The Bruins go brown again on Thursday. Boston debuts its Hometown Remix jersey, the brown Varsity Sweater, against the Canadiens. The NHL calls it the club's first all-brown uniform since 1924. That makes it a good time to go back through every Bruins sweater era, from the brown and gold of the first season to black and gold, the Spoked-B, the gold Pooh Bear, the outdoor games and the Centennial.
The short version: Boston has worn black and gold for about 90 years, the Spoked-B has been on the front since 1948-49, and almost every special jersey the team has made since 2010 reaches back to the first 25 years.
Our main source for dates is the Bruins' own sweater timeline on NHL.com. Where other credible sources disagree with it, we say so.
Boston Bruins Uniform Timeline
| Years | What changed |
|---|---|
| 1924-25 | First season. Brown sweaters with a turtleneck collar and a bear between BOSTON and BRUINS. |
| 1925-1933 | White sweaters with gold and brown stripes. The first Stanley Cup, in 1929. |
| 1932-35 | A brown block B with a gold outline becomes the crest. |
| Mid-1930s | Brown becomes black. Numbers move to the front. Cups in 1939 and 1941. |
| 1948-49 | 25th anniversary. The Spoked-B debuts, with 24 and 49 on the spokes. |
| 1955-1967 | Gold becomes a primary sweater color. |
| 1967-1995 | Black and white only. The bear head joins the shoulders in 1976-77. Cups in 1970 and 1972. |
| 1995-2006 | New uniforms for the move to the FleetCenter, and the gold Pooh Bear third. |
| 2007-2017 | Reebok era. A serif is added to the Spoked-B. The Men in Black third. Cup in 2011. |
| 2010-2023 | Four Winter Classics, two Reverse Retros and a black gold-B alternate. |
| 2023-24 | Centennial season: new home, road and a "Bruins beige" alternate. |
| 2025-26 | Refreshed Spoked-B on new home and road sweaters. First Stadium Series uniform. |
| 2026-27 | The brown Varsity Sweater, Boston's Hometown Remix. Debuts Nov. 12. |
1924: Brown And Gold, Because Of A Grocery Chain
Charles F. Adams was awarded Boston's NHL franchise in November 1924, the league's first in the United States. Adams owned the First National Stores grocery chain, known around New England as Finast, and he dressed his new team in its colors. The Bruins' own Centennial history says brown and yellow were chosen as "the colors of owner Charles F. Adams' First National grocery store chain." The name came from the same idea: Adams wanted an animal in "the color brown category," and Bruins is an old name for the brown bear. We told that part of the story in how every NHL team got its name.
The first sweater, worn in 1924-25 only, was brown with a turtleneck collar and a bear between the words BOSTON and BRUINS. In 1925-26 Boston switched to white sweaters with gold and brown stripes, and from 1926 a wider brown band ran along the bottom. That is the look the Bruins wore when they won their first Stanley Cup in 1929.
Red Stuart in 1925 and Eddie Shore in 1928. Photos: The Boston Globe, via Wikimedia Commons (2), public domain
The 1928-29 Bruins, who won the franchise's first Stanley Cup. Photo: The Boston Globe, March 19, 1929, via Wikimedia Commons, public domain
From 1932 to 1935, the crest became a brown block B with a gold outline. That B is the one the Bruins brought back for the 2019 Winter Classic.
The Switch To Black And Gold
Brown lasted about a decade. The exact year it turned black is one of those details sources do not agree on:
- The Bruins' sweater timeline on NHL.com puts it in the 1935-40 sweater, when the number moved to the front, the B moved to the sleeves and "brown changes to black."
- NBC Sports Boston says the team switched in 1934, and credits Weston Adams, Charles's son and the next owner, who was less fond of brown.
- Other histories place it as late as 1938-39.
What everyone agrees on: by the late 1930s Boston was black and gold, and it won the 1939 and 1941 Cups in it. The gold shoulder yoke arrived on the 1938-41 sweater, and an all-gold alternate with BRUINS across the front showed up in the early 1940s.
1948-49: The Spoked-B
For the 25th anniversary season, the Bruins put a new crest on the front: a B inside a wheel of spokes, with "24" and "49" on each side. The team has never really taken it off. The Spoked-B was squared up into more of a block in 1949-51, moved onto a gold primary sweater from 1955, and went back to black and white when gold was dropped in 1967.
The 1967-74 sweaters added a tie collar. Laces and gold yokes went away in 1974, nameplates became permanent in 1976-77, and the bear's head joined the shoulders the same season. From 1977 to 1995 the Bruins barely changed at all. That is the look of Bobby Orr's Cups in 1970 and 1972 and of the Boston Garden years, and it is the look the 2025 redesign was built to bring back.
Bruins marks over the years. Logos via Wikimedia Commons.
1995-2006: The Gold Pooh Bear
When the Bruins moved into the FleetCenter in 1995-96, they got new uniforms and their first third jersey since 1944. It was gold, with a bear's head as the main logo and BRUINS on the shoulders. Fans called it the "Pooh Bear," and the name stuck. It was retired after 2005-06 and replaced by a black vintage third based on the 1970s sweater.
The Pooh Bear has come back twice since. In 2022-23 it returned as Boston's Reverse Retro, with a white base in place of gold.
2007-2017: The Reebok Spoked-B And The Men In Black
Reebok took over NHL uniforms in 2007, and the Bruins used the moment to sharpen the Spoked-B by adding a serif. The shoulder bear became a redrawn version of the original 1924 bear. From 2008 to 2016 the third jersey was the "Men in Black": a V-neck with no laces, the bear on the front and the Spoked-B moved to the shoulders. Boston won the 2011 Stanley Cup in this era. Adidas took over in 2017 with only small changes.
Every Bruins Winter Classic Jersey
The Bruins have played in four Winter Classics, more than most teams, and each sweater pulled from a different era:
- 2010, Fenway Park vs. Flyers: gold, with a rounded Spoked-B based on the 1948-49 anniversary sweater.
- 2016, Gillette Stadium vs. Canadiens: black, with BOSTON arched over a bear and BRUINS below, a throwback to the 1924 season. It was so popular that it became the third jersey for 2016-17.
- 2019, Notre Dame Stadium vs. Blackhawks: a brown and gold throwback to the 1932-36 sweaters, with the classic block B crest.
- 2023, Fenway Park vs. Penguins: black with gold trim and "Vintage White" accents, with the bear under BOSTON on the front. It was the team's second Winter Classic at Fenway.
We graded every Winter Classic logo, including all four Boston games, in our Winter Classic logo history.
Alternates And Reverse Retros, 2019-2023
In November 2019 the Bruins introduced what they called the sixth alternate in team history: an all-black sweater with a gold block B, gold collar and gold and white stripes at the elbows and hem, based on the 1940s. It ran through 2023.
The first Reverse Retro, in 2020-21, was a gold remix of the 1981-95 Boston Garden home sweater. Boston also wore gold at the 2021 NHL Outdoors game at Lake Tahoe against the Flyers. The second Reverse Retro, in 2022-23, was the white Pooh Bear.
2023-24: The Centennial Set
For the 100th season the Bruins made three new sweaters. Home and road switched to a slightly different "Centennial gold," with three gold stripes on each sleeve, six in all, for the six Cups: 1929, 1939, 1941, 1970, 1972 and 2011. The alternate was the first in team history with a beige base, "Bruins beige," with brown and gold trim, brown helmets, gloves and pants, and a crest with "19" and "24" on the spokes, a nod to the 1948-49 anniversary sweater. On Dec. 1, 2024, exactly 100 years after the first game, Boston wore a special Centennial Game jersey.
2025: The Refresh
For 2025-26 the Bruins redesigned their primary home and road sweaters with Fanatics and the NHL. The Spoked-B was refreshed, the stripes got thicker to echo the 1974-95 sweaters, and a crawling bear patch went on the shoulder. Here is the set the team posted:
The 2025 home and road sweaters, via @NHLBruins
The Bruins' timeline also lists their first Stadium Series uniform in 2026, with a "sunshine motif" and a "bear claw slash."
2026: Brown Is Back
The Hometown Remix collection gave every NHL team a one-season special jersey, and Boston went all the way back. The Varsity Sweater is brown with gold, with an arched collegiate BRUINS wordmark in place of the Spoked-B, a front number, college-style sleeve stripes and a red brick Freedom Trail pattern inside the hem. It is a tribute to Boston's college hockey scene, and the NHL says it is the first all-brown Bruins uniform since 1924.
The Varsity Sweater reveal, via @NHLBruins
It debuts Thursday, Nov. 12 against the Canadiens, who wear their own white Remix, and Boston wears it 12 times this season. Every date is in our Bruins 2026-27 uniform schedule, and the full breakdown of Thursday's matchup is in our Varsity Sweater debut story.
Brown came back once before, in the 2019 Winter Classic, but only as trim against gold. This is the first time since 1924-25 that brown is the whole sweater.
Our Take
The black and gold Spoked-B is one of the best identities in sports, and the 2025 refresh got it close to its 1970s peak. The brown, though, keeps coming back because it is the most Boston thing the team owns: a color picked by a grocery store owner for a bear. We ranked the Varsity Sweater low among the 32 Remix jerseys because brown with an arched wordmark reads more like a college team than the Bruins. As history, though, it is a great story, and it makes this one of the few uniform histories where the first sweater is still on the ice 102 years later.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why were the Bruins originally brown and gold?
Owner Charles F. Adams dressed the team in the colors of his First National Stores grocery chain, known as Finast. The Bruins' own Centennial history says brown and yellow were chosen as the colors of Adams' First National stores.
When did the Bruins switch from brown to black?
Sources disagree. The Bruins' sweater timeline on NHL.com lists brown changing to black on the 1935-40 sweater. NBC Sports Boston says it happened in 1934 under Weston Adams. Other histories say 1938-39. All agree Boston was black and gold by the late 1930s.
When did the Spoked-B first appear?
In 1948-49, the Bruins' 25th anniversary season, with "24" and "49" on the spokes. It has been on the front of the Bruins' main sweaters ever since.
What is the Bruins Pooh Bear jersey?
The gold third jersey Boston wore from 1995-96 to 2005-06, with a bear's head on the front and BRUINS on the shoulders. It came back in white as the 2022-23 Reverse Retro.
How many Winter Classics have the Bruins played in?
Four: 2010 at Fenway Park, 2016 at Gillette Stadium, 2019 at Notre Dame Stadium and 2023 at Fenway Park. They also played the 2021 NHL Outdoors game at Lake Tahoe.
What did the Bruins wear at the 2019 Winter Classic?
A brown and gold throwback to the 1932-36 sweaters, with the classic block B crest.
What is the Bruins Centennial jersey?
For 2023-24 Boston wore new home and road sweaters in a "Centennial gold" with six sleeve stripes for six Cups, plus a "Bruins beige" alternate with brown and gold trim, the first beige sweater in team history. The team also wore a special jersey on Dec. 1, 2024, the 100th anniversary of its first game.
What is the Bruins Hometown Remix jersey?
The Varsity Sweater: all brown with gold, an arched BRUINS wordmark, a front number, college-style stripes and a Freedom Trail brick pattern in the hem. It is the first all-brown Bruins uniform since 1924.
When do the Bruins wear the brown Varsity Sweater?
It debuts Thursday, Nov. 12, 2026 against the Canadiens, and Boston wears it 12 times this season. All dates are in our Bruins 2026-27 uniform schedule.
Did the Bruins change their logo in 2025?
Yes. For 2025-26 the Bruins refreshed the Spoked-B and redesigned their home and road sweaters with thicker stripes that recall the 1974-95 sweaters.
How many Stanley Cups have the Bruins won?
Six: 1929, 1939, 1941, 1970, 1972 and 2011. The Centennial home and road sweaters carried one sleeve stripe for each.
Why are they called the Bruins?
Adams wanted a name for an animal in "the color brown category," and Bruins is an old name for the brown bear. More in how every NHL team got its name.
