Everything Old Is New Again

Today featured another alternate jersey reveal as the St. Louis Blues got in on the action, and I have to admit that I held my breath on this one as their previous attempts were less than good in my view. In saying this, I have been preaching for the last couple of seasons that NHL teams should really be using their alternate jerseys to highlight past teams and looks throughout their histories. I think the heritage idea is a great one since it ties together the eras of the teams. It seems the St. Louis Blues got this message as they unveiled their third jerseys at an event this afternoon!

The Blues admitted that they borrowed heavily from the franchise's inaugural jerseys from 1967-68 while incorporating some elements from their Winter Classic throwbacks from last season. Honestly, I like this jersey. The striping is solid and contrasts nicely with the base colour of the uniform, the logo is prominently featured on the chest, there aren't any unnecessary elements thrown in like a lace-up collar or some dumb writing on the inside of the collar, and it feels very St. Louis Blues-y thanks to the heritage tie-in.

The Blues had some of their players weigh in on the new threads, and it seems they like the alternate jerseys as well... although I doubt they'd publish anyone's comments if they reflected a negative view.

Alex Pietrangelo: "It brings back all the memories that you had as a kid, growing up and looking at old pictures of the Blues. It brings back that old-school staple and pays tribute to all those guys that have built this organization to get it to where it is. We're here now because of them, and we can pay tribute to that. The fans, along with the players, will have a really good response to this jersey."

Patrick Maroon: "That original jersey was one of my favorites growing up. Going back to that and wearing it at home is going to be pretty cool. I think the fans are really going to enjoy this jersey. It's going to be a special feeling when I put that jersey on."

Ok, hold on a second. Patrick Maroon is 30 years-old. If we jump back three decades, the jerseys he first would have associated with the team were either the Hull-and-Oates era jerseys, the Gretzky era jerseys, or the Pronger era jerseys. Granted, he may have done his homework as he got older in terms of looking into the team's uniform history, but saying the old 1967 jerseys were one of his favorites when growing up seems a little far-fetched to me.

In any case, the Blues will wear their heritage alternate jerseys eleven times this season while at home in the newly-named Enterprise Center. The dates you can catch them in their alternates are as follows:

• Oct. 6 vs. Chicago Blackhawks
• Nov. 3 vs. Minnesota Wild
• Nov. 24 vs. Winnipeg Jets
• Dec. 29 vs. Pittsburgh Penguins
• Jan. 5 vs. New York Islanders
• Jan. 19 vs. Ottawa Senators
• Feb. 9 vs. Nashville Predators
• Feb. 23 vs. Boston Bruins
• March 2 vs. Dallas Stars
• March 23 vs. Tampa Bay Lightning
• April 6 vs. Vancouver Canucks

With the excitement growing in St. Louis over the acquisitions and changes made over the summer, I have a feeling we'll see a number of these jerseys popping up in the stands. I like what the Blues did here with this heritage jersey, and I think it will be a solid addition to their look moving forward. More teams may want to take note regarding what the Blues did here because this is an alternate uniform done right.

Until next time, keep your sticks on the ice!