Bruins Plan Outdoor Jersey
Sunday · Aug 2 · 2009 | 7:09 PM PDT
The Boston Bruins are hard at work right now deciding what they'll wear when they take to the frozen pond against the Philadelphia Flyers at Fenway Park this January.
The Boston Globe had some interesting notes regarding the discussions and a few quotes worth repeating. You can find the full article by Fluto Shinzawa here or read it with the Icethetics commentary that follows.
Sizing Up a Classic Jersey
The Bruins, deep in discussions about the sweater they’ll wear for the Winter Classic, are hoping to create a jersey that can catch a piece of the magic the Penguins created two years ago. For the 2008 outdoor game at Buffalo’s Ralph Wilson Stadium, the Penguins went retro, pulling their 1968-69 jersey design out of mothballs. Today, the powder blue sweater —the Penguins switched to black and gold in 1979-80, following in the footsteps of the Steelers and Pirates — remains one of the league's top-selling items.
"That worked," said Bruins principal Charlie Jacobs, "because they’re not necessarily their team colors. There's no black or gold. It's a powder blue jersey, and that made it unique. It's certainly recognized in their market. It's not like the Pirates, Steelers, or anything else. It's unique."
No one has hit it as big as the Penguins with an alternate jersey. I think the Chicago Blackhawks are hoping to grab a little piece of their success by turning their Winter Classic uniforms into an alternate for the upcoming season.
Jacobs hopes that by the end of August, the Bruins, in conjunction with Reebok and the NHL, will settle on a design that will serve multiple purposes: capture the Bruins’ heritage, stand out as a unique item for the New Year’s Day game against the Flyers at Fenway Park, and convince fans to hand over their money.
"We've had some really good meetings with Reebok and the NHL regarding what we think will be most appropriate to our market," Jacobs said. "We’ve looked at some traditions of our organization and our storied history."
Jacobs keeps using the word unique and likes that the Penguins went with a color that is no longer part of their regular uniforms. This leads me to think he'd be a fan of brown jerseys for the 2010 Winter Classic.
So far, the Bruins have audited every jersey in team history, looking at elements they like and ones that, in retrospect, might have been tweaked. Jacobs said the final product could be a retro jersey, or it could be a new uniform that incorporates different treatments. Black and gold would most likely be involved in the final design. But the Bruins also have worn jerseys featuring dark brown and mustard yellow tones.
The mustard yellow could work in the context of the Winter Classic but I say they go with something out of the ordinary. Brown is definitely out of the ordinary. I also think that some version of the logo currently seen on the third jersey should not be out of the question. After all, it too is based on the Bs' logo history.
It needs to stand out from the Bruins' current home and road sweaters, which are widely considered to be among the best in the league right now. That being said, it needs to be better than or on level with these. A disappointing design will take a lot of the steam out overall feel of the game.
But that's only my point of view. I know you have one too. Share it and share any concept designs you may have put together. Email them to me if you want them added to this post.
Reader Comments (10)
I think the B's should follow suite like the 2 previous WC's and don the vintage brown and mustard. CCM made this jersey a few years back in their Heritage Collection. I've seen it up close... and it's a real beauty. The fans would jump all over this.
As for the Flyers...... well...... it's been done just last year as their 3rd, so no surprises hear.
I want to see one photoshopped to look like A Red Sox jersey, seeing as they're in Fenway an all. Or maybe Celtics colors? Not that I'm totally against the Brown jerseys. Those were pretty sweet too. I'm all for that, or their 75th anniversary jerseys, with a different logo.
i just sent my concept to chris...hope to see it up on the site.
All past jerseys were considered, eh? BRING BACK WINNIE THE POOH~!
Here's hoping that Philly brings back the Cooperalls for the Winter Classic.
I did a teeny bit of digging and found this would be a great selection ...courtesy of www.nhluniforms.com.
This was the uniform the Bruins wore when they won their first Stanley Cup in 1929. It was worn for the 1926-1931 seasons. The fact that the Bruins won their first cup with this uniform really makes a statement for the Winter Classic Uniforms.
I think it has the perfect contrast of brown, yellow, and white and incorporates a variation of the logo used on their current 3rd jersey!
The brown and gold heritage sweaters are the ONLY way to go got one myself and it`s awesome!!!
LET`S GO BRUINS!!!!!
what about the flyers? i heard word that they would be making a white version to counteract their current third, and those two jerseys in turn would become the team's everyday jerseys. any truth to that?
I would love to see them wear the 1958-59 road yellow. It's sharp and would finally give the Bruins fans a yellow jersey without Winnie the Pooh on it.
The brown and yellow would be an awesome, but safe bet. More of a gamble would be to try something involving another colour -- remember those green Red Sox jerseys?