SI

Uni Watch NHL 2019–20 Season Preview

Breaking down all of the new uniforms, logos, ice designs and more ahead of the 2019-20 NHL season.

Paul Lukas

Courtesy of the NHL

Feel that chill in the air? Okay, you probably don't, but hockey season is here anyway, and that means it's time for the Uni Watch NHL Season Preview, where we run down all of the season's new uniforms, logos, ice designs, and more.

With the regular season set to begin this Wednesday, Oct. 2, here's our annual team-by-team look at what you can expect to see out on the ice.

ATLANTIC DIVISION

BOSTON BRUINS

Nothing official yet from the Bruins, but there are lots of rumors about a possible retro-themed alternate uniform. The excellent Icethetics site, which tends to scrutinize leaks and rumors much more rationally than, say, your average thread on Reddit, has an excellent assessment of the situation here.

BUFFALO SABRES

In an unusual move, the Sabres are commemorating their 50th season with two separate but similar logos. The first one is being used as a jersey patch, which they're wearing in an unusual spot—on the left shoulder:

The other logo will appear at center ice:

In addition, the Sabres have a new gold-trimmed alternate uniform—for their golden anniversary, get it?—and it's a beauty. The textured embroidery on the crest is particularly nice:

This uniform will be worn for 13 home games this season. You can see a list of those dates, along with additional photos and info, here.

Meanwhile, looking ahead to next season, the Sabres have confirmed that they'll be bringing back the royal blue uniforms, something fans have long been hoping for.

DETROIT RED WINGS

An annual rite of autumn here at Uni Watch HQ is that lots of people get in touch during the NHL preseason to say, "The Red Wings have changed the font for their player names!" They actually do this every year, using straight block lettering for the preseason and then switching to their familiar vertically arched lettering when the regular season starts.

FLORIDA PANTHERS

For a team that hasn't made any major uniform adjustments this season, the Panthers nonetheless have a lot of uni-related developments to report on. One at a time:

• First, the team's old palm tree logo, which had been AWOL since 2016, is being revived as a helmet decal:

• Second, the Panthers will retire Roberto Luongo's No. 1 on March 7. It will be the first player's uni number the team has ever retired. (Although they've previously retired honorary numbers for team execs Bill Torrey and Wayne Huizenga.)

• Third, the Panthers have established a new section of their website, called the Panthers Virtual Vault. It's basically a digital team museum, and it includes lots of great historical content regarding the team's uniforms and equipment, among other topics—definitely worth a look. Here's hoping more teams do this.

• Finally, thanks to an imminent bank merger, the Panthers' arena will soon have a new name. For those who've lost count, that will be the building's fifth moniker in only 20 years, really illustrating the absurdity of corporate naming rights. Sigh.

MONTREAL CANADIENS

No announced changes or news.

OTTAWA SENATORS

The subtlest, most nuanced move of the year comes out of Ottawa, where the Senators have tweaked their center ice design by moving one of Canadian Tire's triangular logos from the top of the circle to the bottom:

TAMPA BAY LIGHTNING

No announced changes or news.

TORONTO MAPLE LEAFS

No announced changes or news.

METROPOLITAN DIVISION

CAROLINA HURRICANES

The Hurricanes have removed their primary logo crest from their white road uniform and replaced it with diagonal "Canes" lettering (additional info here and here):

While it's not a terrible look, the feeling here at Uni Watch HQ is that diagonally lettered jerseys should be left for to the Rangers, and slang-y nicknames are best used on alternate uniforms, not on primary home or road designs.

One interesting detail: The road helmet—and apparently only the road helmet—will have a 3D helmet logo, something that just a few other NHL teams have dabbled with:

Meanwhile, in an interesting move that other NHL teams could learn from, the Hurricanes have posted their full game-by-game uniform schedule for the entire season. It shows the 15 games when they'll wear their black alternate uni (mostly for Friday home games), the one instance they'll wear white at home (on Oct. 12, when they host the Blue Jackets), and the one time they'll be wearing their green Hartford Whalers throwbacks (on Jan. 11, when they host the Kings). Additional info here.

COLUMBUS BLUE JACKETS

As just noted in the Hurricanes section, Carolina will be wearing white at home against the Blue Jackets on Oct. 12. That means Columbus will presumably be wearing its home uni on the road for that date.

NEW JERSEY DEVILS

No announced changes or news.

NEW YORK ISLANDERS

No announced changes or news.

NEW YORK RANGERS

No announced changes or news.

PHILADELPHIA FLYERS

It's the end of an era in Philly—and in the NHL overall—as the Flyers have changed their center ice design from two small team logos to one large logo:

The Flyers have never used the single-logo format before, and they were the last team clinging to the old two-logo format. The team's longtime owner, Ed Snider, didn't like having the team's primary mark bisected by the red line. But with Snider having died in 2016, the team is moving in a different direction.

PITTSBURGH PENGUINS

No announced changes or news.

WASHINGTON CAPITALS

No announced changes or news.

CENTRAL DIVISION

CHICAGO BLACKHAWKS

Small but positive change for the Blackhawks, who've changed the collar design on their home and road jerseys:

In addition, the Blackhawks' uniform from last season's Winter Classic will be brought back for three games this season.

COLORADO AVALANCHE

Nothing to report yet for the Avs, but they're scheduled to host the Kings for a Stadium Series game in Colorado Springs on Feb. 15, so it's a safe bet that we'll be seeing some sort of special-event uniform for that game.

DALLAS STARS

The Stars will be playing in the annual Winter Classic on New Year’s Day, which means they’ll be wearing some sort of retro-flavored uniform for that game. While they haven’t yet released the full uni design, they’ve given enough hints to make it clear that the uni will be based on the old Dallas Texans, a minor league team that played in the late 1940s. You can get a sense of what’s in store from the merchandise that’s already floating around, and also from a teaser video that the Stars recently posted:

Meanwhile, here's the logo for this year's edition of the game, which will take place at the Cotton Bowl in Dallas:

MINNESOTA WILD

No announced changes or news.

NASHVILLE PREDATORS

The Preds are the other team playing in this season's Winter Classic on New Year's Day. No word yet on what sort of retro-themed uniform they might be wearing, but they’ve given us a hint by revealing what the shoulder patch will be:

ST. LOUIS BLUES

The good news is that the defending Stanley Cup champs are bringing back the their 1990s "trumpet" uniform—the one with the red trim and the diagonal striping, which was famously worn by Brett Hull and Wayne Gretzky, among others—as a throwback. The bad news is that they'll only be wearing it three times this season (additional info and photos here):

In addition, the Blues have made a small adjustment to the "Enterprise Center" wording around their center ice circle:

Now let's just hope Enterprise doesn't insert its logo into the color guard during the national anthem again, like they did during the Stanley Cup Final.

WINNIPEG JETS

Fun news out of Winnipeg, where the Jets will trade in their ho-hum look for late-1970s throwbacks for three games this season (additional info here):

This uniform will be worn on Oct. 26 (for the Heritage Classic), Dec. 3, and Feb. 11.

Now, some of you may be saying, "But these Jets have nothing to do with the Jets who originally wore that uniform." True enough—the current incarnation of the Jets began as the Atlanta Thrashers and then moved to Winnipeg in 2011, while the Jets who originally wore that throwback design relocated to Arizona in 1996 and became the Coyotes. Got all that? But whatever—even if there's no consistent franchise-driven through line for this throwback, it'll be great to see it on the ice again.

Meanwhile, in a minor but indisputably positive development, the Jets have changed the cuffs on their gloves from navy to light blue:

PACIFIC DIVISION

ANAHEIM DUCKS

Although nothing has been officially announced yet, reporting by Icethetics suggests that the Ducks may be reviving the orange alternate that they wore from 2015 through ’17 (additional info here):

ARIZONA COYOTES

The Coyotes' "Kachina" throwbacks, which the team wore as an alternate uniform last season, are back for another go-round, and goalie Antti Raanta is ready with a new set of custom Kachina-themed pads (additional info here):

Speaking of Raanta, he's planning a series of masks this year with designs themed around Arizona wildlife. The first one is a salute to the rattlesnake:

Meanwhile: Last season the Coyotes experimented with incorporating their primary team logo into their red line design. A year later, they're reverting to a more traditional look:

CALGARY FLAMES

Welcome news out of Calgary, where the Flames have announced that they'll wear gorgeous white throwbacks for the Heritage Classic on Oct. 26, when they'll take on the Jets at Mosaic Stadium in Regina, Saskatchewan (additional info here). Raise your hand if you think they should make this their primary look!

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In addition, the Flames have a 40th-season logo. Although it hasn't been worn as a jersey patch during preseason games, the patch will be added for the regular season, and the logo is also being used at center ice:

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EDMONTON OILERS

The Oilers have a new alternate uniform, which will be worn for Friday-night home games (additional photos and info here):

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Not terrible, but some white trim would be nice, if only to keep the orange graphics from vibrating on the blue background.

LOS ANGELES KINGS

The Kings have a new throwback uniform. It will be worn twice: on Feb. 22, as part of a "’90s Night" promotion, and again on March 21, for "’80s Night." Not bad when you can have a single uniform represent two different decades, right? Additional info here.

Also: The Kings will be playing in a Stadium Series game against the Avs on Feb. 15, so expect a new uniform for that game.

Also: With the Kings' arena turning 20 years old, an anniversary logo has been added to the center ice design.

SAN JOSE SHARKS

No announced changes or news.

VANCOUVER CANUCKS

Lots of doings in Vancouver, where the Canucks are marking their 50th season by revamping their uniform set. The best news is that the "Vancouver" chest lettering has been removed from the home and road jerseys, although the rest of the changes are a mixed bag (additional info here and here):

In addition, the Canucks have a new 50th-season logo, which they're wearing as a jersey patch and are also using at center ice:

And in yet another move, the Canucks will retire Daniel Sedin's No. 22 and his twin brother Henrik Sedin's No. 33 in February.

VEGAS GOLDEN KNIGHTS

The Golden Knights, about to start their third season of play, haven't yet unveiled a third jersey. Owner Bill Foley has repeatedly said that the team will likely have one for 2019-20, but no sign of it yet. Stay tuned.

Meanwhile, the team has a new center ice design and red line pattern:

ADDITIONAL NOTES

• This year's NHL All-Star Game will take place in St. Louis on Jan. 26. No sign yet of the uniforms, but here's the logo:

• Most of the center ice graphics shown in this article come from the invaluable website The Faceoff, which features a deep visual database of center ice designs, along with scoreboard designs, arena logos, goal horn audio, and more. Essential stuff.

• Speaking of essential websites, the NHL Uniform Database is your one-stop source for the league's uniform history.

• You know how some players have started showing up at the draft and at awards shows with team-logo linings sewn into their jackets? That could be the next frontier of team merchandizing, now that the league has struck a deal that will allow fans to have team-themed linings sewn into their own suits and sport coats.

And there you have it. Did we miss anything? Yeah, probably. If you know of any NHL uni updates that weren't covered here, you know what to do. Thanks.

Paul Lukas will have his annual NBA Season Preview in a few weeks. You can read more of his uniform writing on his Uni Watch Blog, plus you can follow him on Twitter and Facebook, or sign up for his mailing list so you won't miss any of his SI columns. Want to learn about his Uni Watch Membership Program check out his Uni Watch merchandise, or just ask him a question? Contact him here.

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Paul Lukas
PAUL LUKAS

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