Flyers unveil Winter Classic jerseys
With workers outside taking advantage of the unseasonably warm weather outside to begin laying the first pieces of groundwork for the ice hockey rink in Citizens Bank Park, the transformation of the Phillies clubhouse into the Flyers' dressing room is in full force.
Ilya Bryzgalov's nameplate was hung in Roy Halladay's locker.
Matt Carle's hockey stick was gently resting on the frame of Ryan Howard's cubby.
And Flyers chairman Ed Snider was standing on a stage just feet from where the Phillies' starting pitcher du jour routinely answers questions about his outing on warm summer nights.
With the flick of a wrist on Monday morning, Snider yanked down the black veil uncovering the Flyers' long awaited 2012 Winter Classic sweaters which will be worn on Jan. 2.
The jerseys, designed by Reebok to have a classic, retro feel, use the same burnt orange that has made the Flyers' logo part of an iconic sports image but factors in a new, off-white color. They are available for sale starting today at the Wells Fargo Center and on the NHL.com shop.
"I love the jerseys," Snider said, after watching forward Blair Betts and Brayden Schenn model them. "I've helped design them, so I like it a lot, obviously. It's fun. It's a great jersey, I think we'll love it forever."
Like the Flyers' current jerseys, the numbers and name plate on the back are contrasting (off-white) from the main orange jersey color.
The striping pattern is inspired from a sock worn by the team in the late 1980's and the silhouette and shaping is something that has never been worn in team history. The jersey is enclosed at the neck line with vintage lacing.
"After more than 45 seasons, I take great pride in the fact that the Flyers logo is one of the most recognized logos in all of sports," Snider said in a press release. "We're looking forward to once again playing on the national stage at the upcoming NHL Winter Classic and reintroducing the world to Flyers hockey."
READ HONORED: After tying for the league-lead in scoring last week, Flyers rookie Matt Read was named the NHL's third star of the week.
Read scored in each game, beginning with a goal and an assist in a 5-3 win over the Carolina Hurricanes Nov. 14. He notched the game-winning goal with 18.6 seconds remaining in regulation time in the Flyers' 2-1 victory over the Phoenix Coyotes Nov. 17 and closed the week by tallying two goals in a career-high 21:37 of ice time in a 6-4 loss to the Winnipeg Jets Nov. 19.
Read tops all NHL rookies in goals (eight) and ranks fourth in points (13).
JAGR OUT: Jaromir Jagr will miss his second straight game tonight with a groin injury.
Luckily for the Hurricanes, Jagr has 103 career points in 72 games against the Hartford / Carolina franchise. He has 2 goals and 2 assists against them this season.
It is just the second NHL game Jagr has missed since 2004, as he played all 82 games in each of the 3 seasons he spent with the Rangers after the 2004-05 lockout.
CAROLINA BARBECUE: The Flyers face the Hurricanes for the third time in three weeks tonight. They have outscored Carolina, 10-4, in the two previous games this season, both wins. Hurricanes coach Paul Maurice is reportedly on the hot seat in Carolina after a tepid 11-7-3 start.
The Flyers are 17-1-3 against Carolina since 2008.
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