Pens Sticking with Powder Blues?
A new report from a Pennsylvania-based retailer says the Pittsburgh Penguins are dropping plans to launch a new third jersey for the 2010-11 season.
House O' Hockey in Monroeville, Pa. sent an email to customers today, claiming that the Penguins will be sticking with their current powder blue third jersey for at least another season. Here's a pull from the actual email:
Breaking News! The NHL Pittsburgh Penguins have decided not change their 3rd Jersey for the 2010/2011 season but will wear the light Blue 3rd Jersey (Columbia blue) again for another season.
Here to stay at least another year?As reported on Icethetics, it was first revealed in December that the Penguins were planning to ditch their current third jersey in favor of another alternate uniform, also based on a past design.
These rumors were then confirmed by Reebok. While the manufacturer offered no specific details, they did say the Pens' third jersey was "TBD" for 2010-11, alluding to a new design in the works.
So if this report from House O' Hockey is true, what are the implications? Could it be a response to fan outcry? The jerseys are very popular and this rumor of a redesign has been churning for months. Plus, if the team were to stop wearing them, wouldn't fans who just spent their hard-earned recession money on one be annoyed?
My sneaky suspicion has to do with the next Winter Classic. Another report recently said that the Penguins and Capitals could be meeting for the next outdoor game on 1/1/11. If that's true, it might make more sense for the Pens to hold off and debut a new alternate uniform then. Of course the NHL has released absolutely no information on a Winter Classic in 2011, so this is just speculation on top of speculation.
What's your theory on the Pens scrapping plans for a new third jersey?
Thanks to Gary P. for passing along this information.
Chris
Just watching the Boston Bruins come back against Sabres tonight on Versus. How I do love overtime playoff hockey! But I saw something funny during the broadcast.
Bruins or Killer Bees?After one of the Bruins' goals, they showed some cutaways of cheering fans. I'm not sure who this guy was actually rooting for.
He was holding a poster that said Killer B's. What was odd was that it had a "killer bee" on it. And not just any bee. Take a look at the screenshot to the right. (Click to enlarge.)
That's the logo of the Rio Grande Valley Killer Bees of the Central Hockey League. So that's weird. And random.
And it's not just that he's using another team's logo to cheer on his team. It's that it's a logo that doesn't represent his team at all. I know that fans often call the Bruins the B's, but they don't mean the insect.
Anyway, I just thought it was funny. And kudos to the Killer Bees for getting their logo on national TV.
Collect them all!Also worth checking out if you're bored, there's a new board game out by CSE Games in which the goal is to collect various historic Hockey Canada jerseys.
RPS 27: Rock-Paper-Scissors Jigsaw Battle (Hockey Canada 2010 Edition) — yes, that's the name of the game — is a puzzle game for kids.
Basically, you play rock-paper-scissors to collect pieces from your opponents to complete a puzzle. And the pieces have hockey sweaters on them.
Reader Comments (24)
Thank god.
The best alternates in the league, maybe even in hockey, sticking around for at least one more year.
I hate the Pansy powder blues BUT I can deal with them for another season, here's hoping the Pens go back to the '91/'92 Stanley Cup uniform for the winter classic(yellow gold and all). Alot of long time Pens fans(like myself) that I know, would really like to see the return of the '91/'92 Stanley Cup uni's
I hope this is true (it probably is)
Looks like it will be PIT-WSH at Heinz Field.
I enjoy how most Pens fans dislike the powder blues(my friend does especially), yet most fans outside of pittsburgh love them. Weird.
Great news. These are simply the best jerseys in the NHL, and the Penguins are wasting them by wearing them only as alternates.
I like the Pens current thirds, but I would LOVE to see them go back to the days of Mario Lemieux with the black and gold. A yellow/gold third jersey would be awesome too. bring back the sunday jerseys.
Also a news station here in Pittsburgh (idk what station) reported that the Pittsburgh Steelers of the NFL, have had their schedule worked, so that the Penguins would be able to host the Winter Classic at Heinz Field in 2011.
i'm about 99% sure that it's going to be Pens v. Caps outdoors on New Years Day 2011...so it makes sense they'v "suddenly" scrapped plans for a brand new third jersey. but we'll see what happens...maybe they'll carry TWO amazing third jerseys in the future?
The Stiller sched. has the last home game as being Dec. 23 so it looks like the Winter classic will be at Heinz Field. I still don't like the idea of the Pens playing in it twice, would rather see different teams(Phoenix/Winnipeg uni VS Col/Quebec uni or Dallas/Northstars uni VS Minn or Car/Hartford uni VS Montreal) BUT since the NHL is hell bent on the Crosby/Ovechkin thing. This is what I hope the Pens/Caps do for the winter classic:
Penguins
Capitals
Maybe they were planning on scrapping the baby blues when it looked like they were getting the Winter Classic and would need another retro jersey. SO, maybe this is a sign that that's no longer the case. I'd rather see a Caps/Rangers classic in DC anyway (which was the original odds-on favorite).
Caps in Winter Classic? WHITE PANTS!!!!
no way could they get Heinz field ready in 7 days if the Steelers are indeed playing on the 23rd. Would have to be in their ball park.
I can't speak for the logo, but there have been Killler B's banners in the stands dating back to the old Garden. I'm talking black and white tv days.
i still think the caps and canucks should play in the WC. enough of crosby and the pens already. the canucks have a HUGE fanbase here and bc place can hold 60'000 people. and with the canucks being money whores (average $149+ for a normal single seat at a game in the lower section, god knows how they would price winter classic tix.) it is a win/win situation for the canucks/caps and the NHL.
No one wants to see the Canucks play a "winter classic" indoors at BC Place. I agree about Crosby though. If the Pens are playing again I will not watch.
The Canucks make you pay a lot for tickets? Try being a Leafs fan! Once sat in the second-to-back row of the upper bowl at a Leafs game for $40 a seat... for a PRESEASON game.
i meant when the new retractable roof is built. but my point is that you can still rake in money WITHOUT crosby and still use a canadian team
As for the Columbia Blue jerseys, this may be a bit of a "red herring". I'm hearing that they may keep with the Columbia Blue motif, but switch to their ORIGINAL jerseys, the 1967 style with the "PITTSBURGH" running diagonally across the chest in a Rangers-like fashion (this is why they did it in 1993; they were borrowing from their own history). The jersey is actually quite nice, but what sets it apart is the awesome font on the back: it's a round number with a shadow to it, and honestly, it's one of my all-time favourites. It looks very 60's, but there's nothing quite like it today (the Rangers' shadowed numbers are closest, but this looks much different). It wouldn't be hard for them to make the switch, either.
Long story short: keeping Columbia Blue for another year, but still changing the jersey. I wouldn't be surprised if this is how it goes.
Sidney who?
The pens 3rd jersey in currently the ugliest in the NHL by far. I hope this is false and they are really getting rid of it. I hate the pens but I wouldnt wish that jersey on anyone. They also shouldnt get another winter classic just becasue alot of big wigs have man crushes on Crosby and Alexander the great.
The merchandise store at Mellon Arena has been selling the #rd jerseys at a discounted prise for about a month right. I dont see them doing that if they are going to keep the jerseys for another season.
This has come up before. It's important to note that discounts and sales aren't always indicative of selling off stock in order to launch a new product. Sometimes it's just about meeting certain sales quotas. And the Penguins have no plans at the moment of changing their home or road uniforms.
I meant to say the 3rd jersey is on sale not the home or road. Also talking to people who work for the team they have also said that there will be a new jersey next year.
Too bad they aren't changing their home or roads- the black & tan design is among the worst jersey offenders in the league.
I would offer an educated guess that the Pens HAD been blowing out the blues with intention of debuting a new alternate for 2010-2011, but then the likely venue for Winter Classic 2011 switched to Heinz Field. No point in making TWO new jerseys in one season.
To all those complaining about the Pens' presence in another WC so so, I'll say this: The game will likely NEVER feature a Canadian team, as it is an event tailor-made for broadcast on NBC, and the network sees no advertising dollars from outside the US. Fair or not, it will NEVER happen, so you might as well just get over it now.
New York might well've had a shot, but the powers-that-be decided to host a bowl game in Yankee Stadium on New Year's Day. So blame them, not Crosby or Ovechkin.