In 1975-76 - for the first time in franchise history - the Penguins wore a set of jerseys produced by two different manufacturers during an entire season. During the 1975-76 pre-season, the team wore its Home (white) Rawlings jerseys from the 1972-74 seasons for all four of their pre-season home games at the Civic Arena. The Road (blue) jerseys during the 1975-76 pre-season were recycled from the previous season which was customary for each season prior.
According to Al Strachan of the Montreal Gazette, in an article from October 22, 1975, the Penguins wore their Road (blue) jerseys - identical to the 1974-75 season - but with a black stripe at the bottom instead of white due to "Their regular white home uniforms faded over the summer and the areas that should be black turned green." As a result, the Penguins wore their new set of Road (blue) jerseys for the first three home games of the 1975-76 regular season.
The new Home (white) jerseys that debuted on October 25, 1975 vs. Philadelphia were manufactured by Wilson with hem, sleeve and cuff striping and shoulder yokes similar to the 1972-73 and 1973-74 seasons. Single-color black v-neck collars and single-color blue sleeve and back numbers were now present.
Inside the neckline of the Home (white) jerseys is the white Wilson manufacturer's tag which included the size embroidered on the tag along with washing instructions.
The Road (blue) jerseys debuted on October 9, 1975 at Washington and were manufactured by Rawlings for the fourth consecutive season and were identical to the style introduced during the 1974-75 season, but now featured a white/blue/black striping pattern on the bottom hem rather than the white/black/white pattern of the previous season.
Inside the neckline of the Road (blue) jerseys is the red Rawlings manufacturer's tag which included the size embroidered on the tag along with washing instructions.
According to Al Strachan of the Montreal Gazette, in an article from October 22, 1975, the Penguins wore their Road (blue) jerseys - identical to the 1974-75 season - but with a black stripe at the bottom instead of white due to "Their regular white home uniforms faded over the summer and the areas that should be black turned green." As a result, the Penguins wore their new set of Road (blue) jerseys for the first three home games of the 1975-76 regular season.
The new Home (white) jerseys that debuted on October 25, 1975 vs. Philadelphia were manufactured by Wilson with hem, sleeve and cuff striping and shoulder yokes similar to the 1972-73 and 1973-74 seasons. Single-color black v-neck collars and single-color blue sleeve and back numbers were now present.
Inside the neckline of the Home (white) jerseys is the white Wilson manufacturer's tag which included the size embroidered on the tag along with washing instructions.
The Road (blue) jerseys debuted on October 9, 1975 at Washington and were manufactured by Rawlings for the fourth consecutive season and were identical to the style introduced during the 1974-75 season, but now featured a white/blue/black striping pattern on the bottom hem rather than the white/black/white pattern of the previous season.
Inside the neckline of the Road (blue) jerseys is the red Rawlings manufacturer's tag which included the size embroidered on the tag along with washing instructions.
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The Penguins began wearing Set 1 jerseys with the start of the 1975-76 regular season on October 7, 1975 at Washington. The set was worn throughout the regular season and 1976 Stanley Cup Playoffs and was worn until April 9, 1976 at Toronto. The Home (white) jerseys were worn in a total of 38 games while the Road (blue) jerseys were worn in a total of 45 games. Each individual jersey within the set was worn as allocated by the Pittsburgh Penguins and each jersey should be researched individually to determine exactly when each jersey was worn.
Click HERE to view a gallery of the Home (White) Set 1 Jerseys |
Click HERE to view a gallery of the Road (Blue) Set 1 Jerseys |