Wild Wing Jersey: Past Meets Present

By Richard Gonzalez

The much-anticipated reserve retros were finally available to purchase this week. I drove down to the rink and got my hands on one. I decided to give my opinion on what I thought about the jersey. I paid $180 on a size 54 (XL) authentic jersey. I also bought a shot glass, but this is not my opinion on the shot glass. We can discuss the glass on the next show.

The price for this jersey was a little steep for the quality and a jersey I probably will not wear more than once. I say that because I seldom wear light/white color jerseys to games for obvious reasons. Beer stains are rough to get out. $150-$165 would have been a fair price. I know I could have saved a lot and got the Fanatics version, but I do not like those at all.

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I did not like the patches on the shoulder, the screen print logo, and the lightness of the jersey. The “Mighty Duck” patches look good, but the placement looks weird. The shoulder patches look too small. Smaller than the original 1995 version. The patch lacks a little detail that the current home jerseys have. What it is missing is the silver thread above the eyes and the beck area. That is a small detail but would have made a big difference. I wish the Ducks would have kept that detail.

The screenprint logo was something I have not been a fan of. It never made it look like a professional hockey jersey. Yeah, a duck breaking through the ice does not fit the professional model either, but that is a whole different article. The screenprint makes it feel like a glorified beer league jersey. The logo itself looks better. They lighted up those dark blue ice spots on the original. It makes it look a lot cleaner.

I do like the white style. It does look fresh; however, the Wild Wing wearing the same color jersey on the white background has this looking like an “unfinished coloring book.” Wild Wing should be wearing an eggplant color jersey or to make it even better, swap the predominantly white style, and add the eggplant color as the main.

Lastly, I am not a fan of the lightness of the jersey. The current home jerseys are lightweight but feel sturdier than the reverse retro. I feel like the jersey is going to easier tear or rip. I can see it getting caught in a zipper and rip. Not something anyone wants for their $180 jersey.

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Overall, I do like the reverse retro jersey the Ducks put out. I think it is a step in the right direction to bringing back the eggplant Mighty Ducks jersey everyone wants. The colors are nice, the writing on the inside of the color and the sleeves are some of my favorite parts. I know a lot of people hate them right now, but in a few years, most will be trying to get their hands on one and end up spending double or triple the money. Trust me, I know all about it.

Unfortunately, the Ducks one is not on top of my list as a favorite. The Colorado Avalanche take that spot. Followed by the Ducks, New York Rangers, Arizona Coyotes, and Calgary Flames to round up my top five.

EA Sports-NHL released an update that featured the new reverse retro jerseys. Ducks’ captain, Ryan Getzlaf is featured in their promotional pictures. If true, at least we will have the eggplant color back, which will make these jerseys look even better on the ice.

As of Thursday(12/3), the Ducks announced on their social media that they have sold out of the authentic version. If you missed out do not worry. Our friends at Cool Hockey (Coolhockey.com) will be released more authentics yesterday (12/04). Be sure to check them out.  So, what things do you like or do not like about the reverse retro? Let us know in the comments section.

Also, we are giving away one authentic XL Wild Wing jersey on our social media platforms. Visit us on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter to enter to win! 

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December 5th, 2020