|
THE HPT 10: Best sweaters |
 |
|
Features
|
|
Written by Justin Bourne
|
|
Wednesday, August 04, 2010 00:00 |
As with everything I write, this is just one man’s opinion. What’s yours?
Starting with number 10 ...
10. San Jose Sharks
I was torn between the Rangers, Oilers (old-school look only), Lightning and Sharks for this spot, but I think the Sharks whites (while lacking the history of the others) are the most eye-catching.
They managed to make a fringe color (at best) cool with some black trim, but most importantly, they didn’t go all overkill on us, unlike SOME of the more recent franchises coughnashvillepredatorscough. Chaos on a uniform is never good; the Sharks jerseys walk the fine line nicely and fall on the side of cool.
9. Boston Bruins
I have a strong distaste for the bear logo, so the B’s took a pretty hard slide in my list. When they just rock the old school “B”, their whites are in the top few looks in professional sports. I’m not sure why they insist on massacring a good thing with solid yellows and different logos, but when they keep it simple with white/black/gold-yellow, their look is tough to beat.
8. Montreal Canadiens
Including the Canadiens in the top 10 is sort of like giving up for me. It seems like everybody loves their gear, and they're constantly included on these lists. So using that influence, eight is as high as I could rank them.
They are “classics.” for sure – sticking to primary colors is a good way to ensure you’ll always have a decent jersey. I owned the book “The Sweater” too, the one that every Canadian kid, EVER, had to read. But I generally don’t love any red/white/blue scheme unless it’s on an American flag. I appreciate them, and understand why people like them, they’re just not for me.
7. New York Islanders
It killed me to wait until #7 for the Isles gear, since I love it so much (speaking of underrated). Everyone deserves to have a nice chuckle at the “what if we added teal to the jerseys, took out their neatly designed logo and added Captain Highliner” era.
But that was a long time ago now, and the Isles have shifted back to their classic, original look. There’s a uniqueness to the Isles jerseys that a lot NHL teams can’t track down, and the simple assembly of their great blues and contrasting oranges makes for one of the better looks in the league. (Far better than the way those Oilers do it, boo.)
6. St. Louis Blues 
The Blues might have the most underrated jersey in sports. They’ve got a great color scheme, that simplicity I love so much, and plenty of class.
When I was a young pup, the Blues made the playoffs 25 straight years – the franchise hasn’t won the Cup yet, but they’ve certainly had a history of respectability.
5. Vancouver Canucks
The Vancouver Canucks whites are nothing but sexy. The darks are nice too, especially on their own (for fans, I mean), but when the boys are all rockin’ the white, it’s a super-sharp look.
Hard to believe they ever tried to go with orange/black/yellow halloweeny thingers, when they had these in the storage shed. Chuck a fitted one of these on some pretty little Canadian girl and they’re twice as nice.
4. Los Angeles Kings
This is a bit of a departure from the next three, in that the Kings aren’t exactly a storied franchise with a history of winning and classic uniforms. They’re on the list because their third jerseys [right] are straight-up BADASS. The only thing that comes close to this level of cool is their home whites. Great overall job by the Kings. Their third jerseys have kind of developed their own little cult following.
3. Detroit Red Wings
Red Wings uni’s are constantly near the top of the NHL’s jersey sales stats, and there’s a big reason why: They’re awesome.
It's tough admitting that when you’re not a huge fan of a team, but c’mon: The clean look of the whites dazzle, and the modest amount of red screams professionalism. And when all your organization has done for decades is win, it’s pretty easy to associate the sweater with greatness.
2. Toronto Maple Leafs
Simple, two-color jerseys are awesome. Not only is it a major tip of the hat to the longevity of a franchise (“back when I was a kid there were so few teams we only needed TWO colours to separate ‘em!”), but there’s just something aesthetically pleasing about the simplicity.
Now if the Leafs could just find a way to unsuckify, we could get to see their garb more than 82 times a year.
1. Chicago Blackhawks
Your winner is.... the Chicago Blackhawks! As you’ve probably noticed, I have a MAJOR preference for light sweaters. I still want to call them “home whites,” and in fact, I should be able to. Darks and switching and all that are stupid. But I digress.
Growing up, the Hawks were my father’s favorite team – he even designed our initial Fantasy Camp sweaters after them [*ring ring* “Hi, it’s the NHL, you can’t do that anymore.” / “We know, stop calling.”]. The look is crisp and original, and still feels tough while looking clean. They haven’t changed much over the years for a reason.
 |
|
Last Updated on Saturday, July 31, 2010 03:04 |
.png)
