That 90s Show: The Philadelphia Flyers Keep Bringing Back Everything From The 90s, This Time With Some New Sweaters
I'm sure there are some old heads out there who will obviously say the 70s were the best time to be a Flyers fan. Back-to-back Stanley Cup champs, plus they beat the shit out of the Soviet Red Army. It was definitely a solid time for the orange and black for sure. But the 90s into the early 2000s before the lockout? You don't need to remind me that they didn't win any Cups during that stretch, but holy shit was that a great time to be a Flyers fan. The Legion of Doom, playoffs every season, Hextall, Desjardins, Brind'Amour, Recchi, fucking Shjon Podein. Those teams were so much fun to watch, and it was a time when going to a game felt like an actual event. Now you go to a Flyers game and it just feels sad. The place is dead, nobody gives a shit, and all Comcast cares about is getting a bunch of corporate tickets sold.
The fact of the matter is that being a Flyers fan in the 90s fucking ruled. And the Flyers know that the only way to get the fans back on their side is to appeal to nostalgia. Make us remember the good times, because the past few years have been complete and utter dog shit. So they hire Keith Jones to be the President of Hockey Operations. They hire John LeClair to be a Special Advisor to Hockey Relations. They also hired Patrick Sharp to the same role (the way I see it, the 90s bled into the early 2000s so he counts here). And now to really put the last finishing touches on this blast from the past, the Flyers are bringing back their sweaters from the 90s.
Just when I thought they couldn't possibly be any dumber, they go out and pull a stunt like this...
AND TOTALLY REDEEM THEMSELVES.
I mean, sure, there are definitely a few hangups I have with these uniforms. Primarily the fact that the blue ads on the chest are an abomination. Also, I loved the black piping on the original jerseys from the 90s, and would have loved to see them make a return.
Mitchell Layton. Getty Images.Doesn't get any better than that right there.
But they still did enough here to get the right idea. The deeper shade of orange, the black collar, black strip across the bottom, and thicker shoulder stripe. It's not perfect, but it's certainly a start. And the perfection can come when it's time to re-do the black alternates, and then the Flyers can bring back this beauty.
Jim McIsaac. Getty Images.Either way, the Flyers are pulling me back in one piece of my childhood at a time. Maybe if they actually piece together a halfway decent roster in the next 5 years, I'll be all the way back. That all starts with finding a way to draft Michkov next week.