Team introduces first black jersey, featuring glow in the dark ‘Vegas’ on front
Press release from VGK: The Vegas Golden Knights and adidas revealed today, October 20, the club’s 2022-23 Reverse Retro Authentic Uniform, which features black as the primary color for the first time in franchise history and includes the word “Vegas” across the front, paying homage to its home city, the Sports and Entertainment Capital of the world, as the jersey’s crest. The club’s newest uniform will be worn on-ice for eight games throughout the 2022-23 season.
The Reverse Retro program, driven by adidas and the National Hockey League, intends to celebrate each team’s history by throwing it back to a notable time period in that club’s history. Since the Golden Knights are only in their sixth season, the team has opted to honor its home city and the history of Vegas as it’s throwback theme.
Inspired by the old neon hotel signs of the famous Vegas Strip in the 1990s, the Golden Knights’ newest jersey embodies the Excalibur and Stardust hotels. The “Vegas” across the front utilizes the font of the famed Excalibur Hotel which opened its doors in 1990 as the largest resort in the world. The numbers on the back copy the cosmic lettering of the outer-space themed Stardust hotel.
Perhaps the most innovative element of the jersey is the glow-in-the-dark detail woven into the word “VEGAS” which intends to draw a parallel between the city being the inner glow of the team and the glow of excitement that shines through the desert’s darkness when one flies into the city. The glow-in-the-dark feature is the first of its kind in professional sports uniforms and continues the innovative theme the team celebrates through its Golden Age campaign.
The pants also feature white swords which are designed to resemble the sword within the Excalibur sign. The traditional red and gold that are usually a part of Vegas’ colorwheel can still be found on the jersey as striping detail to further evoke the energy of The Strip and the NHL crest is remixed in vintage orange and black colors. The red detailing will also come to life under UV light to resemble neon sign tubing. This will be the fourth jersey in franchise history and the first new one since the red Reverse Retro introduced during the 2020-21 season.
Each adidas Reverse Retro jersey draws inspiration from a year in the past, Vegas is tied to 1995, when the Las Vegas Thunder enjoyed their best season in the International Hockey League. The 1995-96 Thunder led the IHL with 122 points and a 57-17-8 record. Vegas history also celebrates the opening of the Fremont Street Experience in the mid-90s, an era dubbed the Golden Age of Vegas by some.
The Golden Knights, known for their innovative in-game experience, will create a unique, lighting-effects driven experience for the nights the team dons the Reverse Retro uniforms to showcase the unique and dynamic elements of the jersey. Fans can expect to see one of the Las Vegas Strip’s most exciting shows each night as T-Mobile Arena transforms into the epitome of the Sports and Entertainment Capital of the World pairing a one-of-a-kind light show with professional sport.
The Golden Knights’ Reverse Retro are available for pre-sale purchase in person and online at VegasTeamStore.com and at The Arsenal in City National Arena and The Armory at T-Mobile Arena beginning today. Fans can purchase exclusively as the team store locations starting on November 15. General retail on-sale will follow on November 20 when fans can purchase their jerseys online.
The jersey will be worn for the first time on November 26, 2022 at T-Mobile Arena when the Golden Knights face off against the Canucks. As previously announced, the gold jersey will remain Vegas’ primary home jersey, with white mainly worn on the road. The team’s steel grey uniforms will also be worn at select home games this season.
A full schedule of games the Reverse Retro jersey will be worn follows:
Saturday, Nov. 26 vs. Vancouver Canucks
Friday, Dec. 9 vs. Philadelphia Flyers
Saturday, Dec. 17 vs. New York Islanders
Saturday, Dec. 31 vs. Nashville Predators
Saturday, Jan. 7 vs. Los Angeles Kings
Saturday, Jan. 14 vs. Edmonton Oilers
Monday, Jan. 16 vs. Dallas Stars
Saturday, Jan. 21 vs. Washington Capitals
