do but I think Johnny Canuck grabbing an Orca by the fin would be epic. And if you somehow mix in some black from the flying skate jersey and some blue and green from the current jersey in, a masterpiece can be created. Having a third and throwback adds to the already big changes coming to Vancouver. A move that Vancouver might make for their thirds is having a green jersey with a white faded Orca on the center to make it look like whitecaps in the water. Eventually, I think Vancouver will make a jersey that’ll bring the Seattle/Vancouver rivalry to life. VEGAS GOLDEN KNIGHTS 2019 THIRD JERSEY: Expected. The Golden Knights are not the kind of team to waste time. They went to the Stanley Cup Final in their first season and in their third they’ll add a third jersey! There are so many great possibilities for a Vegas third jersey so I’m eager to see where they end up. Our Take: Vegas’ third will be red with an alternate logo. A sword and shield combo is likely as well as a knight on horseback characterization. A must is to incorporate gold and black to make it look intimidating. If not, let’s hope they have a better idea. WINNIPEG JETS THROWBACK JERSEY: The Jets are breaking out their Heritage Classic jersey twice in 2018-19 and the team says it will be used at least once a season going forward. Keep an eye on that for 2019-20. Our Take: Stay the course with heritage throwbacks. They look amazing. I really wish the Jets would change the road uniforms. Having the light blue stripes going over the blue arm stripe is a poor taste. Change that and the dark blue arm striping to a something simpler would make the jersey way better. Unfortunately, there are no plans for the Jets to change that. Original Source: Icethetics 2019 Jersey Watch For officially licensed NHL merchandise, visit oilfieldjerseys.com

The Boston Bruins and Chicago Blackhawks both unveiled their 2019 Winter Classic jerseys on Thursday. As is tradition, the two teams, with the help of Adidas, designed very classic looking uniforms that they’ll wear when they head outdoors for the annual New Year’s Day event, which is set to be played at the iconic Notre Dame Stadium this season. As the visiting team, the Bruins were first to unveil their sweaters, which are a throwback to the club’s uniforms in the 1930s. They’re not identical to that look, as they have new sleeve striping, but the overall aesthetic is a tribute to that era. One of the most remarkable details about this uniform is that the logo, name and numbers uses a felt material similar to an old school letterman jacket. (Each of the Bruins’ previous two Winter Classic jerseys included felt as well.) If you have “felt the felt” on the Bruin’s previous Winter Classic jerseys before, you know that it feels amazing. The only real reference to Notre Dame comes inside the the collar, where six shamrocks are featured to highlight each year in which the Bruins have won the Stanley Cup. A subtle feature that standouts because of the contrast from the green shamrocks to the overall colour scheme. The Chicago jersey will also feature all their championship years inside the neckline, but those years are displayed in between the hashmarks that are typically featured in the end zones of Notre Dame Stadium. This is one of the first features of the jersey that is referenced to American Football of any kind. For more on articles and officially licensed NHL merchandise, visit https://oilfieldjerseys.com/ today!

There is a common theme with most of the NHL 3rd jersey releases in 2018. They're nostalgic and simple. Many of the 3rd jerseys were alterations of the previous Stadium Series jerseys worn by some of the teams. Others, were completely new with a resemblance of Deja Vu infused in the sweater. It's definitely familiar, except now Adidas is branded onto the jersey where as before, it was Reebok's duty. Anaheim Ducks This modern classic was released for the 25th anniversary season for the Anaheim Ducks and it tried to touch as many parts of the Ducks history as it could. Anchored in black, the third jersey features the original "Mighty Ducks" crest with eggplant and jade striping from the Ducks iconic look of its inaugural 1993-94 season. Linking the team's past and present, the jersey incorporates new into old with a touch of the Ducks current orange coloring represented in the crossed hockey sticks of the team's original mark. Anaheim's current jersey number and letter styling is used in the new third sweater, providing a cohesive and integrated look to the team's 2018-19 uniform kits, while the interior collar denotes the franchise's 25th silver season. The first of its kind to subtly incorporate each of the seven colors (Eggplant, Jade, Anaheim Ducks Orange, Anaheim Ducks Gold, Anaheim Ducks Silver, White and Black) the Ducks have worn throughout the club's 25-year tenure, the jersey also features silver as a primary accent color in both the triangle of the crest and yoke, paying tribute to the team's generational milestone. St. Louis Blues This is the exact same jersey the Blues wore in their Winter Classic game versus the Chicago Blackhawks in 2017. These sweaters were the original jerseys that the Blues wore when they became a team in 1967. A great choice for a winter classic. The only main difference is the neck. This version bears the silver NHL logo that Adidas has placed on all their jerseys. The inside of the neck also has the St. Louis flag design that has been on the inner portion of all the Blues jerseys since Adidas took over jersey manufacturing for the NHL. Colorado Avalanche Inspired by the logo of the Colorado Rockies hockey team that played in Denver from 1976-82, as well as the state's topography, the Avalanche's third jersey is both a statement of regional pride and hockey history. By fusing the terrain of the Rocky Mountains with elements from the state flag, the crest features the "C" from Colorado's state flag and places it in the center of a triangular mountain design. Additionally, the navy-base jersey has white shoulder yokes to evoke the look of snow-capped mountain peaks, while a shoulder patch of the Colorado state flag sits atop the left shoulder. Columbus Blue Jackets Now on the more modern Adidas jersey cut, the uniform features a main crest which includes a depiction of the 1857 Napoleon Cannon stationed at Nationwide Arena, the cannon in/famous for firing after every Blue Jackets goal at home. The cannon is surrounded by a Civil War medal-inspired ribbon with a star at its base in recognition of Columbus being the state capital of Ohio. The logo features the team name on a banner that circles around a cannon – a symbol iconic to the franchise. The Blue Jackets first debuted the cannon in 2007 and fire it off when the home team scores a goal. They have even incorporated the cannon into their goal song, AC/DC’s “For Those About to Rock (We Salute You)”. All the other details from this jersey’s first go-round have been carried over to the new uniform, the inside collar again says “We Fight, We March!”; the name and number font remains the same as the home and road set. The interior of the jersey has ten embroidered stars which were originally added in recognition of the club’s tenth anniversary from 2009. Winnipeg Jets Going with their lighter “aviator blue”, a secondary colour from the team’s home and road set as the base, it’s the new word mark across the chest that’s the star of this design. This new word mark features “Jets” in a new white script with the “t” crossed using the outline of a fighter jet. This wordmark also becomes the new official team word mark logo, replacing the previous logo introduced in 2011. The large white stripes on each arm and around the waist were directly inspired by the jersey the original Winnipeg Jets wore in their final few seasons before moving to Phoenix in 1996. There are no shoulder decorations as this jersey is a very simple and low-key design. A nice touch is added to the inside collar, “WE ARE TRUE NORTH”, a nod to the fans who scream out “True North!” during the Canadian National Anthem before each home game. Calgary Flames A throwback to the road red uniform the team first wore as they moved from Atlanta in 1980, Calgary had originally worn this uniform for their first fifteen years, including for two trips to the Stanley Cup Final and a championship in 1989. The design has, of course, been updated to fit on the Adidas jersey style. It’s that Stanley Cup anniversary that’s being cited as the reason for the return of this classic uniform (30 years since they last won), the Flames were wearing these road reds in Montreal as they hoisted the Cup for that first and only time in franchise history; in fact, it’s the only time a visiting club ever won the Stanley Cup at the Montreal Forum. Like the 1980-94 design, this uniform is red with white and gold striping at the waist and on each sleeve; on the chest is the Flames familiar flaming-C logo in white with gold trim. The Flames had previously brought this uniform back as a “throwback” for their 30th anniversary season in 2009-10 before making it their official alternate uniform for 2010-11 through 2012-13, the uniform was brought back a second time as an alternate uniform for the 2016-17 season. San Jose Sharks The Sharks are calling it their “Stealth Jersey” becuase it has been "blacked-out". Its colours and re-coloured logos, all traces of orange from their primary logo on the chest has been eliminated aside from the eye of the shark, replaced with black and teal, even the hockey stick is now teal. The team’s classic shark-fin logo returns for the first time in over a decade, also re-coloured. The popular secondary logo graced the shoulder of the Sharks uniforms from their inaugural season in 1991 through 1998 and then returned for their alternate uniform from 2002 to 2007. It’s not all about the “stealth” with this new set, there’s also a nod to the San Jose area’s important role in the world of technological advances with the addition of a subtle microchip pattern in between the two teal sleeve stripes; they’re saying the pattern forms a series of “SJ". The incorporation of this microchip pattern is also to establish the Sharks as “the team of the future”. Washington Capitals Throwing back to the road red uniform the club wore for their first 20-odd seasons, the jersey features the original team logo across the chest in white with a blue hockey stick, and six stars alternating between white-and-blue across the top and five down each sleeve. The collar is white with a white shoulder yoke, at the waist are two large stripes, one blue and one white. Blue pants and red helmets will be worn, the pants also with the star pattern down each side. The uniform is the same design the team wore as their alternate uniform during the 2015/16 and 2016/17 seasons, even carrying over the incorrect colouring of the WASHINGTON word mark on the logo; during the original run of this uniform design, this element of the logo was actually blue. Washington began wearing this uniform style for their expansion season in 1974-75, with a few minor tweaks over the years it was worn through the end of the 1994-95 season before being radically replaced with a blue/black/bronze design featuring an eagle on the chest and diagonal striping. In 2007-08 the Caps returned to a modernized version of their original set and brought back their white version as an alternate uniform in 2011-12; the white alternate was worn for four seasons when it was replaced with a more practical red version allowing the team to wear it for home games. New York Islanders Creating a new signature look, the alternate jersey features a re-designed "NY" crest, modernized to be more symmetrical. The descending "Y" hockey stick has been shortened and strengthened to give it a more balanced appearance. The four iconic stripes have been moved down to the blade to prominently celebrate the Islanders' historic consecutive Stanley Cup Championships. The jersey includes subtle nods to the team's heritage with a color palette, refined striping system, and orange numbering reminiscent of the team's inaugural 1972-1973 blue sweater. Other subtle details include a graphic of Long Island on the interior neckline, a designation of Long Island pride, and a block-lettered "ISLANDERS" moniker that sits just above the Adidas logo on the exterior neckline. Philadelphia Flyers The jersey is a direct copy of their 2017 Stadium Series uniform, minus the commemorative patches. The all-black uniform with large orange stripes was already alluded to as being their third jersey during a fan event early in 2018. The difference between this jersey and the Stadium Series version is the imprint of "PHILADELPHIA" inside the neck portion of the jersey. Pittsburgh Penguins The new design incorporates elements from the popular 2017 Stadium Series uniform while acknowledging the heritage of gold jerseys worn by Mario Lemieux and the Penguins in the 1980s. Creating a signature look for these new thirds, the crest spotlights the standalone skating penguin on a single-toned gold sweater. Mixing the past with the present, the contrasting black sleeves are highlighted with white and gold striping that are inspired from the Penguins' 1984 jerseys, while the letters and numbering mirror the current home and away jerseys. Additional design details include the sleeve numbers being raised to the shoulder of the jersey to mimic the 1980s look. Carolina Hurricanes The Carolina Hurricanes are advising you take warning to the fact the club has unveiled their new alternate/third uniform, one which updates some old looks worn by the club while also introducing some North Carolina state pride. Like their previous one, the Canes use the secondary team colour of black as the base while also modifying the logo on the chest. Front-and-centre we see a new hurricane warning flag logo, yes – it’s actually a hurricane warning flag this time – with two flags flying from the stick instead of one, another nod to North Carolina hidden in-between the two flags. The shoulder yoke is now a storm grey with a red trim and includes two “ghosted out” tonal grey logos – the Hurricanes primary logo on the right shoulder and the state flag of North Carolina on the left shoulder. Throughout the uniform we see several red stripes, all of which include a heathered pattern. Arizona Coyotes Like some sort of mythical bird whose name I just cannot recall, the Phoenix Coyotes original Kachina uniforms have returned. Banking on a wave of 90’s nostalgia, the Arizona Coyotes introduced their new throwback third uniforms tonight at their NHL Draft party. The uniform was worn originally for the Coyotes first seven seasons following their relocation from Winnipeg in 1996 before it was replaced in the fall of 2003 as the current logo made it’s debut. The uniform is a fairly faithful reproduction of the original Coyotes uniform, even nailing the unique striping pattern around the waist, sleeves, and at the collar. Both logos are back, the coyote on the chest as well as the moon mark on the shoulder, albeit updated to no longer read “Phoenix” instead leaving it blank above "Coyotes", due to the name change the team underwent in 2014. New Jersey Devils The New Jersey Devils this afternoon announced and unveiled a heritage uniform which the club will wear during the 2018-19 season. Based off of the Devils red and green home uniform worn during the club’s first ten seasons in New Jersey, the uniform is white with red shoulders, the shoulders trimmed in white and green, the Devils familiar primary logo on the chest in red and green. It may have been slightly re-coloured or even chromified but in their 36 years playing in the Garden State, the New Jersey Devils have never played a game with anything but the “NJ” logo featured prominently on their chests. Not once. Edmonton Oilers The Edmonton Oilers unveiled their new throwback heritage uniform, their home jersey from two seasons ago… that’s all, the only difference is that it’s now on the Adidas jersey cut. Because it’s not officially classified as an alternate or “third uniform” it’ll only be worn four times this year. Edmonton is bringing back the long-buried uniform (sarcasm implied) for the 2018-19 season to help celebrate the 40th anniversary of the team joining the NHL in 1979. Carolina Hurricanes....(again) the Carolina Hurricanes, who previously played as the Hartford Whalers from 1979 through 1997, announced they would wear a Whalers road green throwback uniform for two games in the upcoming 2018/19 season. Going with the design the Whalers wore from 1985-89 (and then again for the 1990/91 season), the Hurricanes will be in green from head-to-toe, helmets, pants, socks, gloves all match what the Whalers wore during this era. Carolina was able to work in a subtle reference to tie-in with their current identity, a tonal black and blue storm warning flag pattern on the inside collar. For more articles on our blog, please visit https://oilfieldjerseys.com/

October 1st, 2018 marks a big day in the Islanders world as another Adidas alternate jersey was beautifully delivered to the world. I want to be the first to show you how the elements of this jersey design come together (in this case, deconstructed) with meaning and significance. The jersey itself is very simple in design, but the colours blend nicely together. The overall body of the jersey was inspired by the 2014 Stadium Series jersey the Islanders released in their first two outdoor games against the New Jersey Devils and New York Rangers. As soon as the video of the unveiling of the jersey was released on the official New York Islanders Twitter feed, it became noticeable right away that the primary logo was broken into three key pieces and placed on important areas of the sweater. 3 key areas of importance: -The “NY” abbreviations -The “Islanders” lettering -The geographic image of Long Island itself THE “NY” STAYS FRONT AND CENTER: The “NY” is a direct adoption from the Islanders primary logo. The only difference is that the “Y” is flat on the bottom instead of leaving it on a sharper angle. The four orange strips that were previously on the shaft, are now on the blade of the “Y”. The strips represent the four Stanley Cup championships the Islanders won in 1980, 1981, 1982 and 1983. ON THE NECK OF LONG ISLAND: The image of Long Island, familiar to the one seen on the primary logo, is now tucked on the inside portion of the neck. Utilizing the neck has been a popular amongst teams in recent years as each team is trying to offer a bit of extra insignia to the overall complexion of their outlook. The only difference between this sketch of Long Island compared to the one seen on the main logo is that it’s now blue instead of orange. It’s blue so that it offsets the white and orange trim in a crisp fashion. “ISLANDERS” LETTERING NOW ON BACK OF NECK: If you can’t tell already, this sweater strongly favours the neck. The “Islanders” lettering is the last adoption from the main logo. It has a different font than the one on the main logo but it had to be bolder in order to stand out since its such a small detail. The inscription sits nicely along on the brim and once again the font is blue to offset the white and orange trim on the collar. For more articles, predictions and more... visit https://oilfieldjerseys.com/ today!

I heard there was definitely going to be a Kings jersey for the 18/19 season but so far it has been kept quiet. Does anyone know any specualation as to what it's going to be? My guess is it'll be the royal purple or gold unis form the 70s.

#1 SAN JOSE SHARKS Coincidence is funny sometimes. A few hours before I was writing this article, news broke out that Erik Karlsson gets traded to the Sharks. I also had San Jose slotted in to go #1 even before the announcement of the blockbuster trade so this was mean’t to be. This team keeps finding ways to get good players on the team whether it’s trade or drafting, GM Doug Wilson gets the job done and he is the reason why the Sharks have been a consistently great team. Even with Thornton, Pavelski, Burns and Couture getting older, the Sharks keep drafting excellent talent that will back those players up and provide a great future for the club. Tomas Hertl, Timo Meier, Joonas Donskoi and even Kevin Labanc have provided great secondary support for Couture and Pavelski, who had average seasons compared to what they can achieve. The Sharks now have Evander Kane for a full season as well. He came in as a late season pick up from Buffalo and was able to fit in like a glove in Northern California. This is easily the best team the Sharks had on paper in many years and I’ll bet this team is better than the one they had in 2016 when they went to the Stanley Cup finals against the Penguins. Expect them to take advantage of a very weak Pacific division and tear up the Western conference. #2 CALGARY FLAMES The Flames I see as a team that can come together and play well as a cohesive unit if they put their mind to winning. The Flames have a very good team on paper but last year they had no emotion nor spark to drive them to a playoff spot. That prompted a shake up in the off-season as the Flames acquired two players who feel they have something to prove in Elias Lindholm and Noah Hanifin. They’ll provide the fire the Flames need as it’s their last chance to prove they can play up to their potential. Dougie Hamilton and Michael Ferland were subsequently shipped to Carolina as a result of the trade. The Flames also signed James Neal, who has been to the Stanley Cup Finals in two straight seasons, offers character and an insight of what the finals are like. He’ll be an asset going forward. The Flames have a very good defensive core plus a fast, skilled, and speedy top 6 forward group. If they can find chemistry and get a good rhythm going, they’ll easily be a playoff team. I think they’ll struggle early on in the season but will find their groove from there on in. #3 VEGAS GOLDEN KNIGHTS The best expansion season from a major league sports team in history is under the books and what a thrilling journey it was for the Vegas Golden Knights. The team of “Golden Misfits”, a team that had players that were outcasted by their former NHL clubs came together and played an incredible brand of hockey that nobody expected. Now we’re in year two and already this team is going through a shakeup. Perron and Neal are gone but they now have Pacioretty and Statsny. If you ask me, I think the latter is far more valuable than the former. Patches needs a rebound year and he’ll get one with Vegas without question. Fleury needs to continue to be his superstar self if Vegas wants to make the playoffs this season and I think he’ll be successful. He’s been better in the last 3 seasons than he has been his entire career. Signs point that he’s one of guys who goes through his prime later than most athletes. Luckily for Vegas, that time is now. It’ll be a tougher year for Vegas, as they can’t sneak on opponents anymore plus Nate Schmidt is suspended 20 games for a supposed drug violation. Schmidt was a valuable asset for Vegas last season and his services will be missed for the first quarter of the season. That’s unless they prove the suspension was unjust and reversed during training camp. #4 EDMONTON OILERS Last season, a lot of people have claimed high expectations that the Oilers were going to be a force to be reckoned with last season. Sadly for the Oilers, it didn’t come to be. McDavid was the only bright spot the Oilers had last season as he won the NHL scoring title even on an under-performing team. Not much has changed since the off-season and the same glaring holes in the Oilers weak spots are still there. The special teams were dreadful for the Oilers the prior season placing dead last on the powerplay and 25th on the penalty kill. Goaltending isn’t where it’s supposed to be and the defencemen for the club give opposing forwards too much space on the ice. A big positive is the fact that the Oilers have the best player in the world in Connor McDavid and studs such as Leon Draisaitl and Ryan Nugent-Hopkins. Regardless, this team still needs a few areas improved if they want to be a playoff team and I doubt this year will be their year. #5 LOS ANGELES KINGS The Kings pride themselves by playing very sound defensive hockey. They were #1 in both goals against (203 GA) and penalty kill (85%) last season. When you’re the best at both of those categories, your defense is like a wall that can’t be run through or climbed over. Goaltender Jonathon Quick has been outstanding plus the coaching structure contributed to the success on defence. L.A. will continue to be great defensively but not as good as they were a year ago. It’s hard to see Anze Kopitar and Dustin Brown continue their amazing play as they age. Even with Ilya Kovalchuk signed to a 3-year deal in July, teams like Calgary, St. Louis and San Jose have made strides ahead of L.A. this summer as they’ve acquired more impact players than the Kings. The team itself isn’t worse, but they did get 1 year older and in today’s game, age means a lot and is more crucial than ever before as players are having shorter careers because of how fast the game is played. Unfortunately, the Kings are not a fast skating team so that could be a problem for them. Signs indicate that this might be a trying time for the Kings this season. #6 ANAHEIM DUCKS The Ducks were one of the better defensive teams last season. They’re usually in the playoff hunt more times than not but were easily dismantled by the Sharks in 4 games last season during the Western conference quarter-finals last season. Fast forward 5 months and the Ducks haven’t changed their team very much. Their outlook isn’t overly favourable because Getzlaf and Perry are already 33 years old. Their best years are behind them. Kesler has a brutal hip injury he may not ever recover from. He may even miss the entire 18/19 season because of it. Their defensive core is in good shape and are a tough group for forwards to compete against but their depth up front is an issue. Rickard Rakell is Anaheim’s only bonafide goal scorer and besides Getzlaf, nobody on the Ducks scored over 50 points. The scoring won’t go up with the current group and that lack of offensive punch is what will bite the Ducks during the season. Goaltender John Gibson has to be outstanding in order to give the Ducks a chance but he is simply not a brick wall. Expect a downward trend for the Ducks this season. #7 ARIZONA COYOTES Another year, another chance of scoring a draft lottery pick. I want to be excited for the Coyotes. I really do. But, even for a rebuilding team, they don’t have a lot of high-end prospects. Dylan Strome is the exception and he has a fantastic opportunity to make the team this season. Clayton Keller can build off his successful rookie campaign plus Alex Galchenyuk is away from the drama that’s happening in Montreal. He has a chance at a fresh start and be an integral part of the Coyotes in the future. If the Yotes can get a win in their first 10 games of their regular season this season, they can consider themselves more successful compared to the same stage of last season. It took the Yotes 12 games to get their first victory and it took them 21 games to get their first win in regulation during the 17-18 campaign. Surely they can do better right? Let’s pray for them. #8 VANCOUVER CANUCKS Let’s face it, the Canucks suck. But, it’s not all that bad. Unlike bottom-feeders like the Coyotes, Habs or Senators, the Canucks have an amazing list of prospects that tell the tale of what the future is in store for them. Elias Petterson is an insanely great talent and will make the team out of camp (pending injuries of course) and Thatcher Demko is arguably the best goaltending prospect in the NHL. They also have a great defensive prospect in Olli Joulevi as well. They have players currently on the roster that are still growing in their own too. Brock Boeser and Bo Horvat shined last season and have a great opportunity to be the leaders of this club as the Sedin twins are now retired. The 2019 draft is in Vancouver next June and consensus is that the Canucks will be very involved in that draft. They might even score a lottery pick and draft Jack Hughes as their new franchise centerman. Regardless how Vancouver performs this season, the future is bright on the West Coast and they’ll be a great team once again. For more articles, predictions and more.... check out https://oilfieldjerseys.com/

#1 WINNIPEG JETS It wasn’t a matter of how, it was a matter of when. When the Jets will finally play as a great hockey team. Many years of building a prospect pipeline is finally paying dividends and they are ready to contend for a Stanley Cup for years to come. In the most competitive division of the NHL, the Jets have what it takes to be #1 in the Central. Their offense is oozing with speed and skill. They play an aggressive up-tempo game and they have size to win key puck battles in the corners. The X-factor for the Jets will be goaltender Connor Hellebuyck, who had an amazing 17/18 season. He had a really good playoff showing as well. Not many goaltenders make the conference finals in their first full season and there isn’t a reason why he can’t do it again. The Jets are poised to be a Stanley Cup contender this season and as long as distractions or the injury bug keep away, they’ll have a great chance to go the distance. #2 NASHVILLE PREDATORS Arguably the most well structured team in the league, the Preds had a disappointing playoff exit against the Jets in the Western conference semi-finals last season. They’ll look to bounce back and if they want to go anywhere in the post season, they’ll most likely have to go through the Jets again. They have the team to do it but they do have to keep themselves in check and make sure they’re prepared to match the up-tempo game the Jets like to play. Nashville’s strength by far is their blueline. They have the best defensive core in the entire NHL with Josi, Subban, Ekholm and Ellis rounding their top 4. They all play sound defensive hockey. With Rinne as their goaltender backing the defense, it’s very difficult to score 3 goals in a game against them. Their offense is really good but it’s not at the same caliber as their defense and that’ll be their weakness if they start scoring in streaks. Forsberg, Turris, Arvidsson and Johansen are solid contributors offensively but they are not at the same level as the Penguins, Capitals, Leafs, Lightning and Jets when it comes to fire power up-front. The Preds will most likely be a playoff team and maybe a Stanley Cup contender if their scoring gets hot at the right time but it’ll be a wait-and-see approach from here on in. #3 ST. LOUIS BLUES It was a disappointing season for the Blues as they missed the playoffs for the first time since 2011. It’s the Central we’re talking about so it’s tough for every team to get an advantage over their divisional rival. Blues management knows how hard it is to play in the Central so that’s why GM Doug Armstrong acquired Ryan O’Reilly, Tyler Bozak and David Perron in the off-season. That’s a nice score for any team in an off-season, but it’s extra sweet for the Blues because those players play Blues style hockey; a blue-collar, chip-and-chase brand that’s very aggressive on the forecheck. The Blues aren’t very good on the powerplay as they ranked 30th in that department last season. That’ll still be a concern when the season starts on October 3rd and will be their biggest weakness. None of the guys they acquired in the off-season are true powerplay specialists but their 5-on-5 game will be a huge plus. They’ll be much better even-strength. With a nice rest in the off-season, they’ll have a fresh start to what looks to be a promising campaign for the Blues in the 18/19 NHL season. #4 DALLAS STARS The Stars are an interesting case to look at because what you think the Stars are known for, their offensive talent, wasn’t their strength last season. The Stars were remarkably ranked 6th in goals allowed last season and that wasn’t expected from them whatsoever, but that was with Ken Hitchcock as coach. He’s retired now so Jim Montgemery will takeover. He’ll have an improved team to coach because Valeri Nichushkin is back with the team and they could have talented defensive prospect Miro Heskanen making an impact right away. Ben Bishop was a great goaltender with his first season with the Stars last season but injuries limited him to just 53 starts in 17/18. If he has a full season, he can push the Stars to the playoffs and that’s very achievable. The Stars will compete for a wild card spot next season and if their off-season acquisitions can improve their depth, they’ll make some noise this season. #5 COLORADO AVALANCHE Besides Vegas, the Avs had the best Cinderella story of last season. Mackinnon was a beast and Rantanen played his role as shotgun perfectly for Mackinnon. The Avs had the best comeback season in recent memory after having a dreadful season in 16/17. The Avs established themselves as playing very explosive hockey and Mackinnon thrived in that environment. He carried this team to it’s first playoff birth since 2014 and although they were defeated by Nashville, they show promise for the future. Tyson Jost is primed for a breakout season and they’ve added defenceman Ian Cole to shore up their blueline. The Avs are in a very good situation with how they are growing and they still have an elite prospect with defenceman Cale Makar primed for the future. As for this season, they’ll build off their success they had last year and will compete for another playoff spot this year. #6 MINNESOTA WILD The Wild had a good season last year. They made the playoffs and were contending to advance once again. The problem is more teams in the Central have improved are in the toughest division in the league because of it. The Wild have a good team and have got the most out of Eric Staal and Devan Dubnyk, who performed way above expectations. Good for them but the team didn’t improve at all in the off-season while other teams were making moves. That’ll hurt the Wild this season. The Wild aren’t great at any particular part of their game but they’re not terrible either. What’s bad is that they are average in special teams and 5 on 5 play. While that may have worked in the past, it won’t cut it this season. Will a rebuild be in order after next season? Let’s hope for the Wild, that’s not the case. #7 CHICAGO BLACKHAWKS The main core of the team is still in tact as Kane and Toews still play good hockey. Seabrook and Keith had seasons they want to forget but their play was severely hampered because of the lack of depth they used to when they were on top of the hockey world with 3 Stanley Cups in 5 seasons. The depth drops off very fast from their first line and had to use their 2nd, 3rd and 4th lines as a season long tryout camp for their prospects, with most of them not ready to make the leap. Alex DeBrincat was a diamond in the rough and was the only bit of good news the Hawks had all year. He led the Hawks in goals in his rookie season and is looking to build off that. If the Hawks want to make an impact this season, Corey Crawford needs to overcome vertigo plus Kane, Toews, Seabrook and Keith need to have monster seasons. In a division like the Central, it isn’t likely. For more articles, predictions and more... go to https://oilfieldjerseys.com/

#1 PITTSBURGH PENGUINS The perennial offensive powerhouse is back and ready to attack once again for another exciting season coming our way! It was a relatively quiet off-season for the Pens but they didn’t need to make many moves. They signed Jack Johnson to a multi-year deal to shore up the blueline which is one of the team’s weak spots. It wouldn’t be surprising if the Pens make it to another Stanley Cup Final and what’s different this year compared to the last couple of seasons is that they’re on the outside looking in. They were eliminated by the eventual Stanley Cup winners, the Washington Capitals, in 6 games of the Eastern conference semi-finals. The Pens will be fresher because of the extra rest compared to years before when they won back-to-back Stanley Cups in 2016 and 2017. There’s no doubt Crosby, Malkin, Kessel and company will still be at the top of their game to cement another great season in the best era of Penguins history. They have the deadliest powerplay as they were ranked #1 in that department last year plus they were #5 on offense. There’s no reason why that won’t change as of right now. Look for some exciting, high-flying games by them, especially against the Flyers and the Capitals. Mark it on your calendar when they play! #2 PHILADELPHIA FLYERS This might come as a surprise to some but I think the Flyers have a team that is a force to be reckoned with. Giroux, Voracek and Couturier had outstanding seasons last year. With Nolan Patrick on the verge of a breakout plus the signing of James van Riemsdyk, they now have a very scary offense that has great mix of skill, physicality and speed. On the back end, Ivan Provorov has established himself as a solid two-defender for years to come and Gostibehere (aka Ghost Bear) had a terrific season as well. Ghost Bear’s numbers might see a dip but he’ll still put up big numbers from the back. The Flyers aren’t as deep as the top contending teams but from what they lack in depth they make up for in prospects. Carter Hart is arguably the top goaltending prospect in the league and he’ll get a shot at training camp. Defenseman, Phillipe Myers has a great shot at making the team as well as centerman, Morgan Frost, a very explosive skater. Penalty Killing and goaltending are Philly’s weak spots but with an improved roster from within, they will get better in those departments. Their offense should make up for those deficiencies. #3 WASHINGTON CAPITALS The 2018 Stanley Cup champions had a year to remember! After many disappointments and early playoff exits, they finally made their mark in history and Alex Ovechkin got his Stanley Cup; he hasn’t let the cup out of his sights or been sober ever since, haha. The Caps earned their first Stanley Cup by having the presence of two elite centers in Kuznetsov and Backstrom. In the past, the Caps didn’t have this luxury, which is why they too often eliminated early in the playoffs. Their rivals, the Penguins, always stacked themselves down the middle with Malkin and Crosby. That’s why the Penguins have 3 cups since 2009. The Caps still have their main core intact and they’ve signed D John Carlson to an extension this summer. They’ll be gunning for a second straight cup and their odds are terrific. #4 CAROLINA HURRICANES It was a down year in Carolina and another missed opportunity to make the playoffs. That has been the case for the last 8 season ever since they made the Eastern Conference finals against the Penguins in 2009. But that was a long time ago and none of the guys that were on that team are here today. There was no distinguished strengths of that team as they ranked in the mid 20’s in goals for, goals against, powerplay and penalty killing against other teams in the league. What they did have right was their shots for/ shots against ratio. They peppered 2780 shots on goal while having 2367 shots against. Do you realize how good that is? They had 413 more shots on goal than against. That’s huge! The problem is that they couldn’t finish opportunities and Scott Darling did not play well for the Canes last season. They easily would of been a playoff team if Cam Ward simply played more games. Now that Ward is gone, Darling will get a second chance to see if he is worth the starter’s job. We’ll see how it goes but I think he’ll improve. I believe in second chances for opportunities like what Darling has, except for getting back together with your ex. I don’t believe in that at all. Carolina’s strength by far is their defensive core from #1 to #6. They just got Dougie Hamilton who is very gifted offensive from the backend. Jaccob Slavin is a defensive stalwart plus Faulk, Pesce and van Riemsdyk round out a pretty solid backend. The Canes lack star power and they’ve especially missed it last year. Now with Svechnikov in the picture, he’ll most likely make the team. He’s the Cane’s main weapon for the future and he’ll get his feet wet this season. If he turns out to be any good, he’ll make the Canes a better team immediately. This team is closer to being better than what a lot of people think and it won’t be surprising if they contend for a wild card spot in April of 2019. #5 COLUMBUS BLUE JACKETS If it wasn’t for Panarin (aka Pan Bread) or Bobrovsky (aka Boobtitsky) the Jackets wouldn’t have a chance to make the playoffs. Consistent scoring was a struggle for them last season despite Seth Jones had an outstanding year from the backend. A lot of players experienced big drop offs including Cam Atkinson and Nick Foligno. Luckily Pierre-Luc Dubois had a nice rookie season for them and played really well with Pan Bread late in the season. Ever since Tortorella has taken over the head coaching job in 2016, he turned this team around and established an identity by getting his team to play a gritty, hard-nosed, in-your-face brand of hockey. Although they have depth and character, they lack someone who can score all season long. Only Pan Bread can do it and the rest of the team has streaky scoring. Although I like this team on paper, they are one distraction or injury away from having a bad losing streak faltering their chances on missing the playoffs. Speaking of distractions, Panarin needs a contract and he won’t likely stay with the club. They’ll miss the playoffs, but just barely. #6 NEW JERSEY DEVILS The Devils made a terrific run in the season to make the last wild card seed in the Eastern Conference. That’s how Taylor Hall won the MVP trophy this season as he shouldered this team to the playoffs. Much like Columbus, Hall is the reason why the Devils made the playoffs just like how Panarin was the reason the Jackets were successful. The depth chart falls immediately after Hall. Nico Hishier is good and will be an elite center in a couple of seasons but he isn’t at his prime yet. The defensive core is probably the most average in the league. Will Buthcer had a great rookie season but he may have been over-acheiving just a bit. He could drop a few points but that’s ok, he’s still a lte round steal for the Devils. Vatanen looked good for the Devils last season but he won’t be carrying this club from the backend. The Devils were probably the luckiest team when it came to their goaltending situation. As Cory Schneider struggled, Keith Kinkaid bailed him out and played way above expectations earning himself the starter job. Much like the stock market when things go much better than expected, a course correction is in Order for the Devils. #7 NEW YORK RANGERS In a letter published in a local newspaper to Rangers fans from Glen Sather and Jeff Gorton on February 8th, 2018, they basically told fans that they’re rebuilding from the ground up and that marked a significant change in the Ranger’s destiny for the coming years on that day. Rick Nash, Ryan McDonagh, J.T Miller and Michael Grabner were shipped out at the trade deadline for prospects and future considerations. The full rebuild is in effect at the Big Apple. They were loaded with 10 picks at the 2018 NHL Draft in Dallas, Texas including three first round draft picks. They selected forward Vitali Kravtsov with the 9th overall pick, defenseman K’Andre Miller with the 22nd overall pick, and defenseman Nils Lundkvist with the 28th overall pick. With those picks, they’ll have the deepest pool of prospects in a couple of years. As of now, the Rangers are in transition. Henrik Lundqvist needs an opportunity to play for the Stanley Cup and they’ll most likely have him shipped out somewhere by the trade deadline in 2019. The Rangers won’t be good but they now a have a direction and that will bode well for their future. #8 NEW YORK ISLANDERS I’m not going to hold back on this one. The Islanders had a wasted season that could of been completely avoided. The Isles needed to chooses a path for the club while they still had a shot at the playoffs. They either had to buy or sell. Instead, they didn’t make a single move. The Isles were in desperate need of goaltending near the trade deadline. They easily could of snagged Cam Ward. He was available. A defensive stalwart would of made a difference as well. Their penalty kill was horrible as they ranked dead last in the league. Ryan McDonagh would of been terrific in fixing that problem. He was available. Islanders were even better off to sell than to do nothing. They didn’t even trade Tavares away while they still could of got some value from him and now he’s moved on with the Maple Leafs for nothing in return for the Isles. The team had these problems because of colossal mismanagement from Garth Snow and now he’s fired. Thankfully, Lou Lamiorello took over the General Manger role. Even with him at charge of operations, the Isles won’t recover from what happened last season. Now they have to suffer a painful season trying to figure how they can get back to being a playoff contender. Time to get to work. For more articles, predictions and more... check out https://oilfieldjerseys.com/

#1 TAMPA BAY LIGHTNING There isn’t a team with as much top end talent backed with great depth as much as the Lightning. Their forwards are fast, skilled and very opportunistic, especially with Kucherov and Stamkos leading the way up front. They were first in scoring with 296 goals last season. That was the highest amount of goals recorded in a regular season since the Washington Capitals filled 318 pucks in the net during the 09-10 season. Their defense is filled with workhorses as Hedman, Sergachev and newly acquired McDonagh are in for a full season. They can each run the powerplay and cover their man in the defensive end very well. Most teams are lucky to have just one of those guys as good as they are. Tampa has three. That will be very scary for opponents to deal with. Great goaltending from Vasilevskiy will once again vault this team over the top. He was outstanding for the Lightning last season and is likely going to do work his magic again this year. Overall Tampa will be one of the best teams in the league with a very dangerous team up and down the roster. Their weakness is the penalty kill as they just averaged 76% last season and was a direct result as to why they lost the very few games they did lose last season. Other than that, they’ll be a deadly team all season long. #2 TORONTO MAPLE LEAFS Fans have been gushing over the John Tavares signing in early July of this year. Why not? This is a great times to be a Leafs fan. The turn around of the team started with great management as Brendan Shanahan, Lou Lamoriello and Head Coach Mike Babcock turned water into wine with their consulting, drafting and signings they’ve made in the last three seasons. Rookie GM Kyle Dubas made a great first impression by landing the big fish in John Tavares. Dubas hasn’t even been GM for a month and he already signed him for 8 seasons on contract to play for the Buds. Toronto is a team that boasts a great top 6 forward cast with Matthews, Tavares, Nylander, Marner, Kadri and Marleau as the main scoring weapons up front. With a group like that, you’ll have a solid chance of getting 3+ goals per game average and score one out of every four powerplays (25%) which will most likely make you a top 3 scoring team in the league. On paper, their defense doesn’t have a bonafide powerplay quarterback or even a defensive stalwart but they’re still alright as they averaged over 80% on the penalty kill. They were slightly above average in goals allowed (232 GA, 12th in league) which is still good considering the weapons they boast up front. Having a goaltender like Frederick Anderson saving your butt combined with Mike Babcock’s excellent coaching will boost the team’s defensive prowess too. Overall, you’ll see the Leafs in high scoring games, they’ll be fun to watch, but they will need an additional defenseman at the trade deadline. They will get their man next Spring if they want to push for a deep playoff run. #3 FLORIDA PANTHERS Ok, so this a gamble and some of you will say I’m crazy for writing this but there is a lot to like about the Florida Panthers being a playoff team this year. My reasoning is that the Panthers young nucleus of Ekblad, Barkov, Dadonov, Huberdeau and Bjugstad still have the best years ahead of them. I wouldn’t be surprised if Huberdeau, Barkov and Trochek all had 80 point seasons and they are talented enough to make it happen. They made a terrific late season push last year and were just one point away from making the playoffs. Florida doesn’t have a ton of depth but they do have Borgstrom and Tippett on the verge of making the team and if they do, they’ll have a chance to make a great impression on the checking line and even special teams as well. Goaltending is a bit uncertain as Luongo is getting up there in age and James Reimer still needs to post better numbers to be a solid #1 goaltender. It’ll be interesting to see how this pans out. The Panthers are not known to be strong starters but they tend to play better late in the season. That’s the best time to watch them play. #4 BOSTON BRUINS There is no doubt that everything worked out for Boston last season. They were scoring, defended well, plus they were converting powerplays and killing penalties at a high-caliber rate. Sometimes, I wonder about Boston because they’ve had some great seasons with the same core of players. Sometimes, they’ve had some mediocre years where they’ve finished 9th in the conference two years in a row. Finishing 9th is really bad because it not only means you’re not in the playoffs, you don’t get a high draft pick either. Boston is still a really good team and they definitely do have talent but I think they over-achieved last season. We might see a correction in their stats. Marchand is a slippery player and hard to play against but it wouldn’t amaze me if he drops 10-15 points. Same goes with Pastranak and Chara. I can see the team trending sideways or even down because of how much better teams like Florida is getting plus with division rivals Tampa Bay and Toronto making strides in the off-season. Boston will be at least be a wild card team but their path to the playoffs will be inconsistent especially if Rask has a few off games but overall, it shouldn’t be anything to worry about. #5 BUFFALO SABRES The Sabres will not focus on making the playoffs this year, they will focus on development. What’s positive about the Sabres is that unlike the other teams not making the playoffs in the Atlantic Division, they’re trending up, not down. Buffalo boasts the best prospect pool in the league with Rasmus Dahlen, Casey Mittelstadt, Alex Nylander and Brendan Guhle all projecting to make the team next season. The Sabres already have Eichel, Reinhart and Ristolainen on the team showing great play and excitement but the issue will be how they will gel playing with new players making the cut. I believe they’ll have a great nucleus in the future. They might surprise with a couple winning streaks this year, especially once the kids find their way playing in the NHL. They’ll show a huge improvement between now and April of 2019 but they’ll be golfing after that time. #6 OTTAWA SENATORS Let’s not talk about last season. That’s a topic for another day. This prediction is made assuming Erik Karlsson is finally out and it was a sad ending for him in Ottawa. They still have some good players in Stone, Duchene plus up-and-comer Chabot but the atmosphere in the locker room needs to be addressed. There are still controversies and issues that haven’t been settled since last season and that can affect the team this season. Some more moves on the roster will have to be made in order to clear the air to start fresh and no team needs it more than the Sens. Despite their shortcomings on the current roster, Ottawa does have a few good prospects. Brady Tkachuk is their top gun that can make camp this year as well as Logan Brown. There are spots available so look for them to make an impression right out of the gate. The Sens might be in for another fiasco if the garden hose is still kinked but I think it’ll be a little bit more stable this season, but just a little. #7 DETROIT RED WINGS If there was a word that would describe Detroit right now, it would be ‘underwhelming’. Nobody on Detroit was an impact player last season. Forwards like Larkin and Mantha are good, but they are better suited for secondary scoring roles, not top line duties. If this team gets one or two studs that can plug and play into the lineup(most likely won’t happen), the whole dynamics of this team will change for the better but it’s wise to go for the rebuilding strategy since Detroit is excellent at drafting. They got Pavel Zadina at the draft this Summer. He’s a pure goal-scorer who can make the team but he won’t a impact right away. Michael Rasmussen is very intriguing as well. He will most likely make the team with a great impression but overall the Wings won’t be taken seriously this season. They don’t have any established elite players at this point in time. Give it another year for Detroit be a much better team who can quietly make a massive leap forward if the development of Zadina and Rasmussen goes well. #8 MONTREAL CANADIENS I wish I could say that the Habs have something going for them but I’m afraid they don’t have much at this point, at least for now. The team on paper looks like it’s rebuilding especially with Pacioretty recently traded to Vegas for Nick Suzuki, Tatar and a 2nd round pick. Looks like a type of trade for a rebuild to start but GM Bergevin says otherwise. He still wants to keep Weber and Price on the club despite the club going on a downward trend. Drouin and Gallagher still had good seasons despite how poorly the team performed but they need a wealth of support around them if they want to improve their numbers. If the Habs want to trend upward, they have to focus on developing their current prospects. They have a long list of centers that are in development and that’s an area where they need top get much better at. They do have Jesperi Kotkaniemi and Ryan Poehling aa their top center prospects but they won’t be ready for awhile yet. Now that they have Suzuki, it should be interesting where he slots in if he makes the club. Nikita Scherbak is talented and will challenge for a wing position as well. Victor Mete and Noah Juulsen saw some action last season and made an impression to the coaching staff. They’ll have an advantage in training camp because of the experience. The Habs have a much better prospect pool than what most people think and they still have decent pieces in place to make a good team down the road but their locker room is filled with distraction. The media always puts a spin on the team’s affairs which makes it difficult to focus on playing hockey. Because of that, they’ll have a rocky season ahead of them. For more articles, predictions and more... go to https://oilfieldjerseys.com/

Lets travel back to 2007 for a few moments. The NHL was undergoing a serious makeover retooling their look for their official uniforms. That was a time when many NHL teams have taken the opportunity to re-brand their image to fans and establish team identity. Teams weren’t given the option to introduce alternate sweaters so they had to have one home and one road jersey. Many teams took a deep dive into the trend. Speculation and hype ensued for much of the summer of 2007. When the season started in the fall later that year, the Reebok Edge jerseys were born. How did the unveiling of the Edge jerseys go? Not good. Not good at all. For whatever reason, many NHL teams have taken their traditional look and adopted these odd looking pipes overlaying the front base of the jersey. A lot of teams went with this move and it backfired. All of the jerseys displayed above have been repealed and replaced with much better, bolder, traditional inspired jerseys that proved to be much more successful with critics including myself. Only the Colorado Avalanche and Calgary Flames have kept the front based piping on their sweaters for the entire Edge jersey era. Fast forward to the present and the hockey world is faced with a similar situation. With Adidas taking over the jersey contract with the NHL for 7 years, there will be changes for sure but many are speculating on what kind of changes. NHL Commisioner, Gary Bettman said in an interview in late 2015 that changes will be subtle. His quote: “The history, tradition and respect that goes with NHL sweaters is something that we and Adidas are very respectful of,” he said. “So reinventing isn’t something that we’re about to embark upon, but if there are better fabrics that are more comfortable and help performance, that’s one thing. We happen to like our jerseys a lot, and we think our fans do as well, as evidenced by the fact that when you go to one of our games you see how many people are actually wearing club jerseys.” On the other side of the coin, Michael Rossi, president of Adidas Canada has stated: “In terms of future growth, the potential is big.” Rossi further continued, “The NHL is experiencing tremendous growth across the board, and we’re excited to help the league continue this momentum.” Overall, it does sound like there is a mutual consistency and a positive direction between the NHL and Adidas. It is very likely that Adidas would be the ones to influence new designs to coincide with the new material but it is all a matter of getting the NHL and the clubs on board with their presentation of new ideas. The NHL will likely hold their ground when it comes to sticking to traditional designs as well as most NHL clubs. Personally, I think the traditional looks will stay but there will be a ground-breaking fabric technology introduced as early as Fall of 2017. Some teams do want to want to changes, but most won't be drastic. The NHL doesn’t want to repeat the same mistake in 2007 by rushing sketchy jersey design features that generated poor taste with fans. Some teams do need a fresh look but most have already made changes in recent years. Just like in 2007, there will be no alternate jerseys next season as mandated by the NHL. This mandate will force some decision making as to what direction each team will take for their image going forward. Despite having no alternates, the good news is that there will still be new Winter Classic and Stadium Series sweaters introduced next season. What We Know: New Jersey Devils will change their look entirely The Devils have been wearing the same home and road sweaters since 1992 but that will change next season. According to an anonymous source who works with the design team for the New Jersey Devils, there will be a “full jersey makeover” by the time Fall of 2017 comes around. Many faithful Devils fans are nervous about the change as change is something that doesn’t happen too often with the New Jersey Devils. The good news is that the primary colours of red and black will still be used as their main colours but what comes from their new design using those colours will prove to be interesting. What We Know: Edmonton Oilers adopting their orange alternate as their new primary home jersey The Oilers have went back to their classic blue and orange jerseys in 2011 and now they’re looking to get even more retro as the Oilers have announced that the orange alternate sweaters used since 2015 will be their new full-time home jerseys. The Orange sweaters were a reintroduction of the Alberta Oilers sweaters when they were in the WHA back in 1972. This is a welcome change as this sweater is representative of the “McDavid era”. Why it’s called the McDavid era is because Connor McDavid was the first person to officially wear the orange jersey on camera when he was drafted in 2015. Will be their full-time home uniforms in the Fall of 2017. What We Speculate: Ottawa Senators adopting their black alternates as their new primary home jersey This wouldn’t be a discussion if it weren’t for the NHL mandating the “no alternate jersey” protocol. Why this topic is even part of the discussion is because the black alternates are way more popular than their current home and road jerseys. There are also rumours that the Sens are considering making this change so it is likely that this will happen. If they do make the changes then it makes perfect sense to inherit the 2014 Heritage Classic jersey as their full-time road jersey as well. What the speculated homies and roadies could look like together What We Speculate: Calgary Flames switching to their retro uniforms The Flames have retired their red prairie jerseys in 2016 and have brought back their vintage sweaters as their alternates. There has been speculation about implementing their vintage jerseys as their new primary uniforms in the past but it hasn’t generated a lot of buzz. After 10 years of using the same jerseys that got mediocre reviews, it might be time to turn the dial to the glory days. The Pittsburgh Penguins did just that last year when they reintroduced their old uniforms that were used in the early 1990’s when they back-to-back Stanley Cups. The Flames won their only Stanley Cup in 1989 using the vintage jerseys in question so they might want to revive that kind of glory once again. The Flames current alternates plus a possible reintroduction of the matching roadies? What We Speculate: Colorado Avalanche retiring their current uniforms The Colorado Avalanche have some of the most unpopular home and road jerseys in the NHL today. They don’t sit highly with critics and they don’t appeal to fans either, even the most dedicated Avs fans. When the Avs unveiled their “Back To The Rockies” jerseys in 2015, they were a major hit and it was the nicest jersey in the Avs jersey lineup in many, many years. Fans deserved a great looking jersey like that and now they need a kickass new home and road set when Adidas officially takes over manufacturing in the summer. We have no idea what the Avs might change but they need a change regardless. They can’t go anywhere but up with improving their current designs. If they don’t change their current look, it’d be a major disappointment. The Hype: Pittsburgh Penguins jersey leak The Penguins just switched to new jerseys last year so why was there a leak on a new practice jersey that has new features on it? Nobody knows but it could be a test beta for future Adidas jerseys. They’re probably getting a feel for what the final draft of the jersey will be so they can get ready to swing into full production during the summer of this year. If there is an outdoor game that the Penguins will participate in next season then it’ll explain a lot but right now it is still unclear what the use of this jersey will be for. It is very doubtful that the Pens will change their current home and road uniforms, they’re already very nice as it is so why mess with a good thing. Pittsburgh Penguins leaked jerseys. The Hype: Vegas Golden Knights new uniforms The Vegas Golden Knights will enter the Adidas era straightaway as a brand new NHL franchise. They already have the logo, now they need the jerseys. The colours in the logo will be the main colours of the body as well. The main home jerseys will most likely have a black body to match with the boldness of the logo. There could be dark gold and dark green stripes on the waist and wrists as possibly the secondary colours of the makeup of the sweater. There could also be red outlines along those strips because the secondary logo has red in it. It’ll be interesting to see what the final draft will look like but the wait for the grand reveal will still be a long time away. The Vegas Golden Knights primary and secondary logos Also Hype But Still Highly Speculated: San Jose Sharks secondary marks I’m sure a lot of people have forgotten about this by now but on August 9th, 2016 the Sharks unveiled three secondary marks for their marketing applications on promotions and events for the franchise. This leaves one to wonder what the big picture is for these marks. The Adidas deal was already signed much before this unveiling so there is definitely a pattern that is tying together. It could very well be that the Sharks were applying these logos to see if they would be popular enough to use for their new Adidas jerseys starting in 2017. If their marketing experiment was successful, these logos could be their new image for the Sharks but time will tell to see how that plays out. At this point, nobody from the Sharks organization is commenting. San Jose Sharks official test logos for their marketing experiment

The Pittsburgh Penguins have experienced a plethora of highs and lows since the tale of the club first began in 1967. The Penguins are a team of destiny. When they were down and ready to fold as a franchise, a superstar was there to save them. Mario Lemieux led the Penguins to back-to-back Stanley Cup victories in the early 1990’s after a miserable decade in the 1980’s. Same scenario played out in the early 2000’s when the franchise was playing terrible on the ice plus it was on the verge of bankruptcy. Sidney Crosby came into the league in 2005 to lead the Penguins to 10 consecutive years making the playoffs and that includes two Stanley Cup championships branded to the history books. Now that the Penguins are fifty years young and counting, here lies the history of the Penguins expressed through the form of their outdoor sweaters: Pittsburgh Penguins 2008 Winter Classic Worn on January 1st, 2008 in Ralph Wilson Stadium – Orchard Park, New York As part of the league’s first ever Winter Classic, the Penguins went back to their colour scheme from 1967 and quickly adopted the retro jerseys as alternates for the following season. These alternates were short lived as they only wore them in 10 games for the rest of the 2008-09 season and another 10 games in the 2009-10 season. They were retired shortly after. It’s hard to believe at first glance that the light blue base and Penguins logo would work well together but indeed it has. The blue is supposed to resemble ice overlapping the glare of water, the habitat of a penguin. The large white stripe coupled with the dark blue strips is an excellent complement to the light blue body of the jersey. The logo offers a great presentation of boldness to balance the mild colours on the rest of the jersey. The large white “Pittsburgh Penguins” letters shows a strong message on letting everyone else who they are when they are worn. The letters also adds a nice vintage feel to it. The yellow and black Penguins logo in the center of the circular crest adds a healthy contrast to the blue and white base of the sweater. Overall, this jersey is very well put together. Pittsburgh Penguins 2011 Winter Classic Worn on January 1st, 2011 in Heinz Field – Pittsburgh Pennsylvania Although most Winter Classic jerseys are supposed to replicate the jerseys worn in each team’s past, this particular sweater features different aspects multiple past jerseys from the Penguins franchise. While the jersey may look like a classic, the overall design is actually brand new but it’s still based from the team’s history – not a common theme for most Winter Classic jerseys. We once again go back to the late 1960’s for the inspiration of the design for this sweater. This jersey is a lot like the 2008 Winter Classic but vice-versa. The body of the sweater is navy blue which was used prominently by the Pens in the 1970’s. The bold, baby blue striping on the waist and wrist portions is a standout that was inspired by the very first Penguins jerseys with the diagonal “Pittsburgh” lettering in the inaugural year of 1967. Those jerseys were only worn for just one season. The unique, baby blue striping of the jersey was widely criticized because it didn’t look like it matched with the rest of the jersey but it was part of team history so why blow that detail out of proportion. The logo was an improvement from the 2008 Winter Classic as the circular base is now vintage white plus it’s coupled with retro-style “Pittsburgh Penguins” letters circling the penguin. That very same penguin logo that was used in 2008 now has a scarf and that detail was by far the best aspect about this jersey. The logo itself is also very large and it sticks out well to onlookers. The only criticism I have with this jersey is that the blue letters circling the penguins doesn’t standout, instead, it blends in to the navy blue body of the sweater a little too much. Overall, this is a nice jersey that has standout features but it was a little overdone. Pittsburgh Penguins 2014 Stadium Series Worn on March 1st, 2014 in Soldier Field – Chicago Illinois 2014 marks the first year of the Stadium Series outdoor games. Unlike the Winter Classic where historic elements are used for their main theme of the sweaters, the Stadium Series theme moves into a modern direction by trying out new designs and features that were never displayed before. For this jersey, the Penguins unveiled a jersey that still uses the same logo and colours, but in an entirely different layout. The black shoulder yokes are a welcome detail as well as the mid-size black and gold stripes along the waist and elbows portions of the sweater. The jersey features a chrome-treated Penguins logo design inspired from the chrome details of the NHL shield, a dynamic and modern look to conventional team identity. The numbering on the back of the jerseys is enlarged and sleeve numbers are angled to improve visibility in outdoor venues. The font on them looks really good too. Overall, this jersey looks better than their primary road whites they have used from 2007 to 2016 but the Pens really should of have tried to think ”outside-of-the-box” more with this one. The New York Islanders, Anaheim Ducks and L.A. Kings took a chance on some brand new concepts that turned out to be huge winners in their Stadium Series games so that left fans wanting more so that was a slight disappointment. Pittsburgh Penguins 2017 Stadium Series Worn onFebruary 25, 2017 in Heinz Field – Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania This is probably the most standout outdoor NHL jersey that has ever been unveiled. There are so many features this jersey has that makes it unique and there is no other like it. This jersey is mean’t to look industrial because Pittsburgh is also known as “Steel City.” The captaincy patches have the gold triangle around it and that golden triangle is normally behind the logo but instead they have it integrated with the “A” and “C” captaincy patches. The most attention-grabbing feature is the giant patch on the left sleeve touting “City of Champions” in big silver letters. This is the largest secondary patch that was ever featured on a NHL jersey. Inside the patch there are four gold stars, marking the Penguins’ Stanley Cup championships, with crossed hockey sticks all inside a keystone shape — for the Keystone State. The overall body of the jersey is representative of the first alternate jersey ever used in the NHL and that honour belonged to the Penguins. Those jerseys were worn between 1982 to 1985. You May Also Like... THE HISTORIC COMPILATION OF THE DETROIT RED WINGS OUTDOOR JERSEY LEGACY OF THE CHICAGO BLACKHAWKS OUTDOOR UNIFORM…SO FAR THE 2016/17 NHL OUTDOOR JERSEY CLASS – ALL ABOUT LEGACY

The Detroit Red Wings are an iconic franchise with a terrific history. For 25 consecutive years, the Wings have made the playoffs and during that time, they have vaulted an already outstanding legacy to a brand new height of glory in the 1990’s and 2000’s. During their incredible playoff streak, the Wings have won 4 Stanley Cups and have participated in 4 outdoor games. The Wings have made appearances in 2009, 2014, 2016 and 2017 and have accumulated a 2-0-2 record in those games with both overtime losses coming to the Toronto Maple Leafs. Detroit Red Wings 2009 Winter Classic Worn on January 1st, 2009 in Wrigley Field – Chicago, Illinois This vintage style jersey is simple and light with no complexity whatsoever. When it comes to throwbacks, you don’t want to change the simplicity much except for the material that makes lifts the jersey’s visual appeal. The white-based jerseys are a throwback to those worn circa 1926-27, including an old-school logo on the chest with a current ‘winged wheel’ on the shoulders. The Old English ‘D’ served as the hockey team’s very first logo and is widely recognized as a symbol for Detroit and its sports teams, a true for the city. Detroit Red Wings 2014 Winter Classic Worn on January 1st, 2014 in Michigan Stadium – Ann Arbor Michigan Detroit wore the iconic red and antique white uniforms featuring a striping pattern and arch Detroit wordmark inspired by the late-1920s Detroit Cougars. The front crest on the jersey featured an early iteration of the winged wheel from the late 1930s Red Wings. There’s even a touch of the early 1980s Red Wings with the custom Detroit wordmark and the number system. Both are exclusive to the typeface worn by the Red Wings from 30 years ago. The captaincy marking has been moved to a diamond shape on the left sleeve, which is a very non-traditional move. It’s also against league rules, but the league gave them special permission, as they did for the Sabres. It also looks great but only for the one-time use of the sweater. Detroit Red Wings 2016 Stadium Series Worn on February 27th, 2016 in Coors Field – Denver Colorado Just like every other Stadium Series jersey, it blends modern twists with details that exhibit vintage qualities and this sweater is no different. It’s loaded with secondary details plus there is a story with every feature that was designed on the jersey. The coloration of the uniform is primarily red, with simplified white accents, creating a bold, striking stadium scale visual while staying true to the color identity of the franchise. The crest features a redesigned “D” logo, updated in its design style to connect more directly with the iconic modern day Winged Wheel logo. The single white diagonal stripe across the chest celebrates the iconic stripe of this storied Original Six franchise. Its diagonal placement is inspired by modern automotive aesthetics, and is a tribute to the automotive industry that has been a foundation of the city of Detroit. Stadium size numbers on the sleeves and back have been redesigned to better connect with the modern font style of the new “D” crest. The nameplate lettering is arched, as a way of connecting to the design of the team’s current nameplate lettering. On the inside of the neck it inscribes “Est. 1926”, the year the Detroit Red Wings were founded. The white “Red Wings” inscription on the outside portion of the neck adds a nice touch of character to the jersey. Detroit Red Wings 2017 Centennial Classic Worn on January 1st, 2017 in BMO Field – Toronto, Ontario As part of the theme of the Centennial Classic, the features and designs of the Red Wings were based on the legacy that the franchise has built to honour the NHL’s 100th birthday. This jersey is a very simple design with one significant detail about it; The silver stripes on the arm. Engraved on each silver stripe are the years the Red Wings won Stanley Cups. The years listed on the right sleeve are 1936, 1937, 1943, 1950 and 1952. The years listed on the left sleeve are 1954, 1955, 1997, 1998, 2002 and 2008. Why the stripes are silver is because its supposed to resemble the Stanley Cup. The four red stripes on both sleeves are a tribute to the original Detroit Cougars, which prominently displayed stripes in their jersey designs. You may also like... LEGACY OF THE CHICAGO BLACKHAWKS OUTDOOR UNIFORM…SO FAR THE 2016/17 NHL OUTDOOR JERSEY CLASS – ALL ABOUT LEGACY

The Chicago Blackhawks have participated in the most NHL outdoor games with five appearances including it’s 4th straight in as many years. The Blackhawks showcased two very bold black jerseys in their first 2 appearances in 2009 and 2014. For the last 3 outdoor showings, the Hawks have featured sleek white jerseys in 2015, 2016 and 2017. If you’re a Hawks fan that loves collecting all their jerseys, this post is dedicated for you! Chicago Blackhawks 2009 Winter Classic Worn on January 1st, 2009 in Wrigley Field – Chicago, Illinois This jersey was a great first choice to use for an outdoor game for the Hawks. The jersey used for this Winter Classic date with the Detroit Red Wings was the throwback retro uniform Chicago used in the ‘Original Six’ days during the 1936-37 NHL season. This particular jersey design is very bold for a classic uniform as the engraved “Blackhawks Chicago” circled around the vintage Hawks logo show a sense of branding, honour and pride about it. The black base combined with the red and beige stripes add to the boldness of this uniform plus it suits the iconic center logo very well. Chicago Blackhawks 2014 Stadium Series Worn on March 1st, 2014 in Soldier Field – Chicago, Illinois The Blackhawks 2014 NHL Stadium Series jersey is the reintroduction of Chicago’s first alternate jersey that debuted in 1996. Eventually, they were retired after 2011. Three years later, the Hawks brought back the black alternates with very subtle changes to match with the Stadium Series theme. These NHL Stadium Series uniforms utilize colors within the teams’ existing color palates. Each jersey features chrome-treated logo designs that are unique to the NHL Stadium Series and inspired from the chrome details in the NHL shield, bringing a dynamic and modern perspective to conventional team identities. The chrome crest was developed using new technology that fuses print and embroidery and allows logos to be displayed as a high-resolution image incorporated into the crest. This technology also reduces the weight of the crest, resulting in a lightweight jersey to help improve athlete performance. Numbering on the back of the jersey is enlarged and sleeve numbers are angled to improve visibility in outdoor venues. Overall, this is a great jersey, especially for the young fans. Not too many jerseys based from old school designs blend in very well with any new school tweaking but this uniform was done just right. Chicago Blackhawks 2015 Winter Classic Worn on January 1st, 2015 in Nationals Park – Washington, D.C. Inspired by the 1957 jersey worn by the Chicago Blackhawks, the white Winter Classic jersey features a lace-up collar and secondary logos on each sleeve; the secondary logos overlap the top two stripes on the sleeve rather than the traditional shoulder placement. The vintage logo in the 1957 jersey will not used. Instead, the current logo will be used to add a dash of modern to it even though the current logo has been used since 1964. Another detail about the jersey is on the inside portion of the neck it inscribes “2015 NHL Winter Classic” in white letters. Besides that small detail and the placement of the secondary logos, this sweater looks just like the current road jerseys used today. Chicago Blackhawks 2016 Stadium Series Worn on February 21st, 2016 in TCF Bank Stadium – Minneapolis, Minnesota The white NHL Stadium Series jersey pays homage to Chicago, featuring four, six-pointed red stars on the white collar, which are derived from the City of Chicago’s flag and were incorporated as a symbol of regional fan pride. Additionally, the black shoulder yoke serves as a visual representation of the city’s nickname, the “City of Big Shoulders.” The team’s secondary logos overlap the top three stripes on the sleeve rather than the traditional shoulder placement. The stripes, letters and numbers were purposely made bigger to match the Stadium Series theme plus it improves visibility in outdoor venues. Chicago Blackhawks 2017 Winter Classic Worn on January 2nd, 2017 in Busch Stadium – St. Louis, Missouri Very similar to the 2015 Winter Classic sweater, the 2017 Winter Classic jersey was also inspired by the 1957 original. This time they used the vintage logo instead of the current one plus the secondary logo is more modern than the one used in 2015. This sweater is not only inspired by the 1957 originals, it was also inspired by the playing era of legends Stan Mikita and Bobby Hull. The uniform stands as an homage to the legends of the past while preserving the classic aesthetic of the franchise by using details from uniforms of the late 1950s and early 1960s. Just like all of the other white uniforms used in the outdoor games, the Hawks once again used single-layer black lettering because black is the perfect contrasting colour to the white body of the uniform. THE 2016/17 NHL OUTDOOR JERSEY CLASS – ALL ABOUT LEGACY

The 2016/17 NHL season has seen the unveiling of 8 NHL outdoor jerseys that were worn in-game by NHL players for their respective NHL teams. Most of the jerseys unveiled were inspired by past designs and colours used in the ‘good ole days’. There have been some interesting classic themed jerseys used this year and most of which are supposed to commemorate team history. Since this is the 100th NHL season, the ‘blast from the past’ route for the Winter Classic and Heritage Classic games made the most sense. The Centennial Classic and Stadium Series jerseys had elements of their past but the designs were brand new and never used before. Edmonton Oilers 2016 Heritage Classic This particular jersey was used prior to the Heritage Classic in Winnipeg when they unveiled it at the 2015 NHL Entry Draft as an alternate. The only reason this jerseys counts on this list is because the Oilers wore it for their outdoor date against the Winnipeg Jets. What a lot of fans didn’t know about this jersey is that it was the original jersey of the Oilers franchise. When they were the Alberta Oilers in the WHA back in 1972, they introduced this jersey before they changed it to their current blue jerseys a few years after that. The unique lay-over neck design was not a new implementation of the current throwback, it was also introduced as part of the design back in 1972 as well. Everything about this jersey is according to the exact specifications as the throwback in 1972 except for the white strips separating the blue and orange. The vintage jerseys have a thicker white line than the modern throwbacks played during the Heritage Classic. Besides that, this jersey a true classic. Alberta Oilers original from 1972 Winnipeg Jets 2016 Heritage Classic The Jets, just like the Oilers, were part of the WHA until they both absorbed by the NHL. The first generation Jets were inaugurated one year after the Oilers were in 1973. These jerseys are now a fan favourite in Winnipeg after they were worn during their Heritage Classic matinee against the Oilers on October 23rd, 2016. There are 2 exceptions that the new throwback is different from the one introduced in 1973. First, the blue used in the modern throwbacks is a darker navy blue compared to the lighter royal blue from the original sweater. Second, the neck tie from the new jersey is a cross-layover just like the Oilers jersey. The original had a thin cut V-neck. Winnipeg Jets original from 1973 St. Louis Blues 2017 Winter Classic The original from 1968 surged back to life after it was unveiled for the 2017 Winter Classic in St. Louis. This jersey proved to be very popular among fans and it immediately replaced the other alternate jersey St. Louis wore since 2008. The round fibre-collar neck added to the true authenticity of the throwback. It’s a simple design that stands out because of the bright colours and that’s why it’s a hit. The main difference between this jersey and the original is the thinner white strip on the new throwback as opposed to the thick white stripes from the original. Thinning out the white is a common theme to the reintroduced throwbacks because it shows off the main colours more. St. Louis was never part of the Winter Classic until this season and they needed this badly as other rival teams like Chicago and Detroit were already part of several outdoor games already. After the success St. Louis experienced with this Winter Classic, there is strong indication that they will be part of another outdoor game in a few years from now. St. Louis Blues original from 1968 Chicago Blackhawks 2017 Winter Classic The Blackhawks are back at it once again with the Winter Classic jerseys. This is Chicago’s 4th consecutive outdoor appearance and it’s 5th overall. They now have a ton of different outdoor jersey designs and it’s a collection that deserves an honour of it’s own. This is also the 3rd straight year that Chicago has went with a white uniform after making their first two appearances in black. For this jersey, the Hawks modified the throwback from 1958. They made some adjustments with the minor details of the jersey. First, they made the red and black stripes on the waist bigger and they placed the bottom black stripe on the very bottom instead of letting it overhang on top of the white base. Second, they took the “C” from the arm portion of the sweater and completely changed it. All aspects of the secondary logo were changed including the tomahawk ax and ax head portions. The justification for this is because the Hawks already used the original “C” secondary logo in the 2015 Winter Classic jersey and they didn’t want to use it again. They did however use the same main logo from the 1958 original as opposed to before when they used their current logo which is a big positive. This jersey, similar to the original, is not a true replication of the older version but it still looks great nonetheless. Comparison between the old and the ‘old new’ Detroit Red Wings 2017 Centennial Classic This jersey is a very simple design with one significant detail about it; The silver stripes on the arm. Engraved on each silver stripe are the years the Red Wings won Stanley Cups. The years listed on the right sleeve are 1936, 1937, 1943, 1950 and 1952. The years listed on the left sleeve are 1954, 1955, 1997, 1998, 2002 and 2008. Why the stripes are silver is because its supposed to resemble the Stanley Cup. The four red stripes on both sleeves are a tribute to the original Detroit Cougars, which prominently displayed stripes in their jersey designs. Toronto Maple Leafs 2017 Centennial Classic Just like their Centennial opponents, The Detroit Red Wings, The Leafs unveiled a simple but fresh design. There is a lot of depth when it comes to the symbolism represented with this jersey. Naturally, it pays homage to the past. The words ‘Honour, Pride and Courage’ stitched into the back of the neck of the sweater, similar to the team’s new sweaters, are taken from a famous Conn Smythe quote and represents the values the franchise strives to represent. The horizontal singular band of white across the body of the sweater is reminiscent of the Toronto St. Pats sweater worn from 1922 to 1925. Philadelphia Flyers 2017 Stadium Series Although this jersey is a new design, all of the elements taken from it are meshed from the past. The new jersey stands as a contemporary homage to the unique characteristics of 50 years of the Flyers uniform – a bold design for a passionate city. The primary colour of the uniform is black, fiercely showcasing the traditional winged-P on the chest. The single dominant orange bands are a reinterpretation of the singular bands of color on the team’s current home and away uniforms. In addition, these bands of colour are complemented by a contrast color name-plate, which is a signature design feature of the Flyers’ NHL uniform. Pittsburgh Penguins 2017 Stadium Series This is probably the most standout outdoor NHL jersey that has ever been unveiled. There are so many features this jersey has that makes it unique and there is no other like it. This jersey is mean’t to look industrial because Pittsburgh is also known as “Steel City.” The captaincy patches have the gold triangle around it and that golden triangle is normally behind the logo but instead they have it integrated with the “A” and “C” captaincy patches. The most attention-grabbing feature is the giant patch on the left sleeve touting “City of Champions” in big silver letters. This is the largest secondary patch that was ever featured on a NHL jersey. Inside the patch there are four gold stars, marking the Penguins’ Stanley Cup championships, with crossed hockey sticks all inside a keystone shape — for the Keystone State. The overall body of the jersey is representative of the first alternate jersey ever used in the NHL and that honour belonged to the Penguins. Those jerseys were worn between 1982 to 1985. You May Also Like... LEGACY OF THE CHICAGO BLACKHAWKS OUTDOOR UNIFORM.....So Far THE RICH CULTURE BEHIND THE PITTSBURGH PENGUINS OUTDOOR SWEATERS THE HISTORIC COMPILATION OF THE DETROIT RED WINGS OUTDOOR JERSEY

#5 – Matthew Barnaby The master at getting under peoples’ skin. If Matthew Barnaby could fight with his lips, he would be heavyweight champion of the world. He’s quite a bit like Sean Avery except that he has the gift of gab, but not in a positive way. Matthew was famous for his constant chirping against any opponent no matter if it’s tough guys like Tie Domi, Donald Brashear and even Zdeno Chara. The man can certainly talk the talk but can also walk the walk as he would always stand up for himself when he had too. The man had no fear and is very courageous. His constant taunting made him a fan favourite with the New York Rangers. He was also famous for his huge smile that players wanted to punch out because everybody knows what kind of filth that comes from his mouth. He is very quick-witted and he constantly used references from movies to his advantage to insult people. For example, he often referred to Lyle Odelein of the New Jersey Devils as “Cornelius”, a character off of Planet of the Apes. He used to also pick on minor league players coming into the NHL by making fun of their low-end paychecks plus he would always tell them that their teams will send them back down to the minors. I really wanted to hear more of what Matthew said during his career but apparently most of the language was so offensive, it couldn’t be aired on television. #4 – Ilya Bryzgalov When you find out the universe is humongous big. Ilya Bryzgalov; the entertainer, the jester and the philosopher. He is a man who has an imaginative spark to his personality. People crowd around him just so they would listen to his crazy theories. One of his philosophies is that Siberian Husky’s are like hot blondes because they’re both known for their beauty plus he has an entire theory on comparing outer space to life in general. What makes it funnier is that he has a college degree in philosophy. Ilya is most famous for talking about his favourite subject, the universe. He’s always wondering how it’s made and constantly points out how big it is. One interesting note he has on the universe is that he compares how small the world’s problems are compared to the size of the universe. It’s interesting because that analogy matches his personality in the way that he is easy-going, calm and humourous. Even when things aren’t going well for him, he doesn’t appear to be angry but he does get sarcastic. Even his sarcasm is funny because he makes himself the butt end of the joke and he is comfortable with it. For example, when Ilya apparently got benched from the Flyers for sleeping during a team meeting, he asked the journalists who reported the story on it to “look at themselves in the mirror” plus he told them that were doing “a great job of reporting.” Ilya has a soft side to him. When it came to painting one of his masks, he decided to let his children design his mask when he played for the Edmonton Oilers. On one side, there is a drawing a goalie guarding and on the other side, it appears to be the 2014 Olympic games in Sochi, Russia. I really wished he didn’t play such horrible hockey during the twilight of his career, otherwise we would of heard more of Ilya’s philosophies about things in life. He should write a book on it! #3 – Alex Ovechkin Don’t we love Alex in the all-star games or what? When Alex entered the NHL in 2005, we was nothing more than a shadow to the hype that Sidney Crosby brought to the league when he entered with Ovechkin as a rookie. Fans found out right away that there are 3 things that Alex scores; goals, girls and interviews. How it sequenced was a lot like this; When he scored the goals, he scored the interviews. When he scored the interviews, he scored the girls. That cycle repeated until he got engaged to Nastya Shubskaya in 2015. Before that he lived the ultimate bachelor lifestyle in the off-season. Alex would show up to wild DJ parties in limousines filled with beautiful women and tagging alongside him is fellow countryman Evgeni Malkin. He also loves being a rockstar as he used to play in rock concerts plus he even tried his hand at rapping. Around the locker room, Alex is a lot like Ilya Bryzgalov with his care-free attitude but he is more boisterous and playful. His antics make him a favourite on and off the ice with teammates as well as fans. One of the best moments of Alex was him making fun of teammate Alex Semin’s fighting skills using Nintendo Wii remotes. Personally, I laughed a little more than I should have but it was great. Ovechkin once interviewed rival player Sidney Crosby and it was comedic gold. He is also very funny at the receiving end of interviews as he always has out-of-the-box answers to many of his questions from interviewers. He has become more serious in the last couple of seasons but his fun side does pop up from time to time. #2 – P.K. Subban Welcome to Smashville P.K.! He’s living the dream isn’t he huh? P.K. is a very special person. He is very special because he has the most heart and spirit in the game of hockey today. P.K. freely expresses his appreciation of playing in the best hockey league in the world by being himself. He has the most heart because he is one of the most generous donors that Montreal Children’s Hospital has ever had. In 2015, P.K. has pledged $10 million to help sick kids at the hospital. But it’s not like P.K. to just drop a pile of fun coupons and walk away, he actually gets his hands dirty by spending time playing with the kids and getting involved in the community. The kids at the hospital love his enthusiasm, energy plus he makes them laugh which is so important. On the ice P.K. brings the spirit to the locker room as he is always getting himself psyched up during warm ups before every game. He is loud, energetic and confident plus his teammates feed off that. P.K. is very emotional and that’s good when you’re winning but has shown emotion in a negative way when things aren’t going well in the past. P.K. hates losing and has expressed frustration in the form of bombastic cursing and throwing Gatorade bottles in the locker room. Analysts have always said that P.K. Subban can drive your team to a win or loss becuase of his play on the ice but that’s only half true. It has everything to do with his emotion. Another side of P.K. that most fans like is his personality shown on small t.v. stints. His best performance came when he dressed up in one of Don Cherry’s suits then started to impersonate him in a mock Coach’s Corner segment with George Strombolopoulos. P.K. is very lively, playful and happy-go-lucky when on camera and he is like that because he appreciates his life as an NHL player. He is a standout presence in any locker room you put him in as he is intrinsically motivated as he doesn’t need an outside influence to light his spark. With that personality comes with a dash of swagger and that comes when you’re as confident as P.K. You’ll see that swagger when he celebrates his goals on the ice as he’ll do a majestic celebration after he dishes the puck into the net. There will never be a another person like P.K. Fans, teammates and everybody involved in hockey will miss him when he is gone. #1 – Jeremy Roenick Ladies look out! (Just kidding, he’s married) Fiery, colourful and a true showman. That’s why he is #1 on this list. Jeremy was as great as a hockey player as he was a talker under the spotlight. He used to always establish rapport with fans by greeting them and signing their merchandise with his autograph. He’d do it more than any other player. For Roenick, it was an understanding of what it meant to be the fan on the other side. As a child, he attended Hartford Whalers’ games; during one visit, hockey legend Gordie Howe picked up a pile of snow off the ice and threw it over the glass and on top of Roenick’s head; Howe then continued to skate around but looked at Roenick again and winked. Roenick recalled what a lasting effect it had on him and he quoted; “I thought that was the coolest thing that ever happened in my whole life, it took three seconds. It was me, Gordie Howe and no one else…That moment stuck with me for years and years and years. It was little, it was small and it took nothing out of his power or time but it resonated with me my whole life. So, as a player, as I got older, I tried to reach out to fans, reach out to kids whether on the ice or on the street or in a restaurant. I try to do little things where I can make the same impression on a young child that Gordie Howe made on me. That’s a gift that was given to me. And I made sure I did it, every, single day. Without the fans, without their support, the NHL would be nothing, the NFL would be nothing, basketball, baseball, you name it right down the line … The two or three seconds you give each day to make sure you appreciate the people who appreciate you, goes a long way.” Roenick was candid as he said whatever he felt like on the camera. He talked about his controversial views on the 2005 NHL lockout, made statements about the NHL commissioner and had a public exchange of words with Patrick Roy during the 1996 playoffs, a debate he lost. Jeremy loved to gamble and was part of the controversial gambling stunt known as Operation Slapshot which forced Roenick, several NHL players and personnel to give affidavits to New Jersey authorities for allegedly placing bets on hockey games when they were playing and coaching in the NHL. After Roenick retired from hockey in 2009, he took on a couple of analyst roles for NBC and he has also appeared on several cameo appearances in different movies and sitcoms. He lives the cameo life and just like every other role Jeremy had in his life, he embraced it and made the best of it.