Petes 60th Season - "History of the Maroon and White Jersey"
- AlwaysHockey Staff
- Jul 8, 2015
- 3 min read
In 1956 the city of Peterborough was given a hockey team by the name of the TPT Petes. The team was sponsored by Toronto-Peterborough Transport (TPT) and was owned by the NHL franchise, the Montreal Canadiens. The team played their first game on November 4, 1956 at Maple Leafs Gardens against the Toronto Marlies. The Peterborough Memorial Centre hosted its first Petes home game on November 8, 1956.
The T.P.T logo was different from what is seen on as the Petes jerseys today. In 1966 the team was renamed and officially became the Peterborough Petes. The team kept the T.P.T logo because the organization was still in partnership with the Toronto-Peterborough Transport company.
The T.P.T logo was active until 1974 when the Petes organization switched the logo of the team. The Petes and sponsor T.P.T departed and the team became the now known branded Peterborough Petes.
In 1980, The Peterborough Petes launched a jersey and logo that would be used as the teams identity for 25 years. During this period of time the Petes had some of the greatest players in franchise history wear the jersey. Players like Chris Pronger, Steve Yzerman, Cory Stillman, Ron Tugnutt Mike Ricci, and Tie Domi suited up for the Petes between 1980-2000.
Peterborough Petes fan saw a slight switch in the jersey design in 2000. The organization announced that they were revamping the home and away jersey. The new design would be similar to the previous logo but will a modern day concept.. The Petes used this jersey for home and away games until the 2009 season. On every home and away jersey the Petes had their new third jersey emblem print on the shoulder cresset.
The Petes also announced in January 2000 that they would be introducing a new third jersey that the team will be rotating with their home and away jerseys. The jersey and logo was part of the team until the 2005 season.
The 2005-2006 season marked the Peterborough Petes 50th season together as a organization. To mark the special season the Petes unveiled a alternate 50th anniversary jersey that had a black background with maroon and gold trim. "The launch of the new jersey is just the beginning" said Aaron Garfat who helped design the jersey with Flynnagain Productions and Petes G.M Jeff Twohey. In the same season the Petes finished 1st in the East and were the best team in the league by winning the OHL Championship.
In the 2010-2011 season, the Petes wore throwback jerseys for the TPT Petes. The team wore the jerseys in the first home game of the season on November 4, 2010. The team paid respect to its rich history and wore the jersey for the first time exactly 54 years from puck drop in 1956. The jersey was similar to the original jersey except the added Petes logo on the sleeves. The original logo had the Montreal Canadiens cresset in its place. The team would keep the TPT Petes third jersey for two seasons.
In 2009 the Peterborough Petes changed their jerseys for a updated version of the previous jersey launched in 2000. The team has kept similar to its original logo design in 1975. The biggest difference in the Petes jersey was the material and the new alternate logo placed on the cresset area on the shoulder. The jersey was made more form-fitting and was built with Reeboks modern technology for professional sporting equipment. The jersey allows air to flow through it and helps the player explode with speed.
The Peterborough Petes changed their jerseys for the 2014-2015 season. The Petes released a light jersey that had a cream colour base with black and maroon secondary colours. The dark jerseys have a black colour base with cream and maroon secondary colours. The reasoning behind the Petes update was to make the jerseys into a modern look and to relate them to the previous 50th season jersey. Petes General Manager Mike Oke said "This new jersey style and colour scheme that was unveiled is fresh and exciting, but also incorporates the Petes heritage and tradition.”
The Petes have had a very rich history of hockey in Peterborough. They've stayed true to the logo and design of the team and always have had respect for the their heritage. After the release of the Petes last jersey in 2014 The Petes current General Manager added that they want to "continue to boast one of the most recognizable jerseys and logos in all of hockey.. if not in all of sport.” That statement shows that the Petes will continue to release similar jerseys and logos for years to come.
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