The penguin you see on the left is extremely rare. That’s a king penguin that normally has a tuxedo-like appearance with a hint of yellow color around its neck, but the rare king penguin you see on the left suffers from a genetic mutation known as leucisma condition in which melanin is only partially lost and some parts of the penguin’s body retain color. In this case, leucism affects the entire penguin and appears white and yellow to the naked eye. I mention this because the Pittsburgh Penguins do not suffer from leucism as anyone medically knows, but they took the ice last night with a very yellow face against the New York Islanders in a brand new alternate jersey!
The Penguins have not used a yellow jersey very often in their history. They first wore a yellow jersey from 1980-84, wore a yellow jersey for the 2017 Stadium Series game and brought back a yellow jersey as an alternate jersey from 2018-21. While it makes sense to have the penguins in black to match their black and white ornithological counterparts, the effort to move away from the black alternative jersey trend is something I can wholeheartedly endorse! However, these can also be too yellow depending on the shade of yellow, so did the Penguins get this yellow alternate jersey right in its design?
Let’s see what they looked like last night before we continue.
There’s a lot of yellow in that image, but it’s not overwhelming because the shadow is too bright. The black stripes on the sleeves and hem provide a good contrast against all that yellow, and I almost would have preferred if the Penguins used their black helmets to break up the yellow a bit more. That’s a minor point, but a color like yellow needs that contrast. But overall pretty sturdy sweaters!
What I do appreciate is that the white on the yellow really makes the black come off the yellow. Excellent contrasting colors are used, and they work well to bring the logo and numbers out of the yellow background. Like the Kings’ alternate jerseys, I could use a pop of color via a yoke or that contrast helmet mentioned above, but the use of the black breezers keeps the Penguins from doing so. look like glow sticks.
If you’re trying to decipher what that shoulder pad is, the release of the penguins states that the “triangle shoulder patch, symbolic of Point State Park, includes three river waves, a black monochromatic diamond pattern and an igloo in tribute to the team’s original home.” In some of the close-ups taken during the game, you could see the igloo statue in the triangle as a tribute to the old Civic Arena in Pittsburgh, commonly referred to as “the Igloo.” Honestly, that’s a cool nod to the Penguins’ history in Pittsburgh.
Are these the best alternates the Penguins have ever worn? They’re certainly close, based on the last 30 years of jerseys. The fact that they have moved away from a black alternate jersey when they have worn four different black alternate jerseys since 1992 is a welcome change for me. Again, I could use more color in the overall aesthetic, but these yellow alternatives work nicely as a break from black.
If you’re wondering when the Penguins will wear these jerseys, they have eleven dates selected, including last night’s game against the Islanders. The other ten games include:
- Thursday November 6 vs. Washington Capitals
- Saturday November 22 vs. Seattle Kraken
- Thursday, December 11 vs. Montreal Canadiens
- Thursday January 1 vs. Detroit Red Wings
- Thursday January 8 vs. New Jersey Devils
- Thursday January 15 vs. Philadelphia Flyers
- Thursday January 29 vs. Chicago Blackhawks
- Thursday February 26 vs. New Jersey Devils
- Thursday March 5 vs. Buffalo Sabres
- Sunday April 5 vs. Florida Panthers
Basically, if you go to a Penguins game in Pittsburgh on Thursday, expect to see them in yellow. Seeing them in yellow four times in January, including on New Year’s Day when there should be a Winter Classic Game, might be a little too often when it comes to the 2026 kickoff, but that’s the schedule for when the Penguins will wear their alternate jerseys. Dress accordingly!
There aren’t many teams that use yellow as a primary color in the NHL, but those that have used it as an alternate jersey color have had success. The Pittsburgh Penguins are in that group with this new alternate jersey, and it’s a nice change compared to seeing another black jersey rolled out as an alternate jersey. Well done, penguins!
Until next time, keep your sticks on the ice!
#rare #yellow #penguin