The Western Hockey League’s Saskatoon Blades were looking to bulldoze their competition on Friday when they broke out new retro jerseys.
The Blades debuted the jerseys on Friday, November 17, when they took on the Moose Jaw Warriors at home on Heritage Night. They’re based on the jerseys the Blades wore from 2000-01 to 2004-05, which in turn were based on what the NHL’s St. Louis Blues were wearing at the time.
The base of the jersey is royal blue with a scowling yellow bulldozer logo on the front. The shoulder yokes and hems are navy blue outlined with yellow and white striping. Likewise, the lower halves of the sleeves are navy blue, topped with yellow and white stripes near the elbow.
Numbers on the back and sleeves are set in a yellow block font with navy blue and white outlines. The names on the backs are one-color yellow.
The jerseys are paired with royal blue helmets, pants and gloves. The socks are royal blue with white, yellow and navy blue striping.
The bulldozer was designed by local designer Gerry Unrau and was chosen because it was kid-friendly and reflected the construction background of the Blades’ owners at the time.
The bulldozer jerseys aren’t a one-night-only deal. The Blades noted on Twitter that they’ll wear them four more times during the 2023-24 WHL season before auctioning them off.