Nice reading for a Swede. I do rate the Russian one higher myself, but this isnt my blog so I dont have a saying :)

I’m the first to admit that my ordering would be totally different than that article. I’ll admit it reflects my biases.

I would probably have ranked Norway’s and Russia’s ahead of Team Latvia, and Finland but that’s my bias towards red and blue speaking. Among the teams with red and blue, Norway had the best mix of colors in that department, better than Russia, Czech Republic or Slovakia.

Germany’s colors have character and is unique and different in a way I enjoy. Belorus’a color scheme is different.

Agree on Switzerland as the worst in your rankings. Their uniforms make me think of the Red Cross. Makes me think of medicine rather than sports.

Jake, the term you were looking for is watermarking – that’s the subtle patterns in the hems and design elements. They were put there to put a damper on counterfeits of course.

But they also played an interesting role in Olympic gamesmanship. When the Canadian unis were unveiled last summer, there was an immediate ruckus in Russia. One element of the watermarking inside the maple leaf logo was a double-headed eagle, which Canada claimed was a tribute to their First Nations but which Russia recognized as a usurpation of their national symbol (cf the Russia sweaters and Varly’s Olympic mask.) The outcry was such, they dispatched a reporter to Hockey Canada’s presser and demanded answers from the #2 guy in HC. He managed to answer with a straight face.

Intended or not (and Canada was playing for keeps in this Olympiad, therefore I vote intended), Team Canada was very effective at getting under Team Russia’s skin, and inside Team Russia’s head.

I would go so far as to say they pwned Russia, long before the teams hit the ice. Of course Russia helped Canada by failing to field a competitive team, coached by an incompetent staff.

Two other notes about Team Canada’s gamesmanship – you may recall that Crosby was named one of the assistant captains. And you can see the “A” on his sweater in every game. Except the gold medal game. The A mysteriously disappeared. Or maybe not so mysteriously. I think they wanted the iconic pix of their golden boy, unmarred by the lesser assistant designation. The captain’s C might have been acceptable, but not the lowly A.

And you may also remember there was a fuss post-Olympics, when Crosby’s golden gear went missing. It was all located eventually, and Crosby was asked how he knew for sure that >that< particular stick was the game-winner.

(paraphrasing) “Easy,” he said. “The other sticks I used in the game had a mark on them. But my overtime stick was unmarked.”

The pristine stick, the pristine sweater. Gotta give them props. Canada stage-managed their moment perfectly.

Thanks. This was a fun read. Sweden was our favorite as well. I was not a fan of Russia’s uniforms. The balance was off—there was too much red for me.

Nice list. I definitely agree with Sweden as #1- it’s always been my clear-cut favorite and I now wear a blue Bäckström sweater to many Caps games. However, I do prefer the older style where the crowns are blockier, as opposed to the more stylized new ones.