Welcome to another Oilers Sunday Census where we give the fans the chance to vote on all things Edmonton Oilers!
Throughout their history, the Oilers have sported some of the most iconic jerseys in the sport of hockey. With a logo and style that have stayed relatively unchanged over the past 40 years of the team’s existence in the NHL (the dark days of the Reebok Edge design aside), the theme of the Oilers has staying power in the minds of hockey fans.
This week, to go along with a review of the jersey history of the Edmonton Oilers, we put things to a fan vote on Twitter to determine which is the best alternate jersey the team has ever sported. For this week’s Sunday Census, let’s review how the fans feel about these jersey.
Want to take part in Sunday Census polls? We send them out every week on our Twitter at @oilrigEDM. Follow along or send in ideas for the next poll!
The OG alternate reigns supreme
The first alternate jersey that the Oilers released takes the top spot in this week’s poll with 37.2% of the vote. The McFarlane jersey (or Oil Drop, or Spawn), originally released in October 2001, remains iconic in the minds of Oilers fans.
And for good reason. The navy blue with silver trim stood out after over 20 years of orange/bronze, blue, and white. Not to mention the new logo, marking the first time the team repped a different crest on the front of their jerseys. It even played in with the team history, as the five rivets on the gear represent the five Stanley Cups won by the franchise.
The popularity of this jersey definitely hits a nostalgia factor for many of us, myself included. The years the team wore this sweater were through my first years as a hockey fan so it holds a special place in my history as an Oilers fan. It still remains my favourite Oilers jersey, and I imagine, based on the results of this poll, plenty of others would agree.
First reverse retro hit the right notes with its design
Finishing second in the poll with 26.7% of the vote is the team’s original Reverse Retro jersey.
The NHL’s Reverse Retro jersey program gave teams some amazing opportunities to cash in on some of their most popular jerseys by rereleasing them, with a few twists. The Oilers took advantage of that.
Edmonton’s first reverse retro jersey, debuting in 2021, was a throwback to the team’s dynasty years in the 1980s. It used their white jersey but with the alteration of flipping the orange and blue.
Although it was critiqued at the time for being a bit plain and missing out on a huge opportunity (notably to feature the McFarlane jersey), it has earned plenty of positive favour amongst fans in the years since. It features a clean, appealing design that makes use of the team’s colour scheme and hits the all-too-important nostalgia factor by bringing back the design from when the Oilers were at their peak.
The remake is not as popular as the original
At third in this week’s Sunday Census is the second reverse retro released by the Oilers. The re-envisioning of the McFarlane jersey (alluded to earlier) finished third with 18.6% of the vote in this week’s poll.
I, for one, was extremely excited when this jersey was announced as it was a long time coming to see this back on the ice in Edmonton. The new design is ever so slightly different than the original, with the reverse retro featuring orange trim to tie it in with the team’s colour scheme.
The Oilers did not fare the greatest while wearing it on the ice, unfortunately, as they went 1–2–2 while wearing this Reverse Retro.
Hopefully, we get to see it more again next season with more wins logged.
Navy and orange did not appeal too much to the fans
Finishing in last in this week’s fan poll with 17.4% of the vote is the navy and orange alternate released for the 2019–20 season.
This jersey stands out amongst the rest in Oilers history as, even though it maintains the same logo with a blue and orange colour scheme, the logo is a uniform colour (being all orange) and the blue is navy, darker than most other jerseys (with the exception of other alternates).
Although they were criticized for being a bit different, the design does stand out and, to me anyways, looks good. Especially on the ice.
What is your favourite alternate jersey in Oilers history? Drop a comment down below or over on Twitter! Stay tuned there for next week’s Sunday Census poll.
Jersey images courtesy of NHL Uniforms.
I actually bought the navy & orange alternate last month. First Oilers jersey I’ve actually ever purchased in 44 years of being a fan of the team. As much as I’ve loved the McFarlane, this one is my favourite alternate by far, because it was unexpected and is simple, clean and unique.
Not on Twitter, so I didn’t vote in this poll, but I bet the actual appeal of this jersey is higher than this poll shows.
It would be interesting so see a jersey sales comparison.
Personally, I like that one too because it is different. And the colours stand out, the orange is pretty sharp. Congrats on getting your first jersey too!