New Jersey Devils fans have long been proud of the team’s traditional style uniforms and now they can take solace in the fact that they are not alone. The four-letter network assembled a complete ranking system for all 122 professional sports teams’ uniforms and the Devils sit at a respectable number 43 on the list.
This particular set of power rankings is based solely on a team’s full uniform set, not just its best design.
Per ESPN – Each team has been ranked primarily on the basis of its current home and road uniforms, with alternate uniforms taken into account if they’re part of the team’s regular uni rotation. One-off designs, special promotions, throwbacks, and so on have not been considered.
In the world of professional sports and merchandising, it is commonplace for a team to change color schemes and logos with regularity and reckless abandon. The Devils, however, have made just one major change to its uniforms, swapping “kelly green” for a more slick-looking black. Up until the 1992-93 season, the former tenants of the Brendan Byrne Arena sported a red, green and white color scheme, affectionately referred to as the “Christmas Tree” colors. Since then the horned “NJ” has graced the chest of a more simplistic, yet sophisticated red, black and white ensemble. To this day, they remain one of the few teams without a third jersey.
ESPN is highly complimentary of the Devils’ uniforms. They even go as far as to mention New Jersey in the same breath as the long-time kings of tradition, the pinstriped New York Yankees. “You don’t think of the Devils as a bastion of old-fashioned traditionalism, but consider this: They’ve never had an alternate uniform. It’s like they’re the Yankees or something! And really, why bother with an alternate design when your basic look is as solid as this one?”
The Devils find themselves in impressive company with the Boston Red Sox sitting just one spot ahead of the Devils at number 42. To put the 43rd ranking into perspective, you have to look at the teams New Jersey finished ahead of…
- #49 Chicago Blackhawks – NHL Original 6
- #52 New York Jets – NFL
- #58 New England Patriots – NFL Juggernaut
- #63 New York Giants – Super Bowl Champs
- #100 St. Louis Blues – Hockey Hot-Bed
- #112 Los Angeles Kings – Stanley Cup Champions
The top 25 has not been released yet, but it will include teams such as the aforementioned Yankees, Philadelphia Flyers and oh, the horror…New York Rangers.
Although this means very little in the scope of things, it is still nice to have the Devils’ uniforms appreciated by somebody outside of Newark. It also validates one very important thing: the New York Islanders, who are ranked at number 55, remain the Atlantic Division’s bottom feeders at everything. It serves them right though. They should have never gone to the Gorton’s Fisherman logo. *Shudder*
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