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Introducing the Pittsburgh Penguins’ 2011 Winter Classic jerseys

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James O’Brien

Earlier this month, the Washington Capitals unveiled the great retro uniforms they’ll wear during the 2011 Winter Classic by celebrating their past (with old stars and old uniforms) while embracing the present (including Alex Ovechkin in the ceremony).

The Pittsburgh Penguins shared theirs today and the results are ... well, mixed. Overall, I really like them and would imagine that they might not look better in motion, but they’re not quite perfect. More on that in a few paragraphs, though.

The team brought Evgeni Malkin and Jordan Staal out to model the new duds, although Staal sadly was in street clothes because he is still recovering from off-season surgery.

Before I share some of my thoughts on the aesthetic strengths and weaknesses of the uniforms, here is what the Penguins said about their uniforms.

Predominantly navy blue with light blue accents, the uniform is a new design that features elements from many different eras of Penguins uniforms. It was designed by Reebok with input from both the Penguins and the NHL.

This freshly-designed jersey is considered a “fusion” because it is patterned after a number of different uniform elements.

The socks are also dark blue with light blue piping that matches the sleeves and crest of the jersey. The Penguins will wear the same navy blue shell with light blue and white striping along the side and navy blue helmets that they have worn the past four years with their current powder blue sweaters.


Let’s take a look at full shots of the front and back (all images via the Pittsburgh Penguins).
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James O’Brien

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James O’Brien

Now, my thoughts on the jersey.


  • The colors are great. The reason they’re fantastic because they are evocative of the team’s old duds as well as the throwbacks they wore in the first Winter Classic.
  • The logo is fantastic and adorable. Here’s a closeup shot of that cute little Penguin.
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James O’Brien


  • The only real issue I have is with the stripes on the bottom of the jersey. The stripes are fine elsewhere, but five at the bottom of the sweater just seems like overkill. They kind of remind me of those weird futuristic early ‘90s designs that I loved, but I think they went too far with it.

Overall, they look pretty cool, but aren’t perfect. Maybe a B- on an arbitrary jersey grading scale, while the Caps get an A. How would you rate the new designs, though?