My Top 10 Favourite NHL Jerseys in History

For those who don't know me, I am an avid jersey collector and connoisseur and really have a passion for NHL jerseys. Besides having several Colorado Avalanche ones, I have a big collection of new and retro jerseys that is expanding all the time. I have always had an appreciation for jerseys since I was a kid, and that includes liking jerseys that many people find hideous (I'll just say it I like weird/ugly jerseys cause they are unique). With that being said, I thought I would look at my top 10 NHL jerseys of all time:

10. Vancouver Canucks Away Jersey from 1989-1997

This was one of the first jerseys I owned as a kid; everything from the black/yellow/red colours to the cool logo in the middle, it was always a favourite of mine. Pavel Bure was one of my favourite players to watch growing up, and while he is long gone from the NHL this jersey remains a classic. Nowadays the Canucks wear ugly blue, green and white jerseys and remain my most hated team in the NHL. 

9. St. Louis Blues Away Jersey 1995-1997, 3rd Jersey 1997-1998

The St. Louis Blues brought in these new jerseys in the 1995-96 season, which was the same year they traded for Wayne Gretzky. Although Gretzky was only with the Blues for half a season + playoffs, this jersey became an instant classic in St. Louis. They took away the blue and yellow stripes across the bottom of the jersey from the previous design and added the red (away jersey) and blue (home jersey) on the bottom plus the sleeves. I always liked the Blues logo, and throw in the cool yellow stripes and separation of the Red and Blue and this jersey is pretty cool in my books (I always liked this Away jersey more than the Home one).

8. Colorado Rockies Home/Away Jersey 1976-1982

Before the Devils played in New Jersey, they were playing in Denver as the Colorado Rockies. Ofcoure this was well before I was born, but as a current Avalanche fan I always liked the Rockies jerseys that they wore during their 6-year tenure in the NHL. The blue/away jersey was always a favourite of mine, everything from the Rockies in the logo to the blue/red/yellow colour scheme (similar to the Blues jersey). Anytime I am the Devils in an NHL videogame, I always pick this retro jersey. As well, Lanny McDonald is my father's favourite player so that was another reason I liked this jersey. 

7. Hartford Whalers Away Jersey 1992-1997

I have always been a fan of Hartford Whalers merchandise, something about their colours and logo that makes you think of vintage hockey apparel. The Whalers colours were white and green from 1979-1992, but starting in the 1992-1993 season they switched to white, green and dark blue. The home jersey was very similar to the old home jersey, but the Away jersey was this one above and it always been a favourite of mine. In 1997 the Whalers relocated to Carolina and became the Hurricanes, but I think everyone still loves to remember the past when they were the Whalers.

6. Los Angeles Kings Home Jersey 1980-1988, Alternate Jersey 1995-1996

Something about those gold and purple jerseys always stood out to me, even though they were before my time I always liked those vintage Kings jerseys from the 80s. The Kings jerseys from the 70s were the same design except without the stripes, so when they brought the stripes in I think it made the jersey 10 times cooler. The 2nd jersey I listed is the Kings 3rd jersey from 1995-1996 (only wore it for 1 season), or also known as the "Burger King" jersey. This to most people might be one of the most hideous jerseys in history, but to me I love the logo and the stripe pattern. This jersey is a very cool collector's item now, especially because they wore it in Gretzky's last year in LA. I like the modern LA Kings jersey that is black, purple and white, but I will always be a fan of these retro jerseys first.

5. Phoenix Coyotes Alternate Jersey 1998-2003

The Winnipeg Jets moved to Phoenix in 1996 and became the Phoenix Coyotes, and in 1998 they debuted this jersey as their alternate jersey. Often noted as one of the ugliest jerseys in NHL history, this is one of my absolute favourite jerseys particularly because my favourite colour is green and green is rarely seen on an NHL jersey. The Coyotes wore this jersey as their alternate jersey until 2003, when they changed their colours to red and white and changed their logo too. I personally own this as well, a Keith Tkachuk jersey with the Captain patch, and I consider it to be one of my more rare jerseys and a collector's item. 

4. Quebec Nordiques Away Jersey 1980-1995

As an Avalanche fan I always like to look back at the history of the franchise, as they were the Quebec Nordiques from 1979-1995 until they moved to Denver and became the Avalanche in 1995. I always liked the simplicity of the Nordiques jersey; the blue and white design with the red logo made it a classic jersey. Throw in that my favourite player in NHL history Joe Sakic started his career wearing this jersey, it instantly is one of my favourite jerseys of the ones that I own and possibly ever made.

3. 2000 NHL Allstar Game North America Jersey (In Toronto)

The 2000 NHL All-star (or 50th All-star) game will always be a special memory for me, it was in Toronto and I was lucky enough to go to the game (I was only 9 years old at the time). The Allstar format back then was North America vs. the World, and North America wore these blue jerseys with red and white stripes, while the World jersey was red with white and blue stripes. Although the World jerseys were nice too, I always liked this jersey because it was one of the first hockey jerseys I owned (a blank North America All-star jersey). The World won the game 9-4, with a hat trick from Pavel Bure and Bure taking the MVP honours. 

2. 1994 NHL Allstar Game Jerseys (In New York)

Another perfect example of an ugly jersey to the majority of hockey fans but to me this is one of my favourite vintage NHL jerseys. I always was a fan of the old turquoise East logo and purple West logo, before they changed them to red and blue. Everyhing about these jerseys were awesome; great logo, cool design with the star around the logo, and the great colours (I love turquoise on jerseys, ie. Vancouver Grizzlies). These jerseys are truly a collector's item, and considering I don't own one it is one of my most coveted jerseys.

1. Anaheim Ducks Alternate Jersey 1995-1996

I had a very hard time deciding between this jersey and the 94' All-star jersey as my favourite (both are retro and turqoise), but because this jersey is so rare and unique I decided to make it #1. The Anaheim Mighty Ducks came into the NHL in 1993, and 2 years later they debuted these truly unique alternate jerseys which they would only wear a handful of times during the 1995-1996 season and never again. Everything from the cool Wild Wing mascot on the jersey breaking out of the ice, to the very cartoonish name and number patch, this jersey was one-of-a-kind. The original Mighty Ducks TV show was the inspiration for the jersey, as the Wild Wing logo came from the series. The Ducks NHL team eventually led into them making 3 Mighty Ducks movies, which were all personal favourites of mine. I have searched and searched for this jersey and have never been able to add it to my collection, but I hope to get a Kariya or Selanne jersey like this sometime in the near future. 

Thanks for reading

-Joel Forman - The Forman Faceoff

2013-14 Fantasy Hockey Preview: Top 10 Rankings By Position

Center:                                  

1. Sidney Crosby
                 

2. Steven Stamkos
                 

3. Claude Giroux
                  

4. John Tavares

5. Evgeni Malkin

6. Johnathan Toews

7. Ryan Getzlaf

8. Pavel Datsyuk

9. Jason Spezza

10. Eric Staal

Left Wing:                                   

1. Taylor Hall
   

2. Rick Nash

3. Chris Kunitz

4. Henrik Zetterberg

5. Daniel Sedin

6. James Neal

7. Zach Parise

8. Jamie Benn

9. Matt Moulson

10. Patrick Sharp

Right Wing:      
                                 

1. Alexander Ovechkin

2. Patrick Kane

3. Corey Perry

4. Martin St. Louis

5. Phil Kessel

6. Bobby Ryan

7. Alexander Semin

8. Marian Hossa

9. Jordan Eberle

10. Loui Eriksson

Defenseman:     
                            

1. Erik Karlsson

2. P.K. Subban

3. Kris Letang

4. Shea Weber

5. Dustin Byfuglien

6. Drew Doughty

7. Alex Pietrangelo

8. Ryan Suter

9. Zdeno Chara

10. Duncan Keith

Goalies:     
                                      

1. Henrik Lundqvist

2. Tuukka Rask

3. Jon Quick

4. Pekka Rinne

5. Antti Niemi

6. Corey Crawford

7. Craig Anderson

8. Roberto Luongo

9. Marc-Andre Fleury

10. Jimmy Howard

The Importance of Two-Way Hockey Players in the NHL

I have been meaning to write on this topic for many years, anyone who has heard me ramble about hockey before (and I must say its quite frequent) knows that I like 2-way, 200-foot hockey players more then any other in the NHL. The majority of my favourite players are either a #1 Centers or guys that play at both ends of the ice, I think these players are far more important to the team then skill guys are. I understand the need to have pure goal scorers or guys who get a lot of points, but the players that play an equally important role on defense as they do on offense are the guys that are key to winning in the NHL. Some names that come to mind: Claude Giroux, Ryan Getzlaf, Johnathan Toews, John Tavares and Pavel Datsyuk. Ofcourse there are more skilled players out there, guys like Sidney Crosby, Steven Stamkos, Evgeni Malkin, Patrick Kane, and those guys will show up in the news more frequently and I recognize that. However, as a hockey fan for 17 years I have watched my fair share of hockey and to me two-way players always stood out when I'm watching a game. I enjoy watching the guys who care every second when they are on the ice; whether that is scoring a goal or making a simple back-check these players do it all the time.

Of the 5 players I mentioned above, 4 are Captains and 1 is an Assistant Captain (Datsyuk), and to me that says these types of two-way hockey players are always in a leadership role. Being a Captain or Assistant Captain in the NHL is an extremely important thing, it shows that you have earned trust from your Coaches and fellow players and these guys lead as much on the ice as they do off the ice. While the 5 players I named are all amazing hockey players, often times when you ask people the question "Who would you rather have?" they tend to go with a point scorer more then a two-way guy. Three of the guys I mentioned are always near the top of scoring each year (Giroux, Tavares and Datsyuk), so it's not like I'm saying these guys aren't as skilled as the offense-first guys because I think they are as good. I'd tell people I would rather have Claude Giroux or Ryan Getzlaf over Sidney Crosby and they call me crazy! Everyone has their own opinion, to me I want a player who plays the whole rink and can do important things other then scoring (and I know Crosby does this but he doesn't all the time). I'm not saying I don't like Crosby because I understand how good he is (the best on the planet right now), but If I could have 1 player in the NHL on my team it would be Claude Giroux, 100%. Argue all you want, but thats how I feel and that is what I have told many people before.

Other notable two-way players: Mike Richards, Patrice Bergeron, Henrik Zetterberg, Niklas Backstrom, Mikko Koivu, Matt Duchene, David Backes, Joe Thornton, Ryan Kesler and Anze Kopitar. Of those 10 players, 4 are captains (Zetterberg, Koivu, Backes and Thornton), 5 are assistant captains (Richards, Bergeron, Backstrom, Kesler and Kopitar) and Duchene I am predicting will be wearing an A come season start next week. Call it stupid, call it laughable, but I prefer two-way hockey players over skilled point scorers every time.

-Joel Forman - The Forman Faceoff

10 Players to Watch for the 2013-14 season

Hello everyone, welcome to the inaugural post of The Forman Faceoff; a hockey blog focused on the current NHL news. I currently have another blog about the Colorado Avalanche (www.formansportstalk.blogspot.ca), which is my favourite NHL team, but I decided for my writing career that it would be best to expand to all of the NHL. For my first post, I will look at 10 players to watch for the upcoming NHL season.

1. Claude Giroux - The Flyers captain enters the 2013-14 season with high hopes after a very disappointing shorteneded 2013 season, where not only the Flyers missed the playoffs but Giroux struggled to regain his top form where he had 93 points in 2011-2012 (he still had 47 points in 48 last season). To go along with a bad 2013 season, Giroux was injured this summer in a freak golfing incident where his club shattered in his hands causing damage to tendons in his right index finger. Giroux has since recovered from the injury, returning to action last night (September 24) in a preseason game. The Flyers had an important offseason, which saw the departure of Ilya Bryzgalov and the arrival of 3 key pieces: Vincent Lecavalier, Mark Streit and Ray Emery. With a healthy Giroux and the new arrivals, the Flyers look to get back on track and get back into the playoffs. They will need 100% from their captain to do so, keep an eye on Giroux all season he could be in for a huge year.

2. Roberto Luongo - The last few years has been a soap opera for Luongo; he has had a rough time in Vancouver and seemed to be ready to move on this summer. However, things drastically changed when the Canucks shipped out Cory Schneider to the Devils on draft day, solidifying Luongo's role as the starting goalie. The last few years Schneider really pushed for the starting spot, the two goalies went back and forth and it lead to Luongo being very unhappy in Vancouver. The Canucks made some big changes in the offseason, none bigger then bringing in new Head Coach John Tortorella. Torts immediately stated he believed in Roberto Luongo, that he wanted him to be his #1 goalie, and the trade of Schneider cemented that. Regardless of what happens this year, Luongo is now the clear cut #1 goalie and can finally look past all that nonsense from the last few years. However, Luongo will still have tremendous pressure to win, especially with the Canucks fans and their sense of urgency.

3. Nathan MacKinnon - As a Colorado Avalanche fan, I am beyond excited to watch this 18-year old hit the ice for the first time as an NHL player. MacKinnon was picked #1 overall in this past NHL draft, and new Avs Head Coach Patrick Roy immediately stated that MacKinnon was here to stay. MacKinnon isn't going to be the Avs savior, and Roy has stated he doesn't expect him to be, but that doesn't mean he won't make a big impact right away. MacKinnon possesses an extremely high level of hockey skill, and he has a very bright future ahead. I have him pegged as a co-Calder Trophy favourite, along side his former Halifax Moosehead teammate Jonathan Drouin in Tampa Bay.

4. Tim Thomas - Thomas shocked everyone last year when he decided to take a leave of absence from the NHL, taking the entire 2012-13 season off to spend time with his family. This lead to the Bruins dealing his rights to the Islanders, however they didn't sign him and he became a free agent. Towards the end of the offseason, Thomas was signed to a training camp tryout by the Florida Panthers, and it looks like he is here to stay. Its the perfect situation for both Thomas and the Panthers; Thomas gets his shot at being a #1 goalie in the NHL again, as the Panthers are limited at that position with the young and inexperienced Jacob Markstrom. Thomas is 2-time Vezina winner, a Stanley Cup Champion and a Conn Smythe winner, so the Panthers might have gotten a major steal with Thomas if he can regain his confidence. Its a win-win situation for both, and if Thomas plays well the Panthers might have a much better shot at making the playoffs.

5. Patrick Kane - Patty Kane is on top of the hockey world right now; after winning his 2nd Stanley Cup in 4 years and walking away with the Conn Smythe trophy as playoff MVP he is doing things right. Kane was by far the best player for the Hawks last season, especially in the playoffs, and he looks to build on that in the 2013-14 season. Kane turns 25 in November, and he is almost a point-per-game player in his 6-year NHL career (424 points in 446 games). Coming off an impressive year during the lockout-shortened season, Kane looks to build on that and take his game to the next level. Regardless of what happens, his play last year has brought him into the NHL's top elite players.

6. Daniel Alfredsson - The longtime Senators captain has a fresh start at age 40 (41 in December), after 17 years in Ottawa and 13 as the captain he shocked the hockey world (mostly Sens fans) by signing with the Detroit Red Wings. At first glimpse this is a perfect match for both Alfie and the Red Wings, not only are they getting a proven veteran goal scorer but also a player who has yet to win a Stanley Cup and still has that passion to win. Alfredsson also fits in perfectly with the Red Wings due to the high number of Swedes on the roster, including Henrik Zetterberg, Johan Franzen, Niklas Kronwall, Jonathan Ericsson, Gustav Nyquist, and Mikael Samuelsson. Alfredsson will also be a big help with Detroit's powerplay, as he has 131 powerplay goals in his career. I think this is a win-win situation for both Alfie and the Red Wings, now it only remains to be seen how he gets treated in his return to Ottawa.

7. Bobby Ryan - Speaking of the Senators, they didn't waste long replacing longtime Captain Daniel Alfredsson, as they acquired talented winger Bobby Ryan from the Ducks for Jakob Silfverberg, Stefan Noesen, and a 1st round pick in 2014. The Senators may have given up a good amount for Ryan, especially Silfverberg and Noesen who are both top prospects, but they want to win now and Bobby Ryan solidifies that. Ryan is 26 years old and in the prime of his hockey career, and a fresh start in a new city will certainly be good for his career after his up-and-down time in Anaheim. At times he was a stud for the Ducks, but at times he also struggled and I think the Ducks are okay moving on without him (even though there were no hard feelings between The Ducks and Ryan). Bobby will play on a line with Jason Spezza and Milan Michalek, and if they gain chemistry early that could be one dangerous line for defence in the NHL.

8. Logan Couture - Logan Couture has been on the rise the last few years, and the hockey world got to see his talent first-hand during the 2013 Stanley Cup playoffs. While Couture's Sharks lost in a game 7 in the 2nd round to the Kings, Couture was the best player for the Sharks in the postseason scoring 11 points in 11 games. The 24-year old center is entering his 4th full NHL season (only played 25 games in 09/10), and this year I think he is ready to take the next step in his career to an elite NHL scorer. His highest point total is 65 from 2011-12, I believe this year we could see him reach the 70-80 point range if all goes well in San Jose. With the Sharks stars getting older (Thornton 34, Marleau 34, Boyle 37), Couture is now taking over as the face of the franchise. I think Couture is on the cusp of becoming an elite NHL center, and the 2013-14 season could be the start of that.

9. Taylor Hall - Speaking of elite forwards, Taylor Hall is also primed for a breakout year in 2013-14. Hall turns 22 in November, and he is entering his 4th NHL season. His career high in points was 53 in 2011-12, but he made major strides last year scoring 50 points in only 45 games in the lockout-shortened season. With a full season ahead, as long as Hall can stay healthy he is due for a very big season where I predict he will be in the 80-90 point range. Hall is surrounded by young talent in Edmonton with Eberle, Nugent-Hopkins, Yakupov, Gagner and Perron, and is due for a big year. Could this be the year the Oilers return to the playoffs? Time will tell, but Hall will have an important role in trying to bring the Oilers back to their winning ways of the past.

10. Marc-Andre Fleury - The only player who might have more pressure then Roberto Luongo is none other than Penguins "starting" goalie Marc-Andre Fleury. After a solid regular season where he went 23-8-0, Fleury really struggled in the first round series with the Islanders and eventually was replaced by backup Tomas Vokoun. Vokoun was in net the rest of the way, as the Penguins went to the Conference finals and were swept by the Bruins. Many people claimed Fleury was overrated and done, he struggled in the 2012 playoffs and then again last season in 2013, and Penguins fans were fed up. However, Fleury is still the goalie who led the Penguins to the Stanley Cup in back-to-back years (2008-2009) and still has tons of skill. I think that fans were quick to use him as the scapegoat; the Penguins have serious problems on D and Fleury was placed with a majority of the blame. With an offseason to forget and get refreshed, I think Fleury is ready to have a big year in 2013-14. Throw in the injury to Tomas Vokoun, who had surgery to remove a blood clot, and Fleury is ready to take the majority of the load in net for the Penguins. Regardless of what happens, he will feel immense pressure from the Penguins fans to play well early, much like Luongo has in Vancouver.

Thanks for reading, I look forward to covering the NHL for years to come.

-Joel Forman - The Forman Faceoff