Habs’ uniforms named best in NHL, NFL, NBA and MLB

Jason Brough

Aug 25, 2012, 3:15 PM EDT

51 Comments

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Congratulations to the Montreal Canadiens, whose uniforms have been named the best of the 122 teams that comprise the NHL, NFL, NBA and MLB.

Paul Lukas of ESPN’s “Uni Watch” came out with the rankings and justified the Habs at No. 1 thusly:

Proud standard-bearers for a league, a sport, a nation and now for the uni-verse as well, the Habs have it all: an iconic logo, two distinct but equally classic uni designs (it’s odd that the wraparound chest stripe only appears on the home jersey, but the road design works fine without it), and an ideal balance of red, white and blue. This isn’t just a perfect hockey uniform set — it’s a perfect uniform set, period. Unlike the old-school classics in the other sports (Yankees, Celtics, Raiders), it has some major visual pizzazz. Puts the biscuit in the basket, and then some.

Among the top 10 uniforms in the four major leagues, the only other NHL one belonged to the Boston Bruins, at No. 5.

The worst uniforms in the NHL, according to ESPN, are worn by the Colorado Avalanche.

Once upon a time, this was a passable-looking team. Not great, but passable. Now, though, it’s a jumble of ill-fitting elements — the apron-string jersey stripes, the pointless side panels, the laughable number font, the alternate jersey that’s just a Rangers rip-off. If a team could get a game misconduct for its uniform, the Avs would certainly deserve one.

The worst uniforms of all 122? The Sacramento Kings.

Here’s the full NHL list:

1. Montreal
2. Boston
3. NY Rangers
4. Detroit
5. Philadelphia
6. Toronto
7. Pittsburgh
8. Minnesota
9. Columbus
10. New Jersey
11. Chicago
12. Buffalo
13. NY Islanders
14. San Jose
15. Florida
16. Winnipeg
17. Vancouver
18. Phoenix
19. Calgary
20. Tampa Bay
21. Carolina
22. Nashville
23. Anaheim
24. Ottawa
25. St. Louis
26. Edmonton
27. Washington
28. Los Angeles
29. Dallas
30. Colorado

Feel free to fight to the death in the comments section over one man’s rankings of 122 team uniforms.

I’ll start it off – the Oilers got hosed.

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51 Comments (Feed for Comments)

tradebait9 - Aug 25, 2012 at 3:21 PM

Obviously this guy is idiot…………Chicago Blackhawks & Detroit Redwings have the best uni’s……end of discussion !!!!
- nhlobsessed - Aug 25, 2012 at 3:38 PM
  
  I agree that he’s an idiot. Blackhawks have the best jersey in all of sports!!!!
- bbk1000 - Aug 27, 2012 at 2:26 PM
  
  I’m a Rangers fan and love their sweater but I have to say I thought the Blackhawks should have been higher….
  
  6 – 10 I don’t get…..
mianfr - Aug 25, 2012 at 3:23 PM

lol islanders
oquintero99 - Aug 25, 2012 at 3:25 PM

Dont know how columbus ended up in no. 8
charleslouis99 - Aug 25, 2012 at 3:41 PM

Columbus Minnesota Pittsburgh Carolina and Phoenix are way way too high. good job ESPN, just great quality work right here
- psujay - Aug 25, 2012 at 3:56 PM
  
  It’s ESPN. They’re not going to rank Pittsburgh poorly in anything; the Steelers have too good of a relationship with ESPN.
  
  Sadly, the jersey Lemieux wore in his heyday were some of the most beautiful jerseys ever…these new ones are heinous. They should go back.
- lordfletcher - Aug 25, 2012 at 11:38 PM
  
  as a Wild fan I was shocked to see this. I love our new green jerseys but the Whites are stupid and the reds are okay (IMO)
  
  old North Stars and Blackhawks are the best money can buy!!!!!!! several other great jerseys to list but those two for me are the best!
  - charleslouis99 - Aug 26, 2012 at 10:25 PM
    
    Yea the pens Jerseys now adays are badly colored they just don’t look natural
    and I like the concept of the wild Jerseys but they dont look well put together like the Columbus
    now the Minnesota alternates are nice I tell ya the team with the most underrated Jersey is the Calgary flames alternate/ Lanny MacDonald era Jerseys
jacketsfan7 - Aug 25, 2012 at 3:42 PM

I think nashvilles is the worst , and it’s not cuz there our [ Columbus's ] rival
- georgemuresanwasmygiant - Aug 25, 2012 at 4:33 PM
  
  The Blue Jackets main C logo is terrible, the cannon one is kind of cool though
xxakshunxx - Aug 25, 2012 at 3:45 PM

Why are you guys reporting this like it’s a fact?.. It’s jus some blow hard @ ESPNs opinion.. FYI Chicago being 11 in NHL alone is a joke and shows how dumb this guy is
jmbates10 - Aug 25, 2012 at 4:07 PM

Chicago not at the top makes this list a bit off. good for Columbus, they made it in the top 10 in something…..as close as they’ll get for awhile.
gallyhatch - Aug 25, 2012 at 4:10 PM

I agree about the Blackhawk jerseys, and I’m a huge fan of the Flyers jersey too (I’m a Bruins fan btw)

And fwiw I love Columbus’ alternate jersey w/ the cannon on it.
Bobcat IRL - Aug 25, 2012 at 4:11 PM

This is the highest ranking Columbus is likely to receive in any metric in the forseeable future.
getadealdonealready - Aug 25, 2012 at 4:12 PM

I felt the whole list was a joke, and I can’t believe it has gotten as much publicity as it has. As a MN fan the Wild jersey’s do not belong that high.
sjsharks66 - Aug 25, 2012 at 4:18 PM

This is insane. The 2 best are Chicago and San Jose.
georgemuresanwasmygiant - Aug 25, 2012 at 4:30 PM

This guy really stepped out on a limb here, five of the Original Six are in the top six.
gbar22 - Aug 25, 2012 at 4:32 PM

To be fair this is just one guys opinions and opinions are just that. Individual tastes vary from one person to the next as far what is appeasing to the eye. One persons Canadians uniform is another persons Edmonton. I’d have more respect for such a ranking if it was based off actual polling among fans, media, sports moguls and players alike. Essentially a useless self bloviated opinion. Espn has really cornered the market on this niche.
joewilliesshnoz - Aug 25, 2012 at 4:44 PM

Blackhawks, hands down.
qauzaq - Aug 25, 2012 at 4:44 PM

I’m not saying LA should be the best or even in the top ten but I like its simplicity and I think it’s better then alot of the other teams
atwatercrushesokoye - Aug 25, 2012 at 4:56 PM

Montreal’s uniforms would be better if they permanently switched the white ones back to version with the blue and red stripes that looks similar to their red ones.
dsg1616 - Aug 25, 2012 at 5:26 PM

blackhawks uni, none better
sharkcity408 - Aug 25, 2012 at 5:30 PM

Nope #1 Astros throwbacks ( colt .45)
#2 sharks
# 3 don’t care
Jonny 5 - Aug 25, 2012 at 5:41 PM

Yeah, and some other “expert” picked the flyers as the best of all sports this year too. Hey at least they’re both on the same page over which sport it is.
buddylove75 - Aug 25, 2012 at 5:43 PM

I agree. Considering they only wear them for 82 games a year unlike good nhl franchises it makes sense.
Jonny 5 - Aug 25, 2012 at 5:44 PM

http://www.nfl.com/photos/09000d5d82b2d292/09000d5d82b2d2eb

Sent from my iPhone
kcprof926 - Aug 25, 2012 at 6:09 PM

The Rangers jersey better than the Blackhawks ? What planet is this guy from? I do agree with the Habs though
jkline3 - Aug 25, 2012 at 6:10 PM

Original 6 is a toss-up. Columbus over the Blackhawks? Cue to stop reading…
bostonhasrealhockey - Aug 25, 2012 at 6:42 PM

NHL unis are the best in all of sports period.
csilojohnson - Aug 25, 2012 at 6:46 PM

Dumb
Vintage Hockey Barn - Aug 25, 2012 at 6:49 PM

Reblogged this on .
vshehane - Aug 25, 2012 at 7:21 PM

Minnesota Christmas elves #8, What a joke. They just need some pointy ears on their helmets.
giantssb42champs - Aug 25, 2012 at 9:54 PM

Agree that Blackhawks have the best jersey.
arbruins - Aug 25, 2012 at 10:28 PM

Well, at least the Habs are good at something!
mmazzzzzz - Aug 25, 2012 at 11:51 PM

obviously the blackhawks should be near the top. nobody has mentioned St.Louis…I like the blues Jersey a lot, top 5.
bruceleroy1 - Aug 26, 2012 at 8:44 AM

montreal’s uniforms are for the gay
- pack15forever - Aug 26, 2012 at 1:41 PM
  
  How are you liking yours?
schuckme - Aug 26, 2012 at 8:52 AM

ew the canadiens uniforms are ugly as a dirty asscrack.. i find it also rather ironic that a canadien hockey team wit the same name as its country sports the red white and blue, the colors of which are fine but the actual jersey concept are just ugly as hell i dig the flyers jerseys the best the orange black and white just meshes together so well esp the ones they wore during both winter classics too mostly the second one which is a shame the flyers were ice cold in those 2 games cuz those jerseys were HOT!
boltsfan777 - Aug 26, 2012 at 1:03 PM

The Blackhawks jersey is easily the best. The Bruins jersey is the most obnoxious and annoying (probably effective on the ice) and Avalanche jersey just needs a new color combo.
ribs108 - Aug 26, 2012 at 1:32 PM

Oh! and here I thought only Montreal homer fans were living in the past. I guess it might take an additional 20 years of futility for the moronic Montreal fans to realize that the Dynasty is dead. Then again, from what I read, they are set to elect a party dedicated to separate from Canada in a week or so, so the 21st century seems to still be on hold in Kebekistan.
wellesley15 - Aug 26, 2012 at 2:52 PM

The best unigorms are Chicago, Montreal, Boston, Detroit, Toronto and the old Hardford Whalers(obviously not active). No contest- everyone can debate from there.
- headbanger33 - Aug 27, 2012 at 1:22 PM
  
  Yes – the whale.
jdvalk - Aug 26, 2012 at 3:34 PM

Standard bearers for a nation, with all of the Quebec separatist stuff at the heart of the city? Please.
jmbates10 - Aug 26, 2012 at 6:19 PM

It is interesting how most of the comments revolve around the uniforms of the “original 6.” They are all arguably the best.
Some guy commented on the simplicity of LA’s uniforms, which I personally think are awful. Someone else commented on Hartford and the fact that logo and merchandise has a “cult like” following is quite unique.
brian32556 - Aug 26, 2012 at 9:46 PM

I like 5 of the original 6 – I think Boston’s are ugly. I’m a partial Ranger fan and love the blue shirts, but agree that Les Habs and the Blackhawks are the class of the league.
cranespy - Aug 27, 2012 at 12:51 AM

Avs last……must be a disgruntled Nordique fan! They may not have near the tradition of the O 6 but they should not change a thing with their home and road sweaters! Now as for the alternate how bout ditching the Ranger clone and getting creative with that Sasquatch footprint on the front…..it WILL sell!!!
jbrockbank - Aug 27, 2012 at 11:43 AM

I’m not sure why the avs uniforms are at the bottom, Vancouvers uniforms are the worst, there is nothing great about it. I do think phillys uni’s should be at the top
comeonnowguys - Aug 27, 2012 at 1:16 PM

This is a classic ESPN linkbait tactic, when they get bored of talking about Tebow or Linsanity.

Seriously, It’s Detroit, Chicago and Montreal (alphabetically) as the top 3 uniforms in sports. Let them alternate years at the top; it’s like picking the best-tasting candy in a single M&M bag anyway.
cosmoandmelovepens - Aug 27, 2012 at 5:35 PM

I like the pens jersey. Maybe it’s just because I don’t like tons of bright orange or red or really vibrant colors on jerseys. It is way to distracting.
themajorleagueblog - Aug 29, 2012 at 4:50 AM

I hope you guys realize it is ONE person’s opinion and not ESPN as a whole. It would be like saying Jason Brough’s writing is like Joe Yerdon’s, which isn’t the case

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