What Do We Think of the Vancouver Canucks’ Reverse Retro Jerseys?

All of the NHL’s “reverse retro” jerseys were released today with a premise that goes something like this: a different take on an old jersey, with extra points if it’s bursting with nostalgia.

Some teams delighted their fans and the hockey world alike. The Los Angeles Kings, for instance, combined their original purple and gold colour scheme with their Wayne Gretzky-era logo, to great results.

The Colorado Avalanche and Minnesota Wild also earned high grades for using the logos of previous versions of the franchises (the Quebec Nordiques and Minnesota North Stars, respectively) with their current colours.

Other clubs disappointed. The Detroit Red Wings seemed to opt for a no-frills practice jersey, while the Dallas Stars’ choice looks like something you’d see off the rack at Cheapskates. And the Toronto Maple Leafs did whatever the hell this is.

The Vancouver Canucks?

Well, depending on whom you talk to (as is always the case), the jersey is either the worst thing that has ever happened to the city or is mostly fine.

The gradient blue to green is of course a nod to one of the worst jerseys in franchise history, the West Coast Express era salmon threads. Which begs the questions: 1. When did that era become retro? 2. Am I old now? 3. Should we really be waxing nostalgic about Todd Bertuzzi right now? 4. If you’re going to go retro, why would you go with that?

The Canucks have a ton of retro jerseys on offer and while the era in which you were born probably determines how you feel about each one, it’s safe to say no one was pining for a new gradient jersey.

What have a lot of people been calling for? An update on the skate jersey. This team has been shockingly resistant to using the skate jersey, probably because the owners want to meld the green and blue colour scheme into people’s minds. They brought it back recently to raucous applause, but that only happened because of a fan vote.

How slick would a green and blue skate look? Or even an orca with the skate colours?

But beyond that, where was the stick in rink? That would have made an interesting choice with this new sweater. As it is, it’s the current jersey just with a mixed up colour scheme.

Yes, the Flying V and Johnny Canuck would have been options too. And while we’re not personally crazy about those choices, they would have at least represented something retro. And something new.