Pens at Winter Classic Revisited
Wednesday · Oct 20 · 2010 | 11:36 AM PDT
A little web surfing has turned up more evidence that we're on the right track for the design of the Pittsburgh Penguins' 2011 Winter Classic jersey.
After yesterday's leak of the Anaheim Ducks' new third jersey, I thought I'd peruse a few other online retailers. A few readers also had the same idea. Interestingly, the site that yielded the best information was the NHL's own shop.nhl.com.
Penguins knit hat / shop.nhl.comAmong other things, the search turned up this knit hat (right), which is dark blue and features the powder blue/vintage white stripes, a look that evokes the team's original 1967 uniforms.
In case you didn't believe me before, what more proof could you want outside of seeing the actual jersey. This certainly seems to be the creative direction the Penguins are taking for this Winter Classic.
But wait, there's more. However, this next item is no longer appearing on the website (that I could find, at least). Luckily I nabbed the image yesterday before it disappeared — though it'll likely be back online before long.
Penguins t-shirt / shop.nhl.comThis t-shirt (left) perhaps provides a little more proof that the rounded numbers from that original jersey are to be used on the new dark blue sweater.
It's a dead ringer for the rendering posted here on the blog a couple weeks ago. Colors and everything. Even the captain's C is set in the same Helvetica-like type as the numbers. Those original jerseys never had nameplates so it seems Pittsburgh will carry the style over from their current uniforms.
I hope this is the final blog post on this subject before the official unveiling — which is apparently happening before the end of the month. They have 11 days.
So what's your take? Is the dark blue a good direction for an alternate Penguins uniform? Should Mario and Co. have gone back to the black and gold days of the '80s and '90s?
Reader Comments (23)
Meh
Should have never gone with the blues, ever. Too much of a deviation to me. I was pining for the return of the black and golds of the 90s. Would've been perfect alongside the return of the Caps' old gear.
As a Caps fan, I think the Pens jersey is looking like it'll be great. I especially love the rounded Helvetica-style letters and numbers. I just wish they'd apply the Helvetica to the nameplate, too.
Light blue is to today what teal was 20 years ago -- so many teams have to have it.
Personally, I would like to see the old black and gold uniforms of the 1980's and early 1990's. If they were to choose a blue uniform, the ones they are using would be my personal choice, but they could also go with a powder-blue "PITTSBURGH" uniform with the "Scarf Penguin" logo on the shoulders...that wouldn't look bad!
Should they have gone to the black gold of the '80s and '90s? Yes, but this is a nice direction as well. Maybe Mario never liked the gold they used then and that's why they have the "Vegas" gold. Just a thought because wasn't the color change just a few years after he bought the team?
I'd like to expand on Fredde's opinion by saying that these jersey's are fairly bland in terms of design, i would have loved to see the Black and Gold...it's only fitting if you're playing in the home of the Steelers.
don't like it, throwback to the black and gold days when the team was good. these are just another annoying step in the overuse of the vintage jersey. "let's see how vintage we can get!!!"
I'm cool with it. I hate their current primary uni's un-traditional reebok design and vegas gold. Anything beats that.
as a caps fan, i hate pittsburg! there now that thats out of the way, i prefer the dark blue to the powder blue. their current third is just ugly. i was hoping they would wear the black and gold jersey that had pittsburg at an angle. but it doesnt matter, the caps jersey is just great, i have mine order with ovie of course
BLEACH! (yeah, yeah, I know, I've been railing against "vintage white" for some time now...)
Mixing the inaugural designs with the late-70s use of the dark blue as the base color is just wrong, in my opinion. I, too, would love to see the return of the iconic gold-sleeved jerseys.
Like most everyone else I would have loved to see the Pens take to the ice at the home of the Steelers in the black & gold jerseys that Mario and Jagr made popular back in the early 90s. The Pens went with the baby blue jerseys for the inaugural Winter Classic and they were good for that game (kept with the blue color palette that matched the Sabres unis and the Classic logo). I bought one of the jerseys and wore it to that game because I thought it was a one time thing. But to me the Penguins are black & gold. Heck, the entire city of Pittsburgh is black & gold. The Pirates wear those colors, the Steelers wear those colors, even the city flag is black & gold. Now I will probably still go out and get a navy blue Crosby or Malkin Winter Classic jersey to wear to the game and the remaining Pens home games at the Consol Center. But with the Penguins hosting the Winter Classic this year at Heinz Field, it would have been a fitting tribute to the Steelers and the Lemieux-era Pens to take the ice in black & gold.
boo for Blue! Heinz field is black n gold! The terrible towel will be silent. I also agree with the post that the edge Pens jerseys are horrible. Now the Pens commercials say that we bleed our own shade of black n gold. Looks like beige or tan to me.
If they were going to bring the black and yellow back it would only be good if it was that yellow jersey or the robo peguin jerseys.
Mario Lemieux hates making a big deal about himself. Which is why when he retired for the second time there was no ceremony or anything to honor him because he wanted to keep it low key and no make himself a big deal. I'm sure anyone who follows hockey closely or who live in Pittsburgh knows this already. I bet that Mario didn't want to use black in gold (the Lemieux era) because he didn't want to bring himself or his history into the winter classic and went with blue to make it less about the Lemieux history, and more of the team history for the Winter Classic. This is just my two cents on why the pens didn't go black and gold. Penguins should have went black and gold just due to the fact that Pittsburghers are getting tired of all this talk about Penguins switching to blue full time. We and many hockey fans everywhere want balck and gold!
Reason the pens aren't going black and gold has nothing to do with Mario, anyone who suggest it does is crazy. The penguins have a sharp marketing team. The introduction to a new jersey is mainly about producing extra profits. Any pens fan who lived in the 90s already has their hands on 90s black and gold jersey. If they planned on bringing it back for a new 3rd nobody would need to go out and buy a new jersey. The easiest way to make money on a "throwback" is go create something that a fan can't get their hands on without buying a new one, mainly because it didn't exist. Mishmash jerseys will become more common. The bruins did it last year now the kings sabers and pens are.
Also Mario isnt crazy about the mustard colour. A friend of mine got a baby blue winter classic sweater signed and he said he always thought they were pittsburghs sharpest jersey. I'm surprised they are replacing them.
@ ReadBetweenTheLines
Sorry dude but I for one am glad the PIGEON/ROBO/CORPORATE Penguin logo is dead and gone as goes for the remake of the original PITTSBURGH jersey but black and yellow gold. Basically anything associated with Howard Baldwin. I HATE THE PIGEON LOGO, always have and always will!!
@Hollywood You hate Pittsburg...great for you. Do you also hate Pittsburgh though because thats who the post is about?
@Gary Punzak I live in Pitt and I havent heard much talk concerning a switch to full time blue. There is absolutely no chance that will happen. Zero. Need proof? look at the color scheme throughout the Consol Energy Center. Hint: theres no blue. I did hear that MArio didnt want to go back to classic black and gold because he wants todays team to have its own identity. I dont think using those colors would skew fans views of the current team but Mario is the owner so I guess we have to deal with his decision. He's done so much for the franchise I can let this minor issue slide. lol.
Anyways concerning the jersey. I would have preferred 91/92 style myself, even the Yellow 1985 jersey would have been better than more blue. I dont really mind the current third but its a bit of overkill the extent they are used nowadays. When you got to the games the colors in the crowd are a mish-mash of blue, black white, yellow....its tough to tell what the home team colors are. I wont be buying one of these new ones for any price and Ill put the saved money towards a white 92 Kevin Stevens jersey.
I prefer the current third, but not bad.
So Hollywood, the whole point of your post was to blast Pittsburgh, it's jerseys, and say how great the Caps are? Good for you, good for you. [/rolleyes]
In a completely neutral view (no point on saying which team I like, as it's not relevant to the discussion), I like the dark blue. I'm 50/50 on the stripes. If they aren't overdone, I don't think it'll look bad. If they are as thick as the borntrade samples, then I give a thumbs down. I think this jersey has some potential, but I don't think it'll ever become a full time 3rd.
Just my .02
NHL.com has all the pens winterclassic gear aside from jersey. Not really hiding it very well
@Knuckles
I live in Pittsburgh too. (North Hills area) I could have sworn I read somewhere or heard Staggy or Errey talking about how the Pens almost went to blue full time. But maybe Im just remembering things I thought I heard that never really happened lol If I happen to find it i'll post it up on another Pens related post.
@ Gary Punzak and @ Knuckles, I too am from Pittsburgh. Grew up in Greenfield(Parkway east exit before Sq.Hill Tunnels) but my wife and I live in Munhall(near the waterfront).