This week is all about team lore at FanSided NHL, and I thought it would be cool to talk about a piece of New York Rangers' history that people may not be familiar with. Throughout the history of the Rangers there's been one constant, and that is the team's uniform. The most recent centennial season celebrating 100 years of Blueshirts hockey featured a light blue jersey with R A N G E R S down the front in a diagonal pattern, and that has been the look the team has used as their primary jersey for all but three seasons. One season saw the Rangers letters displayed in an arch on the front, and then there were two infamous seasons in the 1970s which are the focus of today's story.
The infamous shield jersey of 1976
For the 1976-77 season, General Manager John Ferguson made a bold decision to change the Rangers uniform, and he was looking for something a bit more modern.
Via the New York Times, "Like the losing gambler who requests new cards or dice, the New York Rangers changed their uniform yesterday. It will be introduced Oct. 6, when they open the National Hockey League season against Minnesota at Madison Square Garden. {...} One detail, wide stripes along the shoulders and down the arms, is supposed to make a hockey player appear taller. {...} The name “Rangers,” which had stretched from the right shoulder to the left hip, is replaced by the familiar club crest with the complete name “New York Rangers” embroidered on it.
You can see the jersey in the video above, starting at 1:29, and it really is something out there. The look was unlike anything the Rangers had worn before, and having the crest on the chest was very weird given how iconic their previous look was.
Fortunately for the Rangers, the look only lasted for two seasons. The jerseys were trashed when John Ferguson was fired and Fred Shero replaced him, although Ferguson took the design with him to the Winnipeg Jets and it was worn after they made the jump from the WHA to the NHL in 1979.
Shero took charge in July of 1978, and here's what the New York Times said at the time. "Fred Shero continued his efforts yesterday to create a New York Ranger team that still exists more in his mind than it ever did on the ice. {...} The old Ranger uniform, which had been worn for 50 years, then abandoned when John Ferguson took over two years ago, will be returned to the broad backs of the new generation of New York players."
While Shero brought back the style of the Rangers jersey everyone is familiar with, there was one tweak that debuted in 1978 and lasted until 1987. The Rangers' road jersey had N E W Y O R K down the front in diagonal letters instead, and this is a tweak that I wish was still a thing. I think it is nice to have the team name at home and the city on the road, and that's something we've seen in other sports.
Rangers most recent third jersey draws inspiration from 1970s mistake
As you saw in the cover image for this story, the Rangers brought back a shield jersey in 2023, this time they got a little more creative. Their jersey uses a darker navy as a nod to the Lady Liberty jersey, it has the traditional colors as piping on the arm and trim, and features the crest once again.
This jersey wasn't worn last year because of the Rangers having the lighter blue alternate jersey complete with red and cream coloring, and it is expected that their alternate jersey will return this year or next depending on what the league does with it's next alternate jersey program.
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