Edmonton Oilers - Team Information - Jerseys

Jerseys

The original 1972 design featured the now-traditional colours of blue and orange, but reversed from their more familiar appearance in later seasons, orange being the dominant colour and blue used for the trimming. For the first few games of the 1972 season, player names were not displayed on the uniform; rather the word "ALBERTA" was written in that space. About halfway through the season, though, the player names made their appearance, since the Oilers had played exclusively in Edmonton. These jerseys also featured the player numbers high on the shoulders, rather than on the upper sleeve.

In the 1975–76 WHA season the jersey was changed to the more familiar blue base with orange trim, but with some minor differences. The logo that appeared on programs and promotional material remained the same; however, the logo that appeared on the home jersey had a white oil drop, on a dark orange field, with the team name written in deep blue. The away jersey featured an orange-printed logo, but, otherwise, the jerseys were nearly identical to the dynasty-era form.

When the team jumped to the NHL in 1979, the alternate logos were discarded and the jersey took its most famous form, though the logo did appear slightly different on a few vintages of the jersey. Minor changes were also made to the numbering, lettering, and collar in their first few NHL campaigns. From 1982–89, Nike provided the Oilers' sweaters.

The essential design remained untouched until 1996, when the blue and orange were replaced by midnight blue and copper, with red trim. Other changes made to the jersey at that point were the removal of the orange shoulder bar and cuffs from the away jersey, and the addition of the "Rigger" alternate logo to the jersey's shoulders. A year later, the shoulder bars were removed from the home jersey as well, and the Oilers' sweater design then remained stable until 2007.

In 2001, the Oilers introduced their first alternate third jersey. Designed by then-minority owner Todd McFarlane and his production studio, the new uniforms were a radical departure from previous Oilers designs. The original Oilers logo was completely absent, along with copper and red; midnight blue was complemented with two shades of silver/grey, and the primary logo was a flying set of gears with an oil drop on top. Elements of the logo paid tribute to the five Stanley Cup titles and ten team captains to that point. A silver shield bearing "OILERS" above a variation of the oil-drop gear adorned the shoulders. The jersey's sleeve numbers are located inside the white sleeve stripe.

In 2007, with the NHL's switch to Reebok Edge jerseys, the Oilers kept their team colours but changed the style of their jerseys. Most notable about the Edge jerseys were the removal of the waistline stripes in favor of vertical piping, and the sleeve stripes only appearing on the inside of the elbow panels. The "Rigger" was retired, along with the McFarlane third jersey and its associated logos.

In 2008, the Oilers introduced a new alternate jersey resembling their away jersey from the 1980s. In 2009–10, this jersey became the Oilers' main home jersey, and the old one became their alternate. On June 24, 2011, the Oilers presented their new white road jerseys at the 2011 NHL Draft, when they selected Ryan Nugent-Hopkins 1st overall. The midnight blue jersey is set to remain as the team's third jersey for the 2011–12 season, but were then dropped for the 2012-13 season and beyond.