New Pens Sweater Coming in Fall
Friday · Jul 16 · 2010 | 10:16 AM PDT
The Pittsburgh Penguins will unveil their 2011 Winter Classic sweater early this fall, according to newspaper reports in Pittsburgh. And after its New Year's debut, expect it to replace the powder blue third jersey.
Yesterday, the Tribune-Review and Post-Gazette offered up a few tantalizing details regarding the outdoor game which the Pens will host at Heinz Field on January 1. Let's take a look at what they've got.
Rob Rossi of the Tribune-Review writes the following:
More details about the 2011 NHL Winter Classic at Heinz Field — including ticket information — will be unveiled at a news conference tentatively planned for the final week of this month.
President David Morehouse reiterated that the Penguins will debut a new alternate uniform at the Winter Classic but said details would not be made public until the fall. This uniform will replace the baby-blue look the Penguins wore at the 2008 Classic and for a handful of games the past two seasons.
It's only a guess, but the league may use this opportunity to officially reveal the new Winter Classic logo — which we got a sneak peek at the day the season schedule was released. One detail not expressed here is whether the new WC sweater will take over third jersey duties in 2011 right after the outdoor game, or be pushed to the 2011-12 season.
The Post-Gazette's Dave Molinari may have gotten an answer to that question:
"The new jersey we unveil will be specially designed for the Winter Classic," said Tom McMillan, the team's vice president of communications. "That's become a Winter Classic tradition."
... "It could become the third jersey in the future," McMillan said.
In other words, nothing is set in stone right now. It all depends on fan response. Molinari also confirmed with the team that the powder blues will be worn for "about 10 regular-season games" in the 2010-11 season.
As expected, neither report has any details on the design, but fans have started a number of rumors. The tradition that McMillan spoke of is all about teams digging into their history for a classic look. For the Pens, they have a decent variety to work with.
Rumors suggest these are the Penguins' Winter Classic jersey options
Their history, as showcased by the Hockey Uniform Database, reveals a number of possible sweater designs. The dark blue jerseys, worn from 1977 to 1980 have been rumored as have the black/yellow sweaters used between 1980 and 1992. (Both above.)
Which do you prefer? Drop a line in the comments.
Reader Comments (49)
I hope it's the jerseys they wore when the won their first Stanley Cups. I think it will be. It's actually a little bit different than the one in the picture there. the stripes are straight and and the numbers are in the yellow sleeve. And I must say, it surprised me when I went from blog to the polls back to the blog that there was a new post in that time. haha
i'd prefer it if the penguins weren't in the winter classic this year.
I hope it's the black/gold from 1991-92. If you're having a big event like this in Pittsburgh, you gotta wear black and gold.
I have a question regarding last year's winter classic (Flyers vs Bruins). I really liked the gold Bruins jersey they wore and (I'm prob in the minority) but I was really hoping for it to be in the Edge cut. When I went to the store to try it on, it had the NHL shield logo on the collar and looked like an Edge cut, but it felt more like a CCM airknit uniform. Same goes for the jerseys the Flyers wore. Any plans for them to release it with the more "stretchy" fabric for next season? I bought the Pens powder blue one last year and it was fine. Do you think maybe it has the CCM-like fabric due to the weather conditions?
The yellow and black would fit nicely with Heinz Field..
these would be awesome
The Penguins might also use the yellow one of the '80s. there have been a lot of people buying them. I think it's a definite possibility.
You're playing at Heinz Field. You have to go Black and Gold. I'm getting goosebumps thinking about Sid wearing the vintage Black and Gold. :) :) :)
Nev, I believe you are in a really small minority as someone who actually likes the Edge cut. I recently ordered an Edmonton Oil Kings WHL replica Reebok jersey and it was supposed to be the old style pre-Edge version because that's what I like, I am old school. Anyway, when it arrived in the mail to my surprise I was sent an Edge version instead. So I tried it on and I hate it. I feels terrible, not like a hockey jersey should feel. It feels sleek, like something a woman would wear out to dinner. I hate the tight look and feel around my forearms and the tail design stinks. I was so dissapointed in this jersey.
i read via someone who works at icejerseys that the design is a "love them or hate them" style....
i thought for sure it'd be the black and gold, as i assume the caps go with their late 80's sweater, but after reading that, i don't know. perhaps the icejerseys employee means the gold color......
I'd prefer the dark blue/light blue combo, but anything is better than that awful black and beige.
As a big Pens fan, my vote is for the 91-92 style. I think it'd look great.
Just get the Mario era sweaters and make them the primaries already, those were perfect. The current Vegas gold is so bland and boring.
I'd love to see the return of black and pittsburgh gold, but Mario has really distanced the team from it. A large portion of the fanbase hasnt liked the use of vegas gold anyways and opening the door, even for just one game to a return of the last color scheme I dont see Mario going with.
This is ridiculous that the Penguins are in another Winter Classic.
No it's not. What do you think would get more attention, Caps and Pens or Wild and Whoever? Soon the Winter Classic might lose its appeal, so Bettman is making hay while the sun's shining. Can't blame him.
Dave, I was (and to an extent) still am in the same boat regarding the "feel" of a hockey jersey. I grew up with the CCM 6100 (traditional) style of jersey and grew to live with it. However, I'm 5' 7" and 140lbs and I definitely fit better with the Edge cut, mainly as I only use it to play road hockey and not with equipment. All the Edge cut needs to do is remove the ridiculous "diaper hem" at the bottom of the jersey, remove the dumb vertical racing stripes and return to the horizontal striping pattern. I think the New Jersey Devils transferred best from the old style to new Edge cut. It looks clean and sharp and hell, I'm no Devs fan, but I'd buy one. But I think there has to be a best of both worlds solution that exists whereby players can be faster and yet look like a hockey player should.
Even though I know it's not a classic I'd like to see the Pens play in a jersey with the 1992-2002 logo. The triangle penguin. To me that is one of the best sportslogos ever. It's simple, but yet very powerful. The penguin most definetly looks more respectgiving than the skating one.
I'm not a fan of the dark or alternative dark jersey here, but the white one is probably my favorite NHL uniform of all time.
Regarding the Caps, it would seem as if though they don't have much choise but to make a completely new uniform. Their old one looks too similar to their current one if you'd ask me.
I think it would b sweet if the Caps wore those white pants
I like the EDGE cut as well.
I really hope the Pens go with the 91-92 style jerseys. Heck, if certain groups hadn't wanted to make money from a jersey redesign, the Pens probably would be in these still.
@ Pihlbaoge, The Pigeon logo is dead and buried, N'er to return, THANK GOD! Mario knew what he was doing when he brought back the Skating Penguin. Howard Baldwin made a HUGE mistake changing the logo/uniform after Back to Back Stanley Cups. I, like alot of other diehard Pens fans QUIT buying Pens merchandise after that garbage logo was introduced. I really hope the Winter Classic uniform is the '91/'92 uni's(especially with the yellow gold)
I too LOVE the edge jerseys because they all fit on me perfectly. but like everyone else i hate the "diaper hem" with a passion. i dont mind the vertical stripes but i dont like seeing them overdone by teams that dont need them (florida, calgary, edmonton etc).
The home - white 91-92 classic crest and "GOLD" (not TAN) is the way to go! Let's go Pens!
91PENS92//
I respect your opinion. I'm not a pens fan, I'm a Swede from Gothenburg and I can relate to what you feel as our team (Frölunda) changed their logo 1997 from a classic logo to an an ugly Indian.
However, as a mare outside observer, I who grew up with the "Robo Pengiun" while watching NHL games, I love it. Probably the same way as many outside observers think that the Indian logo was a huge boost for our team.
The black and yellow jerseys by far, i miss them :(
On the topic of Frolunda (since it came up), I find it kind of funny that a Swedish team would use a Native American as a mascot. Then again, I suppose it is akin to an American team being called the Vikings.
I used to hate the Pidgeon logo UNTIL I saw it with blue instead of yellow on this site. The blue, black and white makes me think of ice when coupled with the stylized penguin.
HGG447//
There's actually a story behind that, however lame it might be. During the 1990:s most Swedish teams saw to rebrand themselves, most did, but this wasn't apriciated by the fans (European sportsteams generally stick to their logos and uniforms with only minor facelifts to modernise logos, since most of us, me included think that changing logos and uniforms mean throwing history away) Frölunda is one of few teams that actually stuck to their new design, while others just took the rebranding to their shoulders as secondary logos. Many teams saw concepts that were scraped as soon as they saw daylight. To mention some, we have Djurgården Lightning, wich was however scraped before even making it to the ice, HV71 Blue Bulls (they wear it on their shoulders today) and Färjestad Wolfs. Malmö went with Redhawks (and is the only team besides Frölunda that still uses their rebranding as a first.) Luleå got a bear, that still has a place on the logo but never apeared in the name.
However, going back to the story.
When Frölunda was about to rebrand, they figured that "hey, we are a team from the Swedish westcoast, and people sometimes describe our team as playing "western hockey" (Western in this case being the Clint Eastwood western, not the direction). Why not go with something connected to the Wild West?" After some polls the board decided between Frölunda Indians and Frölunda Cowboys, and to be honest, with those two choises I'd say the board made a good move.
As an outside spectator, I find the entire "rebranding" buisness in the NHL to be very intresting, but I can honestly say that I'd hate to see it happen to my team. (I'm not really a hockeyfan, more of a Football fan, and I'm not speaking of the amercan version where you hold the ball with you hands... Why call it football when you're holding the ball with you hands? Anyhow, the team I live and die for is IFK Göteborg
Oh, I'm going on and on, could go on for days here :p
Four words: Caps. White. Pants. Please.
I know that it's unpopular, but I've always been a fan of the Penguins' late-90's black uniform with the side-profile Penguin as the crest. They probably wouldn't bring that back for a Winter Classic though.
Just a tid bit of info...... All of the Pens logos that have been pictured in the new arena have been black and white. No signs of Vegas gold anywhere. The latest sneak peak of the carpet in the new locker room has the skating penguin logo with "yellow" gold. Hopefully this means that all 3 pro sport teams will once again be Black N Gold! Good times!
these would be awesome
that would be sweet, even though i hate the pittsburg betmans
In response to FJ Skupnik take a look at the pics from the Consol Energy Center. There are seats in the arena that are that Vegas Gold colour so I highly doubt they will ditch it
I say go with the yellow's from the early 80's, and make sure they wear the yellow helmets as well.
Nev, I surely hope no knowledgeable hockey fan actually believes the NHL's hype machine when they say that the Edge jersey makes players faster. Give me a break! NHL just spewed out that crap just to sell the players and fans on these new disastrous jerseys. Personally, the NHL should make the Edge cut for those fans who desire a sleaker cut as well as an original cut for those who want a traditional feel and cut (while going back to the original cut and material for on-ice games). I am all for progress, but don't try and tell me that the Edge jersey was designed to make players faster and better. It was designed to sell more jerseys and increase the bottom line for NHL merchandising. You do realize that Gary Bettman's contract has a clause in it that he gets a nice chunk of change when NHL merchandising creates more revenue.
Valid argument, Dave. Frankly, when the Edge first came out (I attended the Sens jersey unveiling for the new "uniform system" back in August 2007 and hated the design) I was against it completely. I was able to get a replica (or premier) at cost from a friend who works at a sports store, so I figured I would try one and, as mentioned earlier, I like the fit much more than the old CCM. Now, personally, I think that if you look at the evolution of NHL jerseys (nhluniforms.com) from the 70's to the late 90's, the uniforms got a lot more baggy, almost to the point of being swamped in fabric (hence the jerseys being tucked in, etc). If the NHL would have reduced the amount of fabric in the arms (notice how much they have increased in size for elbow pads over the years!), I think that we might have a solution. Ultimately, I feel that the Edge jerseys fit and feel better as a fan, but the original CCM's take the cake for best-looking.
I looked at the Consol Energy Centre pics and saw a LOT of Vegas gold.
@ pihlbaoge:
thanks for the info, I didn't know that. reasonable explanation.
Hey Nev, good discussion here, really cool. Finding a middle ground on this issue would be hard for me, but if I had to choose I would have to go with the old CCM material with the Edge cut. I just really hate the feel of the new material that is used for the Edge cut. I can deal with the look of it, but the feel just irks me to no end.
Several NHL teams do not use the NHL edge material in their edge jerseys. This includes the Washington Capitals.
What Reebok needs to do is come out with a new template for jerseys with traditional striping. Get rid of that rounded tail at the bottom of the jersey and design a new collar that isn't so elongated and ugly looking. The tighter fit itself isn't a problem. In fact I think that aspect is better.
I hate the yellow gold combo. makes me want to puke!!!!!
EL, interesting point regarding the Caps not wearing "edge material" in their jerseys. I assume you mean by edge material, you're referring to the "stretchy" fabric. I heard from a sports store manager that certain teams wanted a more "traditional fabric" and so it felt more air-knit like the old CCMs. Here's a question for those who may know, what's the difference between the Edge 1.0 and 2.0? I'm not sure I could I decipher the difference if I was presented with 2 images side by side.
Nev, from what I have read the Edge 1.0 is the original Edge material, which allowed the moisture to drip down the jersey into the players' gloves and skates. When the players complained about this Reebok changed the material back to the traditional air knit fabric for those teams who requested it. This new/old Edge jersey is the 2.0 version. I believe the front panel is made of the traditional air knit fabric while the rest of the jersey is the new material.
Thanks for the reply, Dave. Awesome. To that end, I wonder which teams have indeed switched to the Edge 2.0? I have heard rumours and whatnot. I know the Sens have switched to the 2.0. However, teams like Washington and possibly Pittsburgh have not. I wonder if there's any inside confirmation on this quarry?
Hey Chris just thought I'd share this with you and everyone. The Consol Energy Center(Pens new home) has some new freshly painted ice on it. Love the site. Let's Go Pens!!
They're gonna go with an earlier design, from the 70s when the Penguins were still navy and baby blue. Those are more nostalgic. Right now, the Pens' current uniforms are too similar to the 1990-1992 versions- the only difference right now is that the yellow is more of a beige color, but other than that there isn't enough visual difference to make the new 3rds the ones from the Lemieux era. It's gonna be the dark blue one with the usual Penguin in the middle, mark my words
For EL, the collars on the reebok jerseys are great, i have no idea what you're talking about.
I'm holding out for the 67-68 sweaters, I would love them to break them out!!!