NHL Reverse Retro jerseys are back and we ranked all 32 of them

The new National Hockey League season might look a little familiar in November as Adidas and the NHL revamp their beloved Reverse Retro jersey program.

All 32 teams are getting new jerseys to wear on the ice, with designs highlighting historic moments unique to each team and callbacks to iconic old logos.

This new edition follows the success of the franchise’s 2020 reverse retro program — “one of the most popular uniform launches of all time,” according to Dan Near, senior director at Adidas Hockey.

“In 2022, we’re doubling down on the design formula — Your Colors, Your Retros, Remixed — and once again seeking to bring the magic of the sport to Gen Z and fans around the world,” Near said in a news release.

Before the teams duke it out on the ice, we pit the retro jerseys against each other to see which design comes on top. Here’s our breakdown of all 32 jerseys, from worst to best.

32. Tampa Bay Lightning

Have we learned nothing from history? These throwback jerseys to 1997 reflect the worst of NHL fashion and should have stayed dead. Instead, the tacky waves, lightning bolts and rain will torture our eyeballs for yet another season.

31. Calgary Flames

The classic 1995 design was straight fire. This? Not so much. The logo and black background look nice, but what is going on with those stripes? It’s like they’re pulling a mutiny with how dumb this looks.

30. Carolina Hurricanes

The Hurricanes remixed their current away jersey in bold red, with mixed results. The hurricane warning flags on the shoulders are a cool touch, but they could’ve gone with a better logo.

29. Philadelphia Flyers

The design and colour palette of this throwback to the Flyers’ 1974 and 1975 Stanley Cup Championship wins are putting me to sleep. Next!

28. Chicago Blackhawks

Isn’t this just what the Red Wings did, but worse? It’s cute they reversed the colour combo from their 1938 uniform, but it’s way too similar to Detroit to stand on its own.

27. Columbus Blue Jackets

This will be the first black jersey the Blue Jackets will have worn, and for good reason. The logo looks great, but what’s with that awful colour scheme?

26. Ottawa Senators

This throwback to the team’s 2007 Stanley Cup run mostly fell flat to us. What’s with the block of red in the middle of the arms?

25. Seattle Kraken

After drawing from the team’s illustrious history dating all the way back to 2018, the Kraken came up mostly empty-handed. They settled for sea green with a couple stripes, which mostly gave us sea-sickness.

24. New Jersey Devils

New Jersey’s new jersey is an old jersey from 1982, their inaugural year. The Devils logo looks fine but out of place with the Rockies’ red yellow and blue. Mediocre.

23. Dallas Stars

This homage to the Stars’ 1993-94 inaugural season looks decent, but it also looks like the logo for a poorly-written secret organization from Marvel. Bring back the Mooterus logo!

22. Minnesota Wild

This is basically the same reverse retro jersey from 2020, but in black instead of white. It looked dope back then, but we’ll have to deduct points for lack of creativity this time.

21. Detroit Red Wings

A tribute to the Wings’ 1991 NHL 75th Anniversary jersey, this red and black jersey features a wordmark inspired by the 1920s Detroit Cougars jersey. It’s not hideous. But it’s nothing special either.

20. Toronto Maple Leafs

This jersey honours the team’s 1962 Stanley Cup-winning run, turning the old white jersey blue. A truly revolutionary advance in mediocre design.

19. Buffalo Sabres

Not a whole lot of complaints here, but not much to write home about either. The 1996 logo looks good, but it doesn’t pop — the royal blue and gold detracts from it, we think.

18. Winnipeg Jets

The Jets are bringing back their 1990s jersey, this time in their current team colours. It’s a massive downgrade from their first retro sweater in our eyes, and nowhere near as bold or unique.

17. New York Rangers

The Rangers didn’t do a whole lot different from their 2020 Retro Reverse debut, slapping the “Liberty Head” logo on a blue and red backdrop. Lady Liberty looks bored, and so are we by this offering.

16. Edmonton Oilers

The orange and white accents are great, but what’s with the “dynamic gear” surrounding the oil drop? Sure, the five bolt hubs represent the team’s five Stanley Cups, but it still looks like it belongs in a sci-fi kids cartoon more than a hockey jersey.

15. Arizona Coyotes

The old 1998 “kachina jersey” logo looks great, but what’s with the cheesy strip of desert landscape ensnaring the waistline? Still, the sienna colouring pairs well, and it’s apparently the first time any NHL team has worn that earth-tone colour, so they’ve got that going for them.

14. Pittsburgh Penguins

Robo-penguin makes its daring return, this time accented in gold. First worn by Mario Lemieux and Jaromir Jagr through most of their 1990s run, though it was white back then. Not much to complain about here.

13. Boston Bruins

The bear is back! Originally a gold uniform from 1995, this edition comes in white, which really makes Pooh Bear pop. Legend says the logo was poached from a bear painting owned by a team executive. Maybe that’s why it’s so expressive.

12. Vegas Golden Knights

The team says they based this look off of what they “imagine” a Golden Knights jersey might have looked like in 1995, whatever that means. Either way, we can’t deny it looks great (and did we mention it glows in the dark?).

11. St. Louis Blues

This jersey reaches far back, all the way to the the first “prototype” jersey worn by the club’s new ownership a year before the team hit the ice. This would be the first time the team’s dressed primarily in gold, and we think they should’ve done it sooner.

10. New York Islanders

The Islanders are marking their 50th anniversary with the team’s iconic 1995 uniform mixed with their current navy and orange colours. The logo looks fantastic (if not like a roided-up Gorton’s Fisherman), and the striping really helps.

9. Nashville Predators

The old sabretooth logo backed in gold is an instant winner and a clear improvement on the original 2001 jersey, which featured an unflattering mustard yellow. Who thought that was a good idea?

8. Colorado Avalanche

It’s hard to go wrong with this uniform. The Stanley Cup champs are honouring their first Stanley Cup jersey from 1995-1996, mixed with the colours from the state flag. Super sleek; the peaked stripes evoking the Colorado Rocky Mountains are the cherry on top.

7. San Jose Sharks

The Sharks are paying homage to their Bay area ancestors, the 1974 California Golden Seals, with the Sharks wordmark in Seals typography and font. Simple, clean, easy on the eyes. The teal’s a fantastic touch.

6. Florida Panthers

There’s not a panther in sight on this new look; instead, the iconic hockey stick and palm leaf logo that once graced the team’s 1998 uniform takes centre stage. We’re here for it — finally, a jersey that actually reflects Florida.

5. Vancouver Canucks

Johnny Canuck is back in this retro redo inspired by the team’s Western Hockey League look circa 1962. Some local fans feel this veers too close to the Abbotsford Canucks, who also use the Johnny Canuck logo, but we think the more the merrier.

4. Washington Capitals

The “screaming eagle” logo swoops in for a victory lap in this classic ’90s throwback, now in black with sleek capital blue and metallic copper highlights. Everything about this just works, making it a win in our books.

3. Anaheim Ducks

The Mighty Ducks logo returns with this throwback to the team’s inaugural season, and you can’t deny it’s among the sharpest logos in the league’s history. The clean white with stripes just works, and the splash of orange helps it stand out.

2. Montreal Canadiens

This jersey honours the Habs’ 1979 uniform, when the Canadiens won their fourth Stanley Cup in a row, and 22nd overall. Adidas said the blue was supposedly “inspired by the city of Montreal colors,” but we all know the team wanted an excuse to cosplay as the Expos on ice.

1. Los Angeles Kings

It’s fitting the Kings came out on top — how could we say no to the purple and white colour combo? This sweater plays homage to their 1982 uniform, celebrating the 40th anniversary of the “Miracle on Manchester.” Bonus points to the iconic crown logo with the raised gems.