NHL Uniform - Background

Background

Historically, the only standardized piece of the equipment has been the sweater, which has to be of identical design by the same company for all members of a team. Other elements merely have a number scheme, allowing individual players to select their own brand and model coloured to match the uniform but not necessarily identical in appearance. Sticks and other equipment worn under the clothes have no requirements in terms of matching a team's colours; teams will sometimes provide players with team-brand undershirts or other under-clothing, but players are not required or limited to wearing them.

Goalies often have their pads and gloves and masks coloured to match the team's colour scheme, but there is no requirement for this equipment to match, and goalies who transfer to a new team often play in their old equipment until new colours can be obtained. Alternatively, players who transfer teams have sometimes had their gloves painted temporarily to match the required colours, and are given new helmets.

Each is currently required to have two sweater designs: One with a white base (or sometimes historically, a light colour), and one with a darker-coloured base. Since the 2003–04 season, NHL teams typically wear the dark colour at home and the white for road games; there are occasional single-game exceptions. The only element allowed by NHL rules to be interchangeable between the two sets of equipment is the pants.