This may easily be my favorite NHL style power ranking so far. Why, you ask? There have been a number of examples that highlighted the very best of not only hockey, but also how people can come together.
This week’s edition includes a little bit of everything. There’s the crossover between the NBA thanks to Utah Jazz guard Jordan Clarkson heading into work with his NHL-laden jacket that includes every franchise. NASCAR also made its way to the NHL the last two weeks, including a one-lap race I won’t spoil for you all. There are James Bond, Batman and “Peaky Blinders” references throughout, too.
There were a lot of different things that came together to make this one of the most interesting two-week stretches between rankings. And the winner showed that you can easily wear the same thing twice if you know how to dress it up. Some people don’t want to be caught wearing anything twice, but this player — with all the photos taken of professional athletes — displayed no fear in running back an element of his attire multiple times. We reward that kind of boldness around here.
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The 50 shades of blue happening in Svechnikov’s attire is a beautiful sight to see. The Carolina Hurricanes winger gives us stripped royal blue pants with a baby blue shirt and cobalt blue tie tucked away under his dark blue coat. He’s also wearing Stan Smith shoes. I’m here to give credit to the Hurricanes’ photographer, who captured the photo in such a way that Svechnikov looks like he shines bright like a diamond. To the photographer: You’re doing amazing.
Why am I not the least bit surprised that the first time I get to discuss this look, it involves a casino night? If the Philadelphia Flyers center (on the left) wore a red carnation on the lapel of his ivory dinner jacket, then I would have a “Diamonds Are Forever” James Bond reference to allude to, but it falls just short. Hayes, though, looks as sharp as the cinematic hero, and kudos to him for seizing the opportunity.
Welcome back to the style power rankings after a bit of a layoff. One of the original best-dressed players in hockey made his way back into the top 10 with this simple but extremely well-tailored cool gray three-piece suit. Surgery after a torn ACL last season might have led to a little rust early after returning to the ice on Jan. 8, but the Washington Capitals winger hasn’t missed a beat with his fashion sense. Of course, this is the cream of the crop in terms of what we’ve seen from him in the past, but I consider this an appetizer, if you will. I’m looking forward to more of his signature fits in the future.
I need the Boston Bruins winger to throw on some beige-colored shoes to really bring this look all the way. He’s too consistent in this ranking — because he clearly enjoys style and setting a standard — to not do so. Pastrňák gives us a unique color, as usual, with the burnt orange suit. He gives another brimmed hat, which he effortlessly pairs to match the tie, so I expected to see unique beige shoes. He’s married all types of colors, which is part of why I enjoy looking to see what he’s offering every two weeks. Seeing that he sets such a high bar for himself every time he takes the catwalk, I need to review the things that regularly set him apart from the rest of the competition.
Look closely at this picture. Zoom in really close. Now, train your eyes on the pin on the left lapel of the Columbus Blue Jackets goalie and answer me this: Why so serious? If you are not a fan (and I am judging) of Christopher Nolan’s brilliant movie “Dark Knight,” then the reference may fly over your head. When the Joker is turned into one of the gangs for the bounty put on him, he asks this question. As one of my favorite movies, I not only picked up on what the style rankings regular was doing, but I couldn’t let Merzļikins’ efforts — including this dark, forest green velvet suit — go to waste.
The Montreal Canadiens defenseman strolled and leaned into this vintage look with his newsboy cap and suit emulating wool material. I will spare you all my “Peaky Blinders” references since they never wore double-breasted suits in the Netflix show and Xhekaj isn’t wearing a pocket watch. I’m waiting for the day that a player gives me that look, but we’ll see. The dark brown tie with the dark, sandy suit is a nice combination. I genuinely wished that Xhekaj’s hat was also in the brown family to really tie it all together.
When I first saw Thompson in the Air Jordan 1 Hyper Royal sneakers, I was giddy but somewhat confused. The kicks are fire — that’s not up for debate. What got me was they didn’t really match the gingham suit the Buffalo Sabers star center was wearing. I saw some blue in the lining of his jacket and figured that had to be the tie-in, but then I read the caption, “Business in the front, party in the back,” and clicked the slide for the second photo. The blues are different, but the shoes made more sense, especially with Thompson not wearing his jacket.
I guess the New Jersey Devils’ wingers forgot to give Dawson Mercer (left) the memo about three-piece suit day. (I’m kidding!) I do appreciate a friend group that comes in well dressed together. What I love about the three-piece suits is the cut of the vests; they’re not your traditional cut and instead have soft curves. I also like the depth of both vests; Beyond that, I really like the two different sets of materials for each suit. Zetterlund’s (middle) ensemble has a clear smoothness to it, and it appears the material is satin, while Holtz’s (right) very clearly has a nice texture thanks to the checkered plaid pattern in his suit. And then there are the colors. The burgundy and royal blue, with black checkered throughout, are chef’s kiss.
Shout out to the Carolina Hurricanes for leaning all the way into their NASCAR Day festivities and getting Jarvis in a uniform. If I didn’t know any better, I might have confused him for a driver versus a center for an NHL team. But showing up in a Volkswagen and not exiting through the window, unfortunately, gave Jarvis away in this situation. Otherwise, between the pose and shades, Carolina almost pulled a fast one.
I’ve been asking the Toronto Maple Leafs for more content including the winger because I respect and enjoy his impeccable sneaker game. (Seriously, photographer, more photos of his kicks, please.) But this time, he stands at the top of the rankings for clearly being in all the Christian Dior stores. Rapper Pop Smoke famously said, “When it rains, it pours,” and Nylander’s bringing all the drip with his pastel- and Dior-laden fits. He chose the Dior tie for both his lavender suit and his sea green Dior oblique down jacket. I’ll admit that the tie gets me as someone in the news, but beyond that, I like its versatile usage with something more dressed up and dressed down.
(Photo of Seth Jarvis: Josh Lavallee / NHLI via Getty Images)
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