Inside the Making of the Bruins’ Stadium Series Jersey, ‘Design with Intention’

BOSTON –– Andrea Mazzarelli had printer paper splayed across her office floor.

The Boston Bruins’ vice president of marketing looked down at each piece, contemplating the design for the team’s Stadium Series jerseys.

“I was literally cutting and pasting,” Mazzarelli said. “I had my scissors, I had my tape, I was cutting and pasting,”

Mazzarelli just wanted to get it right – she always does. The Bruins are playing in the 2026 Navy Federal Credit Union NHL Stadium Series game versus the Tampa Bay Lightning on Feb. 1 at Raymond James Stadium, and needed a uniform to meet the moment.​

It was not a foreign task for Mazzarelli. The B’s have launched 11 new jerseys since 2016, with this get-up being the 12th.​

“We’ve been really through it with jersey launches, and have to think through different ways to keep our launches fresh,” Mazzarelli said.

​Luckily, the Stadium Series allows space to creatively experiment.

“It is really important from a league perspective because as these outdoor games initially proliferated, it was important for each of the events to have its own opportunity to, if you will, shine,” said Brian Jennings, who is the NHL chief branding officer and executive vice president. “While the Winter Classic is a retro, nostalgic look, and a little bit of returning to the game being played on ponds, what we looked at with Stadium Series was a more futuristic, progressive look.”

​The Bruins used that as their guiding force throughout the design process, staying rooted in the franchise’s historic identity while having fun with a more modern product.

“If ever we were going to go a little bit wild or a little bit dialed up, it would be for Stadium Series,” Mazzarelli said. “In this case, we had the opportunity to – also as the visiting team – do something kind of unique since we have done a lot of historical the last few years with our Winter Classics and the Centennial.”

The Bruins – in partnership with the NHL and Fanatics – got to work right away after the league announced Boston and Tampa would face off outdoors. The memo came in January, the initial design call was early March and the final approval was given in April, Mazzarelli said.

The most important part of the first call was narrowing in on the story the Bruins wanted to tell with the jerseys. Fanatics presented some preliminary ideas, the direction was then picked and fine-tuned from there.

Eight months later, the message is clear. The uniforms are an ode to New England fans and the passion that fuels them home and away. Whether they are road warriors looking for a brief escape from the Boston cold or the snowbirds who travel south for the winter, their fandom is on display in every market.

“You can take the people out of New England, but you can’t take New England out of the people,” Mazzarelli said.​

The jersey introduces a new “Sunshine Gold” color to the team’s classic palette. It is a brighter, warmer gold that more closely matches the Florida backdrop. The Stadium Series kits still have the signature Bruins edge, though, per recommendation of team president Cam Neely.​

“He felt like the jersey needed to have a little bit more nastiness to it,” Mazzarelli.“We took that back, and we were like, let’s do something cool. Let’s do something with teeth, let’s do claws.”

The bear slash is featured on the shoulder crest, helmet and embroidered onto the pants. The “Boston” logo on the front of the jersey draws inspiration from the New England Patriots, an intentional nod to the game being hosted in a football stadium, and the Bruins’ NFL counterparts.

“Jerseys are such a polarizing subject in pro sports. But, it is our most prominent brand representation in our market – it is what our players wear – so it is really important for us to get it right,” Mazzarelli said. “I am always of the mindset of design with intention. Don’t just logo slap or throw something on there. I am always like, this has to have a purpose. If it is going on the jersey, it is intentional.”

The sunshine theme is also carried through the uniform; there are sun-ray embroidery details on the sleeves and on the hem-loop label. The inside neck collar features the acronyms of the six New England states, tying in the tribute to the snowbirds.​

The marquee event on Feb. 1 will mark the first time in NHL history that an outdoor game will be played in a football stadium in the state of Florida. The Bruins wanted to recognize that through their style.

“When we announced that we were going to do two outdoor games in Florida, I think people were like, ‘Wow, the league is really pushing it, and maybe they’ve lost their minds,’” Jennings said. “We’ve been kind of smiling behind the scenes and saying it really is a tribute to the growth of hockey.”​

Mazzarelli, along with Mark Majewski, the Bruins’ director of creative services, know the team’s identity best, and the NHL trusted their vision throughout the process.​

“What’s really important is that certainly the Boston Bruins and the Lightning – and any of our teams when we’re doing development – it is your brand and your uniform. While we have a positioning that we want to hold true for, we want your input,” Jennings said. “It really is a true collaboration.”

From the scraps lying on her office floor to seeing the players fully dressed in the Stadium Series uniform, the hard work is finally paying off for Mazzarelli. While behind the scenes, she is a primary storyteller for the organization.

“I take immense pride in that. To be honest, it is kind of a pinch yourself moment here to be kind of holding the keys to this 100-plus-year-old brand,” Mazzarelli said. “It’s something I don’t take lightly. It is incredibly important to take care of a brand with this much heritage. It is one of the things that I am most proud of, and the most exciting parts of my job.”

The Bruins 2026 Stadium Series jerseys and additional Stadium Series merchandise will be available for purchase on December 15 at BostonProShop.com and in-store at the ProShop, powered by ’47, at The Hub on Causeway (84 Causeway St., Boston, MA 02114). Fans interested in being the first to know when jerseys and new merchandise become available to purchase are encouraged to sign up for the BostonProShop Newsletter HERE.