Reverse Retro: A Look Back at the Bruins in Gold

BostonBruins.com - For the fifth time in team history, the Bruins are going for gold.
On Monday, the NHL and adidas revealed their new Reverse Retro jerseys, which each of the league's 31 teams will don during the 2020-21 season.

Boston's sweater is a remix of its home uniforms worn at Boston Garden from 1981-1995 during the Ray Bourque-Cam Neely era. It features the non-serifed Spoked-B and the fan-favorite bear crest on the shoulders with a gold base instead of the traditional white.
The Reverse Retro marks the first gold Bruins jersey in nearly 15 years. The last, of course, was the infamous "Pooh Bear" sweater that was retired following the 2005-06 campaign after serving as the team's alternate jersey for about a decade.
Bruins fans may pre-order their adidas Reverse Retro jerseys online at
BostonProShop.com
.
Here's a look back at the all of the gold uniforms in Bruins history:

1940-44

Boston's first-ever alternate jersey was gold with Bruins written across the front. During this four-year period - led by legend Milt Schmidt, captain Dit Clapper, and goalie Frank Brimsek - the B's captured their third Stanley Cup (1941) and lost in the Stanley Cup Final (1943). Hall of Famer Bill Cowley paced the NHL with 64 points during the 1940-41 campaign.

1955-67

The Bruins' primary sweater switched to gold for the first - and only - time in 1955. In 1958-59, numbers were added to the sleeves of the gold jersey, while the stripes on the sleeves continued to be thinned over time. For much of this period, Boston struggled, missing the playoffs in nine of the 12 seasons, including eight straight campaigns from 1959-67.
The three other seasons during that stretch, however, included two Stanley Cup Final losses (1957 and 1958) and a loss in the league semifinals in 1959.
Among the more notable moments in the primary gold sweater was the debut of Willie O'Ree, who became the first Black player in NHL history on Jan. 18, 1958. The final season of the gold jersey also coincided with the arrival of rookie sensation Bobby Orr in 1966-67.

1995-2006

Well, this one doesn't need much of an introduction. After 30 years without any alternate or third jerseys, the Bruins welcomed the "Pooh Bear." The gold sweater with the bear head across the front was worn for 10 seasons, starting with Boston's inaugural campaign at the new FleetCenter in 1995-96.
This period also included the final five seasons of Ray Bourque's legendary Bruins career and the debuts of Joe Thornton (1997) and Patrice Bergeron (2003).

2010

Inspired by the gold sweater of the 1940s, the Bruins donned a gold and brown jersey with the rounded Spoked-B for the 2010 Winter Classic at Fenway Park. Marco Sturm scored the overtime winner in Boston's first-ever outdoor game, a 2-1 victory over the Philadelphia Flyers.

2020

A decade after that thrilling afternoon at Fenway, the Bruins are turning to gold once again. The team will wear its new Reverse Retro alternate on several occasions during the 2020-21 season, a nod to an era that saw Boston reach two Stanley Cup Finals in 1988 and 1990.