The Great NHL Debate: Is It a Sweater or a Hockey Jersey?

How a hockey jersey is described draws a line between traditionalists and newbies as well as Canadians and Americans.

The year-long debate over which NHL team is the best this season will resolve when the San Jose Sharks and Pittsburgh Penguins conclude their series of Stanley Cup finals.

But another discussion will continue long after the last player leaves the ice. It’s a controversy that has spanned decades and destined to extend beyond the careers of today’s players.

Is it a hockey sweater or a hockey jersey?
Canadian Hall of Famer Mark Messier has a clear preference. “I tell my kids to remember their sweaters,” he said.
Mike Richter, who is American, disagrees. “It’s a jersey,” said Messier’s teammate of the New York Rangers, who won the 1994 Stanley Cup. “I don’t see myself calling it a sweater.”

Is it a hockey jersey or a sweater?
Canadian Hall of Famer Mark Messier has a clear preference. “I tell my kids to remember his sweaters,” he said.
What you call the garment that hockey players wear says a lot about how you view the game. It is the line between Canadians and Americans, traditionalists and newbies, hardcore fans and amateurs.
Mike Richter, who is American, disagrees. “It’s a jersey,” said Messier’s teammate of the New York Rangers, who won the 1994 Stanley Cup. “I don’t see myself calling it a sweater.”
The debate has even created rifts in families.

Rachel Carmody, a Michigan native who idolizes the Detroit Red Wings, has a constant argument with her mother, Cathy.

The daughter prefers sweaters because it sounds more natural in hockey. “That was the original name of the uniform,” she said. “A sweater is supposed to keep you warm, and that’s exactly what it does with hockey players.”
Cathy is not as much of a hockey fanatic as her daughter. She had never heard of a sweater like this before a rep said it on a broadcast this year. “I don’t remember ever seeing hockey or seeing a sweater on anyone,” she said.

Chris Delorme, the author of The History of the NHL Hockey Jersey 1983-1993, says that Jersey is a more detailed description of jerseys made today. The official shirts are made of 100% double knit polyester and contain materials such as “Lycratalic”. They bear little relation to the heavy woolen fabrics that players once wore to keep warm in frozen ponds.
“The heavy string has a warm and fluffy feel,” says Delorme. “But the jersey is more of a professional athletic mesh.”