By: Jack Studley | Follow me on Twitter/X @jackstudley13
It may go without saying, but the Boston Bruins are entering a new era of the franchise. This news will make it even more apparent while we watch the team next season. There are no more active players from the 2011 Stanley Cup team still rostered in Boston. That chapter closed when the Bruins traded Brad Marchand in March. Seven players remain from the 65-win season in 2022-23, and two of them are on expiring contracts. With the Centennial celebration in the rearview mirror, the Bruins are looking ahead to the summer, marked by anticipated changes that include a new captain, a new coach, and now, new sweaters – kicking off a new era of Boston Bruins hockey.
In late March, CBC News’ Douglas Gelevan reported on tariffs and their impact on authentic NHL jerseys, which have been produced in Saint-Hyacinthe, Quebec, for 50 years. I know I am not the only one who saw it, but the video linked halfway through the article contains something of note for Bruins fans. Clips at the 1:02 and 1:37 mark show Bruins jerseys in the manufacturing process. They carry the same logo used during the 100th anniversary season, and at first glance, they resemble the jerseys worn in the Centennial Game; however, upon closer examination, they appear to be different.
The Centennial Game commemorated the 100th anniversary of the Bruins’ inaugural game as a franchise, a 2-1 victory over the Montreal Maroons. The Bruins unveiled throwback sweaters on October 17, which would be worn exclusively for the Centennial Game. The Bruins’ 1980s sweaters inspired the jerseys, featuring a simplified take on the spoked “B” with its serif typeface to update the look. On December 1, 2024, the Bruins delivered a 6-3 win over the Montreal Canadiens in these sweaters, marking the close of their Centennial celebration.
The video from CBC shows something different than the Centennial Game jerseys. The sleeve striping will be modified so that the bottom gold stripe no longer extends down the arm. The stripe now cuts off, similar to the design of our current home set. The Bruins also updated the collar; it’s now entirely black, much like the one worn during the 2023-24 Centennial season. Changing the collar is a welcome change, especially considering the Centennial Game jersey featured a collar identical to the Penguins’ current set. Additionally, a new shoulder patch will be featured, which resembles the bear in the Bruins Centennial logo, with the only difference being that the bear is black and features the word “BRUINS” down the middle instead of the number 100.
With the relocation of the Arizona Coyotes to Salt Lake City last April, one of my first questions was what would happen to the jerseys – they had little time to put together uniforms before taking the ice in the fall. They did a good job of establishing a brand, considering the constraints they faced. However, in a December article checking in on the Utah branding, NHL.com’s Nicholas Costonika said, “Creating a new NHL jersey alone is supposed to be an 18-month effort that includes design, trademark clearance, procurement of raw materials, and finally production of game and retail versions.” Returning to the CBC video, it appears that the Saint-Hyacinthe factory was producing new Bruins sweaters for the upcoming season, lining up with what Costonika said about the jersey design process.
Last summer, the two teams from Southern California revamped their logos and jerseys. Both the Anaheim Ducks and the Los Angeles Kings officially unveiled their rebrands on June 26, and two nights later, both teams handed their new sweaters to their respective first-round draft choices. When it comes to full rebrands, teams tend to reveal their new look before the draft, although not always. The Lightning in 2011 and the Stars in 2013 are other examples of teams that fully embraced their rebrand before the draft.
This year, the Bruins are selecting at #7, the highest draft pick that Don Sweeney will have made as a general manager. This is also the highest that the team has selected since drafting Tyler Seguin in 2010. Handing off a new sweater to the highest draft selection that the Bruins have had in quite some time would be a great way to close the door on the past era of Bruins hockey and look forward to the next one.
The current logo was released in tandem with the Reebok Edge jersey takeover in 2007-08; the Bruins darkened the shade of gold after the 2007-08 season, and the logo took a backseat for the 2023-24 season when the Bruins unveiled a new logo for their Centennial season. The Bruins uniforms have not changed much since the team revealed them in 2007; the only changes are that Fanatics now manufactures them, the Bruins wear black socks, and the nameplate features a cleaner font.
The logo and jerseys worn since 2007 will be forever associated with one of the most successful eras in Bruins hockey. The Bruins qualified for the playoffs 14 times during the 17 seasons that the team wore these sweaters, and they appeared in the Stanley Cup Final three times during those 14 appearances. The logo and jersey will be inextricably linked to the names of Patrice Bergeron, Tuukka Rask, Zdeno Chara, and many other Bruin legends. When you see the logo, you may even start to hear one of the many passionate goal calls of Jack Edwards.
Following the Centennial season, the Bruins unveiled a new wordmark logo, which has been prominently featured on their website and social media channels. The Bruins retired their existing wordmark logo before the 2023-24 season, which had remained unchanged since 2008. For their anniversary season, the team released a custom font called “Centennial Slab” that was used as the wordmark. This season, the Bruins featured the new wordmark logo on the pants of the Centennial Game uniform in December. There has been no official report on whether the wordmark will continue, but given its use with the new logo, it seems likely that it will remain. We will have to wait for the Bruins to roll out their rebrand before we find out for sure.
That’s not it for the Bruins next season! On February 1, 2026, the Bruins will be on the road at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, FL, for the 2026 NHL Stadium Series. With that comes a special event jersey, but traditionally, those tend to take a different direction than the heritage feel that fans might be accustomed to with the Winter Classic. There are no details on that jersey yet, and we might not find out until the regular season is well underway. This past season, the Red Wings and Blue Jackets unveiled their sweaters on January 16, a month and a half before their March 1 game at Ohio Stadium.
The Bruins will be wearing something new when they hit the ice this fall, and hopefully, the fans will be able to see the complete rebrand sooner rather than later. The leaked jersey resembles the uniforms the Bruins wore from 1981 to 1995, so until the rebrand is unveiled (or another leak occurs), we can only speculate on what the road white jersey will look like or whether gold socks will return. If there is any time for the Bruins to refresh their look, it’s now. The change is not drastic; it blends familiar elements of the team’s history, all while keeping the eight-spoked B at the forefront. The launch of the new uniforms will mark the end of one significant era in Boston Bruins hockey, but it will officially usher in a new chapter in the franchise’s history.
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