Los Angeles Kings Unveil Anniversary Sweater

In advance of their fiftieth season, the Los Angeles Kings unveiled a new commemorative sweater on Tuesday. Revealed via video, the jerseys will be worn during the team’s annual “Meet the Players” event later tonight.

“As we continue toward the start of the hockey season, our 50th Anniversary, sharing this jersey for the first time is a real thrill for us. We put a lot of thought, time and effort into the design and we are very proud of the final product.” Kings President of Business Operations Luc Robitallie said in a statement.

The Kings’ anniversary jerseys take cues from several parts of the team’s history.

A “chromified” crest adorns a grey jersey, similar to what they wore for the 2014 Stadium Series game at Dodger Stadium. The crest includes a gold outline symbolizing the team’s golden anniversary.

Two silver stripes – one on each sleeve – represent the franchise’s two Stanley Cup Championships, while the hem striping is based on the sweater from the team’s 1967-68 inaugural season.

Player names and numbers will include a gold outline, rendered in what the Kings describe as a “special font.”

The inside of the collar will be purple with five gold diamonds, representing the team’s five decades.

Additionally, the sweater will feature a lace-up collar. The shoulders will be black with the team’s 50th anniversary patch on the right shoulder.

It’s hard not to compare this to the previously-announced Philadelphia Flyers’ 50th anniversary sweater. While the Flyers may have gone overboard with gold accents, the Kings have limited the use of that color to trim elements. Los Angeles, though, went the slightly-odd route of pairing their gold with a silver-like gray, which could be seen as muddling the symbolism. One can only wonder how this jersey would have looked with a white base.

The jersey will serve at Los Angeles’ official third jersey for the season and will be worn for 14 games. The Kings will also weird their gold inaugural season jerseys for their home opener on October 14.