As 1999 turned into 2000, the big worry was whether computers worldwide would crash, wreaking havoc on just about everything. However, the big problem of 2000 was not some computer glitch, but this thing called hanging chads in Florida. The 2000 election fiasco became a black eye for the election process, especially in poor ol' Florida.

You want uniforms? We've got your uniforms right here.

At the start of the decade, the placement of the manufacturer's label was changed. Through the first half of the 1990's, CCM was the exclusive manufacturer of the team jerseys. Then, Starter and Nike got into the mix. In 1999, Starter was bought out, and Pro Player took over many of their jerseys. Then, Pro Player went under, and beginning with the 2000-01 season, CCM and Koho, both divisions of the same company, became the exclusive manufacturers. However, instead of CCM and Koho each doing 15 teams, CCM did all the home jerseys, and Koho did all the away jerseys (and third jerseys, where applicable). Furthermore, the labels were relocated from the right tail of the jersey to directly below the neckline just above the players' nameplate, as pictured to the upper left. I'm no industry expert, but I would garner that the reason behind the different manufacturers for home and away jerseys is so that both logos would be seen in each and every game. When the NHL resumed play in 2005 following a season-long lockout, Reebok took over as the official uniform supplier, and Reebok's logo now appears just above the nameplates on all uniforms.

They say that out of very bad comes very good, and in the wake of the tragic events of September 11, 2001, the NHL was very quick to find ways to help. It established the Twin Towers fund, which raised money for those who lost loved ones in the World Trade Center that day. Teams, like the New York Rangers and Buffalo Sabres, would wear special uniforms like the ones on the right and auction them off to raise money for the fund.

For the 2003-04 season, the NHL has done a switcheroo of sorts. For the first time since the 1969-70 season -- just before yours truly was born -- the home teams will be donning their dark jerseys at home, while the visiting teams will be dressed in white? Why did they make the move? One of the reasons was logistics -- since teams tended to wear their alternate jerseys at home, that meant some teams had to travel with both their dark and their white uniform sets. That meant twice as many jerseys, socks and helmets to lug around. And with airport security the way it is now (and the way it always should have been, in the author's humble opinion), that made for a ponderous situation. So to make things easier for travel, the dark uniforms are now the home uniforms in the NHL.

Also by the 2003-04 season, the NHL's third jersey program was well into full swing, with over half of the league's 30 teams taking part. With that, the NHL embarked on a new program -- the Vintage Jersey program. Whereas alternate (third) jerseys are worn about 15 times each season per team, the vintage jerseys were worn only for a few select games per season. Fortunately, the new program is not limited to the Original Six. Six teams -- Boston, Los Angeles, Montreal, the New York Rangers, St. Louis and Vancouver -- took part in the 2003-04 season. The Edmonton Oilers also be broke out their 1979-80 jerseys for one game -- the Heritage Classic on November 22, 2003, against the Canadiens, which was also the first ever regular season game played outdoors in NHL history.

The decade is still a few years away from completion, but so far, the Vancouver Canucks wild uniform award (named for their 1978-79 monstrosities) has to go to the Buffalo Sabres for their 2006 redesign. While a change of colors back to blue and gold was a welcome change for Sabres fans, many of them panned the new crest. Some even refer to it as "The Buffaslug" for its lack of legs. A closer look at the crest would show that its shape resembles that of the letter B (for Buffalo, of course). Its most noteworthy innovation, however, is the number on the front of the jersey above and to the left of the crest. Not since the 1949-50 season in the NHL has a team worn a number on the front of their jerseys. The Chicago Cougars of the WHA placed a number in a similar position on their jerseys (to see images, be sure to visit WHAUniforms.com).

With Reebok taking over the task of manufacturing the uniforms, it has long been rumored that the NHL will be going to more form-fitting uniforms. That was supposed to have taken effect for the 2006-07 season, but after every NHL GM gave the new design the thumbs-down, Reebok went back to the drawing board, and the new design will wait until at least the 2007-08 season.

To see the uniforms worn during a particular season, click on a year to the left.