The next round of Reverse Retros may be the worst kept-secret in the NHL. While still unconfirmed by Adidas and the league, several teams have alluded to a return, including the Columbus Blue Jackets saying their new jersey ads (sigh) will be on “all four jerseys.” And with a massive dump of leaks via a new range of “special edition” t-shirts in late August, many of which showed logos reverse from their original color scheme or in colors never seen before, it’s all but confirmed at this point. (For what it’s worth, most of my predictions will be based on the T-shirt leaks.)
While the unveil isn’t until early November (according to the rumors), it’s never too early for amateur jersey designers to start speculating. Today, we’ll be going over the Pacific Division, but you can read the Central Division and Atlantic Division previews from last week, and the Metropolitan will wrap things up tomorrow! Let’s get into it.
Anaheim Ducks
While initial rumors out of Anaheim suggested that their 2006 Cup-winning jerseys would return in orange, the T-Shirt leak showed a recolored Mighty Ducks logo on a white background. That suggests a reworking of their inaugural set into modern colors. I went with an orange-heavy design here, but don’t be surprised if the color priority is changed around.
Calgary Flames
After bringing back the Blasty alternate last time (and apparently reusing that Reverse Retro as an alternate this year), Calgary looks to stay in the 90s with the set that Blasty went with. The pedestal jerseys return in black and red, with a white-hot C logo in the center. Should look great.
Edmonton Oilers
Moving on to the other Alberta team, with another jersey that’s kinda leaked. The Oil Stream podcast’s Tom Gazzola showed a picture on his phone showing a portion of the striping pattern. That, combined with the leaked T-Shirt, basically gives us the design.
Los Angeles Kings
Following the wild success of their first Reverse Retro, the Kings are apparently going back to their inaugural set. Originally wearing purple at home and yellow on the road, LA will likely finally wear a white version, 55 years later. Though, last time around they used a combination of eras, so they may do that again here.
San Jose Sharks
The Sharks close out the California whiteout trifecta, with the T-Shirt showing an updated wordmark based on the California Golden Seals. While the Seals used a plethora of designs during their brief stint in the NHL, I’m partial to their final form from 1974. But that’s not all: the Seals infamously wore white skates throughout the 1970s, and Icethetics reports that the Sharks will somehow attempt to replicate them on-ice. This could get weird.
Seattle Kraken
The Kraken are in a weird spot, having nothing in franchise history to go back to, but a plethora of options from Seattle’s hockey history. While the Seattle Metropolitans of the PCHA would be the obvious move, Icethetics again reports that the Kraken are saving that for a future Winter Classic, or similar occasion. With the Seattle Totems, other obvious play, having a problematic, indigenous-based brand, that basically leaves the old Seattle Americans from 1955. Not the most exciting option, but whatever.
Vancouver Canucks
The Canucks were the first jerseys from the new Reverse Retro to leak, putting some evidence behind the rumblings of a return. Initially leaked via a Facebook Marketplace listing in late July, more photos came out over the coming days to give us some clarity. This leak is also where the detail of an orange NHL logo in the collar comes from.
Vegas Golden Knights
From the first team to leak, to the most recent. Twitter user Ali Murji posted the leak on Saturday night, and while I was initially skeptical, mostly because the leak uses the exact same template I do, which is created by Orion Taylor, multiple sources have since confirmed that this is legitimate. It’s a neat if underwhelming design, and I have no clue what retro it’s reversing, but this is apparently what they’re going with.
And that’s all for the Pacific! This division, more than any of the others, has had a lot of the jerseys leak to various extents. While that limits some freedom in designing, it’s still fun to hype up the rest of the league. Let me know what you think, and come back tomorrow for the finale, featuring the Columbus Blue Jackets and the rest of the Metropolitan Division.