Rangers Unveil Winter Classic Threads
Monday · Nov 28 · 2011 | 1:26 PM PST
Today, the New York Rangers officially unveiled their 2012 Winter Classic sweater. And I'm happy to report that every so-called "leak" along the way proved wrong, leaving us all surprised this afternoon. For the most part.
While no fan concept or Chinese knock-off scored on the details, some of the larger, more obvious ideas are on display here. For example, the jersey is vintage white — in other words, not white. It's got a tie-up collar and a traditional striping pattern.
It's a very simple design but there's something about the oversized stripes that make the players almost look like kids. Not sure if that was intentional. But if it was, it's kind of brilliant. Part of the draw of the outdoor game is to recapture that feeling of children playing on the pond in tattered old sweaters. The vintage white adds to that, making the jerseys look unwashed.
Rangers unveil Winter Classic jerseyMany are likely to cry foul at the notion of the Rangers wearing the shield on their chest. For two short seasons between 1976 and 1978, the team stepped away from the text-only sweaters they'd worn for 50 years. And then of course in the late '90s they introduced the Lady Liberty jerseys, which were quite a hit. But other than that, they've basically used the same uniform design since, well, forever.
Much like the Boston Bruins' Winter Classic jersey from 2010, the Rangers' 2012 edition isn't based on any single design from their history, but is rather a combination of elements from the past spruced up with some new ideas.
Despite that, you have to ask yourself, when you look at it, do you immediately know it's a Rangers jersey? And I'd have to say yes. Regardless of seeing the crest, how can you call this anything but a Rangers sweater? Could be the colors. Could be the shoulders. Whatever it is, it works.
Time for links. In their official release, the Rangers credit the design to a partnership with Reebok. Our friends at the Hockey Uniform Database have the Rangers' complete sweater history on display for you. And you can find a few more pictures of the new threads on the team's Facebook page. And a lot more on Blueshirts United.
And if you've been living beneath a rock, the 2012 NHL Winter Classic at Citizens Bank Park in Philadelphia between the Flyers and New York Rangers takes place on Jan. 2 at 1 PM ET. Both jerseys are now officially out. (For those keeping score at home, we now have all of the new uniforms expected for the 2011-12 season — that is, unless the NHL breaks out new All-Star threads, which I don't expect.)
Anyway, what are your thoughts on what the Rangers will wear to the Winter Classic? It's close to what we had been expecting. Is that a good thing or a bad thing?
Reader Comments (80)
looked very 'white' outdoors. not too dingy
Is the "red" actually that light, or is it just a trick of light? I'm not sure I'm sold on the pinkish hue, but I like the minimalistic design.
I like it! nice and neat, and another Rangers jersey I want!
AMAZING! Way better than the Flyers jersey. I love the stripes they used and the logo fits in well.
they dropped the ball here, i think. I was really looking forward to the concepts that were floating around here. I dont like that they put color on the shoulders. the crest is too large and the nameplate looks rushed.
overall i am disappointed, these come off as slightly childish
I like them. They look nice and it is good to see the Rangers with a crest. But as a Flyers fan, I hope the Flyers make them wish they never see these jerseys again.
Looks pretty good, im not really liking the shade of white, but I really dont like and still cannot understand is why reebok decided to put the patch on the shoulder and only one shoulder. Not bad but I think the flyers have the nicer wc jersey.
was hopin theyd go with the ones with "rangers" arched over a number but oh well. sucks that they look so close to the fakes
It is perfect. It is a design they have never worn before, yet envokes almost all of the former jerseys the Rangers have worn in their history.
I love it!
I love it. The fake off-white doesn't bug me that much on this jersey. It's different enough from the standard set to stand out but looks like it belongs. I hate the Rangers, but love the jersey.
Not a fan of the crest but I like that they have the "Winter Classic" patch on the shoulder as opposed to the chest. Overall a good clean jersey.
Best lookin' Rangers' jersey...... EVER! No sarcasm implied. They nailed it.
I like this jersey. It's definitely not my favorite jersey of all time but i like it a lot. The striping pattern is different from anything the Rangers have worn before and I think it is a good combination of vintage and modern hockey jerseys. I'm excited to see what the pants and socks will look like. My guess is they go with dark blue helmets to match the shoulders. Can't wait to see Henrik's mask.
As a Rangers fan, I like it, for the most part! The shoulders are great; a simplified version of their current away jerseys. Definitely my favorite part of the jersey. The off-white doesn't bug me as much as I thought it would (maybe I've just gotten used to seeing it on all of the concepts/leaks we've been seeing for the past several months), but if they make it a third jersey after the WC, please, please turn it into regular white!
The only other thing that I wish were different is the number coloring; the shades of blue and red don't seem to match what's on the rest of the jersey. Just make it consistent, is all I ask!
On the whole, though, a good-looking, very "classic" jersey. Consider me a fan!
They look great! Captures the history of the team and makes the folks at Reebok happy with the vintage white.
Not hot on the crest but that is pretty slick.
After seeing this, I'm thinking maybe the Islanders black jerseys aren't the worst in the league....
It looks like the Oilers jersey got combined with the rangers to create this monster
I hate it. The front logo just looks stretched out. There is a serious lack of creativity here.
Wow, I think it's pretty sweet. Combines the best of the classic with a modern twist.
Love it! I've been hoping to see this style of sweater hit the ice for years, simply amazing
Awesome...Going to be a great looking matchup for the winter classic.
It's no Lady Liberty sweater, but still a solid jersey.
I was hoping they'd use the retro 'off white' as per your previous posts...I don't like the huge ranger's shield, the size and the way it curves make it look medieval...'ye olde rangers'.
I really like these as well as the Navy 3rd......I am a big fan!!
What's with the hem stripes not matching on this jersey and the Flyers??
Not bad, not much you can really do with the Rangers very little has changed since 1926. It seems to have a little bit of every jersey they have had. I wish they kept the classic current uniform numerals. I like it, and will probably get one
The logo on the front and number on the back look photoshopped in this picture; the blue in the "30" doesn't even match the rest of the sweater.
As a Flyer fan, I am glad to see more color in these than we anticipated. The bright Orange jerseys with a jersey that was mostly vintage white would have been weird, so I'm glad to see alot of color on the shoulders. All I would change is to make the bigger middle stripe on the arms blue and the thinner ones red to follow the shoulder pattern. And like the Flyers jerseys the waist pattern doesn't match the arm pattern, but in this case I don't think it looks as odd as it does on the Flyers jerseys. I love BOTH jerseys though and already have a Pronger Flyers one and will be buying a Lundqvist Rangers one this week to make 88 jerseys in my collection.
It's funny how similar the 2 jerseys are this year for the Winter Classic.... But I think the vintage white didn't turn out as bad as we expected, which is a positive.
This is just wrong. The Rangers shouldn't have a logo on their jerseys. Just no. This is sacrilege.
It may just be a lighting thing, but are the numbers on the back supposed to be a lighter blue than the numbers on the arms and the stripes?
I guess the new look is no bottom stripe? Other then that, WOW.
One thing's for sure: these will look great on the ice against the Flyers' Classic jerseys!
I thought it was going to be more of a cream-off white color. This looks more white to me.
As a jersey, I like it. As a rangers jersey, I'm not completely sold. I suppose it'll be fine for a game.
To be honest not the best jersey... Even theirs regular uniform looks much better.
I think it goes well with the Winter Classic theme. I like it. It's simple and the Rangers have a shield jersey again. I still think the Lady Liberty jersey is hands down one of the top 5 jerseys ever made.
I like and I don't like this jersey. What I like is originality. And being an Islander fan, I think the Rangers executed these very well with the exception of the logo. I'm accustomed to be seeing the regular shield logo and have always wanted to see the Rangers wear those logos for a few games, or to bring back a good version of the liberty logo which I think was one of their best jerseys. And they went with vintage white. Should become their second alternate jersey, but change the shield on this one to the shield the Rangers are currently well known for.
Love it! I am usually against the "vintage" white, but there are few jerseys I think it works. This is now one of them. I wish they used the logo they use now instead, but I love the addition of that red stripe just below the shoulders that wasn't on the concepts that had been floating around. I'm very impressed with both jerseys!
I think both the Flyers and Rangers knocked it out of the park with their Winter Classic sweaters. I may be a bit biased as a Rangers fan, but I really love the logo. Between the 85th anniversary sweater last season and this one, the Rangers have a set of sharp, classic looks. I can't wait to see them on the ice.
N I C E
I really like that red stripe underneath the yoke. Brings more color to an already well designed jersey. Personally, I think it's a great looking sweater. Very clean cut. NY fans should be proud to see these threads.
personally, i love them.. and i hate the rangers
Flat out horrendous. As a lifelong fan, I think they could have done much better. My brother said it looks like a cheap children's knockoff you find in a department store on closeout.....I agree.
It's bland and boring. Nothing to be excited about.
not bad, bting back lady liberty!
Looks infinitely classier than the 1976-78 sweater throwback some have proposed. Fantastic.
The white here is certainly more muted than what I'd heard that they would use.
I'm definitely looking forward to seeing the Rangers take the ice in these on the 2nd.
Not bad, but to me the Rangers are about a unique look. Reebok did no favours to the Rangers the way the script goes down their current jerseys, now they take away the uniqueness of the drop shadow numbers and name plate. The Reebok jerseys have brought boaring to the NHL.