Sharks jersey rankings: Why original black sweater is fourth-best uniform

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Editor's note: The Sharks have been in existence for 28 years and have worn a variety of jerseys in that span - teal, black and white. NBC Sports California ranked the five best sweaters since San Jose first took the ice in 1991. We continue with the fourth-best Sharks jersey: The original black sweater.

From 1991-98, the Sharks only sported two colors of sweaters: Teal and white. San Jose revamped their teal away sweaters and white home sweaters at the start of the 1998-99 season, but also added a third color uniform to their rotation three seasons later. 

On Oct. 27, 2001, the Sharks introduced their first black alternate jerseys, worn at select home and road games. Here is how the team describes the idea of a third addition to their rotation of colors:

This solid black sweater debuted on Oct. 27, 2001 and was worn at selected home and road games. The sweater included the round "fin" logo on each shoulder, teal and white stripes on each sleeve, the flared V-neck collar in black with white trim, white numerals with teal and gray trim, black porthole mesh on the sides and the name on back in arched white lettering.

San Jose's first crack at an alternate black sweater was a solid design. The logo really stands out with a white background on a jersey. It's a simple look and the fin above the numbers on the arms adds some fun.

The Sharks wound up wearing these black sweaters from 2001-08. Over that span, San Jose had 259 wins, 161 losses in regulation, 29 ties and 43 overtime losses. The Sharks reached the playoffs in five out of the six years they wore their original black sweaters.

[RELATED: Why current black sweater is Sharks' fifth-best uniform]

Check back each day this week as we continue to unveil our top five San Jose Sharks uniforms of all time.

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