An in-depth look at the Philadelphia Flyers’ new jersey design: Combining the past and present
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By Charlie O'Connor
Jun 20, 2023
In mid-May, the Philadelphia Flyers launched their new overarching marketing concept, to go along with new hires Daniel Briere (as general manager) and Keith Jones (as president of hockey operations): A New Era of Orange.
Apparently, that new era includes a “new” color of orange for their jerseys.
“This New Era of Orange is all about honoring our franchise’s storied past while writing an exciting, new chapter of Flyers history,” Comcast Spectacor chairman and CEO Dan Hilferty noted in a news release Tuesday. “These new uniforms represent that sentiment perfectly with details to honor previous eras paired with a fresh, modern design.”
In many ways, the new jerseys are a throwback. The big nod to the past? A return to the darker, “burnt orange” color that defined Flyers sweaters in the 1980s and 1990s.
The most recent jersey was a significantly lighter orange. But over the past five to seven years, feedback in organization-run focus groups was overwhelming: Fans wanted the darker orange color back. So last summer, when the wheels were set in motion for a jersey adjustment — the team’s first since 2010 — the plan was to bring it back.
The jerseys aren’t quite a complete rehash of the 1990s, however. Notably missing is the black trim between the shoulder and chest area, a defining feature of the old jerseys.
But there are other differences, too. The numbers on the sleeves are now solid color — black on the home jerseys (on top of white sleeves) and white on the road jerseys (on top of orange) — which wasn’t the case over the last decade, or in the 1980s and 1990s.
It’s in fact a nod to the very first Flyers jerseys from 1967 to 1970, which also included solid-color sleeve numbers. The Flyers will be keeping the nameplate style on the back, an addition from the last decade that remains.
And then, of course, there’s the big, truly new add to the jerseys: an ad.
Last year, the Flyers didn’t sell advertising space on the front of their jerseys, as they were permitted to do for the first time starting in 2022-23. Now, they’ve entered that game, partnering with Independence Blue Cross and placing a blue logo on their sweaters.
It shouldn’t come as a major surprise that IBX was ultimately the choice — after all, it’s not only a local company, but it’s new Comcast Spectacor chairman and CEO Hilferty’s former company.
“It is an organization that has meant so much to me personally and the entire Philadelphia region,” Hilferty noted in the news release.
The logos will be missing from the road jerseys (for now), but they will appear on the home and third alternate jerseys, which will remain the same black-centric design as in 2022-23.
But the goal this summer clearly is to rebrand the Flyers — an attempt to carve out a middle ground between the past and the future. They’re rebuilding, but with familiar faces running the show and with one of the league’s last remaining “old school” head coaches.
They’re restructuring the organizations, but with players from the 1990s and 2000s in positions of authority instead of those from the 1970s and 1980s.
And now, they’re switching to new jerseys, which carry more than a few echoes of the past.
“These burnt orange sweaters are one of the most iconic symbols of Flyers hockey,” Jones added in the news release. “There’s no doubt that this look is known throughout the NHL and uniquely beloved by our fans because it brings to life one of the most important parts of our rebuild — it honors our past while we continue to forge a new path forward.”
Old, but new. So far, that’s the New Era of Orange. And now, it has a jersey design to match.
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