Does That Make Me Retro?

My hockey jersey closet contains many relics from the 1990s. Whether we're talking about the original Anaheim Mighty Ducks uniform, the three Florida Panthers jerseys, the Pooh Bear Bruins alternate, the New York Islanders' Fisherman jersey, or any of the other great uniforms from '90s, I realize that a lot of these looks are starting to return as teams are finding out that people liked these designs when compared to the new jersey designs. Being that the Penguins rolled out a throwback to their diagonally-written city name jersey from the 1990s and I have one hanging in my closet, does that now make me "retro cool"?

While some believe that "retro cool" is about something being so uncool that it becomes cool, I don't think the Penguins' road jersey from the 1990s falls into this category. They were the only uniforms they were wearing for three seasons while on the road, so they weren't alternates back then despite them being the Penguins' choice for their alternate uniforms today in the year 2021.

There are some immediate differences between the two uniforms. The Penguins wore the old "Robo-Pigeon" logo on the shoulders of the '90s jersey while today's re-introducton sees the skating Penguins logo on the shoulder. While this keeps the theme of the current logo being worn on these jerseys just as it did in the 1990s, I don't feel that this was a necessary change when the Robo-Pigeon logo could have been brought back in a very non-intrusive way had the Penguins used it on the new alternates. It's a minor quibble, but it would have tied the old era to the new one nicely.

The thing about the 1990s version of this jersey was the thick, three-striped collar that CCM used on these uniforms that had some elastic give to them. This collar doesn't exist on the new alternates as a wee bit of the colour brought forth by the collar has been lost. The thin yellow collar on the adidas-style jerseys follows the current jersey design structure, but the lack of collars really reduces that little bit of necessary colour to break up a jersey with no shoulder yoke. Like the hockey sweaters of old, the collars on more modern jerseys served a purpose before being eliminated through "modern design".

The remainder of the design is virtually the same as what we saw in the 1990s, and I like that the Penguins have kept a lot of the elements the same as what they wore in the past. While it's not an exact throwback, the Penguins are the closest throwback in terms of accuracy we've seen since the Jets introduced their heritage jersey as their alternate this season. While the diagonal city name drew comparisons to the New York Rangers' long-standing jerseys, it's not like they're just throwing this jersey into the mix like the Colorado Avalanche did in the early-2000s and again in 2009. The hitorical nature of the Penguins' rebranding following their two Stanley Cup victories is a chapter in the team's history, and they'll wear that history again for twelve occasions this season.

Which dates, you ask?

• December 11, 2021 vs. Anaheim Ducks
• December 17, 2021 vs. Buffalo Sabres
• January 2, 2022 vs. San Jose Sharks
• January 23, 2022 vs. Winnipeg Jets
• January 28, 2022 vs. Detroit Red Wings
• February 26, 2022 vs. New York Rangers
• March 11, 2022 vs. Vegas Golden Knights
• March 13, 2022 vs. Carolina Hurricanes
• March 27, 2022 vs. Detroit Red Wings
• April 9, 2022 vs. Washington Capitals
• April 12, 2022 vs. Columbus Blue Jackets
• April 21, 2022 vs. Boston Bruins

While I had hoped that the January 23 game between the Jets and Penguins would feature both teams in their throwbacks, we know that the NHL will likely tell the Jets to wear white on the road since the Jets' heritage jersey is blue. It would appears the chances of "1990s Night" is very low with that being the case.

I feel much older today in seeing that a jersey from the 1990s is being used as a throwback alternate jersey. And while I think that the Penguins did a good job in not changing this design so that it's worse, it's never a good feeling in terms of one's age when a retired jersey hanging in one's closet is brought back as the cool, new thing in a team's wardrobe.

Until next time, keep your sticks on the ice!