The American Hockey League’s Henderson Silver Knights are showing their true blue state pride with their new Nevada Day jersey for 2023-24.
The Vegas Golden Knights’ affiliate unveiled the new jersey on their social media channels on Thursday, October 26. It pays homage to the first flag adopted by the state of Nevada in 1905, some 40 years after it was admitted to the Union.
The jerseys feature a bright blue base — similar to the cobalt blue used on the current state flag — with angled silver, gold and black striping on the sleeves and sides. The collar is black with silver trim.
The crest on the front of the jersey has “HENDERSON” spelled out in large silver letters, with “SILVER” in silver above and “KNIGHTS” below in gold, mimicking the lettering on the original state flag. Two rows of stars — one with nine gold stars and one with eight silver stars — sit between the lines of text. Combined with the large silver stars at either end of “HENDERSON,” there are 36 stars total, denoting Nevada being the 36th state to join the Union.
The jerseys also feature a shoulder patch with an outline of the state of Nevada in black. The outline is bordered in silver and has a gold “NV” abbreviation inside.
The silver and gold throughout the jersey is meant to honor both the rich natural resources found in Nevada, as well as both the Silver Knights and Golden Knights. The blue base “signifies out Battle Born state’s loyalty to the Union,” according to the team’s Twitter account.
The photos released by the Silver Knights on Thursday didn’t show the pants, socks or helmets that would be worn with the jerseys. They did, however, show white gloves with gold accents.
Nevada’s original flag remained in use until 1915. The state’s current flag was adopted in 1991 and features a silver star, two sagebrush branches and the word “NEVADA” underneath gold banner with the phrase “BATTLE BORN,” all on cobalt blue field.
UPDATE (October 27, 2023): The Silver Knights wore the Nevada Day jerseys on Friday, October 27, when they hosted the Ontario Reign. Nevada Day is a state holiday marking Nevada’s admission into the Union on October 31, 1864, and is celebrated on the last Friday of every October.
An update/correction to this story clarified that these are actually one-off jerseys for Nevada Day and not meant to be in the team’s rotation as third jerseys. They’ll be auctioned off after the game to raise money for the Henderson Silver Knights Foundation.