2020-21 Adidas Reverse Retro Authentic
#17 Bryan Rust with Alternate Captain's "A"
Manufacturer: Adidas
Size: 56
Purchased From: Facebook "Authentic Hockey Jersey Addicts" Group
Lettered by: Pro Knitwear
The Story: As NHL hockey was being played in empty buildings during the COVID-19 pandemic, teams were losing millions of dollars in gate and arena revenue. To recover some of that lost revenue, the NHL and Adidas created their Reverse Retro jersey initiative, which took old style jerseys and made them new again, by reversing some of the color schemes. Beginning in 1992 and ending in 1997, the Penguins wore black jerseys with a diagonal "PITTSBURGH" wordmark on the front. These jerseys were very popular in Pittsburgh and became known as the "Snoop jerseys," as Snoop Dogg wore one in his video for the hit song, "Gin and Juice." The Penguins "reversed" the black and white portions of this "retro" jersey to created a white version. Given the slimmer cut of the current Adidas jerseys compared to that of the old CCM and Starter jerseys, the wordmark was a bit smaller, and the old shoulder logos were replaced with the current skating Penguin logo (I still hate when they use a logo that doesn't feature the Golden Triangle behind the skating Penguin). One other change was to the nameplate lettering. While the originals featured two-layer gold-on-white letters, these Reverse Retros used the same style of black single-layer letters that are used on their current road and alternate jerseys. But all in all, this turned out to be a nice update to an old style that I'd hoped for years that they'd bring back as an alternate (which they did in 2021-22).
At the same time, Bryan Rust was quietly becoming a star in the NHL. Pretty much a permanent fixture on Sidney Crosby's right wing, his willingness to get the dirty goals around the net while becoming solid playmaker and penalty killer made him a fan favorite in Pittsburgh. While he didn't get all the press coverage that superstars like Crosby, Evgeni Malkin, and Kris Letang got, his no-nonsense and hustling style of play made him a priority to re-sign after the 2021-22 season. And come playoff time, he's proven to be clutch. His performance in Game 7 of the 2016 Eastern Conference Finals, where he scored both goals in a 2-1 Penguins win, were reminiscent of Max Talbot's heroics in 2009, and he didn't stop there! "Big Goal Bryan" got the Pens off and running against San Jose in Game 1 of the Stanley Cup Finals as well. "The Rusty Razor," as Mike Lange calls him, is a strong lead-by-example type of player on a team that's loaded with leadership, so I found it to be very well deserved when he was given "the letter of honor," the alternate captain's "A," at times during the 2020-21 season when other Penguins captains were out with injury. The fact that Rust's first game with the "A" coincided with the Penguins first wearing these Reverse Retro jerseys made it a no-brainer whose name should appear on this blank jersey that I had recently picked up from another collector in the Facebook "Authentic Hockey Jersey Addicts" group. A quick trip to Pro Knitwear, who customizes the team's jerseys, meant that everything would be done right, and I couldn't be happier with the end result!
A fun fact about Bryan Rust's game worn Reverse Retro jersey: when Adidas put these together, someone wasn't paying much attention to detail! Each letter on the "PITTSBURGH" wordmark had to be sewn to the jersey individually, and these letters feature a shadowed look that makes it appear as though there's a light shining from the upper-right, meaning that the shadow is visible on the bottom-left. But Rusty's gamer had the "I" sewn on upside-down. When the error was noticed, the Pens equipment staff corrected it for future games. This became quite the topic of conversation among jersey collectors at the time!
PHOTOS COMING SOON
Size: 56
Purchased From: Facebook "Authentic Hockey Jersey Addicts" Group
Lettered by: Pro Knitwear
The Story: As NHL hockey was being played in empty buildings during the COVID-19 pandemic, teams were losing millions of dollars in gate and arena revenue. To recover some of that lost revenue, the NHL and Adidas created their Reverse Retro jersey initiative, which took old style jerseys and made them new again, by reversing some of the color schemes. Beginning in 1992 and ending in 1997, the Penguins wore black jerseys with a diagonal "PITTSBURGH" wordmark on the front. These jerseys were very popular in Pittsburgh and became known as the "Snoop jerseys," as Snoop Dogg wore one in his video for the hit song, "Gin and Juice." The Penguins "reversed" the black and white portions of this "retro" jersey to created a white version. Given the slimmer cut of the current Adidas jerseys compared to that of the old CCM and Starter jerseys, the wordmark was a bit smaller, and the old shoulder logos were replaced with the current skating Penguin logo (I still hate when they use a logo that doesn't feature the Golden Triangle behind the skating Penguin). One other change was to the nameplate lettering. While the originals featured two-layer gold-on-white letters, these Reverse Retros used the same style of black single-layer letters that are used on their current road and alternate jerseys. But all in all, this turned out to be a nice update to an old style that I'd hoped for years that they'd bring back as an alternate (which they did in 2021-22).
At the same time, Bryan Rust was quietly becoming a star in the NHL. Pretty much a permanent fixture on Sidney Crosby's right wing, his willingness to get the dirty goals around the net while becoming solid playmaker and penalty killer made him a fan favorite in Pittsburgh. While he didn't get all the press coverage that superstars like Crosby, Evgeni Malkin, and Kris Letang got, his no-nonsense and hustling style of play made him a priority to re-sign after the 2021-22 season. And come playoff time, he's proven to be clutch. His performance in Game 7 of the 2016 Eastern Conference Finals, where he scored both goals in a 2-1 Penguins win, were reminiscent of Max Talbot's heroics in 2009, and he didn't stop there! "Big Goal Bryan" got the Pens off and running against San Jose in Game 1 of the Stanley Cup Finals as well. "The Rusty Razor," as Mike Lange calls him, is a strong lead-by-example type of player on a team that's loaded with leadership, so I found it to be very well deserved when he was given "the letter of honor," the alternate captain's "A," at times during the 2020-21 season when other Penguins captains were out with injury. The fact that Rust's first game with the "A" coincided with the Penguins first wearing these Reverse Retro jerseys made it a no-brainer whose name should appear on this blank jersey that I had recently picked up from another collector in the Facebook "Authentic Hockey Jersey Addicts" group. A quick trip to Pro Knitwear, who customizes the team's jerseys, meant that everything would be done right, and I couldn't be happier with the end result!
A fun fact about Bryan Rust's game worn Reverse Retro jersey: when Adidas put these together, someone wasn't paying much attention to detail! Each letter on the "PITTSBURGH" wordmark had to be sewn to the jersey individually, and these letters feature a shadowed look that makes it appear as though there's a light shining from the upper-right, meaning that the shadow is visible on the bottom-left. But Rusty's gamer had the "I" sewn on upside-down. When the error was noticed, the Pens equipment staff corrected it for future games. This became quite the topic of conversation among jersey collectors at the time!
PHOTOS COMING SOON