Edmonton Oilers, Calgary Flames unveil Heritage Classic jerseys

The Edmonton Oilers and Calgary Flames have unveiled their Heritage Classic jerseys ahead of their outdoor game.

The jerseys, both designed by Adidas, pay homage to Alberta hocky teams of the yesteryear. In the case of the Oilers, the design draws from the Edmonton Mercurys, a senior men’s hockey team from the 1950’s that won the Olympic gold medal in 1952.

“The colors (sic) feature current Oilers Orange and Royal Blue complimented by Vintage White evoking aged embellishments and textiles of Vintage uniforms,” a news release about the jerseys read. “Adidas designed the new player names and numbers that are rendered in felt with top stitch details meant to evoke denim-reinforced sewing techniques seen on a cowboy’s blue jeans.

“The attention to detail included incorporating elements that were inspired by vintage designs like the extended yoke that drops so low on the sleeve that the sleeve numbers sit upon it.”

The Edmonton Mercurys were formed in 1949 by local car dealer Jim Christianson, who owned and operated Waterloo Mercury. The team was comprised of a number of players who worked for Christianson at the dealership and had graduated from junior-level hockey.

As part of Oilersnation’s season countdown, Cam Lewis took a deep dive into the Mercurys.

The Flames jersey, meanwhile, draws from an old Calgary men’s team from the same time: the Calgary Stampeders. They played in senior leagues around the time, and were a team that had Edmonon’s men’s team from the time, the Flyers, in shambles. That is until 1948, when the Flyers excised their ghosts en route to an Allen Cup championship.

“The crest artwork renders the Calgary Flames primary logo in a hand-drawn style constructed of layered felt with rich chainstitch details,” read the release of the Flames’ jersey.

On both jerseys, “Battle of Alberta” will be on the inside of the back neck in tribute to the storied rivalry.

The Heritage Classic takes place on Oct. 29th at Commonwealth Stadium in Edmonton.

Zach Laing is the Nation Network’s news director and senior columnist. He can be followed on Twitter at @zjlaing, or reached by email at zach@oilersnation.com.