Adidas has finally released the NHL Reverse Retro jerseys. Each team has gotten a modern styled throwback jersey to be worn a few times this coming season. This will be part three of a four part series, going division by division, where the Drive4Five team will review each teams jersey. We have also scored each jersey out of 10. Last week we reviewed the Atlantic Division. Today we will be giving our thoughts on each Central Division reverse retro jersey.

Colorado Avalanche: (7.4/10)

The Quebec Nordiques are back! The Avalanche have decided to go back to their roots, sporting the now defunct team that they were before the move to Colorado. This is an exact replica of the Nordiques white jersey, but with the main accent color as the Av’s burgundy instead of light blue. This jersey looks very clean as the colors pop and are a very popular retro jersey in hockey culture. Many Quebec fans are opposed to this jersey though, like Jake Blackmore: “It looks good, but many people from la Ville de Québec find it to be a bit of a slap in the face from the NHL. It appropriates a symbol with deep meaning to their culture and lives and changes it into something for the NHL to sell more merchandise. The jersey looks good, no doubt, but doesn’t sit well with those who understand the meaning of the Nords to people from Québec.” So everyone can agree the jersey is beautiful and one of the best in the league, but there is a deeper meaning behind it.

Dallas Stars: (5.2/10)

Dallas had an interesting take on what they did for their reverse retro jersey. They did a spin off of their 1999 jerseys, and it has fans split in half over if they like this jersey or not. The jerseys from 1999 are incredible, and these have turned them into a full whiteout. All of the equipment for this uniform will be white, including the pants and gloves. Lexi Panagatos is excited about what Dallas did: “I love this jersey. I know I am in the minority but I cannot wait to see how the all-white looks on the ice.” However, the silver logo can be hard to see at times. Under the star design is the same white, making it seem out of place and leaving the jersey bland overall.

Nashville Predators: (6.4/10)

The Nashville Predators reverse retro jersey is very similar to what they wear now. The Preds jerseys had accents of silver on them for a long time, with navy as the main color. They reversed it here going with their usual gold as the main jersey color. Many hockey fans are tired of the bright gold and want to see something new from the Predators. The logo has added silver accents, and the tooth of it has more of a design. “There’s only so much you can do with MUSTARD yellow. While this is one of Nashville’s better jerseys, the color scheme gets old quick.” is how Shawn D’Aversa described it. Nashville did a good job here but it is nothing more than an average jersey.

Minnesota Wild: (7.4/10)

The beautiful color scheme of the Minnesota Northstars is back as the Wild have gone in that direction for their reverse retro jersey. The Northstars logo wasn’t able to be used by the Wild, as that history is a part of the Stars franchise. With that, they were still able to incorporate Minnesota hockey history in these beautiful sweaters. It could of looked even better being solid green, but is still incredible. Will Wiegelman agreed “I guess the North Stars are Wild history now or something. Still looks awesome though. The recolored logo is nice and the look is clean.” The Wild have one of the better central division reverse retro jerseys.

Winnipeg Jets: (4.2/10)

We’re not really sure what the Jets were going for here. Taking one of the NHL’s most popular classic logos was a great touch, but the rest of the jersey is just ugly. The navy and white look good, including light blue accents. It is just the dark gray that doesn’t make any sense because it doesn’t match. This jersey is too dark with a lot going on. A lighter shade of gray could make this jersey much better. Shawn D’Aversa stated it as “Winnipeg, you had all kinds of potential and took a swing and a miss. Grey should never, ever be used as the base color of a jersey. Besides that, the design is bland. Would’ve loved to see some kind of red and blue rendition.” This is just a disappointment from a franchise who has used many shades of red and blue throughout their history. Winnipeg has one of the leagues worst retro jerseys.

St. Louis Blues: (5/10)

“The St. Louis… Reds? The Blues are another team who completely whiffed on the potential they had. The red is far too vibrant and completely takes away from the blue note logo and the red and yellow numbering just doesn’t look sharp.” Shawn D’Aversa has perfectly described how we feel about this jersey. Although it is “retro” and does look decent, there was a huge missed opportunity. Many hockey fans wanted to see a white version of their amazing powder blue alternate jerseys. 90’s designs have always been controversial, and that continues here.

Chicago Blackhawks: (7.8/10)

Clean, simple and classic. The Chicago Blackhawks perfectly executed this reverse retro jersey. The classic Native American in a circular logo showing “Black Hawks Chicago.” The striping is clean and effective as the red and white pop on the black jersey. The red shoulders perfectly accent the striping. This jersey is similar to what the Blackhawks wore during the 2010 Winter Classic, which was an incredible sweater. “Chicago knows what they are doing. This is just a very nice jersey,” said David Lazar. The Hawks definitely have the best reverse retro from the Central Division and is one of the more underrated and less talked about jerseys in the league.

Come back next week to see our thoughts on the Pacific Division’s reverse retro jerseys!

John Smark