I like third jerseys. I like the idea of them.

On one hand, of course, they're little more than a cash grab, an opportunity for a team to hang another merchandise option in their store, something that might catch the eye of the casual shopper, or suck in the collectors who can't help themselves from buying every jersey a team makes available.

But on the other hand, they're an opportunity for teams to experiment with their look, to see if they can't find something else to either add to or improve upon the look of their franchise.

Occasionally, this goes horribly wrong. There are some truly terrible third jerseys in the NHL. The New York Islanders' third come to mind, which is unfortunate, because now I'm picturing it.

But when it works, it really works. There are some great third jerseys in the NHL. In fact, there are a few nice enough that, if I had my way, the teams would simply promote them into regular use.

Five, to be exact. And they are as follows:

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Columbus Blue Jackets. I've never really cared for Columbus's regular get-up. I just don't like the way the red pants match up with the navy blue sweater.

That in mind, the thirds are right up my alley, because they discard the red from the uniform altogether. Instead, the accents come from a few well-placed deep blue and cream-coloured stripes that give the whole look a classier, more classic feel. The jersey on the left looks like a team that entered the league in the 90s. The jersey on the right looks like a team that's always been here.

I know some people aren't into the circular logo, since that was a sweater trend that's come and gone somewhat, and advocating a third jersey that doesn't sport a team's usual logo is a little abnormal. So fine, tinker with the crest, if you must. But the colour scheme and design of the third should be what Columbus's look is based around.

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Minnesota Wild. Speaking of outdated sweaters, it's time for the Wild to retire the red-and-green look. Apart from the month of December, they simply look out of time. Plus, I hate to say it, but, as cool and innovative as Minnesota's logo is -- and it really, really is -- it doesn't stand out in any meaningful way. Maybe it's because it's buried in a circle. Maybe it's because I've never cared for the colour scheme. I'm not sure. But it's never really worked for me.

Like the Columbus's third, Minny's third just has a cleaner, more classic, less 90s look. I know some people find the Christmas tree jersey a little off-putting, but the all forest green look really works for me, especially in how it works with the move from white piping to cream.

I'm not 100% sold on the "Minnesota" script on the crest, though. It's a little funky and, frankly, I'd be fine if they lost all the little bits of red, both there and on the gloves. But again, the look of the jersey is just vastly superior to their regular duds. It's clear the organization knows it, too, otherwise they wouldn't have introduced Zach Parise and Ryan Suter in the thirds. So just make it official already.

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