Penguins Uniforms

[Sodboy13]

Bring it back!

I know this is going to sound like damning with faint praise, but I think this was far and away the best of the initial crop of alternates in '96. In fact, I realize that the only reason I came to dislike this jersey is because it ended up replacing the diagonal "Pittsburgh" jersey as the full-time roadie. Come to think of it, I didn't like the robo-pen set initially because it replaced the classic Cup-winning jerseys, which I thought were fantastic.

Looking back on the Penguins' full uniform history, I've gotta say that the three uniforms they're wearing now comprise the ugliest set in team history.

[IceCap]

The 1988-92 set was easily the best the Pens ever looked, in my opinion. Plus they were easily their most successful in that look. Back to back Cups? Hard to argue against that.

I think that uniform set, with a black alternate based off of the 1992-1997 road black with diagonal "PITTSBURGH" would be the way to go. Something like this.

The white robo-penguin sweater wasn't terrible by any means, and if the Penguins started with that uniform as, say, a 1990s expansion team, I'd say it would count as an instant classic. It just replaced a superior uniform/logo combination though. I admit that I have a soft spot for the 1995-97 alternate/1997-2002 road sweater Lights Out posted, but to me it's just a case of 1990s nostalgia. It was a cool design, and I'm glad I picked up a replica when it was "reissued" as part of the CCM vintage series, but I don't think it's something the Penguins should wear today, outside of maybe an odd "90s Night" promotion.

The Vegas gold look, however, just isn't working. Not since the Edge changeover resulted in it becoming khaki. Even before then, when it was shiny, it just looked kind of dull and lifeless.

[BigBubba]

^They wore the Robo Pen for their 1993 Cup win, though I do see where you're coming from. If they used that home and road with the Robo-Pen as the alt (never been a fan of teams mimicking the Rangers style), they would have one of the top 5 uni sets in the league. It would be great for them to add the pre-edge "triangle" striping pattern somewhere in the mix as well (maybe with the alt). But sadly, with Mario running the show, that'll never happen. They keep obsessing with blue jerseys from their period of complete irrelevance instead of going back to their glory days and at least getting rid of their fill-tool template jerseys. *sigh*

[charger77]

^They wore the Robo Pen for their 1993 Cup win, though I do see where you're coming from. If they used that home and road with the Robo-Pen as the alt (never been a fan of teams mimicking the Rangers style), they would have one of the top 5 uni sets in the league. It would be great for them to add the pre-edge "triangle" striping pattern somewhere in the mix as well (maybe with the alt). But sadly, with Mario running the show, that'll never happen. They keep obsessing with blue jerseys from their period of complete irrelevance instead of going back to their glory days and at least getting rid of their fill-tool template jerseys. *sigh*

Montreal won the Cup in 1993 in 5 games over the Kings, the Penguins were knocked out in 7 games vs the Islanders in tound 2 in 1993. The Penguins NEVER won a Cup in the Robo-Pen years. They won in 91,92 and 09.

[Maz]

Not all penguins look like that. The skating penguin does closely resemble the Adelie species...

Here's the thing. Mario doesn't want to return to athletic gold, and I agree with him. Let's keep the eras separate. The cup-era template seems to be the most popular, but once again, that belongs in its own time.

I am also a fan of the robo-pigeon. They changed to it right before I was born, so from the very beginning I was exposed to that logo. That said, the skating penguin also has its advantages.

All things considered, what I would do, if I had any say whatsoever, is this..

Take two following jerseys, and replace the athletic gold with vegas gold...

Switch the gold and black on the white sweater, and make the gold that shiny material they used to use. Same goes for switching the gold and white on the black jersey.

Then, bring back this sweater, and make it the third jersey:

That way, you have the three best jerseys in their history (Excluding the early-90s and any blue one), and lovers of either the robo-pigeon or skating penguin can put whichever one they want on it.

Also, no more blue. Ever.

[piratesfan16]

Not all penguins look like that. The skating penguin does closely resemble the Adelie species...

Here's the thing. Mario doesn't want to return to athletic gold, and I agree with him. Let's keep the eras separate. The cup-era template seems to be the most popular, but once again, that belongs in its own time.

I am also a fan of the robo-pigeon. They changed to it right before I was born, so from the very beginning I was exposed to that logo. That said, the skating penguin also has its advantages.

All things considered, what I would do, if I had any say whatsoever, is this..

Take two following jerseys, and replace the athletic gold with vegas gold...

Switch the gold and black on the white sweater, and make the gold that shiny material they used to use. Same goes for switching the gold and white on the black jersey.

Then, bring back this sweater, and make it the third jersey:

That way, you have the three best jerseys in their history (Excluding the early-90s and any blue one), and lovers of either the robo-pigeon or skating penguin can put whichever one they want on it.

Also, no more blue. Ever.

Me too, there's a lot of nostalgia behind the robo-pen logo for me. There's a painting of the logo on an old shack right off the Ohio River Boulevard near the river. But, it's more than just nostalgia, I just think the logo is designed flawlessly. The penguin sliding to the left, with its wings stretched back, all while fitting inside a triange. They made great use of the "streak lines" in the 1995-2001 alternate/road jersey. I always thought the best lineup for the Penguins was the short lived 2000-2002 set:

[BigBubba]

^They wore the Robo Pen for their 1993 Cup win, though I do see where you're coming from. If they used that home and road with the Robo-Pen as the alt (never been a fan of teams mimicking the Rangers style), they would have one of the top 5 uni sets in the league. It would be great for them to add the pre-edge "triangle" striping pattern somewhere in the mix as well (maybe with the alt). But sadly, with Mario running the show, that'll never happen. They keep obsessing with blue jerseys from their period of complete irrelevance instead of going back to their glory days and at least getting rid of their fill-tool template jerseys. *sigh*

Montreal won the Cup in 1993 in 5 games over the Kings, the Penguins were knocked out in 7 games vs the Islanders in tound 2 in 1993. The Penguins NEVER won a Cup in the Robo-Pen years. They won in 91,92 and 09.

My mistake, I was thinking of the Blue Jays.

I agree with the comments above. That 2000-02 set was perfect. It makes sense to want to separate eras, so a vegas gold robo-pen actually wouldn't look that bad. The current skating penguin would make a good third. In fact, I think another good idea would be to use a black version of the white-robe pen jersey (i.e sans the gradient), and use the pre-edge striping as the away, with a white version as the home. They could then use the 90s penguin as the third (nothing wrong with a throwback to the glory years) as this jersey, which sadly only lasted a few years. Or they could try the current penguin on the black robo-pen gradient jersey. That would either look great or look like crap.

[Bmac]

I have a huge problem with the 90s stuff because of one main thing: I cannot stand how they use white and yellow next to each other. Not enough contrast. I have always disliked the white jersey from that era. The black jersey(s) aren't perfect but they look much better. Not quite sure how to fix this but I wouldn't mind seeing them try!

[charger77]

^They wore the Robo Pen for their 1993 Cup win, though I do see where you're coming from. If they used that home and road with the Robo-Pen as the alt (never been a fan of teams mimicking the Rangers style), they would have one of the top 5 uni sets in the league. It would be great for them to add the pre-edge "triangle" striping pattern somewhere in the mix as well (maybe with the alt). But sadly, with Mario running the show, that'll never happen. They keep obsessing with blue jerseys from their period of complete irrelevance instead of going back to their glory days and at least getting rid of their fill-tool template jerseys. *sigh*

Montreal won the Cup in 1993 in 5 games over the Kings, the Penguins were knocked out in 7 games vs the Islanders in tound 2 in 1993. The Penguins NEVER won a Cup in the Robo-Pen years. They won in 91,92 and 09.

My mistake, I was thinking of the Blue Jays.

I agree with the comments above. That 2000-02 set was perfect. It makes sense to want to separate eras, so a vegas gold robo-pen actually wouldn't look that bad. The current skating penguin would make a good third. In fact, I think another good idea would be to use a black version of the white-robe pen jersey (i.e sans the gradient), and use the pre-edge striping as the away, with a white version as the home. They could then use the 90s penguin as the third (nothing wrong with a throwback to the glory years) as this jersey, which sadly only lasted a few years. Or they could try the current penguin on the black robo-pen gradient jersey. That would either look great or look like crap.

Yeah its easy to get those two confused.

[fl00dsm0k3]

[the_fan]

Can someone please explain the love for the Penguins script uniform? Just looks like a cheap Rangers knock-off to me.

[BigBubba]

Yeah its easy to get those two confused.

They won their WS 18 years ago today, so that's my excuse

As for fl00dsm0k3, I like the idea (after all, it's what I suggested ), but there's too much going on. The blue looks out of place, the penguin is a bit too high, the black font is hardly legible (even with the blue outline), and the 1967 numbers look odd with this jersey. I hope that doesn't sound too harsh, because those are really the only things standing in the way of this becoming a great concept

@the_fan

Ditto.

[piratesfan16]

Since some of us are making concepts, here's an old one of mine:

It would go on the "Robo-pen" logo.

[IceCap]

Can someone please explain the love for the Penguins script uniform? Just looks like a cheap Rangers knock-off to me.

If one team other then the Rangers can get away with the diagonal script, it's the Penguins. The team wore it on their inaugural set, so there is some history there. It's just a nice change of pace from the expected. Also, and this is just my opinion, but the diagonal script look works great. Of course, as you alluded to, it's associated with the Rangers. So I would like to see the one other team that could get away with using it do so.

[Tygers09]

What does everyone think of the Pens crappy Edge jerseys and Vegas gold. As a fan, I HATE the vegas gold and the uniforms. I think they should go back to the true colors of Pittsburgh.

I second this...

[Maz]

Can someone please explain the love for the Penguins script uniform? Just looks like a cheap Rangers knock-off to me.

Well, in reality, it is. I forget the whole story behind it, but someone involved with the penguins at their beginning was a long-time NY Ranger or something along those lines, and liked the diagonal script, so he wanted something similar for the penguins, so their first jerseys featured it. Their first jerseys, in my opinion, are in the top three of their best all-time, but like has been said earlier by myself and others, it belongs in its own era, no matter how beautiful it is. In the 90s they tried to bring the diagonal script back, and while "Pittsburgh" does look nice in that style, they got rid of it once the gradient-laden "jammies", as I have heard them called, came along.

Among pens fans it's a love-hate thing. A lot of fans, such as my brother, hate it. While just as many others, including myself, really like it. Same goes for the robo-pigeon, the gradient jersey, and the double blues. This is why, uniform-wise, I'd consider the penguins like the Canucks of the East, with multiple color schemes in the history, each of which has a healthy amount of supporters.

Personally, I have a thing for the 90s sets because of the nostalgia attached to them, and the uniforms prior to the Edgeification leave a bit of a bad taste to me being that they represent the "dark ages" (aka "The X Generation", aka the "Coach Edzo" years aka the "Lemieux is hurt again?" years). In the end, I feel vegas gold and black is the best scheme for this era of penguins, and although the current jerseys are their worst to date they will unfortunately be looked back upon in the future like the "glory years" jerseys are because of the success they are having while wearing them.

If it were up to me, they'd come out with something totally new uniform-wise that, at most, has subtle hints of past designs. Something to really set the Crosby Generation apart from the X Generation, Glory Years, Lemieux Era, and the Blue Years.

[Morgan33]

The penguins have one of the more interesting (and frustrating) jersey histories of any NHL team. In spite of changing uniforms every 4 years (conservatively) they've never got it right. Since I don't think the penguins should ever be dressed in double blue, I'll start with the 90's...

The cup jerseys while having their best colour scheme, sport a generic, dated striping pattern I would not want to see again.

In 1992 they had a chance for perfection with a logo that as "piratesfan16" has illustrated. actually looked like a penguin. The perfection that was the white home jersey was ruined by a non matching road complete with cliche'd diagonal script. Uniformity in this era toke a further hit when the gradient jersey was made the official road.

The pre-edge jerseys matched a great looking striping pattern with a dull shade of vegas gold. A considerable downgrade.

The 2007 Edge jerseys on the other hand are the worst in Penguins history. It's a travesty the cup was raised in them.

[Blue Falcon]

As a lifelong P-burgh fan, I can say I actually like both the old skating penguin, and the Robo Penguin. What I DO want the Pens to do is ditch the Vegas Gold and bring back the yellow. I always liked that the three sports teams from the city had the same colors.

Let's not quibble about which logo looks more penguin-like. Real penguins don't wear skates, carry hockey sticks, or wear scarves, but it's still a good logo.

[fl00dsm0k3]

[Gothamite]

Can someone please explain the love for the Penguins script uniform? Just looks like a cheap Rangers knock-off to me.

I'm usually pretty well disposed to putting the city name on the front, and those had a nice balance to them.