The Philadelphia Flyers took their “New Era of Orange” slogan to heart when they unveiled new home and away jerseys on Tuesday.
The sweaters are a throwback to the Flyers of the 1980s thanks to a deeper color of orange than the team has used lately and the return of the black bar at the base of the jersey first used in 1982. Philadelphia’s black and orange third jerseys are unchanged.
The Flyers of 2023 will put their unique spin on the uniform by doing away piping of the original “burnt orange” jerseys in favor of a sleeker look. “These new uniforms represent that sentiment perfectly with details to honor previous eras paired with a fresh, modern design,” said team chairman Dan Hilferty.
Still, there is no mistaking that Philadelphia means to call back to the contending teams of the 1980s with their new threads. After the Flyers started prominently featuring black in their jerseys, team legends like Mark Howe, Rick Tocchet, and Tim Kerr quickly led Philadelphia to conference titles in 1985 and 1987.
The jersey would remain in place until 2001, although the Eric Lindros teams of the late 1990s are just as often associated with their black jerseys.
With the change, the Flyers distance themselves from the orange and white ensemble they had worn for over a decade. That jersey was identical to the Stanley Cup winners of 1974 and 1975, save for the shade of orange. In recent years it has become just as emblematic of the failures of the 2010s.
Philadelphia’s sweater for 2023-2024 notably includes the team’s first-ever home jersey patch partner, Independence Blue Cross. Hilferty had a long and successful insurance career with Blue Cross before joining the Flyers’ brass last season.
Though the new jersey will no doubt delight Flyers fans, it will take more than cosmetic changes to make the New Era of Orange a success.
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