Penguins Unveil WC Jersey!
Thursday · Oct 28 · 2010 | 10:40 AM PDT
Pittsburgh Penguins reveal 2011 Winter Classic sweater
The Pittsburgh Penguins officially unveiled their 2011 Winter Classic sweater today, according to the team's website.
Evgeni Malkin shows off new sweaterThey've posted a photo gallery featuring a few different shots of the new uniform, including the one above. As rumored, the sweater is a hybrid of past Pens jerseys. It's similar in design to the team's inaugural uniform from 1967 with the powder blue and navy inverted. The main difference being the addition of the original logo which was never before used on a jersey.
The design should be no surprise to Icethetics readers. It's almost exactly what I posted here earlier this month. It doesn't replace the the Penguins' first Winter Classic or the Blackhawks' WC/third jersey atop my personal favorites list, but I'm still a big fan.
It's a sharp look and almost has the feel of an "old-timey" wool hockey sweater. Don't be deceived, though, it's still a Reebok Edge jersey. But it's one of the better ones we've seen.
My only issue is the massive size of the waist stripes. Definitely think that could've been toned down a little. Way too close to the numbers on the back.
Otherwise a solid design effort and Pens fans should be pleased. It's a great new look and I hope they keep it around a while. The Penguins announced the jersey will also be worn later in the season after the Winter Classic, on Feb. 10 vs Los Angeles and Mar. 12 vs Montreal.
Now, your thoughts on the new threads?
Reader Comments (72)
They could have toned it down on the stripes, otherwise, they're sharp.
This is amazing can't wait til I'm at the game seeing it in action!
Good looking uni! I don't think the waist striping is too much. It's just unique. Interesting pants too.
Looks good, I agree on the waist/sleeve stripes, they're too big, kinda distract from the rest of the jersey. Better than the Caps though!
very disappointing. could have done so much better.
Looks good, I agree on the waist/sleeve stripes, they're too big, kinda distract from the rest of the jersey. Better than the Caps though!
Though I do think this is a major improvement from their current blues, I would have preferred for the Pens to revert to using actual yellow.
It'll probably grow on me by January, though.
Totally agree on the waist stripes...but otherwise I really dig it.
These are very sharp jerseys! i really like them
Oh god that is awful. I thought the last winter classic ones were bad, but at least those had a bit of style to them.
This looks like a childs concept drawing. Proportions are way off, the numbers look awful, the excessive roundness does NOT work with the flat striping.
Both Pitts and Wash need to head back to the drawing board because this Winter Classic is going to look awful on both ends.
I think they are sharp and will be popular with fans. I know a lot of people wanted the early 90s balck & gold, but them they would not sell as many jerseys since many fans would have already had one.
As a huge Penguins fan, I'm totally biased, but I love them. If they eliminated two "levels" of the stripes, it'd be perfect. It'll be interesting to see if they tweek it at all if they plan to make them their new third jerseys.
pretty cool i guess, i wonder if the socks will also have the broad stripes
Just happy they went to the navy blue. I personally think the ones from the '79-'80 season would of been awesome to wear for the WC
Couldn't agree more with Ian. Those are terrible jerseys. I can't stand any team in the NHL with Baby Blue, leave that for basketball or flashier sports. I do not like a single thing about these jerseys. Get rid of the dirty, digusting "vintage white" (worse than baby blue in my opinion) and go with some actual bright white. Vancouver has a 40th anniversary jersey that looks amazing and uses WHITE. Not beer soaked rags "vintage white"
Smarten up RBK.
I just dont know, i love the hawks WC and even the new flames heritage unis.... but this isnt my cup of tea i guess. the strips are cool colored, but too big. and i feel like the navy, just like the navy for the blues third... will love black on television. not something the pens probably want out of a one time only showing of the jerseys. but nice logo!!
GO BLUES!!!
@ Dan K From Pittsburgh
The early 90s would have sold like crazy. People who already have them probably have ones with Lemieux or Francis or Stevens on the back, not Crosby or Malkin. Besides, its been 20 years since the 90s jerseys were used, so a whole new fan base would not have these, except for hand me downs and ebay buys.
Anyway. I feel meh about them. I like some parts, like the old style numbering that the pens originally had, but the name font doesnt match. Should have done what Vancouver did with their throwbacks and not have names (pens original didnt have names) Stripes on socks and sleeves are nice, but the waist band is too big. looks silly that way.
Absolutely horrible. We've already got an "old-timey" WC/third jersey in Pittsburgh, but that one at least looks classy (despite the stigma that the Pens always lose in the baby blues). This mishmash of design elements just doesn't work. As you say, the stripes are way too big. Plus the color pattern is exactly like Florida's third, which I never liked to begin with, even when it wasn't a copycat.
Sports are a big deal in Pittsburgh, and although the Pirates have spent the last 19 years trying to alienate the city's residents and become the worst franchise in the history of sports, all three major teams in this city have found their success wearing black and gold. Most people love the solidarity of the teams' using the same color scheme. Le Magnifique saved the franchise wearing those colors, and led the team to back-to-back Stanley Cups. One nod to the franchise's early years was enough; this one is just putrid.
All-in-all, not bad.... Could have been better but not bad at all. As stated, the lower stripes are WAY too thick. I WILL be getting one as soon as they are available, though!
I think they look quite good. I am glad they reversed the colours. I don't mind the powder blue as an accent colour, but I don't really like it as the main colour.
I do also agree with toning down the stripes. If they went with 3 stripes instead of 5 it would have been better in my opinion.
I think that this year's Winter Classic jerseys are by far the worst of the bunch - in terms of rating them as a pair (poll idea!). Chicago/Detroit was #1, Philly/Boston #2, & Pitt/Buffalo #3
The Capitals is a major disappointment; it is not too different from their current sweater. Had they ventured out and made something significantly different but clearly influenced by current and past designs, they could have had something special. What a disappointment. Surely future WC teams will learn from this...
The Pens have done that - much like the Bruins last year (my second favorite WC jersey). It is different enough from the powder blue, but definitely has the desired retro feel without looking too fake like the Rangers' third. I am amazed at the numbers and logo patch - they almost look like felt! Talk about old school! Really my only grip about this jersey is the same as everybody else - the stripes are way too huge and blocky.
Wow - those are......interesting at best.....and flat out bad at worst. I see the intent in these, but I think the Pens and Reebok fell flat on the execution. That navy blue is a nice color, but they could have gone with about 2 or 3 fewer aqua stripes (or maybe shave off a half an inch per stripe?) and the overall look would be more balanced. I would also ditch the old school numbering - almost looks cartoonish.
I seem to recall an early concept that was based on the white jerseys from the first season that had "PITTSBURGH" spelled out on the front. Now, if I was the Penguins, I would have gone with this jersey. That would have given the fans another jersey to wear for their "White Out" games. I think they would have sold more than yet another shade of blue...
I don't know about you, but that looks more like bleach white than vintage white.
This thing is ugly as sin. they already did a throw back blue jersey for their last winter classic, why not have a winter classic that is a little more recent but pretty meaningful from a stand point of winning the cup a couple times in it and have the yellow and black jersey. thats just my opinion
very good. maybe wider stripes
I hated these at first glance with the gigantic stripes, but seeing the picture of Malkin actually WEARING the uni, and it looks great. Still would have preferred smaller stripes, but all in all, very nice.
EPIC FAIL, EPIC FAIL, EPIC FAIL!!! Shoulda used the '91/'92 Stanley Cup uniforms. True most fans old enough to to be around for the first 2 Cups will own that style jersey(myself, I own a Authentic Home White #66 Lemieux with all the Patches) BUT they wilmore an likely buy a Crosby,Malkin,Staal, GOD I love seeing the replica Crosby's ('91/'92 CCM style jersey) when I go to pens games!
I honestly don't anticipate that I'll watch this year's winter classic, but that being said I am impressed with the jerseys. I think the pens sweater looks sharp as much as I hate to admit. I don't think it makes much sense to add another blue jersey to the mix. The penguins of the 60's and 70's aren't exactly the glory days that pitt fans want to recall. I think it would have been better to go with an early 90's Lemeiux/Jagr era yellow and black sweater, although I guess only reaching back 20 years into the past isn't exactly "classic." Oh well, I'm still impressed. Hope they wear these against my Flyers at least once so I can see them in action.
As a pittsburgher who is starting to get pretty tired of seeing all the blue Pens jerseys at the games, it's not bad. Seeing it on Malkin makes it look alot better than it just hanging there. It's not a bad jersey, but the Penguins could have done a lot better.
* Believe it or not, I saw Mario Lemieux in the locker room hallway at a local arena here (Island sports center) tuesday night. It was before I practiced to help out my old high school team (North Hills) and right before the team that Mario's son plays on practiced. I was very tempted to go up and ask him why the Pens decided not to use black and gold for the WC, but being sort of shy and not wanting to interupt his conversation, I didn't ask him. If I happen to run into him again down there, I will make sure to ask him and get everyone here a straight answer from the big cheese himself.
Not bad, better than what they wear normally, but why mess with the perfection that is the standard third jersey?
I agree with Ian about the stripes and CFA_27 about the younger fans. I was born in 91, so right during the cup years and I got about 6 Pens jerseys. The only black and gold I got is an old Barasso jersey I picked up from e-bay. If the would have done a new styled black and gold guaranteed everyone I know would go out and buy a new one. People got the old jerseys, everyone wants the new. And whos to say that the would have used the same exact stripes as the old ones. Could have modified the striping and went with black and gold.
Have to say, I dislike it. I can't check how true to the source material it is, so the things I don't care for may well be features of the original.
The off white doesn't work. It's too off! The originals were probably whiter than this when they were made! Totally agree with McBain on this. White did exist in the past. Everything wasn't sepia toned!
The yellow in the penguins logo clashes with the rest of the jersey.
Rounded numbers? Square fonts in the logo? Another clash.
Stripes too wide.
Off centre drop shadows. Urgh.
I think the lesson here, imo, is that a lot of uniforms from the past are horrible and simply bringing them back from the annals of history does not make them any easier on the eye. Nostalgia can only do so much.
Wow I actually think those are hideous. Plus - they look comparable to their last WC jerseys. Should have went with one of their yellow ones or the black with the chest out penguin logo.
wow, absolutely awful looking jerseys
No Gold sweater... :(
I think they look really cool!
Chris, how about having a WC jersey tournament? It would be kind of a small tournament, but It would be cool to see which people like the best. And/or having a WC logo tournament too. That would increase the tourny to 8 jerseys and 4 logos.
Now that I've seen how it looks, I can only say that the "vintage white" ruins it. It would look a hundred times better with regular white.
I mean, look at the pic at the top - the back numbers on the Crosby jersey! The way the light's hitting it, it looks like somebody spilled coffee all over it, for crying out loud! This is a definite no-buy for me.
If it's not a genuine wool sweater, "vintage white" has no business being on it.
I'm all for it, primarily for the numbers. That's one of the most unique fonts in NHL history, and I just love it. I have a white and a blue remake of the '67 diagonal PITTSBURGH jerseys; they're among my favourites, and this jersey pays homage to it.
The only complaints I have is I'm not sure if off-white is a good choice here, and the letters look absolutely ridiculously huge on the namebar (the Capitals are just as bad); maybe it's to make them more visible for the fans in attendance? Seems logical.
The crest is pretty cool, too; correct me if I'm wrong, but is this not the first time that logo has actually been featured on the front of a jersey? I thought it was just an alternate logo for marketing before.
I'm buying one.
I love the new jerseys! The color pattern is a reversal of the franchise's first jersey (powder blue, navy trim, diagonal "Pittsburgh"). As mentioned, the logo was originally only seen on franchise stationary (1967.) The Pens are forging a new identity by giving a nod to the origin of the hockey club. The number style is also identical to the 1967 jerseys. A great franchise move. I'm sure they will have a lot of success marketing this jersey style!
no horrible but not great either. the sleeves and waist stripes are way too big. make them alittle smaller and remove the circle around the penguin and than maybe i might like them. the caps jersey is way better than this one
As I said on Twitter: "They'd look better if they wore scarves and penguin suits."
Just doesn't look right... a step back from their most recent. Not only that, but what up with the stripes? Three stripes is perfect. Four is overdoing it. Five is really pushing my limits, and... because I can, I'll count the white and blue stripes together, which is ELEVEN.
The jersey has so many stripes, I think THAT'S the main color, and it's one thick dark-blue stripe on the top.
not bad
Very ugly, in fact, they're Fugly with a capital F.
Very Sharp. I do agree though, the waist stripes are a bit overkill
Pros:
Logo
Numbers
Stripes
Dislike:
Waist Stripes
Letters don't match Numbers well enough
Powder Blue on Navy doesn't go too well (Navy on Powder Blue does IMO)
Overall, I'd Choose their first Winter Classic Unis over these. Too bad they didn't go with the Black, Gold and White of the Lemieux days.
4 Out of 5.
Definitely has that old-timey look that we've all come to love about the Winter Classic. I like it better than those terrible baby blues!
the jersey is ok -- nothing out of this world or anything, though. however, the font used for the numbers is nice.
that said, i definitely won't watch the WC this year. it's disgusting that gary bettman is cramming the penguins down people's throats again. (dear gary, there ARE other teams in the NHL with potential stars that have far more charisma and likeability than your crybaby crosby. the NHL is NOT the NBA, no matter how hard you try.)
even some penguins fans i have talked to think it is incredibly stupid and shortsighted to have a repeat team so soon. how does this grow the sport at all? don't give me crosby vs. ovechkin, because as i said earlier, crosby isn't a likeable star, and hasn't really done much to carry the flag for hockey in the lower 48 since he's joined the league. also, as an aside, crosby isn't even the best player on his own team, arguably.
i was at the first one in buffalo and it's such a great event, but leave it to the NHL to figure out a way to turn hockey fans off.
I love everything about these jerseys EXCEPT the nameplate. That typeface throws the whole jersey off for me.
The numbers, name and logos are felt by the way. That's what NHL shop is saying at least.
Just awful. the logo designer himself from 1967 didn"t like his OWN design. what does that tell ya? they should of put the logo on the sleeves & had the diagonal pittsburgh on the front & drop about 10 stripes and this jersey would be ok at best. l can't believe these awful thing are going to be worn news years day. lt will be even worse if they become the new third jerseys.