(Photo courtesy: San Jose Sharks, Nazem Kadri, Buffalo Sabres, Boston Bruins, Winnipeg Jets, and Toronto Maple Leafs) A visual of the best and worst dressed in the league.
Riley Fontana
Connector Editor
The NHL is not a league known for its fashion, with players usually donning suits before games. When the yearly All-Star Weekend rolls around, the 44 players selected get the rare chance to show their personal flair on the red carpet. February 3rd and 4th saw players in Sunshine, Florida rocking some fantastic outfits and some slightly disappointing outfits. This is not a judgment of any of their playing skills, just their red carpet outfits.
There was a large cohort of players who wore jeans and t-shirts to this event, with multiple variations of the look. Some chose to wear a shirt with buttons and others chose khakis over jeans. These outfits made up the majority of the red carpet.
There were a few style offenders, including members of the home team, the Florida Panthers. Forwards Matthew Tkachuk and Aleksander Barkov took a much more casual approach. Donning Hawaiian shirts and shorts, they looked more ready to visit Margaritaville than to step onto the ice.
Adding to the tourist look was Nazem Kadri, forward for the Calgary Flames. He sported cargo shorts and an oversized t-shirt. Along with Kadri was forward Elias Petterson of the Vancouver Canuks, dressed in a similar tourist fashion of long khaki cargo pants, a baggy t-shirt and chunky sneakers. There also was Chicago Blackhawks defenseman Seth Jones, who was dressed in a navy blue polo and white shorts. These three were more ready for an afternoon at Disney than the NHL All-Star Game.
Besides the tourism group and the black jeans and white t-shirt group, there was the business casual group, which consisted of somewhat red carpet-ready outfits. Forward Andrei Svechnikov of the Carolina Hurricanes took to the red carpet in cropped black pants and a striped
button-down. This outfit was more suited for an office job and not the NHL, but he clearly put some effort into how he looked.
The Edmonton Oilers trio of goalie Stuart Skinner, center Leon Draisaitl and captain Connor McDavid were part of the business casual look. Dressed in muted tones and dark-colored sweaters, they brought more sophistication than some other players. They managed to coordinate enough to look like a matching set while also standing out on their own.
Defenseman Erik Karlsson of the San Jose Sharks was a horrible offender in the business casual category. Sporting a polo and striped sweatpants, it looked like Karlsson didn’t get the memo that this event was not on Zoom. While he didn’t have the worst outfit of the event, he was definitely in the bottom three.
Taking the bronze medal for worst dressed was Dallas Stars forward Jason Robertson, with an all-black ensemble consisting of basketball shorts and a t-shirt. He looked like he just came from hitting the weight room, or from a pickup game of basketball.
One of the worst fashion offenders was defenseman Rasmus Dahlin of the Buffalo Sabres. He took the place of an injured Tage Thompson, but Dahlin’s outfit may have caused more pain. He had on a diamond-printed short and shirt combo, looking like those matching pajama sets sold around the holidays. He definitely looked comfortable, but also like he had been running late and forgot to get dressed.
Moving from worst dressed to best, there was a collection of players who chose simple suits. Forward Kevin Fiala of the Los Angeles Kings took to signing autographs in a sleek black suit. Goaltender Juuse Saros of the Nashville Predators chose a simple tan suit. Both of these players dressed for the event they were at, and looked incredible on the carpet.
Moving on to more experimental suits, Boston Bruins representatives forward David Pastrňák and goalie Linus Ullmark took a very fashion-forward chance. Pastrňák chose an all-white suit patterned with blue brush strokes. Ullmark chose a shiny and embossed silver suit. This is something fans love to see from players: their own personal fashion sense.
Forward of the Toronto Maple Leafs, Mitch Marner wore a look that could easily be considered high fashion. He wore a navy blue suit with embroidery on the jacket. Even his suit shirt had a pattern to it, making his look one to remember.
With the game being less than an hour outside Miami, there was going to be at least one player rocking a “Miami Vice”-inspired look. Winnipeg Jets defenseman Josh Morrissey brought just that look to the events. In a light pink suit and a pair of sunglasses, he fit in on the red carpet and in Sunrise, Florida.
From pajamas to experimental suits, there were a lot of looks at the NHL All-Star game this season. The top three best and worst dressed are listed below.
Worst dressed: Rasmus Dahlin, Erik Karlsson, and Nazem Kadri
Best dressed: Josh Morrissey, Linus Ullmark, and Mitch Marner
