Monday morning the NHL and Fanatics gifted us thirty-two brand new uniforms at once, and now that we’ve had a few days to clean up the wrapping paper from that exciting morning, it’s time to sort through which gifts we keep and which ones we wrap up and send back where they came from.
Three of us here at SportsLogos.Net, Andrew Lind, Glenn Cook and I, each picked our best and worst from the Hometown Remix collection and shared our overall thoughts on the program. Do you agree? There’s a comments section below for exactly that. Do you disagree? Well, listen here, sir… You can also comment below, I guess.
The best
Andrew Lind: Anaheim Ducks
As someone who grew up watching Disney’s The Mighty Ducks film trilogy and animated series religiously, I can’t help but be immediately drawn to Anaheim’s Hometown Remix design. The bright green, dark purple and athletic gold color scheme combines the uniforms from the first film with the Ducks’ inaugural ensemble, which later appeared in the second film’s gold medal game. I’ve wished for nearly two decades that they would bring back their original duck mask logo in goalie full-time, and while they did so in 2024-2025, this reinforces my belief that they also need to ditch their orange, black, and metallic gold color scheme for that nostalgic look. “Quack, quack, Mr. Ducksworth!” That said, my other favorite models include (in no particular order) the Columbus Blue Jackets, Florida Panthers, New York Islanders, Seattle Kraken, Vegas Golden Knights, and Washington Capitals.
Glenn Cook: San Jose Sharks
Although I was a Calgary Flames fan growing up, the San Jose Sharks made a big impression on me when they joined the NHL in 1991. The colors, the logo, the wordmark, everything struck me. My closet and walls were filled with pennants, caps, sweatpants, and teal and black T-shirts. So the Sharks Hometown Remix jersey really scratches a nostalgic itch for me. The lighter teal is still recognizable as part of the San Jose brand, and the shark teeth in the stripes add just the right amount of whimsy. This seems like an emphatically positive answer to the question: “What if the Sharks were founded 30 years later?” »
Chris Creamer: Anaheim Ducks/Minnesota Wild
There were so many great and unique designs here that it’s hard to name just one, so I’ll mention a few that really caught my eye. The first is that of Anaheim; it’s a team with a fun logo, and they beg for a uniform to match that energy. It does that. From the bright green, gold and purple color palette to the wink and “unofficial” inspiration of this design, there is nothing to hate about this design and everything to love. Ten out of ten, with no ratings other than “wear it beyond just one season.” I also really like the design of the Minnesota Wild, and how it’s literally a progression of their usual home and route, moving forward in time from wilderness sunset to wilderness night; the moon replacing the sun in the logo, the constellations on the sleeves and the two-color numbers on the back are all beautifully done. My only wish for this design would have been green sleeve numbers or an actually visible shoulder patch (I’d rather have none than a black-on-black patch). The Los Angeles Kings design was particularly striking in person; this bright shade of purple was impossible to ignore, and sure enough, Florida succeeded in the mission; their jersey screams “Miami Hockey.”
The worst
Andrew Lind: Chicago Blackhawks
The Blackhawks didn’t put much effort into the design of their Hometown Remix, simply replacing the shamrock on the right shoulder of their old Reebok-era St. Patrick’s Day warmup sweaters with four stars from the Chicago flag on the sleeve stripes. Aside from these subtle details, impossible to see from afar, the uniforms ignore the city’s classic architecture and rich cultural history by recycling this design. Not to mention, the Blackhawks have a heated rivalry with the Dallas Stars, dating back to their days as the Minnesota North Stars. Although it calmed down a bit after the Stars moved, the logo is the only thing keeping the Blackhawks from looking like they’re wearing the Stars’ home sweaters.
Glenn Cook: Vancouver Canucks
It was close for me between Edmonton and Vancouver, but the Canucks fell to the bottom of my rankings because at least the orange stands out more on a black base than the blue. The stripes and crest on Vancouver sweaters are just a muddy mess. The white incorporated into the shoulder pads and numbering redeems them ever so slightly, but I wouldn’t be sad to see these jerseys sink to the bottom of False Creek and never resurface.
Chris Creamer: Montreal Canadiens
I don’t think any of these are horrible, but I was certainly disappointed with what Boston, Detroit, Edmonton, Montreal and Vancouver came up with. While Boston, Detroit, Edmonton, and Vancouver were mostly “meh,” with the Canadiens, I wasn’t a fan of the general direction they went, especially the gradient on the sides of the jersey; it doesn’t fit with the rest of the design and looks like it was added just because they needed something there. Recoloring the classic “C” from red to white on white was also a bit of a headache (although the 3D horizontal lines inside looked really cool in person). That’s not bad for the Habs’ design; I thought the homage to the Montreal flag was well done, and the incorporation of the fleur-de-lys at the bottom of the players’ numbers was also a nice touch. As for the others, Detroit’s simple addition of “Hockeytown” arched over their winged wheel was, let’s face it, rubbish; it would have been better to just opt out of the program and wear the usual house reds. Edmonton spilled oil all over their jersey and ended the day; I hope they have enough Dawn there to clean it all up. Vancouver needed another color; a little green border would have made a big impact, and it would have stood out directly against this very dark navy blue. Boston’s homage to the local college scene is a nice idea, but it’s hard to get that excited about a wordmark and a number. The Stars tried this for a few seasons, and it was rightly forgotten over the years.
Overall impressions
Andrew Lind
While there are few designs that stand out, as I mentioned above, most of the uniforms seem based on one design. For example, the Edmonton Oilers, Minnesota Wild, Nashville Predators, New Jersey Devils, St. Louis Blues, Tampa Bay Lightning, Vancouver Canucks and Winnipeg Jets all have brightly colored logos and stripes on a dark base. There is nothing that makes each design unique, that ties it to the city it represents, or that ties it to the history of its franchise, unless you read the finer details that you would only see if you had the jerseys in hand. The teams that fully embraced the history of their city or their uniform/logo will be remembered while the others…well…let’s hope they try harder next time.
Glenn Cook
Since there is no long-term commitment with these types of alternate jersey programs, they give teams the right to make big decisions. So I appreciate the risks with the bright colors and bold designs that teams like Utah, Washington, Anaheim, Los Angeles and Florida have taken with their Hometown Remix sweaters. It’s a shame that so many other teams default to black or gray. The vast majority of these designs probably won’t last more than a season or two, so these gray and black teams could get another boost at that point. But let’s take advantage of those who push the boat out while still looking good when they’re around.
Chris Creamer
A very successful program overall, the Fanatics team has certainly done their research to make each of these designs unique to the team, the region, or in many cases, both. The embossing techniques for the sleeve stripes and numerous patches and numbers are proof of how small details can have a big impact, as well as a good reminder to those looking at leaked digital mockups to be patient and wait for the official release before passing judgment. These uniforms really need to be seen in person to be truly appreciated, and the details included in each model definitely make it feel like you’re getting your money’s worth by owning one. My only complaint about the program as a whole is that it’s too short; these uniforms need to be worn for multiple seasons, and honestly there’s no good reason why they shouldn’t be, other than maybe creating a shortage and trying to stimulate immediate demand in the market (which would be a terrible reason to abandon them so quickly). I hope to see many of these implemented as alternate uniforms in future seasons (Utah, New Jersey, Florida come to mind), while there are even a few I’d like to see developed into a full-time home/road set, like Buffalo or Anaheim.
Now it’s your turn: the best, the worst and the one you would make permanent. Comments are open, but only for the bravest of the brave.
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