Regarding 3rd Jerseys Part 5

Part 1 can be found here.
Part 2 (Atlantic Division) here.
Part 3 (Northeast Division) here.
Part 4 (Southeast Division) here.

Intro
To continue the saga of third jerseys and if, when, and how they will return to the NHL - the rest of this series will focus on the jerseys we have seen in the past, as well some speculation and critique as to what we may see in the future.

All images are linked to the originals from Webshots.com, the majority of these are game worn and are part of individual's collections.

The Central Division

Detroit Red Wings

Detroit is one of the three NHL teams never to have used a third jersey. This is probably all for the best because they really would be fighting an uphill battle to come up with anything that would even do justice to the two regular jerseys they have. In fact, during their entire existance in the NHL they have never really strayed from the look they continue to use even into the 2007-08 season.

In 1991-92 (and in one game in 1993-94 against the Blackhawks) they used an alternate jersey in conjunction with the league's 75th anniversary, that jersey (shown to the right) was never actually worn by the Red Wings at any time during their history. It was actually worn by their predecessors the Detroit Cougars in the late 1920's. Presumably if the Red Wings would be forced to bring in an alternate sweater this would probably be it, since it now has some tradition in the city. If they were to go and do anything else I'd be amazed (less it be picking another sweater from from the 20's or 30's). Of course...stranger things have happened...

Chicago Blackhawks

The stranger things happening... The Blackhawks, whose home and away jerseys are just about as iconic as the Red Wings, introduced their black versions in 1996 (and used them till this year). Chicago had at one point during their history actually worn black as their main color (not a stretch considering their name) however those jersey looked nothing like these and did not even incorporate red.

I can't say I have ever really had anything against these, and the fact that they have never even considered replacing their red jerseys with them makes them quite alright. However one does question their value to the team's identity and whether or not wearing a heritage jersey would mean more than simply swapping out the colors to create a third version of their regular uniform.

Personally I'd love to see them bring back the major barberpole action they wore in 91-92 (image to right), I actually knew someone who bought one of these and it was truly something to behold. The Hawks actually wore the style for nearly 20 years, lasting up until the mid-fifties when they changed to the solid red and larger logo. I have no idea what fans of the team think, but I do know that the Blackhawks won a Stanley Cup in the first year they officially wore them and that would be 70 years ago next season...

One way or another Chicago isn't going to dissapoint anyone, enough people like the black jerseys that their return would be welcomed. They are also an Original Six team which means doing anything too brash is pretty much out of the question. Of course they could always go with those black jerseys that don't involve any red, they'd actually look quite good. You can see an image of them here.


Columbus Blue Jackets

The Blue Jackets have been in the league for just just more than 7 years now and in that time they have amassed a ridiculous amount of logos. At last count they had already had 2 different primary logos and 5 different alternate ones. (Goodbye strange bug thing and hello hat.) Their first alternate jersey, which came out in 2003, featured the primary logo they are using now as the crest. I guess the team realized they were onto something since they kept these jerseys until this year and basically styled their new Edge versions after them. Unfortunately without the stars on the sleeves...

Now, I guess it is too much to expect them to incorporate more of the Civil War theme into a third jersey (you know buttons down the front, maybe a collar and felt patches...) so I can only hope that they at least try to use the hat logo they currently have on the shoulder patches. I'm not sure why but I like the idea of a team using something so simple and yet at the same time so historical. Granted it doesn't say anything about hockey, and it's not exactly flashy and menacing, but it defines what a blue jacket is...kind of...well more so than the old CB rollercoaster logo did anyways.

Who knows, Columbus came out this season having some of the nicest jerseys in the league. They were well defined, simple and straight forward. If they can do something along those lines with a third jersey then I'm sure they'll have a hit with the fans. (Just don't bring back that bug thing!)

Nashville Predators

The Nashville Predators brought out jerseys in a color nobody had ever seen before in 2001. Whether the color is technically known as mustard, or not, doesn't really matter since that is the only way people talk about them. Well did, until they were abandoned this season and many, perhaps not all, but many, breathed a sigh of relief.

Now, the strange thing about these jerseys is not just the color but the hemline which is curved like the Edge jerseys. The only other team I can think of that did this was Vancouver who had it on their third jerseys as well. What the significance was I don't know, since they didn't use the same style on their main jerseys. Some people have claimed that this looks better on a pair of jeans and fans like that, but to me that seems a bit trite. At the same time it's as good a theory as any since I can't for the life of me see how it would in any way, shape or form create a better jersey for the players to wear on the ice.

In addition to the hem thing, the Predators also introduced yet another crest with these which meant that they now had a different one on each of their three jerseys. I have never really liked when teams do this and as far as I know hockey is really the only sport that does it. The Predators are doing it this year as well, along with Minnesota, and it kind of drives one mad if you care about the aesthetics of these types of things.

Whether or not we see the return of the mustard next season is up for grabs. I'd say no. We are more than likely going to see something a bit more tame colorwise and perhaps a bit more daring patternwise. All I can say is pick one sabre tooth cat and stay with it.

St. Louis Blues

Most of us are probably aware of the infamous third jersey the St. Louis Blues never wore. If you aren't familiar you can see the design that still makes team owners cringe here. As for the third jersey the team would eventually adopt they played things much more conservatively. One would almost say they played them intelligently. Brought out in 1997 these are one of the very few examples of a team using a white alternate. They were also very much in opposition of the team's main jerseys. Not because they were dramatically different, but because they were dramatically less complicated. (At the time the team was using the diagonal stripes and strangely skewed numbers.)

After one season these became the Blues official home jerseys and the royal blue version debuted as their away jerseys. Now, whether or not the team actually used the 1997-98 season as a way to gauge fan reaction I don't know. If they did then I guess they discovered they had created something more along the lines of what the fans wanted. If that is the case then you have to admit they played the third jersey card in a very nifty way and since then have not even bothered to try another one.

The team did wear their heritage jerseys in 2003-04 (these being from the late 70's/early 80's) and I imagine that they would conceivably draw from their past for any other third jersey they are going to wear in the future. Considering the infamy of the disaster they so narrowly avoided in 1996 one can assume the current owners still don't want to venture into uncharted waters any time too soon. The Blues had great uniforms in the 70's, better than most, so I think people would be happy to see more of them.

Next up the Northwest Division...
Part 6 can be found here.