The 2024 Stanley Cup Playoffs are winding down, and with that comes a good sense of who will face off in this year’s Stanley Cup Final.
At the moment, we’re left with just the Dallas Stars and Edmonton Oilers in the Western Conference and the Florida Panthers and New York Rangers in the East. That leaves us with only four possible 2024 Stanley Cup Final matchups remaining, a good time to consider how each matchup will look from a uniform point of view.
As always, we here at SportsLogos.Net prefer to focus on the game’s appearance on the ice rather than the actual gameplay itself. Of course, beauty is in the eye of the beholder; my own memories and experiences will undoubtedly skew my opinions about these matchups, so… maybe consider that before getting upset with me if they don’t align with your preferences.
Here’s a look at the four potential 2024 Stanley Cup Final uniform matchups, in order from least great to most great:
#4: Dallas Stars vs. New York Rangers
The New York Rangers are looking to end their 30-year Stanley Cup drought, and we start to wonder how long before crowds in other nearby NHL arenas are allowed to dust off and update their “1940” chants with “Nineteen-Ninety-Four!” Meanwhile, the Dallas Stars, who relocated from Minnesota in 1993, captured their only Stanley Cup in 1999, which, believe it or not, is the most recent championship of the final four teams.
This matchup pairs the Stars’ “Victory green” and black uniforms with the Rangers’ forever great blue, red, and white. The two teams will stand out with their totally different colour schemes (not a single colour from either side crosses over… except for white, but that’s not really a colour) and styles.
How well do they match up? Meh. Neither uniform is bad at all, but when placed together, they’re just two different styles. In a year of strong uniform matchup possibilities, this one ranks last. What draws my attention to this matchup aside from the uniforms? That Dallas has to face the Rangers, the name of their local Major League Baseball team, in the Stanley Cup Final… so that’s fun. Also a battle for the “Oh yeah, he played there!” rights to Eric Lindros.
#3: Florida Panthers vs. Dallas Stars
Two teams/markets that were born in 1993, tasted glory in the late ’90s, then fell asleep for two decades before both suddenly thrusting themselves back into the Finals in the ’20s. It’s a battle of the South, a chance for Dallas to take revenge on the State of Florida after losing to Tampa Bay in 2020. We’ve got some storylines here. How about Ed Belfour? Joe Nieuwendyk? Does Dino Ciccarelli count?!
A Panthers-Stars Final gives us those two totally unique colour schemes facing off (like we saw in the New York-Dallas example), but at least both clubs wear designs from the same era. And it’s that one matching detail that gives this potential final series the nod over Rangers-Stars in my rankings.
#2: Florida Panthers vs. Edmonton Oilers
The Florida Panthers, twice a bridesmaid, are seeking their first Stanley Cup in franchise history. The Edmonton Oilers, on the other hand, are aiming to reclaim their former glory when they won five Stanley Cup titles over a span of seven seasons. Their last win was 34 ago, back before the Panthers even existed, and they’ve only made the finals once since then, a hard-fought seven-game series they ultimately lost to the Carolina Hurricanes in 2006.
This potential matchup features a vibrant clash between the Panthers’ red, navy, and gold against the Oilers’ blue and orange. The Panthers’ uniforms have a modern look with their army-inspired design that certainly stands out on the ice. In contrast, the Oilers’ classic Championship look brings a vibe that can’t help but evoke memories of that victorious decade full of Stanley Cups.
These uniforms pair up pretty well together (honestly, there’s not a bad matchup of the four possibles this year). Just imagine how different this would look if the Oilers still wore their orange set full-time. It would be a considerable downgrade! Unrelated, I really like the idea that we get another completely different Alberta vs. Florida Stanley Cup Final on the 20th anniversary of the last one (Flames vs. Lightning in 2004).
#1: Edmonton Oilers vs. New York Rangers
It’s the unstoppable force of the 1980s against the team that tried to replicate that success with largely the same roster five to ten years later (it only worked once; I mean, they were all much older). In the 1990s, the Rangers added former Oilers Mark Messier, Jari Kurri, Glenn Anderson, Esa Tikkanen, Kevin Lowe, Jeff Beukeboom, Adam Graves, and, of course, Wayne Gretzky to their roster—and that’s just to name a few!
Honestly, if this is what we get, it’ll just be fun to finally see what future-Ranger-when-it’s-too-late Connor McDavid can do in the Finals.
An Oilers-Rangers Final gets my top mark for the best possible uniform matchup, and it’s probably simply because it’s two classic designs going head-to-head. For someone who grew up when I grew up, these two uniforms naturally go together mostly because of the overlap of players who wore both of them. Still, they do match up well, similar colours but different shades, similar simple overall styles. Plus, we’ll get to see Wayne wear a split Oilers-Rangers jersey on TNT at some point while everyone has a good time.
So, that’s what I think anyway… now, what do you think? Share in the comments your rankings for the four potential uniform matchups in this year’s Stanley Cup Final!
