The Pittsburgh Penguins surprised fans at their 2025-26 home opener by wearing brand new third jerseys against the New York Islanders.
After taking the ice for warmups in their traditional black and gold home sweaters, the players returned to the ice for game action in all-mustard colored threads.
The new sweaters feature some legacy-honoring details such as a triangle shoulder patch, symbolizing Point State Park, with “three river waves” to signify the confluence of the Allegheny, Monongahela and Ohio rivers in Pittsburgh. The patch also depicts an igloo to honor Civic Arena, the Penguins’ home from 1967 to 2010.
According to a release from the team, the letter and number fonts on the jerseys are inspired by the historic trolley car system of Pittsburgh, while the loop label on the bottom of the backside of the jersey displays the iconic yellow Fort Duquesne bridge. The color used (mustard yellow) is called “Penguins Gold.”
The sweaters are intentionally reminiscent of the all-gold setup from the Mario Lemieux era of the 1980s, with similar designs worn as alternates at the 2017 Stadium Series and during the 2018-19 season.
The new sweaters proved to be good luck for the Penguins. Captain Sidney Crosby and longtime teammate Evgeni Malkin both scored in the Penguins’ 4-3 win over the Islanders.
The Penguins seemingly one-upped the Los Angeles Kings’ in marketing strategy as the latter pulled the same post-warmup reveal on Wednesday but had already announced the new third jerseys that afternoon.
Pittsburgh, however, completely took PPG Paints Arena and the entire fanbase by surprise by just deciding to show up and play in their new digs. The Kings’ social media admins took a poke at the Penguins’ dubious stunt on X.
Pittsburgh will wear their new third jerseys 11 times this season, including a Nov. 6 home tilt against the rival Washington Capitals.
