Team Canada’s hockey teams have worn quite a few different jerseys to the Olympics over the years.
Jersey unveilings have become anticipated events in the lead-up to the Olympics, right beside roster announcements. The jerseys have become a calling card of Canada’s team, showing the world just what the country is about and proving just how many different times you can re-design a maple leaf.
Some of those jerseys have become the most iconic sweaters in the sport, while others have been left in the past and justifiably forgotten.
Canada began sending hockey teams to the Olympics starting in 1920. At first, it was various club teams from across the country that would be chosen to represent Canada. It wasn’t until the Innsbruck 1964 Winter Olympic Games that a Canadian national team was formed.
To help add brevity to this list, only those national teams will be ranked, and each year will be ranked in terms of the overall set rather than each individual jersey.
So, with that, here is a ranking of Team Canada’s Olympic hockey looks from worst to best…
13. Turin 2006
Canadian Olympic Committee
If we were ranking Olympic jerseys as pyjama sets, the Turin 2006 look may have taken the top spot.
Nothing was interesting about these jerseys, which were basically blank designs spare for a few awkward vertical stripes on the arms and sides. They felt like practice jerseys, which shouldn’t be the case for Canada.
12. Nagano 1998
Canadian Olympic Committee
Nagano 1998 saw NHL players compete in the Olympics for the very first time.
That should have been exciting, but Canada’s jerseys during that tournament said the opposite. They get points for having more of a design than Turin, but the addition of grey and the boring striping pattern sink these jerseys to the bottom of the list.
11. Innsbruck 1964
internationalhockey.fandom.com
Canada’s first national team to compete at the Olympics didn’t have a bad look, but there was definitely room for improvement.
It’s a classic striping pattern, but the maple leaf logo and “Canada” script above it have not aged as well. The strong presence of blue in the uniform also makes this look lose points, as they should leave that colour for their southern neighbours.
10. Sochi 2014
Winslow Townson/Imagn Images
Canada opted to go in a radical new direction for the Sochi 2014 Olympic Games.
They were never gonna top the Vancouver 2010 look, but this was a poor follow-up. The primary jerseys had awkward chest stripes that stopped before they got to the sides.
A black third jersey with gold chest stripes around a “Canada” script just felt a bit too cocky for this team, even though they dominated the tournament to capture a second-straight gold medal.
9. Grenoble 1968
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Canada dropped the blue and turned to a better look in their second trip to the Olympics as a national squad.
This look was just about as baseline as could be, with a simple red and white design and a better maple leaf design. It was far from a bad look, but it also didn’t provide much to get excited about.
8. Sarajevo 1984 to Albertville 1992
Canadian Olympic Committee
Canada found some consistency in their Olympic look throughout the mid-1980s to early-1990s.
The red and white colour scheme remained, but a new logo was introduced. This one featured a sleek design with a large red maple leaf with a smaller one in the corner, along with some speed lines.
A few small changes were made to the shoulder design between tournaments, but this was an overall solid look that represented Canada well.
7. Lake Placid 1980
Canadian Olympic Committee
The Lake Placid 1980 Winter Olympics are most remembered for Team USA’s miracle on ice victory against the USSR, but Canada was competing as well.
It was the Canadian team’s first Olympic Games since 1968, and they took to the ice with a new logo. The overall jersey design remained largely unchanged, but the one maple leaf from Grenoble was replaced with five and offered a much sleeker look.
6. PyeongChang 2018
Andrew Nelles/Imagn Images
This jersey remains a contentious one among Canadian hockey fans, but there is something about it that makes it work.
It’s far from a traditional design with a very unique striping pattern on the arms, but it finds a way to work and stand out. The logo definitely helps its case, and the set succeeds in being a decent take on Canada’s Olympic look.
5. Beijing 2022
Rob Schumacher/Imagn Images
Another contentious set that has aged rather well, despite some initial concerns when it was initially revealed.
There is a lot more black represented in this jersey set, which probably prevents it from being higher on this list, but the other design elements shine here. The striping pattern is timeless, though the shoulder design is a bit funky, while the logo is simple, yet different enough to stand out.
4. Lillehammer 1994
Canadian Olympic Committee
After three straight Olympic Games with more or less the same design, Canada decided to switch things up in Lillehammer 1994.
The logo stayed the same, but the uniform took on a more retro design with four stripes being added to the waist and arms. There is just something so “Canadian” about this look that makes it stand above others on this list.
It isn’t flashy, but it feels right for this era of Canadian hockey.
3. Milano-Cortina 2026
Canadian Olympic Committee
These jerseys haven’t been seen on the ice yet, but they are already turning heads.
The Milano Cortina 2026 Canadian jerseys seem to perfect the modern design that the Olympic team has been trending toward. The striping pattern remains simple, yet timeless, while the logo does exactly what it needs without feeling too busy.
This screams “Canada,” which is exactly what an Olympic jersey should do.
2. Salt Lake City 2002
Canadian Olympic Committee
Canada was on top of the world during the Salt Lake City 2002 Olympics, and they looked great doing it.
There is something so simple, yet so clean about this basic striping pattern and adding black as an accent really tied this design together. Some may have mixed opinions on the Hockey Canada logo, but it remains an iconic symbol in Canadian hockey.
1. Vancouver 2010
John David Mercer/Imagn Images
By far the most iconic Canadian Olympic jersey to date, and one that was worn during the team’s exciting gold medal victory on home soil in Vancouver.
It’s a classic design that screams Canada, and the unique maple leaf logo, incorporating northwest indigenous art, looks beautiful on the jersey. There is no doubt that this set belongs at the top of the list.
