The Detroit Red Wings are in the midst of their 100th season, and they are honoring the franchise's greats and memories throughout their existence. One way they are doing so is by wearing their Centennial uniforms, which are all red and feature homages to their previous franchise names, the Cougars and Falcons. Add a throwback logo of the winged wheel, and you have some sharp-looking throwback uniforms.
This past Sunday, the Red Wings were on the road, taking on the New York Rangers at Madison Square Garden. The Red Wings wore the aforementioned Centennial uniforms, as did the Rangers, who wore bright blue jerseys with red shorts. It was a contrast from the usual home primary color uniforms vs. the away white color uniforms.
Of course, the lasting image was the Red Wings and Rangers converging for a fight at the end of the game. All fans saw a sea of blue and red uniforms in the postgame scrum.
If fans love the Red Wings' and Rangers' red vs. blue uniform matchup, you may see more of it with other games.
NHL encouraging teams to compete in primary color vs. primary color uniform matchups
Peter Baugh of The Athletic revealed that the NHL has been encouraging teams, even before the Red Wings-Rangers matchup, to "explore color-on-color jersey matchups." Baugh revealed that a spokesperson revealed the league has been discussing this at general manager and board meetings. Baugh also revealed that the Red Wings and Rangers both had to receive permission to wear their centennial jerseys for the Sunday game.
Given the fan feedback, there may very well be more jersey matchups like Detroit vs. New York in the near future. Of course, that will all depend on the games, and if both squads share similar color schemes on their primary uniforms. It will be a work in progress for sure.
The Red Wings are no strangers to competing in primary color vs. primary color jersey matchups. Back in the 2014 Winter Classic, Detroit wore red throwback uniforms, while the Toronto Maple Leafs wore blue retro uniforms for the outdoor game at Michigan Stadium.
The Red Wings and Rangers aren't the only teams celebrating their centennial seasons. The Chicago Blackhawks have also unveiled Centennial jerseys for their 100th season, which are their usual red sweaters but with gold trim around the logo and the player numbers. Obviously, the Red Wings and Blackhawks wouldn't wear their centennial jerseys in their head-to-head matchup.