Red to Green and Everything Between: Ranking the Canucks Alternate Jerseys

11. 1995-1997 Red Skate

Paying some tribute to the polarizing Flying V jerseys with the clubs first ever alternate look, this red and black take on the skate jersey isn’t necessarily the worst jersey ever created but certainly makes for a bolder look than some may prefer. The mid-90s were an odd time for jerseys in the NHL, with many teams adding alternate jerseys to their rotation for the first time, and while this jersey may not stand out in comparison to some of the more out-there designs of this time, as far as Canucks jerseys go, this was quite a bold design choice. Only 2 years after adding this jersey to their rotation, the Canucks made the now infamous switch away from the skate jerseys to the navy blue orca look, and with that, this jersey was permanently shelved. While some jerseys from the team's past have been brought back for special occasions, I can’t see the Canucks being in much of a hurry to bring these back.

10. 2021 Reverse Retro

Ah, the dreaded Sprite cans. The Canucks first reverse retro jersey was met with mixed reviews by fans when it was first announced, but something about it just didn’t quite look right on the ice. Add in the fact that it was only worn for a handful of games, all of which the Canucks lost, during the incredibly frustrating 2021 campaign, and never saw the light of day with fans in the building, and there’s not much to redeem the downsides of this jersey. While the jersey works well as a fashion jersey for fans, on ice, this was simply a forgettable jersey from a season Canucks would all love to forget.

9. 2001 Gradient Orca

The inspiration behind 2021’s reverse retro, it’s hard to say the source material was much better than the original. This and the reverse retro’s ranking could be considered interchangeable, but I find the red and navy blue work together just that little bit better than the navy blue with the green. Additionally, the fact that this jersey was worn by the legendary West Coast Express line rather than for a mere weeklong stretch during a rough era of Canucks hockey gives it some additional status that the reverse retro alternative simply doesn’t have. The 2000s Canucks jerseys are far from my favourite the team have worn, but at least this alternate wasn’t the worst the Canucks have worn through the years. 

8. 2006 Stick

We have now reached the part of the list where I like every jersey we will see. The Canucks original blue stick-in-the-rink jersey came back for a short span during the 2000s as an alternate jersey and would go on to inspire a full-time return to the Canucks original blue and green colours and the use of the stick alternate jerseys for years to come. Ultimately, I feel that the Canucks more modern takes on the stick logo have worked better than this one did, and the white version of the stick worn for the team's 40th anniversary also just looked nicer on the ice. A bad alternate by no means, this jersey is simply beat by some of the other best alternate jerseys in Canucks history.

7. 40th Anniversary Stick

To celebrate opening night of their 40th season in the NHL, the Canucks wore a replica of the jerseys they wore during their first game in the NHL, complete with no nameplates on the back. These jerseys looked great on the ice and marked a special occasion during what would become one of the most memorable seasons of hockey the Canucks ever played, and it would’ve been great to have these jerseys make at least one more in-game appearance. Ultimately, we haven’t seen these jerseys worn since the Canucks 40th anniversary game over a decade ago, but these jerseys live on in the mind of Canucks fans not only for their alternate appearance but also for being the first jerseys that the Canucks wore in the National Hockey League. 

6. 2019 Stick

When the Canucks revamped their look in 2019, a fresh take on the stick was added to their jersey lineup, creating one of the best forms of the stick we’ve seen the Canucks wear. From the modernized logo to the thicker green trim lines helping make the colours pop, everything just seemed to work with this jersey. To make things even sweeter for this jersey, the year it entered the Canucks arsenal was when they made their surprise run to the playoff bubble in Edmonton, giving fans some good memories in this jersey, including a 9-3 win against the Bruins on February 22, 2020. It appears that this jersey has been retired after only a few years of life, but a return in the near future would almost certainly be welcomed by Canucks fans.

5. 2022 Reverse Retro

On their second attempt at crafting a reverse retro, the Canucks knocked it out of the park, paying tribute to the WHL-era Canucks with a 1960s-style jersey featuring a Johnny Canuck logo on the front. Although some took issue with the use of a Johnny Canuck logo bearing such a striking resemblance to the logo currently deployed by the AHL’s Abbotsford Canucks, in my opinion, the Canucks created one of the best reverse retro jerseys of this generation. The dark blue pairs beautifully with the green and tan used for accents, the number on the front of the jersey adds a nice detail that contributes to the vintage feel of the jersey, and, crucially, the Canucks played a few good games in this shirt, giving it infinitely more happy memories than the Canucks first reverse retro had. 

4. 2008 Stick

This was where the Canucks finally perfected the stick. Worn as an alternate by the great Canucks teams of the late 2000s and early 2010s, this simple jersey displayed a more modern take on the skate than the 2006 alternate or 40th-anniversary jersey used, with an at-the-time new Johnny Canuck logo brandishing the shoulders of the uniform. There may be some bias behind ranking this ahead of the other stick jerseys, as this was my favourite Canucks jersey when I was a kid since the logo was easy for me to draw, but I think the simplicity and the way the blue and green work together make this the best form of the stick that the Canucks have worn. The stick in this form will likely never be worn again, but the memories in this tarp will live on in the minds of my generation of Canucks fans for years to come.

3. 2023 Skate

Thank god, the skate has finally been freed. A slightly modernized take on the Canucks beloved 1990s skate jerseys, this jersey survived some slight initial controversy among Canucks fans to become one of the more popular jerseys in recent memory. With some adjustments made to the striping on the sleeves and bottom of the jersey, a new font for the name and number, and different colouring for the background of the logo, this jersey may not hit the same as the look it takes inspiration from, but that doesn’t mean it isn’t an incredible jersey in its own right. While I was an early critic of this jersey, not appreciating the fact that the team appeared to be messing with a jersey considered by many to be perfection, I have been won over, and now can safely say I love the black skate jersey in all its forms. 

2. Vancouver Millionaires jersey

Most notably worn during the Canucks 2014 Heritage Classic loss to the Ottawa Senators, these jerseys made a few regular season appearances as well, becoming quite a hit among Canucks fans, even if they were worn during the rough patch following the 2011 run. While the cream-coloured pants may not have been the prettiest anyone’s ever seen, the burgundy of the jersey paired nicely with the cream on the logo and striped down the jersey's arms. While the Millionaires jersey hasn’t made a return to the ice in the years following the Heritage Classic, it, along with other Millionaires-themed apparel, is still regularly seen being donned by Canucks fans at games and in the streets of Vancouver. Additionally, the Millionaires logo and colour scheme were borrowed by Quinn Hughes for his designs in the Canucks player-designed apparel line in 2021. The appetite for Millionaires-themed looks is very clearly still there among Canucks fans, so one has to wonder if we could see a return of these alternates, or something similar, in the not-too-distant future. 

1. 50th Anniversary Skate

This, as far as I am concerned, is the best jersey the Canucks have ever worn. For the Canucks 50th anniversary season in 2019-20 (despite the Canucks real 50th season being the best-forgotten 2021 season), fans were allowed to vote on any of the Canucks previous home jerseys to bring back as an alternate for the season. Unsurprisingly, the skate ran away with the vote and made its official return to the ice against the New York Rangers on January 4th, 2020, and would be worn a few more times over the coming seasons, including for the 7-1 beatdown of the Calgary Flames on February 24th, 2022. After being shelved for the 2022-23 season and replaced by an updated version of the jersey, we have more than likely seen the last of the skate in its original form, font and all, but what a jersey it was. There have been countless elite jerseys in the NHL’s long history, but this, as far as I’m concerned, will never be touched.