Skip to content
 

The Blues Suddenly Have the Best Uniforms in the NHL

Posted in:

The Blues debuted their new Reverse Retro uniforms last night (additional photos here), and goddamn if they didn’t look like the hottest thing in the league. I mean, look at that — sensational! (Well, except for that jersey ad.)

You probably know this already, but just in case: The St. Looie RR design is based on a pair of prototype jerseys  worn by coach/GM Lynn Patrick and owner Sid Salomon III shortly after the team was awarded an NHL franchise in 1966. By the time the Blues made their on-ice debut a year later, they had scrapped the prototype designs and gone in a different aesthetic direction, but the prototypes have remained somewhat legendary over the years among uniform aficionados.

Here’s how the new RRs looked in action:

Missed last night’s game? No worries — you have six more opportunities to see this excellent uniform. Here are the dates. Meanwhile, here’s hoping the Blues find a way to work this design into their regular wardrobe after this season — it’s too good to be relegated to one-season status.


 

 
  
 

Today Is Twins Unveiling Day

The Twins are scheduled to have a uniform-unveiling event at 12:30pm Eastern. I assume it will be streaming on their website.

Once the new set is unveiled, I’ll write a new blog entry with a summary and some first impressions. Since the unveiling event begins at 12:30, the actual reveal probably won’t be until closer to 1pm, so figure I’ll have something published about an hour after that. See you then!


 

Gift Guide Reminder

In case you missed it on Thursday, the 2022 Uni Watch Holiday Gift Guide, your go-to source for the coolest uni-related gift items for that special someone on your shopping list (or just for yourself), is now available over on Substack. You can read the first chunk of it here. To read the whole thing, you’ll have to become a paid subscriber, which I hope you’ll consider doing. Thanks!


 

What Paul Did Last Night Yesterday

I took yesterday afternoon off to meet up with an old friend at the New York Public Library’s Lou Reed exhibit, which is a treasure trove of photos, audio recordings, notebook pages, tour artifacts, and just about anything else you can imagine having to do with Reed, all drawn from Reed’s personal archives, which were donated to the NYPL by his widow, Laurie Anderson.

I really enjoyed the exhibit, but it’s more of a celebration than an argument. If you’re a fan, you should definitely see it; if you’re not a fan, it probably won’t convert you.

For what it’s worth, the exhibit includes two 1970s photos of Lou wearing what appears to be some kind of jersey:

Categories
NHL
Comments (56)

    The Blues jersey is outstanding, primarily because the shades of blue and yellow compliment each other so well. It wouldn’t look half as good with navy text/note/breezer or deep gold base.

    Truer words have never been written! The Predator’s “Predators Gold” is an awful shade of yellow.

    As a Nashvillian myself, I don’t mind the yellow, however our shift away from a navy focus entirely is disappointing. The colors imo work well together in theory, but their current uniforms don’t highlight that as much as I would like.

    as a non-nashvillian, i have only ever liked 1 predators jersey, and it was sadly a faux-back. the winter classic with the script “Nashville Predators” on a tilt across the beach blanket chest striping is very clean and classic, and the old school “hand drawn” tiger head is in the running for the best logo in all of sports (i don’t like hockey all that much, and i wouldn’t be a preds fan if i did, but i own a beanie with that retro tiger patch on it).

    i have see multiple redesign concepts that utilize both the script and the fauxback tiger head logo as primary marks on a less moto-cross-esque jersey template and i have to say: the predators are just sitting on potentially some of the best unis in hockey if not all of the big 5 american leagues. and yet here they are with some of the worst (sorry to Nashville fans).

    I can’t access TruColor easily right now, but I’m 99% sure the Blues and Preds wear the same shade of yellow.

    These might be the worst uniforms in team history (coming from a fan). Blue on the jersey and socks doesn’t match the rest of the equipment, the logo is sloppy, and they’re yelllow (division rival Nashville kind of owns the yellow as primary).

    These jerseys are great.. I do think the blue on the helmet/gloves/shorts could match the blue on the jersey a bit better though.

    Couldn’t be more wrong. Blues should ditch the navy makes them look like law enforcement or security. Sabres beat them returning to royal blue and yellow, HUGE missed opportunity. Those 1980 unis are the bees knees and it could have been so easy.

    It would be a uni-travesty if the Blues do not add those to their rotation next season. I don’t know if they should be their main set – but maybe – the are gorgeous on the ice. I popped over to that game when I saw they they were wearing them and was entranced!

    It has been a uni-travesty that many RR uniforms have not been added to the regular rotation. Many of them last time and this time are worthy of being new primary uniforms for teams or regular alternates.

    Considering they often are updates to past (sometimes beloved) primary designs, it definitely follows that many of them would be better than existing primaries.

    I see a trend here…

    Blues’ reverse retro are the tops of the NHL
    Chargers’ throwbacks are the tops of the NFL

    Does anyone else out there have a powder-ish blue and yellow set of alternates? :)

    In all seriousness, I do agree with these assessments. They are so much better than some of the trash teams are wearing out there (Stars’ black and neon green set….ugh)

    The Red Sox City Connect…100% not the best MLB has to offer.
    The Phillies have a blue/yellow combo in their uniform history, but since the road blues are trending now they probably won’t give those a green light.
    And then there’s these which I’d like to see again but I’m sure no one else does:
    link

    Were some great highlights in hockey as Minnesota Wild were wearing their RR green and yellows last night.

    The Blues need to work out a schedule with an opponent to wear these yellows as the light jersey. Similar to how Team Sweden or WHL’s Saskatoon Blades when those teams wear yellow trimmed with blue.

    link

    This is a really solid set for an alternate uniform. It feels a bit too gimmicky to be a regular uniform, but definitely works as something the team might wear a few times per season. Has a winter classic design vibe to it also.

    The Blues are an emphatic 2-0 in the Reverse Retro program. I loved their red unis in the first RR generation, and I might love these even more.

    But I find the comm-uni-ty’s response to the two uniforms a bit befuddling. The team’s 2020-21 RR uni was met with a loud chorus of “But they’re the Blues, not the Reds!” But this uniform also isn’t primarily blue, and it’s elicited a completely different response. Where are the people saying, “They’re the Blues, not the Yellows”?

    Blues RR is nice but nowhere near the best uni in the NHL. its not better than any of the O6 standard uniforms.

    these really are great. i get the complaint that the preds are a division rival and they are a primary yellow team, but i don’t need these to be yellow to be good.

    the blues current angry-knife-blade-wing-music-note logo is embarrassingly bad. if they want a simple music note: do it. if they want a flying music note: do it. don’t do whatever the hell they are doing now (and for far too long).

    i do not accept the complaints that this design is too rough-and-ready. that’s a huge part of the charm of it. it looks traditional and old school, like the yankees NY. its wonkiness is part of its appeal.

    as far as i’m concerned, they can do this exact jersey with a blue base, and one with a white base, and keep the yellow as a sunday alt, or something, if the divisional rivalry bugs people. no need to even change the shorts, blue shorts all around.

    This take is embarrassingly bad. STL consistently is touted as one of the best uniform sets/logos in the league. Almost like there is a reason it has been around – with minor tweaks – since 1967…

    I won’t get into uniform details (i am far too uniformed due to general apathy towards the NHL), but yeah, St. Louis’ main sweater logo is great.

    Lee

    I’m not aware of them being touted as some of the best in the league but it doesn’t change my opinion. I think their logo is awful and their unis mediocre made worse by the logo.

    To each their own.

    twins reveal today! uni drops make me giddy, even though so many don’t pan out lately, and so many come and go with little fanfare thanks to nikes NBA program.

    i will begrudgingly accept the paul and minnie logo as long as they declutter it and clean up the design. i do not buy the idea that a great concept (and it IS a great concept) excuses design that looks like a talented kindergartener did it.

    yeah yeah, i just commented that the rough execution of the blues RR logo is part of its charm. these aren’t universal truths.

    My only STL RR gripe is that the “St. Louis” on the chest is not outlined in white but the “Blues” on the belly is outlined in white. I get that outlining the “St. Louis” in white would compete and get lost inside the blue note that is outlined in white – but it looked on the ice last night like 2 totally incongruent pieces on the same jersey.

    You might not, but I will always remember our VU connections, Paul.

    I once had the opportunity to call Christopher Kimball’s bluff regarding Lou and the Velvet Underground. He was doing some sort of Milk Street tour and opened up a Q & A. His response to me was, “You sir, are well read.”

    Can we please try and schedule Retro vs Retro? Or at least original 6. The Blues look amazing but they clash with the Capitals garbage.

    Huh, no livestream from the Twins it appears. They have updated website with new wordmark.

    Oof! Hype video is now on the Twins site. I was prepared to be disappointed and I am! Really dislike the numerals. The home white is just blah. But grey pinstripes return.

    Looks like the Twins bought some new old stock caps from the Miami Marlins and changed the colors. And why do all the players appear to be wearing Skechers walking shoes?

    May be an unpopular opinion – and I understand the whole ‘RR’ thing with different base colors, but I have to say that I like the original white base look better. This same design in a white base with yellow and blue accents would be a gorgeous look on a regular rotation.

    One day we have a great Blues uniform and the next, great Twins uniforms.

    I always liked the less-is-more approach to outlining numbers. The Packers, Steelers, Vikings, 49ers and Browns use one color and look great (look at the more-recent Vikings yellow-outlined numbers).

    And those are the thinnest pinstripes I’ve ever seen…

    Blues RR are amazing. I didn’t think I could like a uniform as much as their heritage blue and yellow but these are right up there. It’s been a good week for St Louis uni-watchers.

    The logo is definitely not as good as the main one but I love it as a third. IMO they need to make the home and road Winter Classic sweaters their mains (although I kinda like the shape of the modern note better) and then this RR as the third

    The logo is definitely not as good as the main one but I love it as a third. IMO they need to make the home and road Winter Classic sweaters their mains (although I kinda like the shape of the modern note better) and then this RR as the third

    Blues RR unis look great on the ice – the gold/blue/gold colors are, literally, outstanding.
    The front logo is OK, but there’s a reason it wasn’t adopted – after designers offered the “classic” Bluenote. It is still possibly the best primary logo in all of sports, in my opinion.
    It would look great on front of the new RR.

    not a blues fan but these reverse retro unis are glorious. getting charger vibes from these and i like it. the gold compliments the blue perfectly. they need to add this as a permanent alternate uni asap.

Comments are closed.