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Best and worst sweaters of all-time: Minnesota Wild

Columbus Blue Jackets v Minnesota Wild

ST PAUL, MN - OCTOBER 16: Mikko Koivu #9 of the Minnesota Wild skates prior to the start of the game against the Columbus Blue Jackets at Xcel Energy Center on October 16, 2010 in St Paul, Minnesota. The Blue Jackets defeated the Wild 3-2. (Photo by Jeff Gross/Getty Images)

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Best: For a team that doesn’t have a long history of sweaters, the Wild got it right with their beautiful third sweater they unleashed two seasons ago. When you think of the wilderness you think of the color green and that’s just what this sweater has. It’s green all over with “Minnesota Wild” in script across the front. It’s simple, elegant, and honestly beautiful. It’s got a touch of that old school feel to it and reminds us of the All-Star Jerseys from when the game was held in St. Paul in 2004.

Worst: Oddly enough, the Wild’s worst sweater is also an all green affair. The team’s original road jersey was even-handed match to their white home sweater just green all over. The red and gold piping wasn’t enough to help distract from the heaps of green all over this sweater and was roundly disliked in Minnesota and elsewhere. It’s odd that this one was so disliked while the home whites (still the look of their road sweaters now) are beloved. That says something more about making things look nice for one’s eyes rather than blowing them away with one color. It just goes to show you more reasons why the design of their new third is so particular and special to the fans.

Circular Madness: In 2003, the Wild introduced an “iron range red” third jersey that featured the Wild logo within a circular ring that had the team name going around it. The design made the team’s logo look instantly old school and for us hockey fans, anything that looks old-time hockey-like is something we’ll warm up to right away. Well, most of the time anyway. For the Wild, going away from the forest green and into their other team color in red was a huge success and the sweater took over as the team’s home sweater in 2007 and remains that way now. When it’s done right, the circular logo can be perfect. Minnesota’s one of the few teams that’s pulled it off right.

Assessment: The Wild’s current sweater array is about as good as it gets and looks like a “best of” collection of what they’ve done through their short history. The home red is great, their road whites have sustained years of changes, and their green alternates are a thing of beauty. While the Wild are still finding their way on the ice with their play, they sure look good while trying to figure things out.