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The Montreal Canadiens just casually broke the internet this Friday afternoon, after releasing their jerseys for this upcoming Winter Classic at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Massachusetts against the Boston Bruins January 1st.
The Jerseys are part throwback to the teams rich heritage, and part nod to an old school rivalry that still stands to this day. The bitterness between the Habs and the B’s is well documented, and easily palpable every time the two teams suit up and step foot on the ice together.
Though the absence of notable agitator Milan Lucic (traded to the Los Angeles Kings over the summer) has dulled the hostility, just a tiny bit. Undoubtedly, someone will be more than willing to carry the mantle for the B’s. Certainly, this is a rivalry that has stood the test of time, and will continue to grow with every meeting.
Forget that Montreal is the best team in the Atlantic by far, these jersey’s alone give them the upper hand heading into the Winter Classic.
There’s a lot of history combined into these jersey’s.
“The jersey recalls multiple elements related to the Canadiens rich history. The chest stripe is a shade of blue inspired by the first-ever Canadiens jersey worn after their founding in 1909. The central crest features a “CH” with colors inverted from what has been the norm for 90 years. The “C” is white and the “H” is red, as they were in 1923-24, the season the team won its first Stanley Cup® championship as part of the NHL. An image of a globe on the sleeve borrows from the “World Champions” design worn by Montreal the following season to celebrate its championship, a season where the franchise also began its longstanding rivalry with the newly-founded Bruins, then playing in their inaugural campaign. The jersey also features a distinctive red collar originally is reminiscent of that worn in 1945-46, a season that culminated in the Canadiens, led by the “Punch Line” of Maurice Richard, Hector “Toe” Blake, and Elmer Lach, defeating Boston to earn their sixth Stanley Cup® Championship.”
Here’s the rest from the Canadiens team statement.
Those jersey’s are a thing of beauty. For me, it’s not so much about want…I need to get my hands on a Carey Price #31 jersey.