A TIMELINE of JERSEYS
Since the Predators Inaugural game in October of 1998, the Predators have employed a number of looks, including three major primary design schemes and two alternate/third looks. The following timeline, while not exhaustive, will give you a detailed look at how the jerseys have evolved from then until today, using high-quality photos of these jerseys that were worn on the the ice. This timeline may grow and become more detailed over time, so keep coming back from time to time as it does!
The Inaugural
1998-1999 Season
The sweaters donned by the Nashville Predators in year one set the standard for what the team would wear for a total of nine years until the first major redesign in 2007. Unique features of the very first year's jerseys include the number '98 in the arena-themed shoulder patches in addition to being the only season in which Bauer was the manufacturer for the Preds. The switch was made to CCM the following season, and the league as a whole followed suit shortly thereafter.
The inaugural season saw a lot of variation in customization as well, and many of the sweaters from this era will appear a bit less uniform than more modern ones. For example, this jersey's Inaugural sibling has a dark blue 'A'. Some variation in number and letter height is present from one jersey to the next.
Preseason editions of these jerseys, because of the high turnover rate of players on an expansion team, also feature removable velcro nameplates, making this generation of jerseys highly unique and highly collectible. Unfortunately, advanced verification systems were not available until 2003, so many Inaugurals are hard to find and even harder to match to specific games and events.
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Navy 'Away' Inaugural Jersey
The Original CCM/Koho
1999-2004
After the manufacturer switch following the Inaugural season, the basic design of the Inaugural jersey remained the same, with the exception of the removal of the '98 designation from the shoulder patches. The partnership with CCM/Koho remained intact until the end of the 2003-2004 season, and jerseys from 1999 to 2004 varied in how branding was presented. This early Greg Johnson CCM jersey carries the tag on the hem, whereas later years saw CCM and Koho jerseys place their branding on the back of the jersey's neck area. Regardless, very few changes were made to the aesthetics in the first six years of the franchise's existence.
It was in these jerseys, beginning with the road whites at the Joe Louis Arena in Detroit, MI that the Predators made their first appearance in the Stanley Cup Playoffs at the conclusion of the 2003-2004 season. That appearance would mark the only time the Predators wore this style jersey in the postseason, though it was only the beginning of the first great era of hockey for the team.
For more information on the complete set, both home and away, you can check out the unofficial NHL Uniform Database HERE
Original Set in White
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The 'Mustard Cat' Third/Alt
2001-2007
Love it or hate it (and if you ask around, there are many people on both sides of the fence), the Preds debuted their first offering to the world of alternate jerseys with this lovely Grey-Poupon colored beauty at the beginning of the 2001-2002 season. It features a two-layered material, heavier and thicker than the Air-Knit standard home and away jerseys of the era, a squared neck, and for the first time the smilodon/sabre-toothed tiger skull patches on the shoulders.
There is speculation that these patches may have been chosen as part of a more comprehensive "bone and fang" theme, as detailed by the recent discovery of this likely prototype. Nevertheless, the on-ice product is still appreciated as one of the most unique jerseys to hit the ice in recent memory.
From 2001 to 2004, the affectionately dubbed "Mustard Cat" was manufactured by KOHO, and following the lockout of 2004-2005 when the NHL switched suppliers, the remaining two years of the Mustard Cat saw Reebok logos adorning the back of the jersey's neck.
Koho version of the 'Mustard Cat' with 5th year anniversary patch (2002-03)
The Late/Reebok Original
2005-2007
Following the lockout season of 2004-2005, a few changes were made to the look of the jerseys the Predators wore on the ice. First, a change of suppliers saw Reebok taking over the manufacturing of NHL jerseys league-wide. Reebok Vector-patches became the norm on the back of the neck area for each team in the NHL.
Perhaps the more noticeable feature to change, however, was a change in the shoulder patches, hearkening back to the narrative from which the Predators' name originated - the discovery of sabre-toothed tiger fossils during construction in downtown Nashville. Though the majority of the jersey remained pretty much the same from the Inaugural design, this small refresh that drew from design elements of the 'Mustard Cat' third helped identify these jerseys with perhaps the first, albeit short, golden era in Predators hockey, seeing the likes of Hall of Famers Paul Kariya, Peter Forsberg donning these sweaters and setting the franchise season standings points record which remained until the 2017-2018 season.
For more details about the full uniforms of this era, check out the renderings of the unofficial NHL Uniform database HERE.
The "Vector" Edge
2007-2011
2007 saw the first major, sweeping changes to Nashville's uniforms, ushered in partly by necessity, due to Reebok's introduction of the Reebok Edge, which was a fairly dramatic leap forward in jersey technology at the time. Edge jerseys were lighter and were supposed to be less absorbent, though early versions of the Edge (1.0) were disliked by many players because the sweat simply went other places - gloves, pants, etc.
The redesigned jerseys were also slimmer, sleeker, and less boxy than the jerseys of the 90's and 2000's. For the Predators' jerseys in particular, the silver material across the shoulders and forearms had an elastic quality not present in their prior versions that allowed them to fit snugly over pads. Many game-worn sweaters from this era will exhibit very pronounced stretch marks from being pulled tightly over pads for hours at a time, giving this specific generation of jerseys a charm of their own for the subtle reminder that they were indeed part of the action.
Other Predators-specific design elements included the introduction of sublimated nameplates, rather than stitched-on letters, and sublimated 'faux-stitching' on the interior portions of numbers and captain patches.
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Example with 10th Anniv. Patch --->
<--- Road Whites [courtesy Ashley Jones]
The Navy Alternate
2009-2011
The second, most recent, and quite possibly most well-received alternate jersey worn by the Predators was this subtle but classic navy and white jersey built on the Reebok Edge template.
Perhaps part of this jersey's mass appeal is the stripped down design, featuring clean horizontal lines on the sleeves and bottom hem, single layer white numbering minus the typical angular template synonymous with all other Predators jerseys, and a mostly two-toned presentation, though there are some very subtle hints of other colors throughout: the light blue outline and red eye of the crest, and a very low contrast yet also quite visually pleasing navy blue and black checkerboard pattern in three different locations (hem, sleeves, shoulder patches). This was also the first jersey the Predators wore featuring the more classic sweater-like laced collar.
In the world of jersey collecting, these jerseys have become quite the rarity (replica, authentic, and game-worn) because of their popularity, short window of use, and particularly with game-worn jerseys, because there was generally only one set made for the season. Collectors, for the most part are holding on to what they have, and as a result are making finding one of these on the open market a bit of a treasure hunt.
Many fans, following a long stretch without a new alternate jersey, have clamored for the return of the Navy Alternate. Will it happen? Likely not. The Predators have married themselves to gold, and likely will stay that way for the foreseeable future.
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The "Wordmark" Edge
2011-2017
Unofficially coined the 'Wordmark' Edge because Reebok replaced the vector graphic on the neck with the simple Reebok wordmark beginning in 2011-2012, the Predators, too, made a redesign, but in dramatic fashion: a shift from navy blue as their primary color to a unique and instantly recognizable Predator Gold.
The crest and main logo received a facelift of sorts, as well, departing from the busy, 5-color crest that screamed 1990's to the simpler 3-color gold, white, and blue logo we know and love today.
2011-2012 also saw the advent of several modern Predators jersey features we've come to know and love, including the guitar-pick shaped shoulder patch paying homage to Nashville's rich musical history and to the Tennessee tri-star state flag. That wasn't the only nod to Nashville's musical heritage, however, as the inside collar features a unique piano-key design and the back numbers have six gold lines running through them, symbolizing the six strings of a guitar. The Predators were bold with their redesign, but for the most part - and pardon the pun - struck all the right chords.
This was also the last iteration of Reebok's Edge jerseys in the NHL, as the league moved suppliers once more to the (interestingly enough) Reebok-owned Adidas as their manufacturer for the 2017-2018 season. Still, these jerseys will be remembered fondly as the ones worn when the Predators made their first ever Stanley Cup Final.
Road Whites, with 2016 Nashville All Star Patch
The Adidas Generation
2017-Present
In 2017, Adidas became the manufacturer of all NHL jerseys, and with the change came another revision of the Predators' jerseys - though these changes were decidedly less drastic than the major shift that occurred at the beginning of the 2011-2012 season. The new look saw even more of the navy blue eliminated in favor of a cleaner look which also included the elimination of the jersey's white piping.
The away whites were perhaps a more significant departure from the prior iteration, featuring a gold colored shoulder yoke. Both designs are some of the cleanest and simplest ever worn by the Predators.
More subtle details of this generation include an addition of the '6-string' detail to the sleeve numbers in addition to the ones already on the back, a dimpled 'performance fabric' adorning the shoulders, and a shiny plastic NHL shield anchoring the collar.
Adidas has certainly brought to the table a whole host of unique designs, rapidly expanding our archives and testing the wallets of every collector. We've seen three unique designs (Winter Classic, Reverse Retro, Stadium Series) and a New Reverse Retro is coming in 2022-23. Will there be a permanent alternate jersey on the horizon? One thing's for certain: The Nashville Predators now have some the most unique and recognizable jerseys in the league, and that's not a bad thing at all!
Adidas Road Whites: [courtesy Ryan Dunlap]
The "Dixie" Winter Classic Alt
2019-2020 Season Only
In 2019, it was announced that for the very first time the Nashville Predators would play in the New Years' Day spectacle - the NHL Winter Classic, hosted in the Cotton Bowl in Dallas, TX. As with most of the jerseys worn in the Winter Classic, this jersey is a throwback to a different era of Nashville Hockey, paying homage to the very first pro hockey team in Nashville, the Dixie Flyers (1962-71).
This jersey was the first to feature Script as the main crest, and a retro-styled Saber Toothed Tiger head was designed as the primary graphic logo and added to the left shoulder as a patch. Some unique touches include the very first non kiss-cut, layered lettering. Patches, letters, and numbers were also given a very retro feel - using felt as the main material. Together, they give the customization what one might call a Letterman touch.
This style was primarily designed for the Winter Classic, but was not limited to merely that one game on January 1, 2020. There was another set of these released later in the 2019-2020 season, albeit what makes the January 1 jerseys unique to the Winter Classic is the right shoulder patch which only appeared on those worn for the Classic. Three Winter Classic sets were worn, with 1st Period Jerseys auctioned by the NHL, 2nd Period jerseys sold by Meigray, and 3rd Period jerseys kept by the players. One additional set in this style was worn to home games, minus the Winter Classic patch on the right shoulder.
This style was a one-season only design. If you've got one, hold on to it. It could very well be in the same level desirability as the Navy Alternate (the original Preds "holy grail" game worn jersey) in appeal and rarity.
The Reverse Retro Alt 1.0
2021 Only
For the 2021 pandemic-shortened season, Adidas and the NHL revealed some striking new takes on old designs. The Nashville Predators went back in time to pay homage to the original jerseys used from 1998 to 2007, but instead of using the navy blue color scheme, opted for the 'reversed' gold that now is synonymous with the franchise.
The organization was touting the Retro Reverse jersey as a 'Throwback to '98' which is true in some ways, but in other ways not so much. By all accounts, it shares the same overall look as the jerseys did for the first 9 years of the franchise. The silver shoulders were reincorporated and definitely evoke that nostalgic feeling of the infant days of the team. But some details, such as the shoulder patch, were taken from the Mustard Third jersey worn from 2001-2007 and the Reebok Home and Away Jerseys from 2005-2007. In addition the number font, while similar, is not the same as the original font used by the Predators, resembling an old All-Star Game font. This difference is most noticeable on the number '2' which did not originally have a serif.
Overall, despite these small inconsistencies, they have tremendous amounts of character and hit a lot of the right nostalgic notes for a fanbase who has been looking for something to break up the uninspired simplicity of the standard Adidas home and away jerseys. These are a 'one-season and done' offering and are sure to become a highly sought after collector piece in the days ahead. Following the Winter Classic in 2020, the Preds continued a run of one-season use jerseys that continued through two more seasons, including a Stadium Series design and a second offering in the Adidas Reverse Retro arena.
The Stadium Series Alt
2021-22 Season Only
In June of 2021, the NHL announced that the Nashville Predators would host an outdoor game for the very first time (their second outdoor game in franchise history) on February 26, 2022 against the 2021 Stanley Cup Champion Tampa Bay Lightning. In the months to follow, snippets of information about what the team would wear began to surface, including the news that the team would *FINALLY* wear a primarily navy blue jersey again for the first time since 2012.
The full jersey reveal in early December 2021, however, was met with nearly universal disgust, as Preds fans and the general public alike were confronted with a design so gaudy and intentionally haphazard, nothing quite like it had ever been worn by players on NHL ice. The uneven width block style lettering and numbering pays tribute to the Nashville tradition of show and concert posters made famous by Hatch Show Print and identifiable as part of the cultural fabric of Music City, USA. However, some comparisons were made that the finished product left an impression more akin to that of this frozen Kroger staple, rather than Nashville's concert culture.
After the initial shock, public disdain cooled a bit and paired with the full uniform, left a much better impression. The Preds Stadium Series jersey should take its place with the Mustard Cat of the early 2000's as one appreciated much more in the latter years than during its actual use. As with the Winter Classic, three sets were made for the outdoor game itself, with 1st Period Jerseys auctioned by the NHL, 2nd Period jerseys sold by Meigray, and 3rd Period jerseys kept by players. One more set was worn in select subsequent games, minus the Stadium Series shoulder patch, but it has been reported by Meigray that this set disappeared in shipping and may never surface in the collecting world.
The Reverse Retro Alt 2.0
2022-23 Season Only
The first iteration of the Reverse Retro designs of the truncated 2021 season was met with mostly rave reviews, and left fans clamoring for more designs which celebrate the heritage of their favorite NHL hockey teams.
Adidas was eager to please, and even though they did not release a recreation of the begged-for Navy Alternate or an inverse of it in white like the highly-sought "White Whale" Reebok Edge jersey, they did hit all the right notes with a fresh take on the classic Mustard Cat jerseys of the early 2000's
The box neck, glacier twill, two-layered fabric, and bulky cut of the old jersey were out in the new design, and the brown mustard color of the original was replaced in favor of the modern gold color of all the modern Predators jerseys, but there was still plenty to evoke the good feelings of the past, with the classic crest and striping being more than enough to identify it instantly with the original mustard cats that are now iconic in Preds circles and beyond.
On the ice, these jerseys were paired with gold helmet and gold gloves, which made this jersey unmistakable even from the cheap seats. The Predators wore these jerseys for only one season, much like the Reverse Retro 1.0, and two sets were worn by the players. Set 1 was worn for four games, and Set 2 was worn for three.
This would end up being the last new jersey design by Adidas, as Fanatics was tagged as the manufacturer of the future beginning with the 2024-25 NHL season.
