Breaking down the Blues’, Blackhawks’ NHL Winter Classic jerseys

The NHL Winter Classic is set to take place at the historic Wrigley Field in Chicago on Dec.31, and on Wednesday, the league and Fanatics unveiled the jerseys for both the Chicago Blackhawks and St. Louis Blues.

History is woven into the design of this year’s Winter Classic uniforms for the @NHLBlackhawks and @StLouisBlues #NHL #Blackhawks #Blues #WinterClassic pic.twitter.com/55RApOdBq9

— Fanatics (@Fanatics) November 20, 2024

The jerseys for both teams feature special details which pay homage to the history of both franchises. For the Blackhawks, who have a rich heritage of being an Original Six team, their jersey features a classic lace-neck collar, and are complemented by a vintage cream color, which Fanatics inserted to try and capture the spirit of the Original Six era.

Meanwhile for the Blues, their jersey’s primary wordmark represents the first time the historic ‘Blue Note’ is not the main design element in the team’s jerseys. According to NHL.com, the font styling and numbers are inspired by an unworn prototype Blues uniform from 1966.

So far, the jerseys have been getting mix reviews online, with the Blackhawks coming out as the early favorites for their throwback design.

On Wednesday’s episode of Daily Faceoff LIVE, Tyler Yaremchuk and Frank Seravalli discussed the new threads for both the Blackhawks and Blues.

Yaremchuk: Frank, Winter Classic jerseys dropped for the matchup on New Year’s Eve between the Chicago Blackhawks and St. Louis Blues out at Wrigley Field. Slap a grade on these two jerseys we’ll see at the Winter Classic.

Seravalli: Alright, so the ‘Hawks get 10/10. I’m a sucker for the circle logo and it just looks really well done, and fits. I don’t want to hammer the Blues, but there’s not really anything creative about it. I think, in some ways, they are kind of a victim of their own success previously with the Winter Classic jerseys that they had, with the cream-colored jerseys with the elongated Blue Note, that just looked so good.

If I’m not mistaken, that was in St. Louis at Busch Stadium. To me, they’re fine, they’re not the best ever, but the ‘Hawks are really good, and the natural leather tan gloves and everything will look great on both. But for me, it’s just missing a little bit of creativity from the Blues’ angle.

For more on the Winter Classic, and a deep dive into Seravalli’s first trade target board of the season, watch the full episode here.