By Daniel Friedman
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On Tuesday night, the Islanders (sort of) brought back their infamous “Fisherman” jerseys for pregame warmups. That uniform is a product of one of the most disastrous makeover attempts in the history of pro sports.
But believe it or not, the Isles have churned out worse threads before, and they are not the only team in the Tri-State area to design really, really bad ones.
Here are the six worst uniforms in N.Y.-N.J. sports history:
6. Nets Home & Away (1990-1997)
Mookie Blaylock on January 28, 1992 (Photo by Rocky Widner/NBAE via Getty Images)
I’m not sure which was worse: the bright coloring or the font “Nets” was printed in. These never looked right.
5. Titans Home & Away (1960-1962)
The blue and gold combination was strange, there were no logos on the helmets and the team stunk. They were eventually rebranded as the Jets, which turned out to be a much better look.
4. Rangers Home & Away (1976-1978)
A screen shot illustrating the horrible Rangers jerseys from 1976-77. (nhluniforms.com)
As other teams have learned, you don’t mess with tradition. The Rangers did, and the jersey never latched on. It was an unwelcome departure from the deep-rooted Blueshirts uniforms the team had worn for most of their existence.
3. Islanders “Fisherman” Home & Away (1995-1997)
Islanders ownership made the ill-fated decision to switch the team’s longtime logo to this one back in 1997. The outrage from fans quickly became the stuff of legend. (Photo by Ian Tomlinson/Allsport/Getty Images)
“It was the 90’s” is probably the only somewhat-plausible explanation for these sweaters. Again, you don’t mess with tradition.
2. Islanders Alternate (2011-2014)
Rhett Rakhshani on February 4, 2012 (Photo by Bruce Bennett/Getty Images)
Just as other New York teams were reverting back to their original blue and orange colors, the Isles decided to put out a black one. It looked terrible.
1. “Mercury” Mets (1999)
Part of an MLB promotion, the Mets designed and wore “future” jerseys. Hopefully they’ll remain in the past. Forever.