Flyers unveil Winter Classic jerseys

WITH WORKERS outside taking advantage of the unseasonably warm weather to begin laying the first pieces of groundwork for the ice hockey rink in Citizens Bank Park, the transformation of the Phillies clubhouse into the Flyers' dressing room was in full force yesterday.

Ilya Bryzgalov's nameplate hung atop Roy Halladay's locker.

Matt Carle's hockey stick was gently resting on the frame of Ryan Howard's cubby.

And Flyers chairman Ed Snider was standing on a stage just feet from where the Phillies' starting pitcher du jour routinely answers questions about his outing on warm summer nights.

With the flick of a wrist yesterday morning, Snider yanked down the black veil uncovering the Flyers' long-awaited 2012 Winter Classic sweaters, which will be worn on Jan. 2.

The jerseys, designed by Reebok to have a classic, retro feel, use the same burnt orange that has made the Flyers' logo an iconic sports image but the design also factors in a new, off-white color. They are now available for sale at the Wells Fargo Center and on the NHL.com shop.

"I love the jerseys," Snider said, after watching forward Blair Betts and Brayden Schenn model them. "I've helped design them, so I like it a lot, obviously. It's fun. It's a great jersey, I think we'll love it forever."

Like the Flyers' current jerseys, the numbers and nameplate on the back are contrasting (off-white) from the main orange jersey color.

The striping pattern was inspired by a sock worn by the team in the late 1980s and the silhouette and shaping is something that has never been worn in team history. The jersey is enclosed at the neck line with vintage lacing.

"After more than 45 seasons, I take great pride in the fact that the Flyers logo is one of the most recognized logos in all of sports," Snider said in a press release. "We're looking forward to once again playing on the national stage at the upcoming NHL Winter Classic and reintroducing the world to Flyers hockey."