Preview: Ducks, Avs third jerseys; Avs-Red Wings Stadium Series duds

Take a sneak peak at possible new Ducks and Avalanche third jerseys, plus Avs and Red Wings uniforms for the 2016 Stadium Series game.

Allan Muir | Aug 11, 2015

Preview: Ducks, Avs third jerseys; Avs-Red Wings Stadium Series duds /

It's no secret that both the Anaheim Ducks and Colorado Avalanche are planning to debut new alternate jerseys for the 2015-16 season, but the direction each team is pursuing has remained a mystery.

Until now.

The folks over at Icethetics say they have secured an exclusive first look at the new threads. And they are, well, kind of a mixed bag.

If these prove to be the real deal—and it’s all speculation until they are officially revealed—then Anaheim kinda let us down after the big tease. Sure, the new third features the team’s classic Mighty Ducks logo, which is awesome, but it’s on an orange base that recalls last season’s Stadium Series design. No way around it—that’s not going to be easy on the eyes. In fact, it may be the worst base color choice since the putrid yellow that was used by the Sabres two years ago. But hey, at least the Ducks are going all in on their playoff “Paint It Orange” theme, right?

Are new NHL uniforms on the way for 2015-16?

Colorado’s reputed thirds have issues as well, but they’re a massive upgrade over the team’s recent wordmark alternates. The logo pays homage to the state flag, which is a nice touch, and the base is both darker than the Avs’ traditional steel blue and distinct from any other team’s shade. The white shoulders are a bit awkward, both in shape and color, but all in all it’s a decent enough look.

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Shortly after this story broke, Chris Creamer at Sportslogos.net revealed what he claims are the Stadium Series jerseys set to be worn by Detroit and Colorado when they clash at Coors Field on Feb. 27, 2016.

They’re something, alright.

If this is the Avalanche's 2016 Stadium Series jersey, it's an epic fail

Not sure what’s up with those sashes, or why someone thought both sweaters should have them, but that state flag logo really pops on the white Avs jersey. And that winged D? It’s sure to offend some purists, but it’s nice to see a team that’s had basically the same logo for 70 years mix it up for a special occasion.

Hard to fully assess them without knowing what the piping, shoulders and numbering will look like, but there’s a chance for these to be halfway cool.

So, what do you think?

GALLERY: 20 Worst NHL Jerseys of All Time

The 20 Worst NHL Jerseys of All Time

#20: 1995-97 Vancouver Canucks thirds

The spaghetti skate might be the NHL's biggest logo fail outside of Vancouver's own original stick-in-a-rink, but it never seemed quite so excessive as when it was applied to these shocking alternates. Add in the unbalanced yellow V that bisects the logo and slides off to the right side and take away the shoulder and arm piping and you're left with a jersey that's somehow overly busy and sadly plain at the same time.

#19: 2009-11 Ottawa Senators thirds

The Canadiens have an abbreviated nickname too, but you'd never catch them slapping it on the front of a jersey.

#18: 1998-2006 Calgary Flames thirds

Their home/roads from 1995-2000 could have made the cut as well—does anyone know what was going on with the section of trim that leapt up from the bottom and pushed the logo higher?—but the silliness of the flame-snorting horse gives these the edge. That black base didn't go over too well with fans who loved the C of Red, either.

#17: 2001 All-Star Game

This one feels like the designer was romancing fans of soccer or rugby kits, because it doesn't much look like hockey ... oh wait, there's the NHL logo all tucked away over there!

#16: 2003-07 Atlanta Thrashers thirds/homes

The burnt red “motocross” thirds worn from 2008-11 might be more universally despised, but these get the nod because they went from seldom-worn thirds to their standard home kit. The baby blue base that works for the Penguins fails here because of the complementary colors, but the real disaster is the trim that runs down the left sleeve only emblazoned with the word Atlanta—you know, in case the fans watching at Phillips Arena forgot what town they were in.

#15: 2001-07 Nashville Predators thirds

Honestly, the alternate logo on these is pretty awesome, maybe better even than their traditional tiger head. But that hideous mustard yellow base and that square-cut neckline ... did Anne of Brittany design these things?

#14: 2001-07 Edmonton Oilers thirds

Books should have layers of meaning. Movies, songs ... sure, they can too. But team logos? They just need to look cool. That point was lost on artist/minority owner Todd MacFarlane who tried waaaay too hard when he was asked to come up with something new. Ditching the traditional colors was another big mistake.

#13: 2015 All-Star Game

2015-NHL-All-Star-Game-Jonathan-Toews-Ryan-Johansen.jpg — Gregory Shamus/Getty Images

Yes, these were widely panned when they were revealed late last year, but I don't think we've quite yet come to terms with how awful these really are. Give it time, though. The oozing toxic green trim and oversized chrome NHL shield will soon be as fondly regarded as KISS's disco years.

#12: 2011-14 New York Islanders thirds

You know how things work these days. Nothing gets into production without market testing, focus groups and God knows how many meetings. At some point in the process, there had to be alternatives on the board ... and yet somehow, a black jersey with a “dynamic” Islanders wordmark above a player number was the option everyone agreed on. Or maybe they just left the whole thing up to an intern.

#11: 1995-96 Los Angeles Kings Burger King

Ray Ferraro wrote just today on Twitter that the worst-dressed game he ever saw was when the Kings trotted these paeans to fast food out against the salmon-clad Canucks. Why am I hungry all of a sudden?

#10: 1998-93 Phoenix Coyotes thirds

A reminder of just how bad things got in the '90s, these green alternates combined an under-designed alternate logo with a desert green background and a cactus-festooned trim that was as richly detailed as the old 8-bit High Noon game. Peyote may have been ingested during the design process.

#9: 1978-85 Vancouver Canucks deep V

This beaming yellow sweater with deep black and red V neckline instead of an actual logo was the first of many ill-conceived designs trotted out by the franchise. Many fans revere it as an important part of the Canucks' history. And this is why that team can't have nice things to wear.

#8: 2011 Calgary Flames Heritage Classic

Okay, so maybe they do have a bit ol' timey flavor, but they also look a lot like Ronald McDonald's outfit, especially next to the Canadiens' more dignified threads.

#7: 2003-06 Dallas Stars “Mooterus” thirds

No less a fashion expert than Sean Avery ranked this design as the worst jersey ever in an article in Men's Vogue, and he's not far off. In introducing the design, the Stars said “the new logo depicts a constellation of individual stars aligning to form an unstoppable force of nature, a charging bull.” What they overlooked was that stars also aligned to resemble the female reproductive system.

#6: 1995-97 New York Islanders fish sticks

New-York-Islanders-fisherman-uniform-1995-Darius-Kasparaitis-Travis-Green_0.jpg — Jim Leary/AP

It could have been worse. They could have been inspired by another islander for the logo ... like maybe Gilligan.

#5: 1996-99 Tampa Bay Lightning thirds

Another standout of the sublimation era, this one was the work of someone who finally made the connection between slashing rain and high seas and hockey. And we're all better for it.

#4: 2013-14 Buffalo Sabres thirds

Before #thedress, this horrorshow was the social media fashion phenomenon ... except in this case, everyone agreed: it was mustard yellow and it sucked. In fact, the online animosity was so relentless that Buffalo president Ted Black was moved to utter one of the greatest lines in hockey history: “If it's a turd burger I'll have to put it on a bun and eat it.” We hope that burger came with a shake to wash it down, Ted.

#3: 2009 Montreal Canadiens 1912-13 throwbacks

Looking more like the uniform of a 1920s chain gang rock breaker than a legendary hockey team, this tribute to Montreal's centennial season was so ugly that coach Bob Gainey refused to let his team wear it a second time after its Feb. 1, 2009 debut. Boston's Shawn Thornton, whose Bruins beat the Canadiens 3-1 that night, thought that was the right call. “I was really concerned about it in warmup,” he said. “When there were 23 guys skating around, I was dizzy and I didn't know if I got enough sleep or what.”

#2: 1995-96 Anaheim Ducks Wild Wing

This is the “Showgirls” of hockey sweaters, a debacle so gallingly bad that for some it comes all the way back around to great. Featured a cartoon version of the team's mascot leaping forward in an apparent 'roid-fueled rage along some of the worst name/number graphics ever.

#1: 1995-2006 Bruins Winnie The Pooh thirds

Objectively, this wasn't even the worst third jersey introduced in 1995, but it stuck around so long—10 humiliating seasons—and was such a downgrade from their classic traditional sweaters that it earns the top spot. The dijon yellow body and jagged trim were bad enough, but that sleepy bear head logo? It's like replacing San Jose's fearsome fish with Katy Perry's left shark, only there's no kitsch value here. It was no coincidence the team was so bad for so many of those years. Wearing these took two inches and 20 pounds off those poor souls.

Published Aug 11, 2015

ALLAN MUIR