5 alternate jerseys the New York Rangers should bring back
There’s nothing quite like a beautiful jersey, particularly in hockey. The New York Rangers have put out some nice ones over the years.
Reports surfaced Sunday morning that the division rival Washington Capitals were considering bringing back their fan favorite Screaming Eagle Reverse Retro jersey for the team’s 50th anniversary this upcoming season.
The Capitals aren’t the only team with some nice alternate jerseys from past seasons.
The Blueshirts have been fairly consistent with their traditional home and away sweaters, outside of a two-year blip from 1976 to 1978 when general manager John Ferguson made the overwhelmingly panned decision to abandon the classic look. But even still, the Rangers have a wealth of alternate jerseys from their 98-year franchise history, many of which are still beloved by fans today.
With teams like the Anaheim Ducks and Los Angeles Kings utilizing some of their old looks as new fixtures, it would be fun for the Rangers to bring back some of their iconic jerseys, even if only in a minor fashion.
Here are five alternate or special occasion jerseys that the Rangers should consider wearing again.
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5 alternate Rangers jerseys that would be fun to see again
The Original Navy Lady Liberty
Perhaps the most iconic alternate jersey the Rangers have ever donned, the navy jersey with a thick white and red stripe along the arms and Lady Liberty’s face smack dab in the middle served as the primary alternate for the 1996-97 and 1997-98 seasons and then again from 1999 until 2007.
The jersey evokes memories of Rangers greats like Brian Leetch, Mark Messier, and Jaromir Jagr, even as the team entered a decline following the Stanley Cup Championship in 1994.
It’s worth noting that the Rangers have used the Lady Liberty design a couple of times in recent seasons, although never quite replicating the beloved jersey from the late ’90s and early 2000s.
The closest we got was in 2021, when the Rangers wore a navy Lady Liberty jersey as their reverse retro for the season. However, the jersey didn’t have the white and red stripe from the elbow down or a white outline along the numbers.
In 2022-23, the Rangers used the same Lady Liberty logo and mimicked the design on the arm sleeves but used similar blue and red colors to their home and away jerseys.
This one, admittedly, may be more of a nitpick than the other jerseys on this list, but it would be cool to see an exact replica of the alternate they wore for nearly a decade. I’ll also throw some love to the white Lady Liberty jersey, worn only during the 1998-199 season, during Wayne Gretzky’s final season in the NHL.
Regardless, it’s nice to see the team use the iconic Lady Liberty logo more frequently after 13 straight seasons without it.
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Heritage Classic Jersey
Switching over to the new Reebok Edge uniform for the 2007-08 season, the Blueshirts abandoned their Lady Liberty alternates and went three seasons with just their traditional home and away jersey. But they’d introduce another clean alternate ahead of the 2010-11 season, introducing the Heritage jerseys, which they would sport until 2016-17.
These featured a lighter shade of navy and a similar design to the home and away jerseys but with thicker striping and “New York” stitched diagonally across the front rather than “Rangers.” Perhaps the coolest element wasn’t immediately visible, as the jerseys included all of the franchise’s retired numbers at the very bottom inside the back.
While it may not have been a wildly different design from the home and away jerseys they usually wear, it was an aesthetically pleasing color scheme and became a staple of 2010s Rangers hockey, an era fondly remembered thanks to a Stanley Cup Final appearance in 2014 and Presidents’ Trophy in 2015.
As someone who grew up watching the likes of Ryan McDonagh, Mats Zuccarello, and Ryan Callahan, it’s hard not to have a soft spot for these, and I certainly wouldn’t mind seeing them again sometime down the line.
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2012 Winter Classic
The 2012 Winter Classic jersey might just be my favorite Rangers sweater of all time.
The Rangers debut in the Winter Classic back in the 2012 season was a thrilling affair, defeating the rival Philadelphia Flyers 3-2 in a third period comeback thanks to a two-goal game from Mike Rupp and game-winning goal from Brad Richards.
Most memorably, Hall of Fame goaltender Henrik Lundqvist stopped Daniel Briere on a penalty shot with 19.6 seconds left, ensuring a delightfully fun Blueshirts win.
It also didn’t hurt that the Rangers were wearing some sweet jerseys. For the first time in franchise history, the Blueshirts wore cream-colored jerseys with a uniquely curved Rangers shield in the center for their visit to Citizens Bank Park in Philadelphia. Still, it didn’t feel like a jarring shift from traditional Rangers colors, still playing into the blue, red, and white that they’re known for.
It’s a classic and retro look that fits right into the outdoor setting, but I’d wager they’d look good in just about any arena.
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2018 Winter Classic
While the New York Rangers are contractually required to be the away team in any venue that isn’t Madison Square Garden, thus serving as the visiting team despite the 2018 Winter Classic being hosted at Citi Field in Queens, the Blueshirts were able to wear navy with the Buffalo Sabres donning white jerseys as the home team.
It allowed for another sweet look that, while not as different or creative compared to their standard uniform as the 2012 threads were, was still a smooth look that added some exciting new elements.
Wearing a navy blue that wasn’t too dissimilar from the Heritage Jersey and 2012 Winter Classic, the diagonal “Rangers” and numbering on the back and shoulders were completely white, allowing it to pop and making it a noticeable departure from their typical red or blue lettering.
In the top right corner, a white shield in the outline of the Rangers logo was filled with red lettering that said “N.Y.”, worn by all Rangers players except captain McDonagh and alternate captains Marc Staal and Rick Nash, who had their captaincy displayed within the shield.
Once again, it didn’t hurt that the game featured another exciting finish, with JT Miller’s overtime winner keeping the Blueshirts perfect in outdoor games.
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2024 Stadium Series
By far the newest jersey on this list, the 2024 Stadium Series jersey is likely the most polarizing of the five, but one that I ended up really liking.
Unlike previous outdoor games, the Rangers didn’t really alter their color scheme in the slightest, using the same shades in the home and away jerseys. Yet the design itself ended up being a breath of fresh air.
It was relatively simple, featuring a big diagonal “NYR” on the front and large numbers on the back, while also playing on the number and “NYR” design on the white helmets, which I found to be a fun touch.
Again, it’s not the most creative work we’ve seen from the Rangers, but it ended up being a clean look that worked particularly well in the outdoor setting of MetLife Stadium. Perhaps I’m clouded by a thrilling late-game comeback that saw the Blueshirts battle back to beat the New York Islanders 6-5 on Artemi Panarin’s OT winner, but I’d be excited to see these jerseys again.
As is likely the case with the 2012 and 2018 jerseys as well, it’s rare that we see outdoor jerseys repurposed as an alternate, so this is likely wishful thinking rather than a plausible change in the near future. Still, it’s fun to dream and the Rangers have certainly had some beautiful outdoor sweaters through the years.
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