[Editor’s Note: Today we have a special guest column by our own Anthony Emerson, who is reviewing the newly released Boston Bruins alternate uniform. Enjoy! — PH]
by Anthony Emerson
The Boston Bruins today launched a new alternate uniform, to make its debut for the Bruins’ centennial game on Dec. 1 and be worn as an alternate at various points for the remainder of this season.
A historic jersey for a historic celebration. pic.twitter.com/MzUjwxFoAZ
— Boston Bruins (@NHLBruins) October 17, 2024
Bruins fans will be pleased to see the return of (mostly) yellow socks, which have been gone since 2017. The team’s jersey ad has been moved to the right shoulder to make room for the centennial game patch. The team’s new secondary logo is featured on the pants.
The inner collar features the scoreline of the Bruins’ first ever game, and the bottom inner lining says “tradition, grit, passion, heart.”
The most obvious departure from the Bruins’ standard home set is the removal of the yellow and white shoulder yoke. At first glance, the new alternate is similar to the centennial season home unis worn last year, but the black is deeper, the gold more yellow, and there are fewer sleeve stripes. The team is retaining the simplified spoked-B crest, with the updated colors. The uniform itself is most similar to the Bruins unis worn from the 1970s to the 1990s, which fans have been clamoring to return.
And return they indeed may — hockey YouTuber Pete Blackburn tweeted last night that the team may be switching to a 1980s-style identity in the near future. Brett Howard, a Bruins podcaster, said that the team will be “most likely” switching to these full time “in the future”. Obviously nothing official, but encouraging news for Bruins fans nonetheless.
heard from a few people that they're switching to an 80s style rebrand, next season maybe
— Pete Blackburn (@PeteBlackburn) October 16, 2024
didn't add patch, sponsor on the shoulder or have the exact font that is being used, but if you are a psycho like me, here you go.
heard these should be the 3rds for the rest of the season and most likely what they'll be rebranding to in the future.#NHLBruins | @OnlyBruinsPod https://t.co/ID6Q1w0un2 pic.twitter.com/TUxRtRoqp4
— PrimeTime Brett (@bretthoward_) October 17, 2024
It should be noted that the Celtics accidentally leaked the new alternate early, by including an image of it in their social media posts celebrating the Bruins’ home opener. The posts were hastily deleted and reuploaded without the leak. I included a link to that image in my ticker for October 11th, and I erroneously said that the jerseys would be “the same as last year’s” — clearly they are not.
As a Bruins fan myself, I loved last season’s unis and wished they adopted them full time. I was somewhat disappointed when the team switched back to their standard kits for this season, which are mostly unchanged since 2007, except for the sock color change and the addition and departure of various alternate unis. Adopting these full time would be a fresh look for a classic NHL club. What do you think? Leave your comments down below.
The Bruins current set is perfectly fine but these are even better! I’ve been longing for the return of the gold spoked B that first attracted me to the team back in 1969. I didn’t at all care for last year’s dull one offs other than the sweet alternate fauxbacks which were a tribute to the Orr/Esposito era.
THe front will be overly cluttered with the patch, A or C patch AND ad patch. Should scrap the ad patch.
Not that there’s anything wrong with those 80’s-era unis but those would be a downgrade from their current set. Alas, they’re probably doing it just because they know everyone and their brother would buy them so gotta switch things up.
These jerseys do cost $600 on the Bruins website, so you might be on to something here.
I’m a big proponent of the Bruins wearing yellow socks. They moved away from that years ago, but they still don’t look right to me. At least these are half-way there.
Change the collar to full on yellow instead of that halfsies treatment and we’re golden (as a Flyers fan, the one uni change we made that I greatly appreciated was changing the collar to a solid black all the way around).
Maybe also get rid of the tie-down, but that’s a personal preference that’s too much of a nitpick.
My thoughts exactly!
Exactly.
Much cleaner than their current uniforms, although the socks look ok. I always thought that the yellow socks made them look out of balance.
To use the quote from the Godfather. “Look how they massacred my boy”.
link
The 1980s to early 90s uniform is great. This is that with some dents in the bumper.
As a Bruins fan they should not switch to the 80’s style uniforms. The current set, other than no yellow socks, is pretty much near perfection.
The only update they need is to bring a yellow jersey, black breezers, yellow socks uniform to the table and make that the primary home (should be away but alas I can’t have everything) with the black uniform moving to 3rd jersey status.
Eliminating the shoulder yokes would be a massive mistake.
I’d love to see a gold jersey as an alternate, but I think you have to stick with a black jersey for their home jersey. Something about having a gold jersey as their primary home jersey doesn’t scream “Big, Bad Bruins” to me.
I’m a fan of these. Can also confirm that they’re moving to these full time next year.
Deeper than black? I thought last year’s sweaters were noted to be “none more black”.
In person they looked more like a graphite/very dark grey that wasn’t picked up on most cameras.
What is the opposite of the sweet spot?
I love all things in the Uni-verse, but can’t see the fascination with the Oregon Ducks and their multitude of unis, which are all green or yellow but seem to get elevated as if they are more special because its the Ducks and Nike, and I’m just a bit bored by them.
And the Bruins always just look like the Bruins. I could go into detail on a lot of NHL unis and tweaks made to them, but have never really got excited by any of the Bruins looks, as they all seem to amount to the same thing. And the more uni changes and throwbacks and Winter Classic unis, the more they blend into one! (other than the brown or or the yellow 3rd with the bear’s face)
Probably just sour grapes, but I was amused about probably the 2 teams I care least about new looks for sharing an article.
Ok… Actually different article, but sharing a news day!
Not the ‘80s unis without the bear head on the shoulder. Those made the sweater.
Excuse me, that bear had a name, Meth Bear. Not to be confused with Pooh Bear of the old yellow alternates and recent reverse retros.
100% need to switch to these full time next season, but they need to add Meth Bear back.
For sure! Make the collar all gold, socks all gold, and meth bear on the shoulders!
Yes, Meth Bear should also be part of this jersey.
Looking good but we need shoulder patches. Any kind of bear.
The sweaters are fine, but retaining the shoulder yokes in some fashion would be better. I heartily approve of the addition of the side stripes on the breezers. The current ones really need something to break up the solid black. The socks seem too gimmicky to me. I get that they are trying to echo the sleeves, but the black knees are dumb. Just have the yellow extend all the way up.