Sweaters and hockey have been synonymous with each other since the infancy of the sport. Teams have been identified by their iconic colours 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 worst Minnesota Wild sweaters in team history.
Minnesota Wild 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 Minnesota Wild
Reverse Retro Goes Green
Minnesota hit the mark with their first Reverse Retros in the 2021 season. The franchise played about the Minnesota North Stars past with that colour scheme on the current sweaters. Minnesota started off with a white variation and it was great. However, the green sequel in 2022-23 is one of the best of the set.
Wild fans scooped these sweaters up and there wasn’t a lot of criticism. Minnesota made these the third sweaters in the 2023-24 season. In fact, there were some rumours these would become the permanent home sweater. However, that was shot down. We’re glad these came to be the team’s alternate sweaters in the very least. It’s probably only a matter of time before they become the full-time sweaters.
The Original Reverse Retro
We know the green ones are perfect, but the white Reverse Retros in 2021 paved the way for the great sequel. The Wild crest was front and centre, but the usage of the North Stars colours were perfect.
If the Minnesota Wild don't retain their Reverse Retro design in some capacity for the future, they're doing it wrong. pic.twitter.com/jmZDOIp4HT
— Mike Gould (@miketgould) June 2, 2021
Minnesota fans also got to an Easter Egg with stars on the side of their pants. This was also an ode to the old North Stars franchise. Many Wild fans still miss the North Stars, but this was a nice tribute to the franchise. This white one could be the future road sweaters.
The Current Homes
Minnesota switched its home sweaters in 2017 when the uniform contract went to Adidas. The Wild decided to go with a dark green sweater with a cream-coloured stripe and the logo on the front. There is a small red stripe on each arm and it’s a clean look. The groundswell to switch to the North Stars’ oriented Reverse Retros is huge, but these ones are underrated. However, it seems like this design is staying with the shift over to Fanatics. This is the case for at least this season.
The Worst of the Minnesota Wild
The Red Homes
Reebok took the NHL sweater contract in 2007 and immediately made the red third jersey the home sweater. This is a departure from the traditional green that the franchise had for their dark sweaters.
2022 Minnesota Wild Winter Classic jersey pic.twitter.com/ZTBsYXRrjB
— Every NHL Jersey (@everynhljersey) August 17, 2023
The redesign ditched the green bottom stripe as the main change. It seemed like a 2000 era trend where an alternate colour was used as the base for a sweater. However, the departure from forest green was a shocking one. Minnesota would keep these as the primary home sweaters for a decade for running back into the green.
The 2022 Winter Classic
We do appreciate teams trying to nail a throwback sweater. There is a lot of information on the sweater with both Minneapolis (the abbreviation at least) and St. Paul on the sweater for the 2022 Winter Classic. The green sweaters also have red stripes and and state of Minnesota on the front of the sweater. There are a lot of elements and it seems pretty busy. Tan pants are also part of the look and that can be a bit of a fashion risk.
The Current Aways
Minnesota has actually had a pretty good sweater history. The Wild had this white sweater is some type of form since its inception. There have been some changes made to the original white sweater. Minnesota had green on the arms and shoulders, but shortened the yokes up to just the shoulders in 2013. It’s not a bad sweater per se, but it’s kind of plain, and it’s been the same look for over a decade. A reboot might be in the cards to freshen up the look.
Other Considerations
The original green Wild sweaters are pretty solid and deserve some love. Fans also liked the script writing that said Minnesota on them. Minnesota’s 2016 Stadium Series seemed to be slap a logo and add some old-timey striping to it.
Main photo by: Matt Krohn-USA TODAY Sports
