RICHMOND, Va. -- Ah, the 1984 Penguins.
Easily among the most moribund teams in franchise history, but one of the most important, too, as their commitment to futility made the Mario Lemieux pick possible. Absent their futility, the only time you’d likely hear the Pittsburgh Penguins mentioned in 2021 is in the same breath as the Atlanta Flames, Oakland Seals and Kansas City Scouts. (Although the jersey design illustrated here would have make a stellar reverse-retro design for some theoretical team, to be sure.)
And speaking of jersey designs, the real draw in creating this strip for me was the opportunity to illustrate those beloved/reviled early-80s Canucks' flying-V uniforms. They stand out as maybe the most unusual look in the history of the league, love them or hate them. They’ve been gone for over 35 years, and I still can’t decide!
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ROB ULLMAN / DKPS
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