Sweaters and hockey have been synonymous with each other since the infancy of the sport. Teams have been identified by their iconic colors and patterns. Some of them are classic while others are classically awful. This summer our annual series focuses on the best and the worst sweaters in each team’s history. Today we have the best and the worse Anaheim Ducks sweaters in team history.
Anaheim Ducks Sweaters: The Best and Worst
How We Did It?
We at Last Word on Hockey used a variety of methods to compile this list. Polling came from social media, our writers, and fans. We wanted to get a variety of opinions when we put out our list. This compilation will likely spur debate. However, we wanted to see who had the most memorable sweaters in each team’s history.
Let’s put our best foot forward with the best sweaters
The Best of the Anaheim Ducks
The Originals
It’s always important to make a good first impression and the Mighty Ducks of Anaheim did that. Some scoffed at the idea of a team being named after a movie, but Anaheim pulled it off.
The purple and white original sweaters were very good looking and there’s still a movement to bring them back. Players like Guy Hebert and Paul Kariya made these sweaters look fantastic. This first look lasted from 1993 until the Mighty was axed from the team name in 2006.
On this day in 2000, Paul Kariya became the first player in team history to record 200 goals as a member of the Mighty Ducks #Hockey365 #FlyTogether pic.twitter.com/I0JX0UvUzh
— Mike Commito (@mikecommito) February 9, 2021
Variations of the original logo and colour combination have popped up now and again. However, the team switched colour schemes to pay homage to Orange County, Calif. where the Ducks play.
Picking which one is better would be like picking between your favourite pet, so we’re going to put them in together. It all depends on preference on if eggplant or white as your base is the better sweater.
Orange Alternates
As mentioned before, the Ducks ditched the “Mighty” label in 2006-06, but the franchise has dabbled in going back to its roots. The team combined past with preset in the 2015 season with the logo on an orange base.
This sweater didn’t have a lot of press, but it has been a popular one. They returned in 2019 after a short hiatus at the end of 2017.
However, these sweaters have somewhat come back into play with the Ducks doing a rebrand for the upcoming season.
The 2003-06 Alternates
This black and purple number is one of the few alternate sweaters that were decent. It was the team’s first foray into black and it actually went pretty well. Many people complained of the 90s trope of “let’s make a black jersey,” but Anaheim did pretty well with these.
This was also the first time Anaheim changed up the crest since the ghastly top entry that will head up the worst list. There was also a bit of eggplant on the sleeves and on the bottom of the sweater.
These sweaters sadly did not have a look shelf life because of the sale from Disney. However, these are pretty nice and should be mentioned.
The Worst of the Anaheim Ducks
The Wild Wing
Anaheim joined the alternate jersey craze of the mid-1990s with an odd entry. The infamous “Wild Wing” sweater debuted in the 1995-96 and it was quickly panned. A number of teams in the 90s had some questionable choices with their thirds.
Which of these third jerseys unveiled during the 1995-96 season are the best/worst?
– Mighty Ducks Wild Wing breakout
– Blues horns (never made it into a game)
– Bruins Pooh Bear
– Islanders Gorton's Fisherman
– Kings Burger King
– Penguins futuristic pic.twitter.com/yd0ri2GyFh— Anaheim Ducks (@AnaheimDucks) March 17, 2021
These sweaters were only used for a few games before getting retired at the end of the season. A variation of these sweaters returned with the 2021 Reverse Retros. However, those also didn’t last very long.
Some people do like these sweaters and we’re not here to ruin your fun. Many people lump these into the “so bad it’s good” category much like a Southern California rival that we’ll get to further on down the road. However, the Wild Wing is up there for one of the worst sweaters in the league.
The Late 90s Alternates
These sweaters do look like the era they came from. There was a green and a white variation of these sweaters. The beloved eggplant and jade colours are in there, but the 90s aesthetic puts these on the bad side of our list.
Both sweaters came into being in 1997 after the failed Wild Wing experiment. However, the white one isn’t so offensive to the eyes.
The 2006-14 Away Sweaters
These ones just seem a bit plain is all. The team rebranded to get away from the Might label after the Disney sale. However, it didn’t seem like a lot of time was spent on design.
The club decided to go with black, white and gold with a bit of orange. As mentioned before, the orange is a tribute to Orange County where the Ducks play. However, the entry is kind of “meh” as the kids say these days.
Despite this, these sweaters hold a special place in Anaheim fans hearts due to the team winning its only Stanley Cup in that era. Fans always remember the glory days and this sweater was on their backs for that golden era.
Future Considerations
The Ducks have decided to undergo a makeover for the 2024-25 season. Anaheim is leaning harder into the colour Orange, but it’s also calling back to its past with the mask logo. It’s similar to the orange alternates that the Ducks wore 2015-17 and from 2019 until 23.
There are a few changes to the recent alternates in the new sweater. The orange is a bit darker and the piping is also a bit different. This jersey also has red eyes while the older ones didn’t have any eye colour to them.
Be the first to rock our new jerseys!
Presale starts Sunday. pic.twitter.com/7s0R2tDNJk
— Anaheim Ducks (@AnaheimDucks) June 26, 2024
It’s the first sweater change since the 2014 campaign and symbolizes the change to a faster brand of hockey. It’s too early to tell where these sweaters will fall in future installments of the list.
Main photo by: Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports
