The National Hockey League (NHL) unveiled Thursday the retro jerseys that its 32 teams will wear at times during the regular season and that of the Montreal Canadiens will have powder blue as its background color, a nod to the defunct Expos.
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The products of the company adidas, which will go on sale on November 15, recall the history of each formation of the circuit. In the case of the Habs, many baseball fans will quickly recall the early years of the Expos since “our loves” played matches abroad with a uniform of this shade between 1969 and 1991 inclusively, before modifying their colors and logo.
Moreover, the organization of the Canadian does not hide on this subject. This is indeed a reference to the baseball franchise having moved to Washington after the 2004 campaign.
“The sweater […] is inspired by the team’s success and the style of her city in the late 1970s. The main color is a powder blue popularized in Montreal by the Expos of Major League Baseball, she recalled by way of press release. Since October 2005, a banner of the same color has hung in the rafters of the Bell Center honoring the four Expos members whose numbers were retired by the team prior to its move: Rusty Staub, Gary Carter, Andre Dawson and Tim Raines.
The decisive year
In addition to the dominant color, the public will also note the neckline which constitutes a mention of the year 1979, marked by the fourth consecutive conquest of the Stanley Cup by Sainte-Flanelle. 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.
Bleu-Blanc-Rouge supporters will see the club’s players wearing this bib for the first time on November 15, when the New Jersey Devils visit. They will wear it twice in December, four times in January and, for a final game, on February 11 against the New York Islanders.
Those interested can pre-order their jersey at the organization’s online store.
Eight CH matches in powder blue
- Tuesday, November 15 against the New Jersey Devils
- Saturday, December 10 against the Los Angeles Kings
- Thursday, December 15 against the Anaheim Ducks
- Monday, January 9 against the Seattle Kraken
- Thursday, January 19 against the Florida Panthers
- Thursday, January 26 against the Detroit Red Wings
- Tuesday, January 31 against the Ottawa Senators
- Saturday, February 11 against the New York Islanders
Sweaters that bring back memories
National League (NHL) hockey fans will reconnect, thanks to the retro jerseys of the adidas company, with the colors and logos they have known well over the decades.
Presented Thursday, these new pieces of equipment evoke a defining era of each of the 32 teams. The public will be treated to a first “retro matchup” on November 2 when the Pittsburgh Penguins take on the Buffalo Sabers. In a press release published on the NHL.com site, those responsible for the project say they wanted to bring back to the forefront logos that were once appreciated and which recall the glorious years of the concession concerned.
“The Reverse Retro 2022 program, which represents our newest collaboration between adidas and the 32 teams, celebrates the connections between lifestyle, culture and of course hockey, all with a youth and fan-based approach, has said Chief Brand Officer and NHL Senior Vice President Brian Jennings. Each design captures the unique spirit of the team by connecting the past to the future.”
relics of the past
Among the symbols that hockey fans will recognize are the Sabers bison head and the Capitals eagle. Both teams reached the Stanley Cup Finals with these logos front and center, in 1997-98 for Washington and the following year for Buffalo. Also, the Pittsburgh Penguins will play games with their stylized logo from the 1990s, while the New York Islanders will revive the fisherman symbol used in the middle of that decade.
If the Montreal Canadiens wink at the Expos with a powder blue uniform, the Boston Bruins will adopt a sweater with a prominent bear head like the one they wore a few times from 1996-1997, but on a white background, not a yellow one. The Los Angeles Kings will take on the typical crown and purple from their NHL debut and the Colorado Avalanche will use the logo of the Rockies, who played in Denver before becoming the New Jersey Devils in 1982. New York, the logo illustrating the Statue of Liberty will make a comeback.