Any new Dallas Stars jersey will have a lot to live up to after last year’s record-setting debut of the ‘99 jersey, which continues to be in high demand after selling out multiple times last season. The bar was set high, and by all accounts, the Stars will be adding two more sets of new threads to compete with the rest of their rotation for this upcoming season.
The first and most obvious of the two new jerseys will be whatever the Stars end up trotting out for their Stadium Series game against Vegas in February down in Arlington. NHL teams have traditionally gotten a little bit more adventurous with the Stadium Series outfits compared to the Winter Classic, where sweaters tend to aim for a more (yes) classic feel.
When we use the word “adventurous,” we need look no further than last year’s Tampa kit, which featured the phrase “pirate lore” used entirely without irony opposite Boston trying out some white Mickey Mouse gloves for their own ensemble.
Things weren’t quite as edgy back in 2014, when Anaheim and Los Angeles kicked off the Stadium Series at Dodger Stadium with a jersey matchup that seems tame in retrospect (though the larger numbers on the back still seem a little odd to me). But over the last dozen years, you can find plenty of examples of Stadium Series uniforms that would never get the green light in just about any other context. It’s a one-off event, and that means you can put “Smash Ville” on your actual NHL jersey if you really, really want to. Legally, nobody can stop you.