Usually, I peruse Twitter and Instagram looking for one player, or maybe two, from every team in the league to create a fair and balanced ranking each week. Being honest, of course, some teams are simply more stylish on a consistent basis, such as the Kansas City Chiefs in the NFL style rankings. It would be easy to go to their accounts every week and line my article with their players. I’ve found in the NHL that Patrik Laine frequently puts his best foot and outfits forward, making him the easy pick.
Therefore, I work very hard to make sure I’m not missing players who haven’t received their due. Then I did some more thinking. What if a group of players from the same team really does deserve recognition? I ran into that this week with the Boston Bruins, who collectively brought out some of their best suits and outfits the last two weeks.
But did that translate to a Bruins player owning the top spot? That’s the question — and an answer you’ll have to find out by reading below.
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No tie and no standard white dress shirt? No problem at all for the Vancouver Canucks center. The wine-red, three-piece suit finds its match with Pettersson’s shoes, which also feature a maroon color on the side.
The Bruins left winger breezed into the stadium with a particularly sophisticated, “business is business” look. Nothing about this outfit is loud. In fact, the loudest thing about it is the Louis Vuitton belt in center stage — which if you all read my NFL style rankings, then you know this is easily one of the more subtle ways players wear the brand. Marchand wears a silver watch to match and goes entirely black and white for his outfit, from the plaid suit to the shirt and tie. And while muted compared to the field, it still has just enough intriguing style elements to draw attention to it.
This is such an easy win, so as they say in checkers, “King me.” I think the Los Angeles Kings left winger paying homage to former variations of the team’s design is endearing, especially in a personal piece of clothing. It’s very simple and straightforward.
I genuinely wish I could show you all the range of sneakers that the Toronto Maple Leafs center has sported the last two weeks. His double-breasted, pinstripe suit, with a matching navy blue dress shirt, is a monochromatic dream. But I’m here for the Air Force 1 lows — and the fact he spectacularly matched those with his fit. While other players are wearing dress shoes catwalk after catwalk, he’s showing off his deep sneaker collection, and I love it. I’m hoping he shows off something rare or unique in the coming days and weeks, just to give me another pair of sneakers to delve into.
6. Scott Wedgewood (and Bucky)
Whoever on the Dallas Stars staff put the maroon scarf around Bucky’s neck to match the team’s goaltender needs an immediate raise. Excellent attention to detail. And to Wedgewood’s credit, he put together a black-and-white concept with his shirt, tie and shoes, which naturally matches the fit. I mean, way to play off each other. The longhorn emblem on the belt, too? Tell me you play for a Texas team without telling me you play for a Texas team.
As soon as I saw the Vegas Golden Knights goaltender, I immediately thought of Gomez Addams from the “Addams Family.” The original Gomez, to be specific, and the delicious and well-tailored pinstripe suit he used to wear on the TV show. It also helped that Hill has a mustache like the fictional, immaculately dressed patriarch.
A black & white Saturday night 🥶 pic.twitter.com/9nkaso7hBy
— Boston Bruins (@NHLBruins) November 19, 2022
Mama, there goes that hat again! The Bruins right winger made two style rankings last year with his black-and-white accessory. For those familiar with the movie “Mean Girls,” I think Pastrňák was guilty of trying to make fetch happen by putting the hat together with items that didn’t match it, such as a corral suit. Maybe he studied Disney’s Cruella de Vil and realized if you’re going to go with a black-and-white theme, then really engross yourself in it. He finally does, and it’s (chef’s kiss) a work of art. Black-and-white hat with a black top, white pants and black shoes. Parfait!
Now this suit on the right requires a little bit of being in the know to understand my affinity for it. The Buffalo Sabers left winger is wearing a Tom Barnett custom Harrison pinstripe suit. I love that the suit was made with a light color versus dark, which I see more often. Peterka allows the suit to be the sole focus by opting for a black tie and shoes to match. But the best part of the suit is what you can’t see. Inside the German’s coat is a lining composed of photos from his native Munich, allowing him to bring pieces of home with him whenever he wears that suit.
If I didn’t know any better, I’d think we were nearing St. Patrick’s Day around these parts, because there’s so much green in these two photos. I’m kidding… obviously the players heard I love Christmas and leaned all in on the other primary color for the holiday. The Bruins goaltender and left winger showed off gorgeous plaid suits with green features.
Between the two of them, I couldn’t pick, and seeing as I have the power to have both featured, I figured the more the merrier! Let’s start with Ullmark and the shades. That is a cool cat right there. The primary color of his suit is brown, but he easily and perfectly nailed the marriage between the forest green tie and the green lines in his suit. Moving to Hall, he also walked in with a plaid three-piece suit. He, too, nailed the combination of the suit’s secondary color with his dark blue tie selection. In addition to that, he wisely picked light brown shoes to finish off the ensemble. Outstanding work by a pair of teammates!
1. JT Brown
The former right winger and current TV analyst for the Seattle Kraken strutted down the red carpet in royal purple threads that would surely catch the attention of a king. As a part of the NHL’s Hockey Fights Cancer initiative, those playing or associated with the league sported purple, in some capacity, to raise awareness for the cause.
Brown takes the top spot this week for his commitment to the theme by going above and beyond just sporting a purple suit and tie. Oh, no. He was entirely committed to the cause, getting a special edition pair of Adidas sneakers — styled like Stan Smiths — to match. A closer look at the tie and suit reveals that they’re both textured and with intimate designs.
(Top photo of Adin Hill: David Becker / NHLI via Getty Images)
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