The Bruins will bring back their "Pooh Bear" jersey for the 2022-23 season, but where does Boston's reverse retro jersey rank among the other 31 NHL franchises?
The reverse retro jerseys were a hit in 2020, so it only made sense for the NHL to bring them back. The B's will wear a slight variation of the Pooh Bear jersey worn from 1995-2006. It is a white jersey and features the cartoon-like bear on the front with "Bruins" on the shoulder.
For ESPN's Greg Wyshynski, he believed the Florida Panthers had the best reverse retro jersey when he ranked them Thursday. Their jersey is a mix of what they wore in the 1990s and their third jersey from 2009, and Wyshynski appreciated how the jersey invokes Florida well.
Boston ranked ninth on Wyshynski's list, just behind the San Jose Sharks, Montreal Canadiens, Los Angeles Kings, Colorado Avalanche, Las Vegas Golden Knights, St. Louis Blues and Arizona Coyotes.
"The Pooh Bear has returned, Wyshynski wrote. "The Bruins wore this logo 1995-2006 on a third sweater. The blog Stanley Cup of Chowder called it "the greatest jersey in Bruins history." The Pooh Bear was originally featured on a gold jersey. This time it's a white background, all the better to see the kind eyes, parted hair and (Brad) Marchand-esque smirk on the bear's fuzzy mug. Put one on and snuggle up with a pot of honey."
A top 10 ranking for Boston's reverse retro jersey is solid, but if you ask Matt Grzelcyk, the defenseman would probably rank it much higher after his review of it.
Here is the full slate Boston is scheduled to wear the Pooh Bear jersey:
Nov. 7 vs. Blues
Nov. 19 vs. Chicago Blackhawks
Nov. 25 vs. Carolina Hurricanes
Nov. 29 vs. Tampa Bay Lightning
Dec. 3 vs. Avalanche
Dec. 31 vs. Buffalo Sabres
The Bruins likely will hope the reverse retro jersey can bring them luck, similar to how the Boston Red Sox found success with their City Connect jerseys.
