BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS – APRIL 15: Taylor Hall #71 of the Boston Bruins skates against the New York Islanders during the third period at TD Garden on April 15, 2021. (Maddie Meyer/Getty Images)
That jersey (pictured above) was a colorful tweak to the sweater worn by the Bruins during the 80s and into the early-90s, with gold replacing the black or white as the primary color.
Most of the ‘Reverse Retro’ sweaters have also come with a focus on a logo worn by that team in the 80s or 90s (or a logo that had a cult-like following), meaning that the Bruins didn’t have a lot of wiggle room when it came to introducing a completely new concept. At least if they wanted to avoid reintroducing the ‘Pooh Bear’ that team president Cam Neely admittedly hates.
Also worth noting that the Bruins have had pretty much the same logo for about 80 years, so they don’t exactly have a ton of past logos to call back to for an alternate. Oh, and they’re involved in the 2023 Winter Classic, meaning they could not dig too deep into their past without likely copying or coming extremely close to what they will wear in a Fenway Park showdown against the Penguins.
24 Mar 1997: Center Anson Carter of the Boston Bruins looks on during a game against the Montreal Canadiens at the Forum in Montreal, Quebec. (Robert Laberge /Allsport)
And it’s worth wondering what tweaks the Bruins will make to the jersey, as it’s been rare for a ‘Reverse Retro’ to be introduced without some sort of change to the color. The working theory seems to be that this version of ‘Pooh Bear’ will feature white or black instead of gold as the primary color.
Of those options, a white jersey would likely allow the jersey to ‘pop’ to the ideal look of the sweater, though just about everybody out there is likely hoping that the Bruins just bring back gold ‘Pooh Bear’ without any tweaks. (I mean, they’ve waited this long for its return.)
24 Mar 1997: A general melee breaks out during a game between the Boston Bruins and the Montreal Canadiens at the Forum in Montreal, Quebec. The Canadiens won the game, 3-1. (Robert Laberge /Allsport)
11 Apr 1998: Goaltender Mike Dunham of the New Jersey Devils and center Jason Allison of the Boston Bruins in action during a game at the Fleet Center in Boston, Massachusetts. (Steve Babineau /Allsport)
19 Dec 1998: Ray Bourque #77 of the Boston Bruins in action during the game against the Detroit Red Wings at Fleet Center in Boston, Massachusetts. The Bruins defeated the Red Wings 4-1. (Steve Babineau /Allsport)
TORONTO – NOVEMBER 19: Goaltender Steve Shields #31 of the Boston Bruins watches a shot during the NHL game against the Toronto Maple Leafs at the Air Canada Center on November 19, 2002 in Toronto, Canada. The Maple Leafs won 2-0. (Dave Sandford/Getty Images/NHLI)
TORONTO – NOVEMBER 19: Robert Svehla #67 of the Toronto Maple Leafs chases down the puck while being pressured by Marty McInnis #10 of the Boston Bruins during the NHL game at the Air Canada Center on November 19, 2002 in Toronto, Canada. The Maple Leafs won 2-0. (Dave Sandford/Getty Images/NHLI)
TORONTO – NOVEMBER 19: Defenseman Don Sweeney #32 of the Boston Bruins skates against the Toronto Maple Leafs during the NHL game at the Air Canada Center on November 19, 2002 in Toronto, Canada. The Maple Leafs won 2-0. (Dave Sandford/Getty Images/NHLI)
