The Bruins will take on the Pittsburgh Penguins at the 2023 NHL Winter Classic in what promises to be a festive atmosphere at Fenway Park.
This Monday will be Boston’s fourth Winter Classic and first since beating the Chicago Blackhawks at Notre Dame Stadium in 2019.
Players always are excited about the opportunity to play outdoor hockey, and the special jerseys always are one of the highlights of the event.
ESPN’s Greg Wyshynski took on the tall task of ranking all 28 Winter Classic jerseys in a piece published Thursday. He teamed up with Chris Smith, who is the founder and editor of the hockey uniform news and analysis site Icethetics.com and Chris Creamer of Sportslogos.net. to definitively give a proper list.
The 2016 Bruins Winter Classic uniforms took No. 17 on the list. These were inspired by the logo on the 1925 jerseys and featured a promo for a circus bear named Osto.
“While Smith believes “the all-black Bruins were imposing,” we’ve always been a little bummed they opted for that common hue over the bonkers striping of the original jerseys,” Wyshynski wrote.
The 2019 jerseys that went with a collegiate look and had a “B” in front took No. 15 on the list.
“The decision to wear regular white over the temptation to do as the others do with ‘heritage white’ paid off big time for the 2019 Bruins,” Creamer said, per Wyshynski. “The contrast of the bright gold and black striping — and there’s a lot of them — against the clean white is striking, as is the big, bold, ‘B’ square in the chest. The fact that they wore this against one of the dullest Winter Classic uniforms of all time certainly doesn’t hurt.”
The uniforms the Bruins will wear for the 2023 Winter Classic, which takes inspiration from the team’s history, took No. 12 on the list.
“Yet, we have to agree with the primary complaint about these jerseys, shared by blogger Zach Sexton: ‘Each of the components is solid enough on its own, checking off the boxes to create a vintage feel for the Winter Classic. When you put them all together though, they don’t quite click. The logo feels like it was designed for a completely different jersey based on the colors used.’
The caveat here is that we’ve yet to see these jerseys on the ice or in action, and that can sometimes elevate a jersey’s status,” Wyshynski wrote.
The best Bruins Winter Classic jersey according to ESPN was the team’s first in 2010, which took home No. 5.
“After a pair of rather muted jerseys at the Wrigley Field event between the Blackhawks and (Detroit) Red Wings, the Bruins went bold with their look at the first Fenway Park game the following season. Of the Bruins’ four Winter Classic sweaters, their first was the most memorable and has grown in stature since their release,” Wyshynski wrote.
“Quibble about whether this 1940s-era logo is as iconic as the others the team has worn in the Classic, but there’s little argument that the color template is distinct. Smith said it ranks among his favorites. ‘Yellow and brown is a color scheme that’s absolutely unique to this team, and they could really own it if they wanted to, but you know hockey fans and tradition.'”
For those wondering, the 2011 Penguins Winter Classic jerseys took No. 1 on the rankings.
