Penguins' alternate threads evolve

Had he known better - well, Jack Riley still would have dressed the Penguins in light blue, dark blue and white.

"Not being from Pittsburgh I didn't really know about the Steelers and Pirates," Riley said. "The hockey team was going to be the Penguins, not the Hornets, and when (ownership) talked about the colors, I asked, 'What about double blue and white?'

"The owners said OK, and those were our colors

That changed on Jan. 30, 1980. The Penguins donned black and gold uniforms for the first time that day. That switch was the brainchild of former executive Paul Martha, who believed the hockey club needed to hop aboard the goodwill train carrying fans that were wild for the reigning world champion Steelers (NFL) and Pirates (MLB).

Just like that, each of Pittsburgh's three professional sports teams shared the same color scheme. It remains the only city in North America with all of its pro teams looking alike.

How long Pittsburgh will hold that honor is in the hands of current Penguins officials, some of whom favor a permanent return to Riley's "double blue and white" color design, which he said was influenced by the Canadian Football League's Toronto Argonauts.

Riley thought those colors looked good on the Penguins last New Year's Day at the NHL Winter Classic just outside of Buffalo.

Retro-themed apparel soon became all the rage at Mellon Arena, and the Penguins adopted the Winter Classic uniform as their official alternate threads.

The new alternates were worn Saturday at home for the first time, again against the Sabres. The Penguins will wear their alternates in 10 additional regular-season home games.

That number suits team president David Morehouse just fine - for now.

"At this point, we're not considering a permanent switch, but we're never closed to anything," Morehouse said. "I don't think it's extremely important that all three teams in Pittsburgh maintain the same colors."

Neither does the buying public. Sales of the retro-themed replica sweaters were "phenomenal" after the Winter Classic, Morehouse said.

"That doesn't surprise me," said Cynthia Nellis, a fashion journalist for the Web site About.com. "Blues of all colors have been especially popular the past year.

"The light blue color signifies something fresh, a rebirth."

Chris Smith of Cape Coral, Fla., is an admitted "hockey jersey geek" whose Web site, www.icethetics.info, has developed a cult following. He believes the Penguins' new alternate sweaters will have a lasting appeal because "they look like hockey jerseys."

"I love it," he said. "When they introduced it last year, I was in awe. It's something different. I know Pittsburgh fans might revolt, but I could easily see this as the team's primary (color scheme) and uniform."

Local fashion expert Linda Bucci, who owns a popular boutique in Shadyside, admitted the Penguins' new old colors "give them a little kick."

"But I would hate to see them change to that completely," Bucci said. "I don't think the alternates look like Pittsburgh. We look at black and gold, and we know those are our colors."

Riley, who at 89 remains a regular at Penguins games, never did buy into that local logic.

"I just think everybody should have their own identity," he said. "The double blue and white was ours."