If you’re like me, you’re probably going a little crazy as we enter month number eight without ECHL hockey. This led me to revisit some social media posts the Solar Bears posted back in April that asked fans to choose their three favorite jerseys out of a selection of twelve. Overall, Orlando showed off 48 jerseys and I’m going to give you some of the best, the worst and the weird.
Captain America jersey (Good)
The ECHL’s partnership with Marvel has produced some incredible jerseys, along with some fails. But the Orlando Solar Bears took the look of the first Avenger from the beginning of the Marvel Cinematic Universe but replaced Captain America’s signature star with the team name in bold white font to complete the red, white, and blue look. This jersey is one of the best specialty jerseys the Solar Bears have done so far under the Marvel deal.
Christmas Tree jersey (Just plain weird…but kind of good)
Hear me out on this one. The Solar Bears play in Orlando, and between Disney and Universal, Christmas decor runs rampant all over Orlando from November 1st through the end of the year. Of course, the best part of these jerseys is that they coincided with the Solar Bears’ teddy bear toss. This look came complete with matching hockey pants and hockey socks that were the trunk of the Christmas tree.
The tree was adorned with ornaments featuring the IHL Solar Bears logo, the ECHL Solar Bears logo, the Orlando Magic logo and the Tampa Bay Lightning logo. I’d be remiss to ignore the popcorn garland, Christmas lights and candy cane numbers. This look was over the top weird, but oh so good for a city like Orlando.
Groot jersey (Bad)
There is no nice way to put this. There is a reason that brown is not a common color in logos and jerseys. The Groot jerseys were rather monochromatic, which didn’t suit the overall look of the Solar Bears. The team attempted to create a wood look with the jerseys, but it just didn’t quite hit the mark.
Perhaps the Solar Bears should have taken their Groot jersey and wrapped it in Christmas lights and ornaments to make it a little more successful. Definitely the worst of the Solar Bear’ Marvel jerseys.
Magic/Orlando United jerseys (Great)
The Solar Bears have done a great job representing the city of Orlando with two different specialty jerseys. Seeing that the Solar Bears share the Amway Center with the Magic, it’s only right that the team hosted a Magic night. Kicking it back to the Shaquille O’Neal days, the Bears wore a white jersey with black pinstripes and Bears across the chest with the Magic’s star representing the “A” in Bears.
As a member of the LGBTQ+ community, I’m definitely a bit biased on this one. The city of Orlando was home to tragic events that unfolded at the Pulse nightclub in June of 2016. The Bears hosted an Orlando United Night for their 2016-17 home opener and they wore a black jersey with rainbow prism heart behind Shades.
The jersey had rainbow trim at the elbows and along the bottom of the jersey. This jersey seemed to garner a lot of suggestions from Orlando fans to be brought back as a permanent third jersey to replace the current orange OSB jersey.
Pizza Party jersey (So bad its good)
While I may live in Orlando, I spent the vast majority of my life in New York. Being born and raised in Brooklyn, I’m a huge fan of pizza, and for the record, no one has better pizza than New York City. If you’re reading this and you’re from Chicago, your pizza is a glorified tomato pot pie. Anyway, back to the jersey.
The Solar Bears hosted a Pizza Hut pizza party this past season and the players donned a pepperoni covered pizza that looked like it needed a napkin to dab off the extra grease. The arms, of course, were crust with a Pizza Hut shoulder logo. These jerseys personified the fun and silliness of minor league hockey promotions and I’m proud to say I bought one of these jerseys.
I hope you have enjoyed this look into some of the unique styles the Solar Bears have worn since their return from hibernation in 2012. I highly suggest taking a look at the Solar Bears’ social media from April so you can take a look at all 48 different looks, including the Santa jersey, the skeleton jersey, the blood splattered zombie jersey, ugly Christmas sweater jerseys and so many more.