Penguins reveal 2017 NHL Stadium Series jersey!
During the Thanksgiving Showdown game this afternoon — between the Flyers and Rangers — NBC unveiled the new jersey the Pittsburgh Penguins will wear for the 2017 NHL Stadium Series at Heinz Field.
Shortly after, the Penguins tweeted their own video of the new sweater. It's quite yellow.
First, and most notably, the gold triangle normally situated behind the skating penguin is gone. Unless you're a captain, then it's simply been shrunk and moved up and to the right.
The second most attention-grabbing feature is the giant patch on the left sleeve touting "City of Champions" in big silver letters. It features four gold stars, likely marking the Penguins' Stanley Cup championships, with crossed hockey sticks all inside a keystone shape — for the Keystone State.
Odd since the Flyers already "claimed" that symbol as a captain's patch on their 2012 Winter Classic jersey — and, more importantly, their 50th anniversary logo! All I'm saying is that while both the Lightning and Panthers share the Sunshine State, I don't see Tampa ever introducing a sun-shaped symbol. Of course that could also be because lightning and sunshine are rarely seen in the same sky. But I digress.
Unfortunately, the video of the new Pens jersey doesn't actually give us the whole story. It doesn't show the back, shoulders, or waist. So we don't yet know what the numbers will look like, whether they'll be placed on the shoulders — since there seems to be no room on the sleeves — or if there are any stripes around the waist.
But it does appear that the collar has a mix of white and black. But the video only offers brief glances.
Still, from what I've seen so far, I'm a fan. For a one-off, this is a genuinely cool jersey. I like the oversized sleeve patch and the limited use of white is unique.
I'm eager to see what the Flyers will put forth to oppose it when they meet up on Feb. 25. Their jersey is still forthcoming but I understand it will be different from their gold-trimmed 50th anniversary sweater.
I'm hoping it'll be black. I'd hate to see them in a third white jersey this season. And black-vs-gold would be a solid aesthetic for this game.
UPDATE · Nov 26 · After my original post yesterday, the NHL's official online shop placed this jersey on sale, showing full front and back images of the design. Enjoy!