For a team with such a long history, you would think the Montreal Canadiens would have gone through a lot of different styles of jerseys over the years. They found a look that worked early and never felt the need to change it. The bleu, blanc et rouge colorway with the CH logo is not just iconic in hockey, but in sports in general. It is on par in historical stature with the New York Yankees pinstripes and the Los Angeles Lakers purple and gold.
The Canadiens have mixed things up with their alternate jerseys over the years, whether it was for a Winter Classic game, a Reverse Retro collaboration, or a throwback to one of their early franchise designs. Some have been great hits, and some have been incredible misses.
Take the classic jersey out of the equation. It is the most beloved by fans and is a staple of the Canadiens' history. But when it comes to the alternate looks, which version of the Canadiens' jersey stands out as the best? And which one missed the mark?
When They Got It Right
In the 2006-07 season, the Montreal Canadiens unveiled their alternate jersey, which was a design previously used in the 1940s as their away colours. Instead of the classic white jersey with the CH logo in the middle, they added a blue band around the middle with a red bordering it. The added blue gave the jersey a visual pop, giving it a similar look to the classic home sweater but with the colours inverted. The jersey was such a hit that they later brought it back during the 2008-10 seasons as a celebration for their 100th anniversary.
The jersey is so great that it is shocking the Canadiens do not bring it back as often as they should. Understandably, you do not want to ruin a beautiful thing by bringing it back too often, but if the Canadiens brought it back for a season or two as their regular away jersey, would that really be a bad thing?
Swing and a Miss
In most people's eyes, if you ask them what the worst jersey the Canadiens have ever worn, they would probably say the barber shop jerseys. However, there is another contender for the worst jersey in team history, and it is not just because I have a soft spot for the barber shop sweater; it is the 2022-23 Reverse Retro jersey.
The jersey is inspired by the old Montreal Expos colours, replacing the classic red with powder blue. That is the issue. Too many shades of blue are competing with each other. The bright blue colour made it hard to look at while watching games, and it is seriously missing some red to counteract all that blue. The Canadiens' original 2021 Reverse Retro had it right. They used a darker blue and incorporated the red band in the middle, giving the jersey some much-needed balance. The barbershop jersey gets more hate than it deserves. It is the Reverse Retro 2.0 that should be at the bottom of the list.