It looks like the Edmonton Oilers will be returning to the iconic blue and orange jerseys that were brought in for the 1979–80 season. These jerseys were used off and on over the years and are personally a favourite of mine. There are also rumblings of a new alternate jersey that is based off the old Mcfarlane design worn as an alternate from 2001–07.
All this change has us thinking, what are your favourite past Oilers sweaters?
We asked and you answered.
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2021–22 alternate
Coming in last by a large margin are the 2021–22 alternate jerseys. It’s clear that these jerseys were underwhelming for a large portion of fans and, in my opinion, were just too dark and bland; I thought with time these jerseys might grow on me throughout the course of the season, but they just didn’t.
I will admit it was somewhat pleasant to get a different coloured jersey in the mix, but it was executed poorly, having only a two-tone design which was mainly one colour.
The bright spot for me with these jerseys was that they were worn during last year’s incredible playoff run and will always be associated with that in my mind.
1979 jerseys
At third in our online poll are the 1979 Oilers home jerseys. These classics were carried over when the team moved from the WHA to the NHL. This marked the beginning of the NHL Oilers and what would soon be the Stanley Cup dynasty between 1983–85.
These jerseys were changed slightly in the 1980–81 season, getting longer lettering, and by the postseason, the name font would change from a two–colour font to single–colour font. I like the 1980–81 jerseys more than the 1979–80 ones because they look cleaner and less cookie-cutter to me.
Copper and blues
With about a third of the votes and tied for first, are the copper and blue jerseys the Oilers wore between 1996 to 2012. Unfortunately for me, these jerseys have always been associated with what most Oilers fans call “the decade of darkness.” which is unfortunate because I like the jersey design.
The oil rigger patches on the shoulders were my favourite part, but I also thought that the red stripping accents helped make the jersey pop.
The McFarlane alternate
Also tied for first are the Oilers McFarlane alternate; this jersey was introduced in 2001 and was designed by ex–Oilers co–owner Todd McFarlane. McFarlane designed the new alternate logo, which is meant to symbolize the Oiler’s past five Stanley Cups with the five different rivets on the logo.
This is my personal favourite on the list as I do find the logo design to be unique. The area that is lacking is the dull colours chosen for the jersey itself. I would have liked to see this same design with orange and blue.
Which jersey is your favourite and why? I would love to hear about them.
