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Ranking the last 10 NHL All-Star Game jerseys
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Ranking Last 10 All-Game Jerseys: What Went Wrong In 2009?

Michel Anderson Published on: Feb 01, 2023 2:47 PM ET

The NHL All-Star Game is soon here, in a weekend of festivities where some of the best players in the league are paraded around in front of the media, the league’s sponsors and all of its young fans. And while I’m not either of those, I look forward to this weekend all year for a number of reasons. 

The skills competition is always fun to watch, even if the live commentary is often dull, bland and uninspired. That shootout move Trevor Zegras pulled off in 2022 was and still is absolutely jaw-dropping. 

And I get the criticism about the actual game. It can be boring but I still look forward to seeing top players from around the league play together. It’s basically a pickup game of hockey between friends except these guys aren’t you and your buddies, they’re the best players in the world. 

Finally, I look forward to seeing those jerseys live on the ice. I’m a real sucker for memorabilia and a nice jersey. So let’s look over this incredibly subjective ranking of the last 10 all-star game jerseys.

Ranking Last 10 NHL All-Star Jerseys From Best To Worst

2019 - Upcycled 

This is for sure a controversial take. I know this and I accept I might be in the minority. I don’t think many of you will have these near the top of your list. Made from repurposed and upcycled material, the 2019 all-star game jerseys just work for me. This has a LOT to do with my love for black-and-white jerseys. The Islanders’ Brooklyn blacks – love ’em. The Kings’ Gretzky-era jersey (even though there’s some gray) – incredible. Finnish Liiga side TPS Turku – excellent. 

2023 - Reverse Retro

I love these jerseys. They look great and they really tap into the current jersey trend around the league while giving a nod to South Florida. It might be bold to have pink and electric blue on a hockey jersey but it absolutely works here. The NHL leaned into the retro reverse theme that has done very well at the club level in the last few years with a call back to the ASG jerseys from 1994 through 1997.

2020 - Gray + One

These jerseys followed the black-and-white trend from the previous all-star game. They featured the player’s club crest in monochrome. And you know what, it works for me. Even the five lines on the chest and sleeve – to represent a musical staff – works for me. The NHL had a theme, they stuck with it, and made a nod to the city hosting them. 

2022 - Bye to Greyscale

Colors were back at the ASG. And look, these jerseys are simple but effective. Blues vs Reds is a color clash as old as time. There was no risk when designing these jerseys and that’s fine. After dealing with the pandemic, this ASG was about returning to normal and I dig it.

2017 - Centennial

Celebrating 100 years of NHL hockey, the league and Reebok gave each division its own ASG jersey for the first time ever. With the game hosted in LA, the jerseys celebrate the Kings’ colors over their history (purple, gold, black, white). There isn’t anything wrong with these jerseys. They’re ... fine. So that’s why they sit right in the middle of my rankings. 

2016 - 3-on-3

This ASG was the first time the NHL would have a 3-on-3 tournament between all four divisions. It was a new direction for the NHL, and maybe they focused too much on the format and not enough on the jerseys. They aren’t hideous, they’re ... fine. 

2011-12 - Front Numbers

My only issue with this jersey is having the player number above the crest. Why? The number is already visible in three different spots on the jersey. And it’s not like the refs need to see the number to call penalties.

2018 - Last Time With Four 

This was the league’s second (and last) attempt at making one jersey for each of the four divisions. And well, in my opinion, it missed the mark. You can see that the two Western divisions have a home-and-away feel with light and dark. But the East doesn’t get the same treatment at all with the Atlantic getting a blue jersey while the Metropolitan is gray. I’m just confused. What happened with the Eastern divisions?

2015 - Silver and Neon

I feel like the NHL tried two different things here and they absolutely don’t work together. The metallic crest looks awful next to the neon green highlights. And look, I don’t mind neon green highlights. The Stars’ current third jersey is excellent. But this ASG jersey is just plain awful. 

2009 - What?

I really hate this jersey. You’ll see it in the tweet below; it’s the one on the bottom right. I understand they wanted to celebrate that the game was in Montreal but this jersey looks like Youppi was left in charge of the design process.

Again, a jersey number on the front. Why? Was having it on the back and on the sleeve not enough? We know that most sports only have the player’s number on the back, right?

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