Rangers Winter Classic sweater ‘complements’ Centennial jersey
In breaking out a new sweater for the 2026 Winter Classic, the New York Rangers didn’t stray too far from their popular Centennial jersey, which was introduced before the start of this seasons, their 100th in the NHL.
On Wednesday, the League unveiled the new threads for the Rangers and Florida Panthers, which will be worn when the teams clash at loanDepot Park in Miami on Jan. 2. Fanatics designed the sweaters for each team, and stated on social media that the Rangers look “complements” their current Centennial jersey.
That it does.
Using the same lighter shade of blue and off-white colors, the main difference is that the Winter Classic sweater has the white base and “New York” written diagonally the front. The Centennial jersey has a blue base and “Rangers” diagonally across the front.
A nice touch on the Winter Classic sweater is a patch shaped like an apple with “NYR” simply written within it, displayed on the left shoulder.
Rangers captain J.T. Miller and veteran center Vincent Trocheck were the team’s models for the sweater unveil Wednesday.
Dom Fillion, Fanatics senior creative director and vice president of design, told NHL.com that New York’s Winter Classic jersey clearly is an “additional element” of the Centennial version.
Though the Centennial sweater is pure fire, it should be noted that the Rangers haven’t won a game yet when wearing the jersey this season. However, it caused quite the positive sartorial stir when the Rangers and Detroit Red Wings each wore their dark-colored Centennial jerseys in a 2-1 New York loss at Madison Square Garden on Sunday.
The Panthers sweater is a throwback to their first years in the League back in the 1990s, but with an even more retro look to it.
“What would that leaping panther look like if the Florida Panthers were a franchise that has 100-year-old history?” Fillion said.
This will be the sixth time the Rangers play outdoors. They won each of the first five, including the 2012 and 2018 Winter Classics, two Stadium Series games at Yankee Stadium in January 2014, and one at MetLife Stadium on Feb. 18, 2024. The Rangers are the only team that played in at least three outdoor games and won each of them. Henrik Lundqvist is 4-0-0 – the only goaltender who’s won four outdoor games.
This is the first outdoor game for the Panthers, who are the two-time defending Stanley Cup champion.
