Stanley Cup question -- what's up with the white shirts?

Question

My husband and I don't follow hockey, but we watched game 4 of the Stanley Cup finals last night -- good fun! But we could not figure out why 99% of the people in the audience were wearing white?!? I would have thought Detroit fans would have been wearing red and white...so that's not it... or is it? Please enlighten...

Answer 1

they wore the white tshirts to cover the wet spots from all the fans crying over their pens losing to the superior red wings.

Answer 2

Yep, it was begun by Winnipeg. Penguins stole the idea.

I remember the Steelers had those gold "Terrible Towels", which was fun.

Answer 3

at the game they were handing out white t-shirts. it was a white out

Answer 4

It was a white out. They were in the igloo with Penguins. No I am dead serious

sounds funny saying it lol

It was at The Mellon Arena (in Pittsburgh) which is why there wasn't much red.

Answer 5

i think is has something written on it about the penguins winning it all. it doesnt lie.

Answer 6

The fans were doing a white-out why the team was in complete black-out!

Answer 7

It's a white-out.

Just a promotion.

Answer 8

I know!!! Since it was in Pittsburgh we were wondering why not black and white or even a bit of yellow (they also have yellow on their jerseys)? If you looked close enough there were a couple red wings fan decked out in red and even one with a fake octopus on her shoulder. I totally agree with you though

Answer 9

I noticed that also, usually they wear the teams colors, since 99% of the crowd were all home Penguins fans they all wore white.  It looked awesome with the white, i had never seen that color used before, and it was pretty crazy even when everyone was just sitting.  When they scored it was clear pandemonium.

Answer 10

it all started in vancouver with coach roger neilson, he was trying to pump up the crowd and his team by waiving a white towel.. cause a towel is the only thing around.... towel for players sweat. all the vancouver players picked up a towel and started waving it in the air. with white t- shirts all you do is wear it and not having to do all that arm movement and get tire.

Answer 11

I heard it was one of the Pittsburgh players idea, they needed the fan support and thought it would help them win.

Answer 12

at the gate entrance every fan was handed out a white shirt to create the whiteout even though the home team wears dark

Answer 13

It looked better when Phoenix did the white out the 90's. If I'm not mistaking, that franchise (previously Winnipeg) was the first to do that.

Answer 14

Detroit fans probably were wearing red and white... but the game was played in Pittsburgh.

Pittsburgh tried to create that effect, to intimidate their opposition.  They gave all the fans white t-shirts before the game, so they can wear them and get the "white out" effect that you noticed.

Why they chose white, when the home team's jerseys are black, is another story...