Top 3 Carolina Hurricanes Jerseys of the Decade
The Carolina Hurricanes have had quite a few changes to their jerseys this decade. Here are my picks for the Top 3 jerseys the franchise has used this decade.
This decade has seen the Carolina Hurricanes go from a relatively decent playoff team, to a basement rebuilding team, to what they are now: a very solid playoff contender, and one of the deepest teams in the NHL.
Along with personnel changes, roster changes, and the addition and subtraction of skill and leadership, the Carolina Hurricanes have made multiple aesthetic changes throughout the past ten years as well.
From the horrific ‘candy cane’ sweaters to the sleak, stealthy new black alternates, the Canes have a veritable smorgasbord of jerseys to choose from; a huge overhaul from years past, in which they didn’t even have an alternate jersey design until the 2008-09 season.
Before we hop into this, I’m going to give you guys the good ol’ disclaimer I normally give when I rank things based on my own personal opinion: I am ranking these things based on my own personal opinion. This article is 100% subjective. Everyone has their favorite, and everyone has that one jersey style they hate.
For transparency’s sake, the one and only jersey the Carolina Hurricanes have had that I have absolutely disdained was the aforementioned ‘candy cane’ jersey that they replaced with their current home jerseys. You will not be seeing that jersey on this list. Sorry, my dudes. With that out of the way, let’s get into it.
3. 2019-20 Away
This is probably a pretty controversial choice. I, personally, love these jerseys.
There are a ton of you out there that can’t stand it, and I can’t say I don’t understand where you’re coming from. I get it, but I disagree wholeheartedly. A lot of you guys hate the diagonal wordmark; I love it.
A lot of you dislike the lack of black on the jersey. I love the contrast between the white and red, with the subtle black hints and piping here and there. The ghosted hurricane flags on the bottom stripe are an excellent touch as well.
While this jersey isn’t my favorite Carolina Hurricanes jersey of all time, it is my favorite Away jersey of all time, don’t @ me. Just kidding, you can totally @ me.
Now, for the #2 spot on this list.
2. 2008-09 to 2017-18 Alternates
You guys saw this coming, right? I love these jerseys so much. The black/red/grey balance is incredible, and they look so sharp on the ice.
The one thing I would change is the hurricane flags on the bottom, the ‘tropical storm’ logo, and the diagonal striping on the sleeves and socks.
Other than those three small gripes, these jerseys are [insert Italian chef’s kiss here].
These alternates were the very first alternate jerseys the Carolina Hurricanes ever wore, and they dropped jaws around the league when they unveiled them. They finally used their secondary color as a primary, and it paid off. These beauties remain some of the hardest jerseys to find to this day, so if you have one hang onto it (unless you wanna sell it to me, in which case, slide into my Twitter DMs).
Before we move on to #1, I’d like to take some time and look at an honorable mention.
Honorable Mention
Y’all know I had to do it to ’em. The Hartford Whalers throwback jerseys are absolutely beautiful already, and they look even better when done by Adidas.
I know a ton of hockey fans hate Whalers Night, but as an original Hartford Whalers fan, I love it.
Paying homage to your roots is never a bad thing, and I will support Whalers Night until I die. That being said, I lost my mind when they announced these jerseys, and I purchased one immediately.
Now, if only they’d bring back those navy blue Whalers jerseys. Those beauties are some of the most gorgeous jerseys to ever grace the NHL.
The main reason this jersey is an honorable mention as opposed to garnering an actual spot on this list is because it is more of a ‘special occasion’ throwback jersey as opposed to a full-fledged jersey that the Carolina Hurricanes would be able to use on any given night. Otherwise, this bad boy would be #1 by a long shot.
Now, for the moment you’ve all been waiting for…
1. 2018-19 to Present Alternates
Hoo boy, are these jerseys beautiful. The overwhelming use of stealthy black and the subtle hints of red on the shoulders, bottom striping, and socks is a killer combination.
I know, I know, there are still plenty of you out there who hate this jersey, and that is perfectly fine. It is, by far, my favorite Carolina Hurricanes regularly used jersey.
The new logo that came along with these beauties is incredibly cool, and even more clever; the outline of North Carolina can be seen in the negative space between the hurricane flags.
The ghosted NC state flag and Carolina Hurricanes primary logo on the shoulders was a wonderful touch. These are, in my opinion, the penultimate upgrade to their previous alternate jerseys, and fixed a majority of the issues I had with those jerseys in the first place.
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So, there you have it, Caniacs. My picks for Top 3 Carolina Hurricanes jerseys of the decade. Now, just because I only mentioned these specific jerseys doesn’t mean I actively dislike all the other ones; as I mentioned before, the only Canes jersey I have an active disdain for are our previous home jerseys.
All of the other ones are solid; these are just my top 3 (technically 4 if you count the honorable mention). Hopefully we see another jersey or two added to the lineup this decade. I’m especially excited to see what they decide to do when we finally get our outdoor game/possible Winter Classic. It’s about time the Canes had some more special jerseys unique to the franchise.
All-Decade Team. light. Must Read
Question for CC Readers: What would your Top 3 Carolina Hurricanes jersey list look like?