Central Division Threads

The Pacific Division kicked things off yesterday in this review of the new batch of Reverse Retro jerseys, so we'll jump into the other half of the Western Conference today as we look at the Central Division. There were a lot of questionable designs from the eight Central Division teams during the last attempt at Reverse Retro jerseys, so there was hope that we wouldn't see a repeat of what happened in 2021. Of course, it's the hope that kills, so maybe we shouldn't be holding our collective breath here. Whatever the case may be, eight more jerseys are now on sale for your jersey-collecting wants and needs, so let's break these down.

The eight teams we'll look at today have interesting histories when one considers the franchises' origins. As we know, the Arizona Coyotes were once the Winnipeg Jets, the Winnipeg Jets were once the Atlanta Thrashers, the Dallas Stars were once the Minnesota North Stars, and the Colorado Avalanche were once the Quebec Nordiques. Would any of that play into the new designs? Chicago is an Original Six team, St. Louis is one of the 1967 expansion teams, Nashville joined the fray in 1998, and Minnesota followed the expansion idea in 2000. Needless to say, there could be a lot of interesting or completely weird designs with these eight teams, so let's dive into the Central Division!

The Arizona Coyotes are the first team we'll look at based on the division's alphabetical order. The original Reverse Retro was purple, and it really didn't fit into the Kachina effort by the Coyotes when looking at the uniform set. This year, they went sand colour on the exact same template they used for the purple jersey, and it doesn't improve the look. While I appreciate the Coyotes simply Photoshopping new colours onto the green alternate they first used in 1998, it might be time to go back to green because it works better than the purple or sand colours they've tried on these Reverse Retro jerseys. Sorry, Arizona, but if you can't come up with something new other than the base colour of the jersey, this is a FAIL.

If there's one thing the Chicago Blackhawks are known universally for, it's their logo thanks to its longevity and the controversy that surrounds it. I'll commend them for not throwing one of the historic logos on this new Reverse Retro, but the problem becomes bigger if one doesn't know which Chicago team this merchandise is pushing. As you may know, the Chicago Bulls use the same red-and-black colour scheme, so this jersey should really show some sort of tie to the Blackhawks. The striping pattern doesn't match up to any historical jersey the Blackhawks wore as well, so this mishmash of random jersey elements really accomplishes nothing with its generic look. A team's jersey counts as part of its overall brand, but this jersey doesn't tell me who this team is. That means this jersey is a big FAIL.

This isn't the first time that the Colorado Avalanche have flirted with the Colorado state flag, but it certainly should be a reason to make it the last time they do. After claiming the Quebec Nordiques with their old Reverse Retro jersey thanks to their franchise history, the Avalanche abandon a jersey and concept that Avalanche fans loved and hockey fans admired. Personally, there is no one who would mistake the Avalanche for any other team, but this design not only flirts with the state flag, but one could make a case that they're getting awfully close to looking like the Colorado Rockies as well. I'll leave it up to each fan to decipher what the Avalanche were doing with this design, but I think we can all agree that this design is a FAIL.

When one dips into the history of a sports franchise, there are always jerseys that will remind everyone of a specific moment or era. The Dallas Stars have chosen to use their new Reverse Retro jersey to remind everyone of the North Stars moving from Minneapolis to Dallas by wearing a variation of the jerseys they wore in 1993 when the team began play in Texas. The jersey is also black which is how the Stars began play in Dallas in 1993. While I do love hockey history, I don't know why the Stars would choose to bring this back when they had better options. Yes, they're better than the all-white Reverse Retro already worn, but memories of the North Stars being torn from Minnesota and this being a black jersey ultimately means this design is a FAIL.

Like the Los Angeles Kings, the Minnesota Wild might be the Central Division's answer to which team can wear both Reverse Retro jerseys and look fantastic. The Wild opted to render their logo and the jersey in the colours of the Minnesota North Stars again, and, like their white Reverse Retro jersey, these green Reverse Retro jerseys are amazing! Harkening back to 1978 after the North Stars merged with the Cleveland Barons, this jersey design is an exact replica right down to the two thick stripes on the bottom hem of the jersey. The Wild have proven that they know design with their two Reverse Retro jerseys appealing to fans of the North Stars, and this one definitely falls into the GOOD category!

Like the Coyotes, the Nashville Predators did the absolute bare minimum to come up with their new Reverse Retro jersey. Pulling the design from their 2001 alternate "mustard" uniform, the only two changes that the Predators made was changing the base colour to yellow for the jersey while eliminating the navy blue underarm and side panels. Personally, I never had a problem with the fossilized Predators logo that they've used on shoulders for this jersey, but I just wish the main logo was less cartoonish. Whatever the reasons may be for that terribly-conceived logo, putting in the bare minimum doesn't quite cut the mustard - excuse the pun - so this jersey, like the original alternate it tries to emulate, ranks as a FAIL.

If there's one thing the St. Louis Blues seem to embrace, it's being bold. They wore a red version of the Gretzky-era Blues jerseys for their previous Reverse Retro which makes no sense, and they've gone lighter blue for their heritage-style alternate jerseys. Seeing the new Reverse Retro in yellow will mark the first time that the St. Louis Blues have used yellow as a base colour, but it's the inclusion of the original prototype that was created in 1966 for the Blues as the primary logo that should make fans giddy. How many other teams would dare to be this innovative? None is the number coming to mind, and I appreciate the Blues for taking a chance. The striping is close to the 1973 jersey, but there are elements mixed together from a number of jerseys in the team's history. Putting it all together resulted in something awesome, so this jersey is definitely GOOD!

When the Winnipeg Jets unveiled their charcoal gray Reverse Retro jerseys, there were a lot of confused Jets fans who wondered how we had moved so far away from the original designs and colours despite wearing a design in the team's history. The new Reverse Retro follows that same idea in so far that it's hard to understand what the Jets were thinking when they signed off on the jersey. Yes, it is the same design that the team wore in 1990 until they moved to Phoenix, but this jersey feels incomplete because there isn't any contrasting colour on it. The original jersey used the red to make colours pop, but this jersey, like the gray Reverse Retro, just feels bland and monotone. If we're being honest, that's kind of how the franchise has been run since arriving from Atlanta, so I guess this is par for the Jets' course? Because it feels incomplete, this jersey gets a FAIL.

Top To Bottom

If you asked me to rank the Central Division's new looks from top to bottom in this division, it would look like this:

1. Minnesota Wild
2. St. Louis Blues
3. Dallas Stars
4. Arizona Coyotes
5. Colorado Avalanche
6. Winnipeg Jets
7. Nashville Predators
8. Chicago Blackhawks

What say you, readers - agree or disagree with the pass/fail grades? Is the overall ranking I gave anywhere close to your own feelings about the aesthetics of these jerseys? Leave your thoughts in the comments and we can discuss!

Until next time, keep your sticks on the ice!