Sainte-Flanelle fans have been able to purchase, since noon Thursday, a hockey jersey with a retro aesthetic, produced as part of a collaboration between the NHL and Adidas. Named “Reverse Retro »this jersey will also be worn by Canadiens players for eight games this season.
“The main color is a powder blue popularized in Montreal by the Major League Baseball Expos,” said the Montreal Canadiens in a statement released Thursday morning.
The franchise also recalls that the jersey was designed as part of a collaboration with Adidas, where the 32 teams of the National Hockey League (NHL) will wear “patterns inspired by the unique history of each club”.
“The neckline of the new Reverse Retro nods to 1979, the year the Canadiens won their fourth straight Stanley Cup, their sixth of the decade, and the 22e of the club altogether. It is also the year when Youppi! was introduced as the Expos’ mascot, a role he held until the end of the team’s reign in Montreal before switching from baseball to hockey in 2005,” added the management of the Montreal Canadiens.
The hockey team notably unveiled the jersey with a video posted on Twitter on Thursday.
Mixed reactions
The announcement sparked mixed reactions on social media. “I find it very beautiful and I love the nod to the Expos,” enthused a surfer. ” Very disappointed. Good idea, but looks bland,” someone else lamented.
Another user responded to a post from the Canadiens by sharing images of old Expos uniforms, noting that he recognizes the aesthetic with this jersey. Recall that the Montreal baseball club was founded in 1968, and that it was dismantled in 2004.
Montreal Canadiens players will wear this new retro jersey for eight games this season. The first of them will take place on November 15, at the Bell Centre, against the New Jersey Devils.