Whenever the words “Hershey Bears” and “Specialty Jersey” are used in the same sentence, I cringe. To be honest, whenever I hear “specialty jerseys” in general, some small piece of my soul dies (the rest cackles in unrestrained, if childish, glee). The Bears, though, they tend to have a flare for the unfortunate. This may be due in part to the fact that Hershey has an incredibly strong fanbase that is willing to spend money on any and every object-of-interest that the team is willing to put on the market.
For example, this summer their 2010 Holiday Jersey made the Bleacher Report list of 30 Ugliest Special Uniforms in Sports. This season is off to a somewhat more sedate start:
To open the season at home, the Bears wore a special “10 Years at Giant Center” jersey, in a fairly subdued red/black/white color scheme.
For their Pink in the Rink night, the Bears have gone equally low-key, with a stylized pink spray-paint effect.
In addition to the novelty jerseys, tonight’s game features bracelet and t-shirt sales to benefit Breast Cancer Awareness and Hershey’s Wives & Girlfriends Love for Lokomotiv bracelet sale. Tonight’s game is also featuring a second attempt at “Pink in the Rink” – at the conclusion of the first period of play, the Bears have been involved in two fights with members of the visiting Binghamton Senators (B!Sens). After two losses in two nights on the road, the Bears have a lot of frustration to work out, and both Joel Rechlicz and Paul Baier have already added their two cents. It remains to be seen if any of their teammates will chime in, as well.
Edited at 9:30PM: The jerseys worked their magic, and Hershey pulled off their only win of the weekend, dispatching the B!Sens 3-2 in regulation. Holtby claimed his first win on home ice of the regular season. The game-worn jerseys were then auctioned off, with the proceeds to benefit Breast Cancer charities.
Second Edit at 8:30PM (Mon): According to Scott Stuccio of the Hershey Bears, estimated earnings from the auction were in the $28,800 range. Bracelet & T-Shirt sales numbers are still being tabulated.
Further Examples of Tonight’s Pink in the Rink:
Photos by M. Richter.
