Ranking the NHL's new 'Reverse Retro' sweaters

The best thing to happen aesthetically to the sport of hockey is back for another season.

During the 2020-21 campaign, NHL and Adidas introduced the “Reverse Retro” line of sweaters, giving a fresh but nostalgic look for every team in the league. Some were fantastic representations of an organization’s history, and others should have stayed in the sketchbook.

Fast forward two years and the jerseys are back and giving some teams a whole new look. Each team will wear them sporadically through the 2022-23 season, but before we see them on the ice, we do have to rank all 32 jerseys from aesthetically pleasing to incredibly ugly.

The 10 Best

1) Los Angeles Kings

Sometimes it is just so simple. The Kings went with the same purple and gold colorway as the first version of these jerseys, but this time with a white base on the sweater instead of the eye-popping purple.

But even with the change, these deserve the top spot for the combination of nostalgia and splendor.

2) Buffalo Sabres

The Sabres took the notion of reversing a retro jersey to heart and among all the teams that did the same, they produced the best product.

Combining the Buffalo head logo of the 1990s with the current team colors is a no-brainer, so of course it worked.

3) New Jersey Devils

Essentially the opposite of the Sabres’ strategy, the Devils pulled the colors from their brief time as the Kansas City Scouts and splashed the blue, red and yellow all over their current design.

We are so used to the emboldened red and black of the Devils, so this is just a simple and effective idea.

4) Florida Panthers

The Panthers do not have that much history to pull from, but this is just a beautiful sweater.

The baby blue base draws your attention, while the alternate logo of the palm tree and hockey stick that the team has used multiple times throughout its history is perfect as a new centerpiece.

5) Minnesota Wild

If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.

The Wild used the same North Stars inspiration last time around, but this year they will be going with Kelly green as their base color instead of white. With the accented shoulders and the almost identical numbers to the original Minnesota sweaters, this is an easy win.

6) Anaheim Ducks

Last time, the Ducks attempted some nostalgia with the flying duck character that was used briefly. It appears they learned their lesson.

Using their current colors with the original Mighty Ducks template is something they maybe should have done the first time around, but we’re glad they figured it out.

7) Edmonton Oilers

Ryan Smyth instantly pops into your head when you look at the mechanic oil drop logo.

Similar to other top sweaters this year, combining an old logo with current colors gets a good rating.

8) Pittsburgh Penguins

The Penguins decided to keep it simple and not mess this opportunity up.

The Robopenguin is back and it’s perfect. The classic black jersey with yellow accents and the striping from three decades ago is here and we cannot wait to see it on the ice.

9) Washington Capitals

The Penguins-Capitals rivalry might be between more than just the players.

Similar to Pittsburgh, Washington decided to bring back almost an identical replica of a classic sweater and you cannot really blame them for doing it. The black and gold represents the early years of Alex Ovechkin and as he approaches his twilight seasons, it’s a great time to reminisce about his early days.

10) San Jose Sharks

The Sharks brought the 1970s back.

This Sharks-Golden Seals crossover is so good in every way. The font of the logo, the bright colors. It might not be the best version available, but it’s adequate enough and the nostalgia is clear.

The Above-Average Looks

11) Nashville Predators

This might be a controversial opinion, but we are a sucker for the old Predators logos.

This reference to the old “mustard cat” jerseys, while mixing in some of the more modern elements to their current look, is enough for a top-half rating and just outside the top-10.

12) Boston Bruins

The Bruins went for a cult classic this year.

Opting for the giant bruin head with the old alternate logo on the shoulder pads, the Bruins did a solid job with these.

13) Ottawa Senators

Initially, these were not impressive. But then we saw the numbering.

The Sens already brought back their classic logo and have some of the best sweaters in the league, so what else could they have done? They have gone and brought back more nostalgia with the old font that reminds you of Daniel Alfredsson’s early days.

14) Arizona Coyotes

The Coyotes really like the desert.

With a beachy tone and the Kachina head, these are a middle-of-the-road sweater. Nothing outstanding, but they deserve some credit.

15) New York Islanders

The Islanders’ previous choice was questionable, but this year they did a little bit more with their history.

They brought back one of the goofiest logos in NHL history with the fisherman and gave it a modern twist. Nothing wrong about that, but the execution and color choice is questionable.

16) Colorado Avalanche

Just like other versions of their alternate jerseys, the Avalanche went with the Rockies theme.

Using the classic Colorado logo and keeping the colors with just a splash of yellow keeps the Avs above the halfway point.

Nice Try, But No

17) Tampa Bay Lightning

Kicking off the below-average attempts, the Lightning are going with a replica of their old but tacky sweater.

We love references to retro things (clearly) and love the direction the Lightning took, but just go the extra mile and make it blend in with the current design.

18) Philadelphia Flyers

The Flyers have had the same look for a while, so there’s limited options.

They did the best they could do to replicate the look they used during the Eric Lindros era. Plus, they’re wearing Cooperalls during warm-ups as an added jolt of nostalgia.

19) Winnipeg Jets

The Jets nailed it last time, but that’s the best they could really ever do.

The 2020-21 version featured the classic Jets logo with the crucial red color, but this is just not enough to earn a top spot. On paper it makes sense, but the execution is not there.

20) Montreal Canadiens

We get it, but just please, no.

The Canadiens have one of the most difficult jobs for this jersey series. They have had the same sweaters forever so this task is somewhat daunting, but the baby blue just doesn’t work. We understand the Expos reference, but it doesn’t look right.

21) Vancouver Canucks

The Johnny Canuck logo is back and, well, it’s kind of boring.

The colors are decent, but the logo just doesn’t fit well and being just nice is not good enough to rank ahead of those above.

22) New York Rangers

You already did this!

The Rangers’ 2020-21 Reverse Retro jerseys was the Lady Liberty logo with the same colorway as the original jersey. They went with their current colors this time and it just looks too bright, in a bad way.

23) Seattle Kraken

In their first attempt at the concept, the Kraken did decently.

Of course, they’re starting out shorthanded without any modern history to pull from, but they went with a reference to the Pacific Coast Hockey League’s Seattle Ironmen and it only loses marks for not being a well-known design.

24) St. Louis Blues

Whomp, whomp.

The Blues’ concept is OK, but it just doesn't stand out. If it makes any sense, this is trying too hard.

25) Calgary Flames

Yikes, the Flames did not do themselves any good here.

It was always going to be hard to top the return of Blasty last time around, but this is just a poor attempt at something different. They already have perfect sweaters, so I guess what else could they have done?

The Lazy Zone

26) Toronto Maple Leafs

The Leafs had a horrible concept last time, so they played it safe.

There is a number of teams that took the easy route, and Toronto’s looks the nicest of the bunch.

27) Chicago Blackhawks

Just. So. Boring.

28) Detroit Red Wings

The stripes are back, but in the worst way.

It is jarring to see a Red Wings jersey feature the color black and we do not like it.

29) Columbus Blue Jackets

An attempt was made.

Somehow, this looks like you hit random on a jersey creator in NHL 23.

30) Carolina Hurricanes

You cannot tell me that this wasn't already a Hurricanes sweater.

Just Ugly

32) Dallas Stars

We feel bad for putting this sweater so low, but just look at it.

What made the Stars jerseys from the 1990s special was the flash and vibrance of the colors. Now, they just muted the entire thing and put the old logo on top.

32) Vegas Golden Knights

While other teams tried to get creative, the Golden Knights pulled off a familiar trick.

There is a shortcut to creating any hockey sweater and it is the diagonal lettering of where the hockey team plays or the name of that team. It is not reverse, nor retro.

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