Best Dressed NHL Teams of 2017-2018
This list compiles the NHL teams that have been the best-dressed when they've hit the ice in the 2017/18 NHL season.
The Montreal Canadiens (French: Les Canadiens de Montréal) are a professional ice hockey team based in Montreal, Quebec. They compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference. They're the Montreal Canadiens. Unless any major, shocking changes happen next season, they'll keep winning this contest as far as I'm concerned.
The Chicago Blackhawks are a professional ice hockey team based in Chicago, Illinois. They are members of the Central Division of the Western Conference of the National Hockey League. They have won six Stanley Cup championships since their founding in 1926. If you could give a team in "1.5th place," I'd give it to the Blackhawks. It feels wrong to give them a one-digit ranking that doesn't start and end with a "1". If they ever bring back the black alternate jersey, I'll give them "1.25th place".
The Toronto Maple Leafs, officially the Toronto Maple Leaf Hockey Club and often simply referred to as the Leafs, are a professional ice hockey team based in Toronto, Ontario. They compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference. I was hesitant to accept the new "updated classic" insignia when it was introduced a couple of seasons ago, as surprising as that sounds, since it's a perfect logo. The uniform change that went along with the new logo was also a little weird for me but has since grown on me considerably. The Leafs have always been a beautifully dressed team, but they've never looked better than they do now.
The Pittsburgh Penguins (colloquially known as the Pens) are a professional ice hockey team based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. They compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Metropolitan Division of the Eastern Conference. The Penguins are one of two NHL franchises in Pennsylvania,... read more Since the change back to their classic gold uniforms worn from 1981 to 1992, the Penguins have thrown themselves back into the race for the best uniforms. If I never see "Vegas gold" in the team's logo and uniforms again, it will be too soon. Keep rocking the yellow gold, Pens!
The Philadelphia Flyers are a professional ice hockey team based in Philadelphia. They are members of the Metropolitan Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League. Before 2010 (2008, if you count when their current home jersey was introduced as an alternate), the Flyers stuck with what I would call a downgraded version of their uniform for a long time (since 1982). For many of those years, the darker uniforms were black instead of orange.
Now that most of the NHL has shifted away from using black as the primary home jersey color, I'm hopeful Philadelphia won't mess with their beautiful orange jerseys for a long time.
The Detroit Red Wings are a professional ice hockey team based in Detroit, Michigan. They are members of the Atlantic Division in the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League and are one of the Original Six teams of the league. Not much to say about the Red Wings' uniforms that isn't obvious. They've never had an alternate jersey and have stuck with the same jersey design for decades, and that's not a problem since they're practically perfect. The team's playing, however, could definitely use a change.
The Edmonton Oilers are a professional ice hockey team based in Edmonton, Alberta. They are members of the Pacific Division of the Western Conference of the National Hockey League. Swapping out blue for orange as the team's primary color this season marks the first time since the team left the WHA (World Hockey Association) in 1979 that the Edmonton Oilers have worn orange dark jerseys as their primaries. While the classic blue jerseys will be missed, the orange alternate jerseys from last season clearly won over the hearts of fans, so I'm sure very few are sad to see the change.
The Calgary Flames are a professional ice hockey team based in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. The Flames are members of the Pacific Division of the Western Conference of the National Hockey League.
The Boston Bruins are a professional ice hockey team based in Boston, Massachusetts. The Bruins compete in the National Hockey League as a member club of the league's Eastern Conference Atlantic Division. The Bruins, being an Original Six team, are graced with having a classic look that dates back decades. They've not done anything to their jerseys for years, but that's because there's nothing that needs changing. Since the alternate jersey program was suspended for the 2017/18 season (due to the switch to the Adidas jerseys), the Bruins have nothing holding them back from being one of the best-dressed this season.
The New Jersey Devils are a professional ice hockey team based in Newark, New Jersey. They compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Metropolitan Division of the Eastern Conference. The club was founded as the Kansas City Scouts in Kansas City, Missouri, in 1974. The Scouts moved... read more The team refreshed their jerseys to coincide with the switch to the new Adidas jerseys this year, and it's definitely an improvement. The new sweaters feature thicker lines on the arms and do away with the striping around the waist. Both changes contribute to a look that looks more modern and suggests that the team is looking to say goodbye to the old, slow, defensive Devils team (hopefully) of the past.
The Colorado Avalanche are a professional ice hockey team based in Denver, Colorado. They are members of the Central Division of the Western Conference of the National Hockey League. The Avalanche and Coyotes are the only two teams in their division not based in the Central Time Zone; the teams are... read more
The Los Angeles Kings are a professional ice hockey team based in Los Angeles, California. They are members of the Pacific Division of the Western Conference of the National Hockey League.
The Minnesota Wild are a professional ice hockey team based in Saint Paul, Minnesota. They are members of the Central Division of the Western Conference of the National Hockey League.