When the Penguins made their NHL debut at home on Oct. 11, 1967, the team wore the colors dark blue, light blue and white. Both the home (white) and away (light blue) uniforms simply had the word "Pittsburgh" written diagonally down the front of the sweater with three dark blue strips around the sleeves and bottom. the logo, although not on the sweater, featured a hockey-playing penguin in a scarf over an inverted triangle, symbolizing the golden triangle of downtown Pittsburgh. The penguin and triangle were set inside a circle bearing the team name.
The following season (1968-69), the uniforms were changes so that the logo appeared in the game sweaters. The logo remained essentially the same, although the penguin was no longer wearing a scarf. The white home uniforms had a wide band of dark blue around each sleeve and the bottom, while the light blue away sweater had bands of white trimmed in dark blue.
The uniforms were changed again four years later (1972-73). The circle around the logo was removed, leaving only a penguin and triangle. Added to the uniforms were inserts of color on the shoulders.
On Jan. 30, 1980, the Penguins wore black and gold for the first time. With the Steelers winning the Super Bowl and the Pirates capturing the World Series title in the same year, the struggling Penguins hoped to gain fan support by aligning their colors with the other teams in the "City of Champions".
Boston protested the color change to the NHL, arguing that black and gold had always been exclusively associated with the Bruins. However, the Penguins prevailed by virtue of a precedent set by the Pittsburgh Pirates hockey club of the late 1920's, which sported the colors. The Pens' new uniforms were the same design as the previous ones, with black replacing dark blue and gold replacing light blue. From 1981-82 through the 1984-85 season, the team alternated wearing gold sweaters with white at home.
The black and gold uniforms remained unchanged until 1992-93, when the triangle and penguin logo was modernized. The white home sweaters featured the new logo on the front and gold shoulder inserts. The black away sweaters had the city's name diagonally down the front, much like the original team uniforms, with the new logo on each shoulder.
During the 1995-96 season, the Penguins were one of five NHL teams to introduce a third jersey. The Penguins' new uniform, which made its debut on Jan. 27, 1996 vs. the Philadelphia Flyers, featured a black background with a new, modernized logo design including innovative striping and a blend of team colors. The sweater eventually replaced the black "Pittsburgh" away sweater in 1997-98, and now serves as the team's uniform away from the Igloo.
During the 1999-00 season, the Penguins introduced a new third jersey with an eye for the past. The black sweater features the popular "skating penguin" logo, which the team wore during its 1991 and 1992 Stanley Cup championship seasons, and the newest color addition, Las Vegas Gold. That sweater, and its white counterpart, were made the team's offical home and road uniforms, respectively from 2002-03 to 2006-07.
2007-08 marks yet another subtle change in the Penguins uniform. On January 22, 2007, during the NHL All-Star break. the NHL and Reebok unveiled the new Rbk EDGE Uniform System. Stretch fabric in the collar and stretch mesh in areas of the tighter jersey, including the underarms and back, provide additional range of motion and increased ventilation. There is also new water repellant technology, helping retain three-quarters leas moisture than the current jersey. The Penguins jerseys now feature thicker Les Vegas Gold side sections while the black and white body portions of the jersey go all the way to the bottom hem. The cuffs and underarms and black on the white-based jerseys and are white on the black based uniforms. Additional Las Vegas Gold inserts appear on the sleeves just below the numbers. The NHL shield also has moved from the back right hem to the base of the front neckline.
The Penguins wore retro jerseys when they battled the Sabres at the NHL Winter Classic on Jan. 1, 2008 ar Raplh Wilson Stadium. The Penguins wore powder blue jerseys patterned after the 1968-69 uniforms. The jersey featured the Penguins logo inside a circle. There was a wide band of white trimmed in dark blue around each sleeve and the bottom with white shoulder yokes. The jersey became the club's official alternate third jersey.
In 2010-11 the Penguins opened the brand-new CONSOL Energy Center. To commemorate the evert, the team wore a special patch at all home games featuring the team logo and outline of the new arens's spine.
The Penguins released a new Winter Classic uniform for their showdown with the Washington Capitals Jan. 1, 2011 at Heinz Field. Predominantly navy blue with light blue striped accents on the elbows and bottom, the jersey served as another alternate uniform for the season, The jerseys featured the team's inaugural skating penguin logo (which hadn't previously been worn on the jersey) on the crest and lace-up collar at the base of the neck.
For their third outdoor game on March 1, 2014 against the Chicago Blackhawks at Soldier Field as part of the NHL's Stadium Series, the Penguins wore a unique uniform that utilized secondary colors within the team's existing color palates.
It featured a chrome-treated Penguins logo design inspired from the chrome details of the NHL shield, a dynamic and modern look to conventional team identity. Numbering on the back of the jerseys was enlarged and sleeve numbers were angled to improve visibility in outdoor venues.
The Penguins went back to the feature during the 2014-15 season, unveiling 'Pittsburgh Gold' third jersey reminiscent of the sweaters the Penguins wore during their back-to-back Stanley Cup championship seasons of 1991 and '92.
At the outset of the team's 50th season in 2016-17, the Penguins announced that they would be returning full-time to a 'Pittsburgh Gold' color scheme, eliminating Vegas gold. The third jersey from the '14-15 and '15-16 seasons became the full-time home jerset, with an accompanying white version added for road contests.
The Penguins wore full "Pittsburgh gold" for their Stadium Series Game against the Philadelphia Flyers on February 25, 2017. The jersey featured the skating Penguin sans the traditional triangle behind it. In addition to a Studium Series patch, the Pens also wore a "City of Champions" heritage patch on the left sleeve.
At the beginning of the 2018-19 season, the Penguins introduced a new third jersey worn for the first time on November 15, 2018 against the Tampa Bay Lightning. The new jerseys featured a dynamic gold background with black sleeves and white and gold striping. The uniform also featured gold helmets.
For their fifth outdoor game in franchise history, against the Philadelphia Flyers on February 23, 2019 at Lincoln Financial Field, the Penguins featured a jersey that had a black base and gold numbers, letters, logo and stripes. On the back neckline was Badger Bob Johnson’s famous phrase “It’s A Great Day For Hockey.”
For the first time since the 1996-97 season, the Penguins wore a jersey with a diagonal “PITTSBURGH” text on the center of the chest as part of the NHL’s Reverse Retro alternate uniforms. While the Penguins wore black jerseys with the diagonal “PITTSBURGH” text from 1992-97, the 2020-21 version featured the same script, but on a white uniform, Kris Letang (2020) signifying a “reverse” take on the classic throwback.
Pittsburgh introduces a new third jersey for the 2021-22 campaign. The uniform is an inverse of the 2020-21 Reverse Retro jersey, featuring a diagonal “PITTSBURGH” script on the center of the chest, but on a black jersey - similar to the uniforms worn from 1992-97.
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