Flyers head equipment manager Rick Bronwell remembered seeing an early version of the retro reverse jersey in October 2021 and thinking there was something more that could be added to the design.
"It was nice, it was clean, it was very straightforward," he said. "When I was in Minnesota, we kind of kicked around the idea of Cooperalls for their retros ... we just couldn't find anybody to make them in time."
A year's head start, though, at least allowed for the possibility.
But first, Bronwell and Flyers senior vice president of marketing Mark Zarthar contacted the NHL to see if the League would allow it.
Zarther said the conversation was surprisingly quick.
"We spoke to Rich Villani (vice president, consumer products licensing), and we're like 'Rich, we want Cooperalls, any chance we can wear these things?'" Zarthar said. "We thought there's going to be no way. He said no chance you can wear them in the game, they're Illegal for safety reasons. But why not warmups? And so it just we just went from there."
Brian Jennings, NHL senior executive vice president and chief branding officer, said it was an easy yes from his point of view, partially because it's not the first time the idea of the Flyers resurrecting Cooperalls had been broached.
"We actually had contemplated this going back to the [2010] Winter Classic at Fenway," Jennings said of the game between the Flyers and Boston Bruins. "We had the Cooperalls that were going to be worn in warmups and for whatever reason, at the last minute, the general manager (Paul Holmgren) decided he didn't want to disrupt the players' normal routines and they got kiboshed. We were disappointed because we had them ordered and they were all ready to roll.
"We're excited for the Flyers. I think it's a fun way of kind of wink-wink/nod-nod going back into a retrospective, which is what the program is all about. And just to be worn in in warm-ups? All good."
The Flyers worked with Philly Express Athletics, an area sports apparel company, to design the Cooperalls.
They created these things from scratch and custom stitched the striping on the side, custom-applied the Flyers logo at the bottom," Zarther said. "We went through a lot. We really wanted to get that stripe down the side. We looked at two iterations to match the stripe down the side and match the exact orange from the [retro reverse] jersey. They turned out beautiful."
The players certainly think so.
"They're awesome," center Kevin Hayes said. "They're just old school. Just a really cool component we're adding to the jersey. ... I think everyone kind of thinks they're going to be great."
Sanheim said the fact that the Flyers are the only ones wearing the Cooperalls adds to the feel.
"It's going to be cool to see in warmup," he said. "Obviously something different and very unique that we're the only team that's doing it this year. ... I think they're going to look awesome."
And fans will be able to have their version of the Cooperalls in January.
"We will have mock Cooperalls at the team store starting after the New Year," Zarther said. "They'll look exactly like the Cooperalls but they will be in the form of sweatpants."
Though the Flyers and their fans will be able to rock their Cooperalls moving forward, they might not be the last NHL team jumping on the idea.
"I can't believe the feedback I got when they released them that day," Bronwell said of the calls and emails he got from his friends around the NHL. "I got so many text messages. Are you serious? You guys are bringing back Cooperalls?"
