LAS VEGAS — The Vegas Golden Knights unveiled a new metallic gold jersey Friday that will be worn during the 2020-21 season.
Golden Knights chief marketing officer Brian Killingsworth said the process of a third gold sweater had been in the works for the past two years. He said it was owner Bill Foley’s vision to have a gold jersey in the mix.
“Adidas kind of knows what to expect from us now working with them,” Killingsworth said. “They’re great partners, but they know it’s going to be different. There was a lot of doubt from both sides. We asked for something that had never been done before.”
The sweater is the first all-metallic gold jersey in the NHL. The vision was to be “bold and bright just like the community that the team is proud to call home,” the team said in a statement.
The nameplate and numbers are black with the numbers surrounded by a white trim. The sleeves have stripes reflecting the Golden Knights’ current jersey rotation; steel grey with white numbers, a white stripe and small red stripe.
The jersey was unveiled in a music video starring Las Vegas icon Wayne Newton and hip-hop star Lil Jon.
“When Mr. Foley and the Golden Knights leadership indicated the desire to ‘go gold’ it was on our team to turn this from an idea into reality,” said Dan Near, senior director of adidas Hockey. “When our prototype hit the brief, and had the attributes to pass the rigorous performance testing that any new fabric is subject to, the pride in the organization and the product creation team was pretty special knowing the unique effort involved in this unprecedented design.”
Killingsworth said it was important for the players to love the jersey and to feel comfortable on the ice with it. For the fans, the thought was to have something that can be worn at games, as well as a night on the Las Vegas Strip.
“It’s truly reflective of Vegas, and that’s part of the feedback that we got,” Killingsworth said. “It’s the lifestyle aspect of it; it’s not just a hockey jersey, but it’s a fashion statement.”
The Golden Knights are selling 777 “Treasure Chests” that comprise of the jersey, customization of the sweater and a limited-edition gold coin. The first 300 chests also come with metallic gold adidas Ultraboost Shoes.
The total for the package with the shoes is $777, and $499 without. The jersey will go on sale Saturday.
“For us, as a brand, it’s important [to have this third jersey],” Killingsworth said. “It keeps evolving who we are as a franchise, who we are as an organization. It just makes logical sense for the Golden Knights to have a gold jersey. It’s going to be something that’s going to stand out when you’re watching our games at T-Mobile Arena, or on TV. You’ll know Vegas is on TV.”
