The St. Louis Blues and the entire NHL went to dark jerseys for a switch back in 2003 for the 2003-04 season. The experiment has worked, but it is time to go back.
In 2003, the NHL announced that the St. Louis Blues and all the teams in the NHL were going to switch their jerseys. The teams would wear their color jerseys at home and whites on the road.
At the time, we all accused the league of a cash grab. The idea was fans generally want to wear the jersey they see the team wearing at home. Switch the styles and you’ll sell more colored jerseys than the white ones.
The sales bore out that idea. Nevertheless, the system took and 17 years later, we are all accustomed to the idea that the Blues wear blue at home.
However, while 17 years isn’t a monumental amount of time, April 20, 2003 is long enough ago for the Blues to have worn their home whites as part of a normal uniform set. It is time to go back.
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Let’s be clear, I have no problems with the Blues blue uniforms, now or otherwise. Well, the current “retro” jersey that was labeled the Ronald McDonald clown jersey in the late 1990’s could have been better, but even so. Blue looks good.
But, there is something crisp and clean about the home whites. There was something strong about it, representing the purity of the building in which each team was guarding their ice.
Winnipeg took it a step further and the entire arena was white during playoff games. The fans still do it now, but it lacks a certain pop when the fans are matching the road team.
Additionally, there is something about seeing the colors of your rival that makes it better to the eye. Remember all those rivalry games with the Chicago Blackhawks and Detroit Red Wings wearing their red sweaters?
It was like waving the red cape in front of a bull. It just overwhelmed the senses and made you want to hate them.
There was also something about seeing the Blues in blue in Chicago. You knew you were in for a fight, sometimes literally, sometimes figuratively, in the old Chicago Stadium, seeing the ‘Hawks in their all whites.
What about the Vancouver Canucks in the mid 1990’s? They had an entirely different color scheme than they do now, but the white just served them better at home. The black jerseys were made for the road.
And the Blues of the 1980’s and early 1990’s. Those white uniforms were just so classic. We all remember seeing Bernie Federko and Brett Hull in white because that’s what we saw in person, if you’re old enough.
It is not unprecedented to switch. In the 1950’s and even into the 1960’s when the Blues came into the league, the home teams would wear their dark jerseys.
Oddly, as much as some of us regard it as tradition, the white jersey was apparently a suggestion by Hockey Night In Canada. For just a novel idea brought on by television in the 1970’s, it lasted 30-plus years.
Sure, we could wait another 10-15 years, but why not switch back now? Give us the variety of colors with the visitor.
I want to see the Blackhawks in red again in St. Louis. Bring on those Los Angeles Kings and their black uniforms.
We have never seen the Vegas Golden Knights in black in person, unless you went out to Las Vegas. The Montreal Canadiens should be red, white and blue, not white with a little blue and red when they visit.
The likelihood of this happening is minimal. Honestly, the hope for jersey sales might be the only thing that pushes it.
Alternate jerseys are not going anywhere and teams want to wear those at home. Alternates are never white.
Road teams are not going to want to go back to bringing multiple sets of uniforms. So, we might be stuck in the current groove.
It is not like the NHL is alone in this either. The NBA used to all wear white at home, except for the Los Angeles Lakers. Now, hardly anyone wears home white.
Baseball seems to be the last sport standing with the clean white uniforms at home, but even that is going away with more teams wearing those batting practice jerseys for actual games. At least wear matching pants so it does not look like a spring training game.
White is the way to go for home uniforms. Fans will still buy the blue, or whatever color for other teams, if they want.
On the ice, there is just something about it though and the NHL should go back.