Open The Closets

I get there are rules surrounding which jerseys are worn in the playoffs, and that teams who want to wear alternate jerseys need to apply to the NHL directly for permission to allow them to wear their non-standard home and road threads. I also know the Winnipeg Jets have a couple of Heritage jerseys already to go along with their Aviator alternate jerseys, and I'm here to say that the Jets likely don't need to wear their Aviator jerseys for any reason. Like ever. Instead, I was hoping for an old-school match-up between the Jets and the Flames in the play-in round after Calgary went back to their original look. It might be time for the Jets to apply to the NHL to wear their Heritage jerseys for the five-game series against the Flames while having the NHL throw open the doors to the equipment rooms and allowing NHL teams to use what's in the closet.

If we're trying to make this NHL restart fun, I say throw all the rules about what players can wear on the ice out the window. Let teams wear throwback uniforms and alternate uniforms. With no fans in the stands, this is all about the visuals of the game so let the teams have some fun with their match-ups. You can't tell me fans wouldn't tune in just to see what the teams were wearing each and every night they play.

You can't tell me that this look that both the Jets and Flames wore at the most recent Heritage Classic doesn't look great. I think not knowing what each team will be wearing can create all sorts of fun visuals for the NHL, and by not taking advantage of this is a big opportunity that the NHL is missing to perhaps drive merchandise sales that they'll rely upon so heavily during this restart to recoup some of the money they're losing by not having fans in the arenas. Again, I'd tune into games I have no care about just to see what teams are wearing.

We could see the yellow Nashville jersey versus the black Kachina jersey of the Coyotes on one night. There could be a Penguins' gold alternate versus the Canadiens' red jersey. Panthers' red versus Islanders' blue. Oilers' dark blue versus Blackhawks' red. Honestly, the colour-on-colour options excite me the most, and this would be the opportunity to have some fun with it.

While we won't see the return of the red helmet that Teemu Selanne is wearing with the Jets anytime soon, this seems like a pretty easy win to show off the entire range of jerseys each team possesses while attracting viewership to games that may not mean much to specific fanbases. Maybe I'm off my rocker here with this suggestion, but if we're playing the games without having the fans in the stands, it would make much more sense to me to try something to make people stick around and watch them.

Am I crazy? Is this a dumb suggestion? Sound off below!

Until next time, keep your sticks on the ice!