Throughout their 52-season franchise history, the Philadelphia Flyers have rarely been a chore to watch. The organization’s commitment to a near-constant state of contention ensured that the Flyers usually put a worthwhile product on the ice.
They also made sure to dress up that product in some very sleek uniforms.
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It’s State of the Uniforms week at The Athletic, so let’s take a trip down memory lane with that theme in mind. Our goal, in totally subjective fashion, is to determine which Flyers jerseys (and overall kits) were the best in team history and which were the worst.
After trying and failing to come up with some sort of “jersey analytics” to guide this exercise, I fell back on an old, faithful tactic in compiling lists of the five worst and 10 best Flyers uniforms: my personal, biased opinion. These rankings, therefore, might differ from yours. Feel free to express your disapproval, or agreement, in the comment section!
The five worst
James van Riemsdyk in action on the road against the Kings in 2009. (Victor Decolongon / Getty Images)
5. 2007-2010 home and road
The frustrating part is that Reebok’s first stab at a Flyers jersey mostly looks great, as the company essentially replicated the fantastic designs from the turn of the millennium. Sadly, the arms ruin everything.
The half-circle color change at the elbow never made any sense, and it makes the jersey look needlessly busy. Sometimes, just one poor design choice can spoil the whole package.
Great moment. The jersey? Not so much. (Eric Hartline / USA Today)
4. 2019 Stadium Series
It’s become tradition for Flyers fans — or at least many on social media — to immediately react poorly when the new jerseys are revealed for the outdoor games. But given time, the fan base usually comes around. Even the polarizing 2017 Stadium Series jerseys — worn at Heinz Field against the Penguins — come off as oddly intimidating on the ice.
The team’s most recent outdoor jerseys, however, seemed like a misfire from the start.
The “color rush” idea was intriguing, but the hard truth is these kits were just boring; the only interesting part was the “football-style” helmet. Plus, removing the orange/black contrast in the Flyers logo makes it look more like a stamp, not the iconic image that it is. Somehow, this jersey even makes the team’s signature vibrant orange look drab.
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It might have been a great game at Lincoln Financial Field, and though it came amid a mess of a season, Claude Giroux’s game-winning overtime goal in the rain will go down as one of the best moments of his long career. Too bad it happened in such an underwhelming jersey.
Shayne Gostisbehere’s expression captures how we feel about these jerseys. (Eric Hartline / USA Today)
3. 2016-17 50th anniversary jersey
A running theme of Flyers jersey missteps: messing with the logo. Understandably, the club wanted to do something special for its 50th anniversary, but slapping gold on the numbers, letters and trim around the logo just didn’t work. Orange is already a showy color — adding gold just makes the whole presentation ostentatious.
Please, John Stevens, call a timeout and burn all these jerseys. (Len Redkoles / Getty Images)
2. 2002-2007 third jerseys
The first time the Flyers messed with their logo was also the worst time they messed with their logo. With the primary orange jersey temporarily retired due to the shift to black becoming the main road color, it made sense to bring it back as an alternate. But rather than make the easy move and occasionally wear the road jerseys from the 1990s, they instead went with the brilliant idea of … making the logo look three-dimensional?
Really, there’s little right with this jersey. The nameplate looks off. The arms are a mess. And why, oh why, was gray introduced to the Flyers’ color scheme? At least gold was an interesting color, a worthwhile attempt to spice things up, even if the execution proved flawed. But who could have possibly wanted the Orange & Black to become the Orange, Black & Gray? Yikes.
No, this wasn’t gym class. This was worn in actual NHL games. (Bruce Bennett Studios via Getty Images)
1. The Cooperalls
Could it have been anything else? While the Flyers’ jerseys looked fine during this era — 1981-82 and 1982-83 — the Cooperalls were understandably all that people noticed. Bucking the traditional shorts-and-socks look, the Flyers became the first NHL team to switch over to the long pants that would be remembered as the biggest fashion mistake in franchise history.
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There were functional issues, as well — players would slide faster and longer on the ice in the pants. But the sheer oddity of them skating around in what looked like tracksuits was the biggest reason it didn’t stick. In retrospect, it’s surprising the Cooperalls lasted two full seasons, although the Flyers weren’t the only team to try them out, as the Hartford Whalers joined the long-pants party in 1982-83. The NHL, thankfully, outlawed the pants in 1983, and Cooperalls died a welcome death at the top level of hockey.
The 10 best
10. 1967-1970: The originals
The first Flyers jersey design wasn’t flashy. There were no nameplates, no trim around the numbers and certainly no gold or gray. And while enhancements to their look would come in time, there’s something classic and old-school about Philadelphia’s original home and road jerseys. It feels right at home in the “Original Six” era.
Right off the bat, the jersey had some inherent strengths: the uniqueness of orange as its primary color, for starters, and the instantly iconic logo. The original laid the foundation for everything that followed. It was a darn good start.
The 2012 Winter Classic jersey’s charm is in the details. (Len Redkoles / Getty Images)
9. 2012 Winter Classic
A perfect example of when risk-taking in Flyers jersey design goes right. Adding a cream color to the palette was a bold move, but it works. Despite being a brand-new jersey, the color gives the kit a pseudo-throwback feel, and it doesn’t take attention away from the trademark orange. It’s a perfect complementary color.
But the true brilliance of these jerseys, which the Flyers wore for the 2012 Winter Classic at Citizens Bank Park, is in the little details. The lace-up collar fits the throwback theme, and putting the captain’s “C” and alternate captain’s “A” in the middle of a keystone shape (a nod to Pennsylvania’s state nickname) was a stroke of genius.
After the Winter Classic, the Flyers used these as their third jersey for two seasons in the middle of the 2010s. Good choice. Good jersey.
Bobby Clarke, Bernie Parent and the Flyers enjoy the moment after winning the Stanley Cup in 1975. (Associated Press)
8. 1972-1977 road jerseys: No nameplate
During the Stanley Cup years, the Flyers had player nameplates on only their home jerseys — on the road, they continued to go the traditional nameless route. Yet there were still some significant improvements over the original orange road kits.
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For starters, the back numbers on their mid-’70s jerseys benefited significantly from the addition of a black outline, which made them look less generic. The arm numbers were given an added kick as well. It was a far more in-your-face, brash look than the inaugural jerseys, a change that fit the personality of the Broad Street Bullies perfectly.
Mark Recchi celebrates in the black road jersey after a goal in 2003. (Rick Stewart / Getty Images)
7. 1997-2007: The black jerseys
The Flyers’ black jerseys — first used as an alternate and then deployed as the team’s primary road jersey for the bulk of the ’00s decade — are beloved by many fans. Whenever the team is about to unveil a new design, there are invariably some who (loudly) express their opinion that the team should bring back the black jersey template that was discontinued in 2010.
I never loved the black jerseys. I felt it pushed orange — the Flyers’ signature color — to the background, relegating it to mere trim rather than having it front and center, where it belonged. However, even as an admitted hater, I can’t deny how crisp these jerseys looked, and the orange trim looked fantastic when watching games in person.
I still contend that these jerseys teetered on the edge of generic, especially during an era in which lots of teams tested black-centric kits. But the less-is-more approach of the design keeps it from being a failure. There’s a reason it remains a favorite of an entire generation of fans.
Travis Konecny celebrates with Morgan Frost after scoring a goal in December. (Eric Hartline / USA Today)
6. 2008-present: The current oranges
Sometimes, you just have to go back to what works.
After 10 years of jersey experiments that culminated with the arm-driven failure of the post-lockout Reeboks, the Flyers returned to their roots. The current home oranges are clearly an attempt to recapture the look that the team made famous in the ’70s, and it’s largely a successful one. The orange might be a bit less bright than it was back in the day, and the white-on-orange nameplates make it a bit showier. But it’s a crisp reimagining of the Bullies’ jerseys with little to nitpick.
Eric Lindros in action at the Montreal Forum in 1993. (Denis Brodeur / Getty Images)
5. 1982-2001: The classic orange
Simple, straightforward and with a ton of orange, there’s a reason this one lasted nearly two decades. The black line separating the white on the shoulders and sleeves from the orange of the rest of the jersey was the key addition, and the extra orange line before the black cuffs is a nice touch.
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Walling off the colors from each other makes the jersey feel structured, but the heavy orange gives it the necessary flash. It’s the definition of crisp.
4. 1972-1982: The Stanley Cup home whites
It took the Flyers a few tries to nail their home white jerseys. But starting in 1972, they zeroed in on the right formula. Adding nameplates for the first time was a game changer, and the heavy black outline on the numbers added character. And this was the jersey the Flyers wore when they won the franchise’s first Stanley Cup. That deserves a few bonus points.
Maybe the somewhat blocky numbers didn’t age particularly well. But aside from that minor quibble, these jerseys more than deserve their place in the Flyers’ pantheon.
3. 1977-1981: Orange with the nameplate
In 1977, the Flyers finally caved and added nameplates to their orange road jerseys, to match their home kits. While some might argue that the no-name look had a certain old-school charm, to my eyes, the jerseys significantly benefited from the change.
This is the jersey the current home oranges most emulate, and for good reason. It’s a classic.
Sean Couturier and company celebrate after scoring a goal on the road against the Capitals. (Geoff Burke / USA Today)
2. 2010-present: The current roads
First introduced for the 2010 Winter Classic, the Flyers quickly ditched the jersey ranked No. 5 on our worst list and replaced it with this gem. Just as the current orange is a reimagining of the Bullies-era road kits, this one takes its design cues from the home jerseys of the ’70s.
This time, however, they improved upon the original. The numbers are cleaner, the lighter orange works extremely well as a secondary color, and the black nameplates are an inspired new spin on the tried-and-tested formula.
It’s an instant classic, the ideal combination of old-school and new-school. Yet, as far as the franchise’s white jerseys go, it still trails one other.
Eric Lindros in 1996. (Bruce Bennett Studios via Getty Images)
1. 1982-2007: The home whites
For my generation, it’s the definitive Flyers jersey. Watching players like Eric Lindros, John LeClair and Eric Desjardins fly around home ice in these beauties was an absolute treat, and not just because of those players’ immense talent. The numbers are perfect. The orange is bright enough to be eye-catching but not overused to the point of overwhelming. And like its road counterpart of that era, it screams “crisp.”
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No jersey design in team history was used for a longer continuous period — nearly half of the team’s 52 seasons — without any noticeable adjustments. In my completely biased opinion, that’s because it was the best jersey the Flyers ever had.
More coverage: Philly uniform stories | State of the Uniforms series
(Top photo of John LeClair in the home whites: Bruce Bennett Studios via Getty Images)
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