Earlier this week, we brought you some speculation and a concept drawing for what the Philadelphia Flyers' 2012 NHL Winter Classic jersey was reported to look like. The Flyers, however, shot down its accuracy. On Thursday morning, we received this from reader Josh Smith via eBay:
Writes Josh: "I know we have all been duped before with the fake jerseys, but this one looks like the real deal ... or someone just has a lot of time on their hands."
If it's a fake, it's a damn good one: The Reebok tags and stitching; the NHL logos; the writing on the inside collar (which makes sense given how Reebok has been playing around with the inside collar, like the piano keys for the Predators jerseys).
These were listed by the seller on Nov. 9; considering their unveiling is on Black Friday, there are obviously jerseys that have been produced. Another view:
There are some things that give us pause. The color appears a more striking white than the cream color featured on the Winter Classic logo. The Classic patch is on the shoulder pad; it was there for the Washington Capitals' 2011 jerseys out of design necessity, but has always been featured on the front of the sweater for other teams.
If this is a knockoff, then it's one crafted from a lot of previous reporting on the design (including the black shoulder pads). If it's the real deal … what say you about it?
s/t to Josh for the images.