There’s something satisfying about a great uniform matchup in sports. When two teams in iconic or stylist uniforms collide, it provides an aesthetic that fans can enjoy along with the game itself. Additionally, a great matchup can often be tied to the memories of historic moments or great memories, especially in NHL history.
Related: Top 10 Nicest Current NHL Jerseys
Uniforms and uniform matchups have become such a phenomenon in recent years that Uni-Watch has committed itself to ranking them in a variety of ways. So, which NHL matchups are the best? Which ones not only have a pleasing look to them but provide nostalgia as well?
10. Jets Whiteout vs. Anyone
The Winnipeg Jets have a distinct look in the playoffs. The fans turn their home arena into a “Whiteout,” as they wear shirts, hats, towels, and just about anything they can wear is white. It’s a tradition that dates back to the 1980s and creates one of the best playoff atmospheres in the NHL.
From a jersey standpoint, the Jets don’t wear their white uniform and instead where their blues home jerseys to contract with the crowd, while the opposing team at times blends in with the loud fans in the background. As a result, they provide a great uniform matchup regardless of the opposition.
9. Golden Knights vs. Kraken
It seems odd to have the league’s two youngest franchises on this list at the same time. However, the Vegas Golden Knights and Seattle Kraken provide a matchup that not only works but embodies the recent expansion and the modern game. Both jerseys are new and stylish and stand out for two teams that are not only new to the NHL but have proven they are willing to challenge conventional wisdom from both an on-ice and off-the-ice perspective. The Kraken played their first NHL game against the Golden Knights on Oct. 12, 2021, and whenever the two teams faceoff, the jerseys seem to fit alongside one another.
8. Blackhawks vs. Blues
It’s hard to go wrong with a blue-against-red matchup (this is the first of three that made the list), but this one is different. The Chicago Blackhawks and St. Louis Blues have been rivals since the first wave of expansion in the late 1960s, and it’s been one of the more intense ones in the NHL since. Diving deeper into the uniforms, the Blackhawks have had their same traditional red and black jerseys, a mix that is both simple yet fitting for a team that has been around since 1926. The Blues, meanwhile, wear blue and yellow, two colors tied closely to their era and the beginning phases of creativity (the Los Angeles Rams and Milwaukee Brewers chose a similar pattern in that era as well). The two teams clash with their colors, which is fitting considering their rivalry.
It’s also worth noting that Chicago and St. Louis are two of the biggest rival cities in the Midwest and have been since their founding. The irony is that their baseball teams, specifically the ones in the National League, wear the opposite colors, with the Chicago Cubs donning blue and the St. Louis Cardinals boasting their reds.
7. Bruins vs. Flyers
Black, yellow, and orange, while a great combination for candy corn and Halloween, doesn’t seem like a great one in sports. However, the Boston Bruins and Philadelphia Flyers matchup works and provides flashbacks for many fans in the process.
The uniform matchup is closely tied to the 1970s, specifically when the two teams would meet in the Stanley Cup Final. The Flyers were one of the first expansion franchises and experienced immediate success. They officially made their mark when they knocked off the Bruins in six games in the 1974 Final, a series that kickstarted a new era of hockey, a tougher, harder-hitting one that the “Broadstreet Bullies” embodied.
This uniform matchup is tied closely to the ’70s, but there have been a handful of recent moments that have become synonymous with the two teams and their jerseys. In the 2010 Eastern Conference Semi-Finals, the Bruins had a 3-0 series lead and were poised to advance to the next round. The Flyers battled back to win the series in seven games and advance to the Stanley Cup Final. The next year, the Bruins returned the favors, sweeping the Flyers in the same round en route to the 2011 Cup title.
6. Bruins vs. Canadiens
A common theme on this list is the Original Six matchups, with five involving teams exclusively from the era. The Bruins once again make the list, but this time against a team with more history and success than them. The Montreal Canadiens, established in 1917, have won the Stanley Cup title 24 times and have done so wearing the same iconic jerseys, the bleu, blanc, and rouge, with the interlocking C and H logo in the center. The Bruins’ black and gold being paired with the Canadiens’ red and blue jerseys has been a great one for decades, especially when the two teams are among the best in the Eastern Conference.
5. Oilers vs. Flames
The Battle of Alberta, aside from creating great matchups and a classic rivalry, has also given fans a near-perfect uniform matchup. To start, the Calgary Flames, with their Sea of Red at the Scotiabank Saddledome, make for a great matchup regardless of who they play. The same can be said about the Edmonton Oilers in their blue and orange jerseys when they play at a packed Rogers Place. When these jerseys clash, they often provide a flashback to the 1980s when the two teams would go at it for the right to play in the Stanley Cup Final.
In 2022, the two teams met in the Second Round in a series that became a memorable one. The Oilers won the series in five games, capped off by a Connor McDavid overtime winner, but many of the games were back-and-forth and high-scoring. The Flames and Oilers always stand out when they face each other, and the jerseys are no exception.
4. Bruins vs. Rangers
The New York Rangers have some of the best uniforms in the NHL, with their blue, red, and white standing out, especially at home games in Madison Square Garden. They provide a handful of great uniform matchups as they pair well with rival New York Islanders, New Jersey Devils, and Pittsburgh Penguins, to name a few. However, the best one is one of their oldest and a city rivalry that is prominent in all sports. The Rangers against the Bruins. Blue and red against black and gold.
The rivalry between New York and Boston is most notable with the two baseball teams, the Yankees and Red Sox. However, the hockey teams have provided some memorable moments and are one of the NHL’s greatest rivals as well. When the Rangers won the Cup in 1940, they defeated the Bruins in six games in the Semi-Final to do so. When the Bruins won the Cup in 1972, they defeated the Rangers in the Final in a six-game series. Recently, the two teams met in the 2013 Eastern Conference Semi-Finals in a series in which the Boston side took in five on their way to a Final appearance. The two teams are tied closely to the game’s history, and their uniform matchup is synonymous with that.
3. Blackhawks vs. Red Wings
It’s unfortunate that the Detroit Red Wings are in the Eastern Conference in part because they don’t face the Blackhawks and other notable rivals as often. Instead of four regular season matchups against their Original Six rival, they only meet twice every season. However, the uniform matchup is a great one that matches red against white regardless of the home team.
The two teams have traded punches throughout their history. The Red Wings would commonly defeat the Blackhawks in their Cup runs, especially in the 1950s. Likewise, the Blackhawks dynasty in the 2010s is tied closely to their ability to knock off the team of the previous decade in the playoffs. In the 2013 Western Conference Semi-Final, they defeated the Red Wings in a hard-fought seven-game series that ended on a Brent Seabrook overtime-winning goal, propelling the team to the Cup title.
2. Canadiens vs. Maple Leafs
The oldest and most historic rivalry in the NHL has a uniform matchup that has stood the test of time. The Toronto Maple Leafs sport their classic blue jerseys with the famous 47-point Maple Leaf logo in the center, which has been front and center since 1928. Whenever they go up against the Canadiens, fans are treated to a blue-against-red matchup that goes hand in hand with the rivalry of the two teams.
In the 1950s and ’60s, the two teams were the best in the NHL and would seemingly exchange Cup titles every year. The two teams don’t face each other in the Final anymore, but that doesn’t mean they haven’t provided some great playoff matchups in recent years. In 2021, the teams met in the First Round. The Maple Leafs boasted a commanding 3-1 series lead, but the Canadiens, led by Carey Price, battled back to take the series and then went on to advance to the Cup Final.
The Canadiens and Maple Leafs uniform matchup is arguably the first one that comes to mind when a casual fan is asked to think of two teams facing each other. It could easily be the top on this list. However, there’s one more blue-against-red matchup that took that spot.
1. Red Wings vs. Maple Leafs
The Winged Wheel and the Maple Leaf. The Red Wings and Maple Leafs with their red and blue matchup. Two Original Six teams have won a combined 22 Cup titles. The uniform matchup is near perfect as it combines two of the league’s best classic jerseys and symbolizes years of success and tradition.
The only shame in this matchup is that the two teams can’t wear their home colors at the same time. This is a problem that started in all sports with the invention and popularization of broadcasts. Once games were live on black-and-white television, one team needed to wear a jersey that was white to help the viewer differentiate between the teams. It’s one of the many changes that helped viewership along with names on the back of jerseys, numbers on the front and back, and advertisements on the jerseys and boards (the last one doesn’t help the viewer as much as it annoys them). While the Red Wings and Maple Leafs can’t provide the optimal uniform matchup, they managed to do so for one classic game.
The 2014 Winter Classic was played at Michigan Stadium, commonly known as “The Big House,” and the game featured the Red Wings and the Maple Leafs. The two teams boasted their home colors in a game that lived up to the hype. In front of a packed house and on a snow-covered rink, the Maple Leafs edged the Red Wings 3-2 in a shootout.
Honorable Mentions
A lot of the top matchups involved Original Six teams, and the other 24 teams can appear overlooked. However, there are a lot of great combinations that have formed in recent years.
- Blues vs. Minnesota Wild — While the Wild weren’t the first team in Minnesota, these two teams are tied to the first wave of expansion and have formed a great rivalry, especially in recent seasons. With the blue and yellow of the Blues going up against the green the Wild don, the combination doesn’t disappoint.
- Anaheim Ducks vs. Los Angeles Kings — The two Southern California teams have changed their team colors a lot over the years. However, the black and white of the Kings and the black and orange of the Ducks are tied closely with the rivalry and the notable playoff matchups in the early 2010s.
- The Devils’ red and black uniforms pair well with a lot of teams in the Metropolitan Division. However, the best matchup is when they play the Rangers, which recently happened with the 2023 First Round matchup; the Devils took it in seven games.
- The Bruins, with their black and gold, and Maple Leafs, with their blue and white, provide another Original Six matchup and one with recent history as well. Specifically, the Bruins and Maple Leafs met in the First Round in 2013, 2018, and 2019, with each series going the distance.
- As the league’s second-youngest franchise, the Golden Knights don’t have a lot of iconic uniform matchups. However, their jersey pairs well with some of the teams they’ve faced in the playoffs in recent years, most notably the San Jose Sharks and the Colorado Avalanche.
There’s a saying that “Beauty is in the eye of the beholder,” and with jerseys, that couldn’t be more relevant. There’s no metric of defining stat that determines which jerseys are the best, and everyone’s rankings are subjective. However, the jerseys that stand the test of time and remain favorites, regardless of the era, tend to be the ones that create the best matchups.
