The World Cup team jerseys have been revealed. Let's rank them

In addition to revealing the first 16 players named to each World Cup team, the team's uniforms were unveiled on Wednesday.

The NHL and NHLPA have spent all day Wednesday slowly, and meticulously unveiling the first 16 players for each of the eight teams participating in the 2016 World Cup of Hockey. The specifically made-for-TV event full of flashy graphics and many talking heads, for the most part, was about as exciting a trade deadline day without any trades. The one bit of fun and frivolity came when the jerseys for each team were unveiled. The design of hockey jerseys can be almost as contentious an issue as the rosters themselves with some fans. And while some countries almost always have similar looks, the 2016 event has the added wrinkle of two teams, North America and Europe, with no existing logos or template to work with. These jerseys are the first to be designed for the NHL by adidas as part of a new sponsorship agreement. You'll note the strong adidas influence on all the jerseys with the three stripes running up the seems on each side into the armpits. And it's not completely objectionable. Here now is a look at each team's uniform, ranked from worst to best.

8. Europe

Sorry, Team Europe, you don't have an anthem and you will be dressed like bruises. The logo is fine, it forms an 'E' and has hints of the original Vancouver Canucks logo with the hockey stick. Each player will have a flag of his country on the shoulder, which is a neat idea. But the two-color split harkens back to the early 1990s when terrible two-tone Franken-jerseys were all the rage in my elementary school. 7. Czech Republic

Same old Czech Republic. You could say this is the jersey they wore in the 1996 World Cup, or 2010 Olympics, and I'd probably believe you. After a bit of an interesting departure at the 2014 Olympics where the body of the jersey was in the shape and color scheme
of their flag, the Czechs go back to a very basic red, white, and blue patern. Ho hum.
6. Finland

Reminds me of the Canada jerseys from the 2014 Olympics, which I'm still not a fan of. The Finns will always standout because of their unique blue, and I like the red logo over the heart on this one, but this feels like a step back from the awesome flag jerseys from 2014. 5. Russia

Just like the Czechs, we've come to expect the same basic jersey from the Russians. But this one stands out a little bit more. It includes the usual red, white, and blue but the simple arm bands make it a little less gaudy. The large red and gold logo on the front is great.
4. Canada

While the likes of the Czechs and Swedes almost always rock the same jerseys, Canada designs a new look for every single tournament it goes to. That's because Hockey Canada knows it can can sell 35.16 million jerseys if it looks different from the previous one. That's the case again here as Canada has another new look. Much like the 2010 and 2014 Olympics, Canada goes away from the standard Hockey Canada logo in favor of something brand new. The simplicity here is good, and the maple leaves on the sleeves are awesome -- very '72. But I'm not crazy on the logo. It looks like something that would be in a vide-game version of a Canada jersey. Very solid overall. 3. United States

Not a huge departure from most of their past jerseys. And that's because they've always been pretty good. So if it ain't broke, don't fix it. The color scheme is about the same as always, but the USA logo is a little modernized. That's either good news or terrible news for those who loved
the 2014 throwbacks. Which is everybody.
2. Sweden

On a day when elaborate new logos and bold jersey designs were unveiled, leave it to the Swedes to stick to the basics. And to not mess with a good thing. Earlier I gave the Czechs a hard time for always having the same jersey, and am now praising the Swedes for doing the same. Hypocritical? Nope, because this is, and always has been, a near-flawless jersey. Back in the fall THN ranked the 50 best jerseys of all-time, with the Sweden uniform coming in at No. 3. 1. North America

Very cool. The logo is like a mix of the Freemasons and New York Yankees. And I dig it. The roman numerals for 23 in the logo and on the sleeve is a nice, subtle addition. We all know black jerseys sell, right every-team-who-created-a-third-jersey-in-the-2000s? So this should be a popular one. Suddenly the upstart under-23 team is intimidating on paper, and in appearance. Credit to Greg Wyshynski
for pointing out the NWO similarities. Points for doing something a little different.