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Meltzer's Musings: The Number of the Counting Shall be 50 |
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The early response to the Flyers' new 50th Anniversary commemorative jerseys has been decidedly polarized. Only a small percentage of folks seem to be on the fence or lukewarm to the jerseys. Those who like them seem to really like them and those who dislike them seem to detest them.
Most of the comments, either pro or con, seem to focus on the prominent use of gold.
Some folks just can't seem to mentally connect the dots from 50th anniversary (AKA the golden anniversary) to the one-year addition of gold to the color scheme for in-game use 12 times. Back in 1991-92, they (or their parents) were probably wondering why there was so damn much silver on the Flyers' large uniform patches worn that year and just about everything else the club produced for that season. That was before NHL teams had third jerseys, but the 25th anniversary logo with its giant silver star in motion was ubiquitous that year.
In regard to the "why not just stick with the classic look" question, that's what the regular home jerseys are -- a design largely modeled on the Flyers' 1974 playoff look, white nameplate, horizontal white stripe and all. The shade of orange is lighter but the feel is retro.
Others fully grasp why there's gold on the uniforms but would rather have seen less of it. That's a matter of personal taste. I admit that I was a little taken aback at first glance at just how much gold there is on the jersey (especially the player numbers on the back and sleeves) but it grew on me with repeated viewings later in the day.
Later today, there will be an article published on the Flyers' official website about the evolution of the Flyers' jersey from the original to today. I knew ahead of time what yesterday's press conference was going to be about, since I am working with the Flyers this season as their 50th Anniversary Season content writer. However, just like most everyone else, I had not actually seen the third jersey itself until yesterday. That was kept well under wraps.
My only quibble with the uniform is not the symbolic use of gold. It's the "established in 1967" inscription inside the neckline. The franchise was established officially in February of 1966, although it began playing in the 1967-68 season.
The 50th anniversary of the approval date of an expansion franchise in Philadelphia was marked by the Flyers earlier this year as the official public launch of the 50th Anniversary logo. It would have been more consistent, in my opinion, to also use the 1966 date as the franchise establishment point in the commemorative jersey.
However, I realize that the 1966 or 1967 distinctions can get rather confusing -- I think more people use the hockey team's actual start of play versus the lead-up of getting franchise approved (and then building the Spectrum and assembling a roster).
A lot of people also seem to get confused over the distinction between 50 calendar years vs. 50 seasons. For counting purposes, the 1967-68 campaign was season one. The 2004-05 season is also counted despite the NHL's cancellation of the entire regular season and playoffs due to a prolonged lockout. As such, the 2015-16 season was the 49th and the upcoming season is the 50th.
Whether it's chronological or season based, though, it's a 50th anniversary year.
Philadelphia Flyers Blogger •NHL.com • 
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