With only four possible 2019 Stanley Cup Final matchups remaining I like to start taking a look at how the Final will look from a uniform point-of-view.
The NHL only allows a team to wear one designated uniform on the road (has to be white), and one designated uniform at home (has to be dark) throughout the entire Stanley Cup Playoffs, this means we already know the San Jose Sharks will be wearing teal and not black for all their home games, the Carolina Hurricanes will wearing their black third uniforms while raising the Cup should they win it at home, and that the Blues will not be wearing their throwback alternate uniforms.
One of the four matchups you see below will forever be linked to 2019, which will it be? Who knows! But what I do know is which of them are my favourite pairings — these are based entirely on the designs of the uniforms involved, personally I’m all in on Carolina in this round – such a fun team to watch!
4. San Jose Sharks vs Carolina Hurricanes
A Stanley Cup Sharknado! We could see these two threats of living on the coast face off in a Final where the northern-most team has palm trees outside their arena. That’s gotta be a first, right?
While the games in San Jose would look great, I’m not feeling that Sharks whites/Hurricanes blacks match-up. It’s the unnecessary shoulder piping and secondary logo on the chest of the ‘Canes, the plain white uniform with no traditional waist striping on the Sharks are both negatives for me and in a field of four relatively strong uniform pairings, that’s enough to put it at the bottom.
3. Carolina Hurricanes vs St. Louis Blues
I know the Hurricanes aren’t too fond of their road whites, but I gotta say they look great here against the Blues home uniform. It would look even better if they could go colour vs colour and wear their home reds at St. Louis, but I guess we’re just not quite ready for that yet on the Stanley Cup stage.
I almost, almost placed this in second but those few issues I have with the Hurricanes thirds I mentioned previously knocks it down the list.
2. Boston Bruins vs San Jose Sharks
Hey, is that Joe Thornton’s closet?
Maybe the Sharks can only face black and gold in the Stanley Cup Final? Seeing these two clubs together brings back memories of the Penguins-Sharks final from a few years ago, it looked great back then and it looks even better here with the elimination of the Pens’ Vegas Gold road uniform, replaced with Boston’s much stronger yellow-gold.
I’m sliding this one into second place of the four, the Bruins home uniform is so strong here it forgives the Sharks lack of waist stripes on the relatively lacklustre white road jersey.
1. St Louis Blues vs Boston Bruins
In a playoffs where there were so many upsets that the most unlikely Stanley Cup Final pairing seemed inevitable, we could end up with a rematch of a final from nearly 50 years ago, giving the Blues a chance at revenge to beat the same team who swept them in their last appearance in the finals.
When I see these two uniforms together all I can think about is Bobby Orr flying through the air scoring the Cup-winner back in 1970, it’s undoubtedly my favourite of the four remaining 2019 Stanley Cup Final uniform matchups (despite my natural dislike of the Bruins).
Agree? Disagree? Share your rankings in the comments!
