Flyers unveil 50th anniversary jersey

PHILADELPHIA -- When the Philadelphia Flyers unveiled a special jersey to celebrate their 50th anniversary Wednesday, it featured a logo and colors similar to what the organization has traditionally worn.
The big change was gold numbers on the jersey, and gold accents to the crest and the players' names, in honor of the Flyers' golden anniversary.
The reason little else was changed was because Flyers founding owner and chairman Ed Snider, who died April 11, believes the logo and colors are sacrosanct.

Flyers captain Claude Giroux, who was on hand to model the jersey during a presentation at the 57th floor observation deck at One Liberty Plaza, said knowing Snider had a hand in the creation of the jersey made it that much more exciting to wear.
"We've been saying it a lot, but all he's done for this organization and this city, not a lot of people can do that," Giroux said. "To be able to know that he approves of this jersey and he wants us to wear it, it's an honor."

Snider's approval came last December, which allowed Reebok to go ahead with production.
"He doesn't want anyone messing around with the logo," Flyers president Paul Holmgren said. "Even when you put color on the outside of it, he [recoils]. At the end of the day he was great with it. He saw what the final draft was and when we sent it off to get the initial one made, and then once we all looked at it, him included, it was unanimous. We were all unanimous but waiting to hear what he said. At the end of the day, it was unanimous mostly because he was OK with it."
The jersey will be worn 12 times this season, starting with the home opener Oct. 20 against the Anaheim Ducks.
Holmgren said he was looking forward to seeing the jersey in action.
"Under lights, it really looks cool," he said. "The gold accent on the letters and the names, the shoulders, the sleeves, it looks really great."

The jersey is part of a number of plans the Flyers have to celebrate their 50th anniversary, including special nights honoring the team's goaltenders, Stanley Cup Playoff heroes and captains, and a Hall of Fame night.
"We've got some heritage nights over the course of the season," Holmgren said. "We've got a lot of things going on that we'll announce as we get closer to training camp. It's exciting stuff."