If nothing else, the Pittsburgh Penguins and Philadelphia Flyers are going to stand out when they play at the Philadelphia Eagles' Lincoln Financial Field on Saturday. Both teams have some interesting threads, but they the piece de resistance on Friday: A newly designed helmet with an interesting shape to it.
The NHL Twitter account showed the helmet, and one thing is for certain: It's different.
That photo, however, might be a bit misleading as to what it actually looks like. While it showcases an almost matte-looking finish, a more broad look makes it look like the helmet will have some gloss.
Talking about the coloration however, is just one aspect of it. This helmet is bizarrely angular, and it's not something you see often in hockey. NHL helmet innovations are generally more functional than cosmetic, so the Penguins are going out of the box for this look. How it looks to any viewer is going to depends on what they like.
The Flyers are going to have a similar look, and they unveiled it on Friday as well.
Helmet design has just never been a focus of professional hockey teams, so this is bucking the trend a bit.
The orange vs. yellow matchup is really being highlighted in this interstate game, but obviously for now this is window dressing. We'll have to wait and see what these look like on the ice and under the lights of Lincoln Financial Field before making any real judgements. It's clear, however, that both teams are pulling out all the stops to impress on the primetime stage.
