2024 Stanley Cup Playoffs are coming to an end, and with that comes a good idea of who they’ll face in this year’s Stanley Cup Final.
At the moment, we only have the Dallas Stars and the Edmonton Oilers left in the Western Conference and the Florida Panthers and the New York Rangers in the East. That leaves us with just four potential 2024 Stanley Cup Final matchups, a good time to consider what each matchup will look like from a consistent standpoint.
As always, here at SportsLogos.Net we prefer to focus on the appearance of the game on the ice rather than the gameplay itself. Of course, beauty is in the eyes of the beholder; My own memories and experiences will no doubt skew my opinions on these matchups, so… maybe consider that before getting mad at me if they don’t align with your preferences.
Here’s a look at the four possible 2024 Stanley Cup Final uniform matchups, in order from least great to greatest:
#4: Dallas Stars vs. New York Rangers
The New York Rangers are looking to end their 30-year Stanley Cup drought, and we’re starting to wonder how long it will be before crowds at other nearby NHL arenas are allowed to dust off and update their “1940” chants. with “Nineteen ninety-four!” ” Meanwhile, the Dallas Stars, who moved from Minnesota in 1993, captured their only Stanley Cup in 1999, which, believe it or not, is the most recent championship of the last four teams.
This matchup combines the black and “victory green” uniforms of the Stars with the always cool blue, red and white of the Rangers. The two teams will stand out for their wildly different color schemes (not a single color on either side intersects…except white, but that’s not really a color) and styles.
How well do they match? Well. Neither uniform is bad at all, but when put together, they’re just two different styles. In a year of strong possibilities for even matchups, this one ranks last. What stands out to me about this matchup besides the uniforms? That Dallas has to face the Rangers, the name of their local Major League Baseball team, in the Stanley Cup Final… so it’s fun. Also a battle over 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 went dormant for two decades before both suddenly returned to the Finals in the ’20s. It’s a battle of the South, a chance for Dallas gets revenge on Florida State after losing to Tampa Bay in 2020. We have some stories here. How about Ed Belfour? Joe Nieuwendyk? Does Dino Ciccarelli count?
A Panthers-Stars final gives us those two totally unique color schemes facing off (as we saw in the New York-Dallas example), but at least both clubs are using designs from the same era. And it’s that coincidental detail that gives this potential series finale the nod over Rangers-Stars in my rankings.
#2: Florida Panthers vs. Edmonton Oilers
The two-time bridesmaid Florida Panthers are seeking their first Stanley Cup in franchise history. The Edmonton Oilers, on the other hand, are looking to recapture their former glory when they won five Stanley Cup titles in a span of seven seasons. Their last win was 34 years ago, before the Panthers existed, and they have only reached 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 red, navy and gold of the Panthers against the blue and orange of the Oilers. The Panthers uniforms have a modern look with their military-inspired design that certainly stands out on the ice. Instead, the Oilers’ classic championship look brings a vibe that can’t help but evoke memories of that victorious Stanley Cup-filled decade.
These uniforms match up pretty well (honestly, there isn’t a bad matchup between the possible four this year). Imagine how different this would look if the Oilers still wore their orange kit full-time. That would be a considerable downgrade! Unrelated, I really like the idea of us having another completely different Alberta-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 virtually the same roster five or 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 for name a few!
Honestly, if this is what we get, it’ll be fun to finally see what future Ranger can do when it’s too late Connor McDavid in the Finals.
An Oilers-Rangers finale gets my top marks for best possible uniform matchup, and that’s probably simply because they’re two classic designs facing off. For someone who grew up when I did, these two uniforms naturally go together primarily due to the overlap of players who wore them. Still, they match well, similar colors but different shades, similar simple overall styles. Plus, we’ll see Wayne wear an Oilers-Rangers split jersey on TNT at some point while everyone’s having fun.
So, that’s what I think anyway… now, what do you think? Share your rankings for the four possible uniform matchups in this year’s Stanley Cup Final in the comments!
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