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Best and worst sweaters of all-time: Edmonton Oilers

Wayne Gretzky, Glenn Anderson

From Wayne Gretzky to Taylor Hall, the Oilers have a tremendous amount of history with talented forwards and their look on the ice with their sweaters is something they’ve pretty good fortune with. Like all teams that had a good thing and gave it up to do something different, they’ve gone back to what works. Good move, guys.

Best: When your legacy in the NHL starts with having guys like Wayne Gretzky and Mark Messier among others, it’s hard to not instantly fall in love with the look those guys brought to the ice. It’s a look that was so perfect for the time it came about in the late 70s-early 80s and won everyone in Edmonton and elsewhere over that the Oilers caved into pressure and are bringing it back full time this season. Their dynasty-era home and road jerseys are iconic for the time and the team and their road blues are the epitome of the dynasty years. Blue and orange never looked so good together, especially with Gretzky establishing records that may never be broken while wearing them.

Worst: While it would be easy to pick on the brutal Oilers third jersey that was designed by Spawn creator Todd McFarlane, the Oilers have another sweater that managed to look worse than that. When the RBK Edge system took over, the Oilers’ look to follow suit with the Reebok design was bland, uninspired, and overwhelmingly dark blue for their home sweaters. The sleeve striping was copper, white, mixed with stupid (something the Edge sweaters had/have a nasty affliction with) as they didn’t go completely around the arms.

Old is new again: The Oilers starting off in the NHL with the look they carried over from their WHA days was a great move and obviously a brilliant one on the creator’s behalf as it’s one the Oilers are readopting in full this season. As we’ve seen with other teams that have done this, going back to a look that was also attached with a long history of success is something that a lot of teams try to latch on to. After all, pleasant memories are always warm and welcoming and can lead to new sales. Funny how sweaters and uniforms are always the thing fans get the ultimate final say on. If they’re not buying the merchandise, things are going to change.

Assessment: The Oilers full-blown switch back to their look from the 80s and early 90s that’s attached with their dynasty years is a move I fully support. It’s a look attached to great success in the team’s history and the last time we saw an array of great young talent taking the ice in these style sweaters it turned out pretty well. Keeping the ugly Edge home sweater as an alternate reeks of getting the most out of a failed experiment. Just let it go guys. The Oilers haven’t had success on the ice much in recent years, but they’re going to look like winners all over again. That’s a start.