We need to see more classic uniformed NHL matchups
Giant middle finger or not, the latest NHL Heritage Night looked great and we need to see more of it. It was one of the best aesthetic matchups yet.
A few months ago, I talked about how the Colorado Avalanche and Carolina Hurricanes should meet while cosplaying as the Quebec Nordiques and Hartford Whalers, respectively. On Thursday night, I got my wish as the Avs skated out in those cool blue Nordiques threads that we’ve rarely seen take NHL ice.
Then, the Hurricanes skated out dressed in those timeless white and green Hartford Whalers uniforms and, suddenly, it was the early 1990s again. If only the broadcast would’ve played along and said, “Nordiques” and “Whalers,” it would’ve been complete. That said, they used some old-time graphics for this one, so you got the feel that this matchup took place over 30 years ago.
It’s rare that you get to see a matchup in professional sports that’s so nostalgic. And ironically, the only other league to date that has done this is the NFL, despite the uniform crisis that league’s in.
A few weeks before the Avs and ‘Canes faced off, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Seattle Seahawks met. Both teams were expansion brethren who entered the league back in 1976, so when they squared off on opposite ends of the gridiron, the Bucs wore their famous “creamsicle” uniforms while the Hawks donned their AFC threads.
Still, nobody does throwbacks better than the NHL.
NHL uniforms have become a sacred charm in pro sports
What’s great about the NHL is that they don’t need to throw it back to the Nordiques squaring off against the Whalers for fans to feel nostalgic. Instead, those heritage games are bonuses, considering the fact that the NHL learned its lesson rather fast when it dealt with its own uniform crisis in the 1990s and into the 2000s.
The Buffalo Sabres, Pittsburgh Penguins, New York Islanders, St. Louis Blues, Edmonton Oilers, San Jose Sharks, and Calgary Flames all fell victim, but reverted to classic looks after wearing radically different designs.
On the other hand, teams like the Detroit Red Wings, Toronto Maple Leafs, Boston Bruins, Chicago Blackhawks, New York Rangers, and Montreal Canadiens, the Original Six, boast uniforms that are all identical to what they wore six or more decades ago. Small changes, but the overall aesthetic’s untouched.
This lets the NHL boast a plethora of beautiful uniformed matchups, even if there’s still work to be done. The Minnesota Wild should adopt North Stars colors for good, while the Dallas Stars need to go back to those championship threads.
The Winnipeg Jets should roll with the original Jets’ color scheme and logo, and the Los Angeles Kings and Anaheim Ducks must bring back their original colors of purple and gold and eggplant and jade, respectively.
Uniforms are identities and they don’t need to be messed with
I can write a book on how much I can’t stand the NFL in the 2020s, which is why the NHL is a safe haven. Unnecessary safety measures aside, one of the NFL’s biggest problems is that virtually half the league tries to mimic the NCAA’s Oregon Ducks, and it doesn’t work. It’s cosplay gone wrong.
I shouldn’t have to look at the Gridiron Uniform Database and think I’m seeing the Jacksonville Jaguars when I’m really looking at the Carolina Panthers. It shows that these teams have zero identity these days, and if I were Roger Goodell, I’d take the advice of the late, great Virginia Halas McCaskey, who preferred one home and one road uniform, and nothing more.
Luckily, you get far less of that B.S. in the NHL. And you know where else you won’t see a plethora of stupid uniform combos? In the subplot of my Arcane Elemental Academy series, a young adult fantasy starring not a hockey player, but a box thrashball player named Yote Diamondback.
What the hell’s box thrashball?
Box thrashball resembles hockey in rules, so if you like hockey, then chances are, you’ll like box thrashball. No ice, sticks, or pucks, but you’ll see the similarities. You can catch an overview of thrashball in the first three chapters of Book I, The Arcane Prophecy, and later on in that same book, you’ll even catch some awesome box thrashball games.
Check it out now if you’re a fan of YA fantasy and prepare for something great.
