It is a specific shade of navy. Not quite the midnight of the old Kraken sweaters, but deep enough to make that crisp white mountain peak on the crest absolutely pop. If you've spent any time at Ball Arena lately, you know exactly what I’m talking about. The Colorado Avs third jersey isn’t just an "alternate" anymore. For a huge chunk of the Burgundy and Blue faithful, it’s actually the preferred look.
The mountain. The "C." The nod to the Rockies. It all works.
Honestly, third jerseys in the NHL are usually a hit-or-miss gamble. You either get a masterpiece or a "Burger King" Los Angeles Kings disaster that ends up in a clearance bin within six months. But the Avs hit something different here. They tapped into a weirdly specific vein of Colorado nostalgia while keeping things modern enough for the 2020s. It’s a design that respects the past without being stuck in it.
The Design DNA of the Colorado Avs Third Jersey
Let's get into the weeds of the aesthetics. The centerpiece is that massive, triangular crest. It’s a direct homage to the old Colorado Rockies NHL franchise—the team that eventually moved to New Jersey to become the Devils. But it’s not a carbon copy. The Avs updated it. They swapped the red, white, and yellow for their own signature burgundy and silver.
It’s bold.
The navy blue base provides a heavy contrast to the primary home sweater’s burgundy. While the standard home kit feels royal and traditional, the third jersey feels rugged. It feels like high-altitude hockey. The white shoulders give it a classic "yoke" look that reminds you of 1970s hockey, but the tapering of the stripes keeps it from feeling like a dusty relic from your dad's basement.
One thing people often overlook is the silver. The NHL's "Adizero" and now Fanatics-era jerseys use specific reflective materials for the silver accents. When the arena lights hit those silver outlines on the mountain crest, it looks metallic. It looks expensive. It looks like a team that’s won three Stanley Cups and plans on winning a fourth.
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Why the "C" Matters More Than You Think
The "C" isn't just for Colorado. It’s shaped like the "C" from the state flag. This is a massive trend in sports branding right now—hyper-localism. Fans don't just want to represent the team; they want to represent the 303 area code. By embedding the state flag's geometry into the Colorado Avs third jersey, the team created a piece of lifestyle apparel. You can wear this to a brewery in RiNo or a hiking trail in Boulder and it doesn't just scream "I like sports." It says "I’m from here."
The color palette is technically "Navy, Burgundy, and White," but if you look closely at the socks and the pant shells, the integration is seamless. Most teams struggle to make their alternate pants work with the rest of the kit. The Avs just leaned into the navy. It’s slimming, it’s aggressive, and honestly, Nathan MacKinnon looks terrifying skating at 22 miles per hour while wearing it.
The History of the Alternate Struggle
It wasn't always this good. Remember the "Unicorn" jerseys? Or the "Blueberry" alternates from the late 2000s?
Those were... divisive.
The "Blueberry" jersey, which debuted around 2009, was a brighter blue with the secondary "Yeti foot" logo on the shoulders. Some fans loved it because it was different. Others hated it because it looked like a practice jersey that accidentally got used in a real game. Then there was the 2016 Stadium Series look—the one with the massive numbers and the white "C" that looked a bit like a corporate logo for a tech startup. It was fine for a one-off outdoor game at Coors Field, but it lacked soul.
Then came the current iteration.
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It first appeared as part of the 20th-anniversary celebration. The team realized they had accidentally created a classic. Usually, third jerseys have a shelf life of three to five years before the marketing department gets bored and wants to sell more merch. But this one stuck. It survived the transition from Reebok to Adidas, and it survived the recent move to Fanatics as the official on-ice outfitter. That tells you everything you need to know about its popularity. It generates revenue because it actually looks good in the stands.
How the Players Actually Feel
Hockey players are superstitious creatures of habit. If a team wins in a specific jersey, they want to wear it forever. If they lose three in a row in the "alts," those jerseys get buried in the equipment room.
The Colorado Avs third jersey has been present for some of the most dominant regular-season stretches in franchise history. Cale Makar has scored some of his most highlight-reel-worthy goals in this kit. There is a psychological element to it. When the team switches to the navy blues for a Saturday night home game, the energy in the building changes. It feels like an "event" game.
Mikko Rantanen once mentioned in a post-game scrum that the darker colors feel "heavy" in a good way. It’s a contrast to the "Burgundy" which is the identity, but the "Navy" is the work clothes.
Performance and Fabric
Since the shift to the newer jersey templates in 2024 and 2025, the weight of the crest has been a talking point. On older jerseys, these massive logos could be stiff. They’d poke into a player's chest when they leaned forward. The modern Colorado Avs third jersey uses a more flexible, perforated crest. It breathes. It moves. If you're buying a "Pro" or "Authentic" version, you’re getting that same tech. The "Breakaway" fan versions are softer, obviously, but they keep that same visual weight.
Collecting the Jersey: What to Look For
If you’re looking to pick one of these up, don't just grab the first one you see on a shady website. There are levels to this.
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- The Cresting: Authentic jerseys have a "stacked" twill crest. The burgundy is layered over the silver. Knock-offs usually have a flat, sublimated (printed) logo that looks cheap and starts to peel after three washes.
- The Shoulder Patches: This is the only jersey that features the secondary "Mountain" logo on the shoulders without the "A" in the middle. It’s clean.
- The Fit: If you’re buying an Adidas-era version (pre-2024), they run a bit slim. If you’re grabbing the newer Fanatics "Premium" version, they’ve tweaked the sizing to be a bit more "human-shaped" and less like an athlete's armor.
Is it the best third jersey in the league?
Subjective, sure. But compare it to the "mooterus" Dallas Stars jersey of the past or some of the neon-green eyesores we've seen lately. The Avs stayed disciplined. They used three colors. They used a geometric shape. They didn't overthink it.
The Future of the Third
With the NHL's current jersey contracts, don't expect this look to go anywhere soon. It has become a staple. In fact, you'll see more kids wearing the navy third jersey at public skates at Family Sports Center than the standard home burgundy. It has become the "cool" jersey.
There are rumors every year about a "Reverse Retro" 3.0 or a new specialty jersey, but the Colorado Avs third jersey remains the anchor. It represents the post-2017 era of the team—the era of speed, the era of the Cup, and the era of Makar and MacKinnon.
If you're a new fan, this is the one to get. It’s timeless. It doesn't feel like a fad. It feels like Colorado.
Actionable Insights for Fans and Collectors
- Check the "Dimples": If you are buying a "deadstock" Adidas authentic, ensure the fabric on the shoulders has the signature dimpled texture. This is the quickest way to spot a genuine jersey versus a counterfeit.
- Wash Inside Out: These jerseys use heavy heat-pressed elements. To keep the crest from bubbling, always flip it inside out and use cold water. Air dry only. Never, ever put a hockey jersey in the dryer unless you want the logo to look like a shriveled raisin.
- Size Down for Streetwear: If you aren't wearing pads underneath, most people find that dropping one size from their usual hoodie size provides the best fit for wearing the jersey to a game or a bar.
- Watch the Schedule: The Avalanche typically announce their "Third Jersey Schedule" at the start of the season. They usually wear them for weekend home games and specific divisional matchups. If you want to match the team, check the official team site for the "Jersey Schedule" PDF.
- Customization Matters: If you're getting a name and number, go for the "on-ice" style customization. The navy third uses a specific silver-and-white kiss-cut twill for the numbers that looks significantly better than the single-layer vinyl numbers found at big-box retailers.