Pass or Fail: Colorado Avalanche new third jersey for 2015-16

It’s no secret that the Colorado Avalanche were getting a new third jersey for the 2015-16 NHL season, and it’s no secret that the jerseys were rumored to include iconography from the late, not exactly great Colorado Rockies (who relocated to become the three-time Stanley Cup champion New Jersey Devils).

Thanks to kikkerlaika on Twitter, we have our best look at their new duds for this season, as the International Shop NHL site leaked all of this season’s third jerseys.

(That includes the awesome Mighty Ducks-inspired jersey for the Anaheim Ducks and, curiously, does not yet include the all-black New York Islanders jersey that’s scheduled to be revealed later this month.)

In our humble opinion: These Avs jerseys … look … awesome.

As someone who is an avowed detractor of the Avalanche’s current jerseys – at best their logo looks like something out of a child’s first book of letters, at worst like the world’s lamest log flume ride – I want to write sonnets to the glory of this sweater.

Awesome primary color. Awesome logo. Love the flag on the shoulder patch. This is the logo of a proud NHL franchise, rather than looking like someone dumped Cool Whip on the a pair of burgundy trousers.

The design is going to be repurposed for the Avs’ Stadium Series jerseys later this season.

Allow us to apply the same test to these jerseys as we did to the Avalanche third jerseys that debuted in 2009:

1. Are they better looking than the Atlanta Thrashers' third jerseys, considered the worst in NHL history? Really, anything in life is. Even root canals.

2. Are they better than the franchise's previous third jerseys? Dark blue wins every time.

3. Are they an improvement on, or more appealing than, the franchise's primary jerseys? I think you know where we stand on this.

So, all that said …

PASS OR FAIL: Colorado Avalanche third jerseys for 2015-16.

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