When the NHL and Fanatics debuted their brand-new Hometown Remix uniform series on Monday morning, the only reactions that mattered more to the league than the fans’ were those of the players who would be wearing them.

The Vancouver Canucks’ new blue-on-blue jersey, with a stealth orca, shiny silver twill lettering, and city buildings embossed on the arms, has divided Vancouver fans so far. But the Canucks players are well on board. We walked around the Canucks’ locker room on Monday to get the players’ take on the new uniforms.

Brock Boeser was the first Canuck to see the new uniforms in person at the NHL Players’ Media Tour in Vegas during the offseason. “Oh, it was awesome. I walked in, and I didn’t really know what to expect, but I’m a big fan of the lighter blue kind of mixing it up with the darker blue,” Boeser told Daily Faceoff Vancouver of his first impressions.

Boeser liking the light blue shouldn’t surprise anyone. When the Canucks partnered with New Era on a Player Design Series of merch back in 2019, Boeser’s hats featured a very similar shade of baby/powder blue on a grey background.

Boeser didn’t get any pictures of the jerseys himself before the release, which helped him keep it hidden until teammates got their first glimpse of the uniforms last week. “Guys started seeing them last week when the jerseys arrived, and everyone seems to like them, so they’re pretty pumped to wear them,” Boeser said.

The players finally got to break in their new matching gloves and matte helmets during Monday morning’s practice at Rogers Arena. So far, the locker room’s consensus on the new unis is a hearty “yes.”

Jake DeBrusk isn’t too picky, but he relishes the opportunity to wear a new take on a Vancouver uniform.

“I always feel like new jerseys are cool. I think it’s exciting as a player because you get to see someone’s take on the city that you’re playing in,” DeBrusk said. “I think there’s a lot of different ways you can go with a Canucks jersey, but as a player, it’s just nice to have something new.”

Tom Willander likes the jerseys, but a different aspect of the uniform stood out to him more.

Max Sasson doesn’t consider himself “the biggest jersey critic”, but he gave the Hometown Remixes his seal of approval.

“I saw Fil [Hronek] wearing the full getup, and I think it looks really cool. I think they did a really good job with the helmets and gloves. It’s pretty sweet just seeing all the different jerseys around the league. So yeah, I think they did a good job,” Sasson said.

But Boeser has played in a much wider variation of Canucks uniforms than most of his counterparts, and aside from the new kits, a few stand out. The Black Skate ranks at the top by far, but Boeser also highlighted a previous special edition uniform: the Sprite Can jerseys from the original Reverse Retro series in 2021.

“During the COVID year, we wore some nice ones, you know, with the different colored socks and stuff. I thought that was a good look too,” Boeser said of the green and blue gradient look.

This uniform might look more towards the future, but Boeser feels it’s also a window to the past and a look through team history.

“Any time new jerseys come out and they change things up and bring back old logos and stuff, I think it’s a good way to remember the old days of hockey. And yeah, I know I’m a big fan of these ones.”