Here's the second of seven installments of NHL jersey rankings. Today, we're looking at the Atlantic Division from the Eastern Conference, which consists of the New York Rangers, New York Islanders, New Jersey Devils, Philadelphia Flyers, and Pittsburgh Penguins. As jerseys go, this division is very solid. The New York Rangers are the only team that was part of the "Original Six" hockey franchises. The Penguins, Flyers, and Islanders were part of NHL's expansion in the late 60's and early 70's, and the Devils came about in 1982 (after stops in Kansas City and Denver in the 70's).
New Jersey Devils:
Home -- I said this before on my last post -- red isn’t my favorite jersey color. But, I think that they pull it off with the design. The logo is recognizable too -- nice touch with the devil horns and spear point in the lettering. The shorts could go for some red and white piping, too. Score: 2.5/5
Away -- The same goes for their away jersey -- it’s simple, yet definitive. Score: 2.5/5
Alternate -- They rarely wear these (the only time I ever see them is on St. Patrick’s day), but I think these are pretty gross because of the green. The worst part is that they have green shorts, as best seen here. But hey, if there wasn’t any green, the Devils would have the same jerseys since 1982. Score: 1.5/5
Verdict -- These are average at best. The Devils pull off a simple design -- ok jersey, logo, and color scheme, but it’s not more than average. Total score: 6.5/15
New York Islanders:
Home -- I’ll cut right to the chase. I love these jerseys. I think this is almost jersey perfection. Blue, orange, and white with a great logo that hasn’t changed much except from 1995-1997. That uni has always been considered one of the worst of all time, and I must say it is pretty terrible (the jersey that is -- the fisherman logo is bad but not awful in my opinion -- change that teal to navy blue and it's much better). Score: 5/5
Away -- This is a great one too, but I like the blue better than the white (that’s a trend -- I almost always like the dark homes better than the white aways). Kudos to the piping on the shorts too. Score: 4.5/5
Alternate -- Like the Devils, they rarely wear these, but they're great nonetheless. Minus a half point for no piping on the shorts. The Islanders used to wear these as alternates, and they're pretty terrible. They blue makes the jersey -- orange is only an accent color people. Score: 4.5/5
Verdict -- Excellent jerseys, through and through. Final score: 14/15
New York Rangers:
Home -- These are timeless jerseys. Some think that they are the best in the league. I just don’t see it. I like them and definitely think they’re better than most. Kudos on the piping, but the thing that gets me with these is the diaper effect on the back of the jerseys. Should’ve made that part of the jersey blue instead. However, I do think they're much better than these, which they wore from 1976-78. Score: 3.5/5
Away -- Same deal as the home jerseys; I really like them, but I don’t love them. The diapering effect doesn’t look as bad as on the blues. Score: 4/5
Alternate -- These are ok, but it would've been nice to see them stick to the standard blue color. They had similar ones from 1978-1987, which I really like. Their previous alternate wasn't much better either. Score: 2/5
Verdict -- These are very solid jerseys. Iconic and instantly recognizable for any fan, crazed or casual. I guess I’ve just never fully appreciated them. Final score: 9.5/10
Philadelphia Flyers:
Home -- Ah yes, the flying the puck. Absolutely love it. However, the orange is hit or miss for me. If they're playing a team with an awful jersey (for instance, the Ottawa Senators alternate unis), they look awesome, but if they're up against a great jersey, like the New York Islanders or Boston Bruins, I can take 'em or leave 'em. Score: 3.5/5
Away -- The whites are less harsh on the eyes than the orange, so I'll score them slightly higher for that. Score: 4/5
Alternate -- Really? Why is this necessary? Score: 1.5/5
Verdict -- A great logo with some colors that can be classy given the circumstances. Sometimes, I feel like I'm watching a prison hockey team. Oh well. Final score: 9/15
Pittsburgh Penguins:
Home -- Not sure about these really. I think the jerseys look really nice, but I still miss the old black and yellow ones. Definitely better than the ones they wore from 2002-07 (I get that the triangle is to represent the three rivers in Pittsburgh an everything, but it just doesn't make for a good jersey design). I also miss "robopenguin." Basically, they've had great logos throughout their history, but the color scheme isn't my favorite. Score: 3.5/5
Away -- Average at best. Lots of white doesn't go with the Vegas gold on the sleeve in my opinion. My favorite Pens away jerseys were these. Score: 2.5/5
Alternate -- Good call going back to the retro baby blues. These are certainly my favorite Penguins jerseys they wear right now, and I'm hoping the ones they wore for the 2011 Winter Classic become their alternates next year because I like them even better. I also think these alternates from the late 90's to early 2000s will be vogue again soon. Score: 4/5
Verdict -- Pretty solid jersey, but I have to give my home team some criticisms. They should go back to the old color scheme, but these are pretty good too. Final score: 10/15
Atlantic Division Rankings:
New York Islanders: 14/15
Pittsburgh Penguins: 10/15
New York Rangers: 9.5/15
Philadelphia Flyers: 9/15
New Jersey Devils: 6.5/15
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