Five NHL Players Who Looked Strange In Other Jerseys

Many NHL players have spent their careers with one team, only to join another later on.

Mar 9, 2021; Washington, District of Columbia, USA; Washington Capitals defenseman Zdeno Chara (33) skates with the puck against the New Jersey Devils at Capital One Arena. Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports / Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports

As if the thought of Steven Stamkos not being with the Tampa Bay Lightning wasn't strange enough, him donning his Nashville Predators jersey for the first time on Tuesday made the whole situation that much more bizarre.

can u believe this is a real photo pic.twitter.com/ToQ5gtBvP4

— Nashville Predators (@PredsNHL) July 16, 2024

Just one photo drew a variety of reactions from across the NHL world, and particularly a sense of disgust from Tampa Bay. However, Stamkos is far from the first player in this exact same situation.

Today, let's take a look a five players who went to newteam late in their careers, and just never looked quite right in their new threads. This list isn't ordered and it's not comprehensive by any means, just five notable examples of this phenomenon.

Guy LaFleur

On this day in 1989, the Quebec Nordiques signed Guy Lafleur #Hockey365 pic.twitter.com/KHnoQ5bZLF

— Mike Commito (@mikecommito) July 14, 2024

The late, great LaFleur is synonymous with the Montreal Canadiens, being the career points leader (1,246) for the NHL's most-storied franchise. After coming out of retirement, though, LaFleur played with the New York Rangers in 1988-89 and the Quebec Nordiques for two seasons after that. He wasn't quite the same player as he was in Montreal, but seeing one of their all-time greats suit up for their provincial rival must've been very strange for Habs fans especially.

Martin Brodeur

Dec 29, 2014; St. Louis, MO, USA; St. Louis Blues goalie Martin Brodeur (30) looks on against the Colorado Avalanche during the first period at Scottrade Center. Mandatory Credit: Jasen Vinlove-USA TODAY Sports / Jasen Vinlove-USA TODAY Sports

One of the greatest goalies to ever play, Brodeur spent 21 seasons with the New Jersey Devils and won three Stanley Cups and four Vezina trophies along the way. However, the legendary goalie spent the final year of his career with the St. Louis Blues in 2014-15, sharing the net with Brian Elliott and Jake Allen. Brodeur played just seven games for St. Louis, but that doesn't make the sight of him in a Blues sweater any less bizarre.

Jarome Iginla

Mar 29, 2017; Calgary, Alberta, CAN; Los Angeles Kings right wing Jarome Iginla (88) during the second period against the Calgary Flames at Scotiabank Saddledome. Mandatory Credit: Sergei Belski-USA TODAY Sports / Sergei Belski-USA TODAY Sports

Iginla is perhaps the most iconic player in Calgary Flames history, being the franchise's all-time leader in games played (1,219), goals (525) and points (1,095) after 16 seasons in Alberta. As much as Calgary fans would like to forget, though, Iginla actually suited up for four other teams late in his career. Between 2013 and 2017, his final season, Iginla played for the Pittsburgh Penguins, Boston Bruins, Colorado Avalanche and Los Angeles Kings. It's not like he played badly during that time, but seeing him in anything other than a Flames sweater just looks wrong.

Mike Modano

Oct 8, 2010; Detroit, MI, USA; Detroit Red Wings center Mike Modano during the game against the Anaheim Ducks at Joe Louis Arena. Mandatory Credit: Leon Halip-USA TODAY Sports / Leon Halip-USA TODAY Sports

Like others on this list, Modano is an icon of the Dallas Stars franchise. He was the team's No. 1 overall pick in 1988, back when the franchise was still based in Minnesota. The American forward spent 20 seasons with the Stars, and is still the all-time leader in games played (1,459), goals (557), assists (802) and points (1,359).

For the final year of his career, Modano returned to his home state of Michigan and signed with the Detroit Red Wings. Unfortunately, Red Wings head coach Mike Babcock decided to be, well, Mike Babcock, and made Modano a healthy scratch for what would've been his 1,500th career game. As such, a legendary career came to an unfortunate end, and in another team's sweater at that.

Zdeno Chara

Apr 27, 2021; Washington, District of Columbia, USA; Washington Capitals defenseman Zdeno Chara (33) celebrates with Capitals right wing T.J. Oshie (77) after their game against the New York Islanders at Capital One Arena. Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports / Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports

Finally, let's turn to a more modern example. Chara, nicknamed Big Z, was with the Bruins for 14 seasons from 2006-2020, and was the captain for that entire time. With his imposing size, bruising physicality and rocket of a shot, Chara became an icon of New England sports. So then, seeing him sign with the Washington Capitals for the 2020-21 season was very strange to say the least, and made Boston's first-round victory over Washington that season almost bittersweet.

Chara then played his final season with the New York Islanders in 2021-22, but that was actually a full-circle moment as he began his career on Long Island all the way back in 1997.

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