2013-14 NHL jersey rankings

Thanks to the fun lockout last season, this is the second time I'm doing this list in 2013! There have been a few uniform changes for this season, mostly for the better. My initial thoughts on most teams' uniform sets are in the old article linked above, and this article focuses mainly on changes for the 2013-14 season. Let's take a looksie.

30. Chicago Blackhawks

Uniforms unchanged from last season. Still as culturally insensitive as ever, but people still gush over them because it's an Original Six team.

29. Anaheim Ducks

Uniforms unchanged from last season. Still too much black for a Southern California team and still too boring of a logo. Luckily the team has officially declared the "Webbed D" crest is the team's primary logo, and the wordmark appearing on their home sweater is only the secondary logo. Makes no difference for this season, but hopefully it's a hint that the vastly superior third jersey will replace the home uni next season. Apparently Anaheim will be wearing a throwback Mighty Ducks jersey for at least one game this year: the more eggplant we see, the better.

28. Columbus Blue Jackets

Uniforms unchanged from last season. There are only a few clubs still using the design relic of the '90s that is the "full sleeve shoulder yoke." It seems only a matter of time before the Blue Jackets' jackets get a facelift.

27. Florida Panthers

The blue third jersey (which I actually liked!) is retired. Still needs a better primary logo, and they still get deducted points for calling themselves "Florida" when they're not the only NHL club in Florida.

26. Winnipeg Jets

Uniforms unchanged from last season. Still as boring as ever. It's only a matter of time until a "throwback" third jersey based on the classic Winnipeg sweater is introduced, and it eventually becomes the primary jersey: just like what happened with the Oilers, Sabres and Islanders.

2013 NHL jersey rankings

I wrote about changes in hockey jerseys this year, but I've never done a full NHL ranking of team sweaters. With a return to clean, classic looks being the new trend in jersey design, the NHL is looking better than ever 2013. This season is the most stagnant in a long time, uniform-wise, so it's the perfect opportunity to start my list. Without further ado:

30. Chicago Blackhawks

Hardcore hockey fans are always partial towards the sweaters of Original Six teams, and many folks in the hockey community point to this jersey in particular as the pinnacle of jersey aesthetics. I think it's absolutely atrocious. It's a boring sweater with no clear color scheme and an even more boring away jersey. But more importantly, it's racist. Defenders of the Blackhawks will say it's not nearly as incendiary as other Native American-named sports teams, like the Cleveland Indians and Washington Redskins. They even say it's "respectful." But how would you feel if there were a team called the Chicago Zulus, with a "respectful" cartoon tribal leader as its primary logo? In the 21st century, it's unacceptable. And unlike some other Native American-named teams, the Blackhawks have an easy way out: they could change the logo without changing the name, and "Blackhawks" could literally refer to birds rather than to an ethnic group of humans.

29. Anaheim Ducks

Chicago racism aside, this is by far the ugliest jersey in hockey and Anaheim knows it. They take every chance they can get to wear their slightly more colorful third jersey, and I wouldn't be surprised to see the third jersey become the new home jersey in a couple years. Even when I went to the Ducks home opener this year, more fans at Honda Center were wearing the third jersey than the home one. The home jersey has no personality, and the boring wordmark is too small to read from far away.
It frustrates me that all three California NHL teams feature predominantly black jerseys. Of all places to not wear black, you'd think it'd be California. The Ducks wear orange as a reference to Orange County where they play, which I'd like to see more of. And with the shoulder patch on their third jersey, they're even beginning to hint at their classic Mighty Ducks look. Perhaps it's a sign of things to come.

Philadelphia: Enjoying a city despite its sports fans

Living with a Philadelphian roommate for two years, I was prepared to be hit over the head with the City of Brotherly Love when I visited this weekend. An entire wardrobe's worth of Phillies t-shirts, a constant fawning over cheesesteaks, and a hockey team known more for brutish thuggery than graceful finesse. But I always assumed much of this hometown patriotism was because my roomie was living away from home, and distance makes the heart grow fonder. That's not the case. After spending time exploring Philly, its people are perhaps the most patriotic of any city I've ever been to.

I would spend this time talking about the historic neighborhoods and nice museums in Philly, but this isn't a travel blog. So let's get down to the nitty-gritty, things that really matter (and by that I mean things that don't matter at all).

Perhaps it's only because I spent most of my time in hip Center City, but there are people in Phillies t-shirts everywhere you look. Immediately upon entering the metropolis, you're drowned in its sports fans. I know D.C. isn't exactly wild about the Nationals, but even walking around New York, you don't see nearly this many people wearing Yankees apparel. There's even a store called Cheesesteaktees which is solely devoted to selling Philly-related clothing. Center City seems to be full of both hipsters and bros, and they balance each other out. Maybe the prevalence of bros explains why Philadelphians are so big on tasering. And with Philly's proximity to New Jersey, the city is also full of a certain cultural subset slightly related to more extreme bros.

I know the question you're all begging me to answer: what about the flags? It's nowhere near the quality of the Baltimore flag, but Philly's is decent, and the city displays it prominently. They also fly the Pennsylvania state flag everywhere, and that one's not quite up to snuff. The "coat of arms on a blank background" is only one step up from the abysmal "seal on a blank background" so many states fly. And the black horses + dark brown eagle on the dark blue field are a flag faux pas--everyone knows you shouldn't have black and dark brown on dark blue!

But the fact Pennsylvania features their unremarkable flag everywhere got me thinking. Obviously, the three flags I spend the most time under are DC, Maryland, and Virginia. The first two are magnificent flags, while Virginia's is completely devoid of any character whatsoever. Coincidentally, D.C. and Maryland fly their flag everywhere, while I almost never see buildings in Virginia display their state flag. I always thought this was just because Virginia knows it has a horrible flag. But Pennsylvania's isn't much better, and they fly theirs far more prominently. What does this mean? Is Virginia just an anti-flag state?