They’re here and they’re… something.
After many months of rumors and about 12 hours of teasing from the Flyers organization on social media, the new jerseys have dropped and they do indeed look very similar to the leaked concept art from months ago.
The initial reactions are a mixed bag. They did in fact change the orange closer to the Lindros-era, but the rest of the 90’s look didn’t exactly transfer over.
The black piping on the sleeves separating the orange and white was noticeably missing from the concept art and it leaves an overall unfinished look. They opted against it, which seems like a minor detail but it leaves a totally different jersey behind, which does appear to be what the organization was going for- an homage to the past without directly bringing it back.
There is a black tail stripe on both the home and away jerseys, a key design feature that was missing from the concept art. While it may seem indistinguishable in the promotional pics, it does make a huge difference to their overall look.
They, for some reason, kept the 2017 Stadium Series jerseys as alternates.
Why?
We’ve seen them for years and the orange appears to be the old shade instead of the new one. A New Era of Orange* except a dozen times a year when we break out the old orange! The OCD goes wild looking at this picture. Rounding out the new kits with the Lindros-era black alternates would’ve been the smarter play.
The back of the jersey appears to be where the lack of piping is the most obvious. It also looks like the nameplates have changed slightly as well, opting for what appears to be a fabric-based plate instead of the shimmery nylon-esque style they were before.
For all intents and purposes, things appear to be mostly the same on the back.
The same cannot be said for the sleeve numbers, however.
Taking a look at the sleeves, it sure leaves a lot to be desired. They’re just black or white numbers with no outline. Almost laughable how pathetic of a look that is.
You ever see that drawing of the horse where the front half is beautifully drawn and the back half is the scribbles of a toddler? That’s what this feels like.
Yuck.
Also… the most glaring problem… umm… THEY’VE GOT ADS ON THEM. When the NHL gave teams the green light to start utilizing ads, it was only a matter of time before they became a staple across more teams in the league, and the Flyers are the latest team to crumble. A form of desecration to say the least. At the bare minimum… do they have to be blue?
These jerseys are not great, but they’re also not terrible. They’re certainly not what everyone wanted, which was a flat out return to the 90’s style, but they could be much worse, too. The home jerseys do look pretty cool. The away whites are rather bland, and the 2017 black unis aren’t ugly, just kinda overused at this point.
The jersey is a mixture of history. The sleeves are in the 80’s style, the sleeve numbers are ripped from the 1970’s and the overall color and design is from the 90’s. It a homage to history without committing to replicate one era. It’s a cool idea, but the execution leaves a little to be desired.
So, well done, Flyers front office. It could’ve been worse!
By: Dan Esche (@DanTheFlyeraFan)
photo credit: NHL.com / @NHLFlyers
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