Pittsburgh (KDKA)- The dark-blue jerseys the Penguins wore in the 2011 NHL Winter Classic at Heinz Field will become the team’s new “third jersey” this season – and they’ll make their 2011-12 regular season debut when the Pens host the Buffalo Sabres Saturday, Oct. 15 at CONSOL Energy Center.

The Penguins will wear them 12 times during the season, all at home.

The dark-blue jerseys — worn twice in home games following the Winter Classic last year – have proven to be extremely popular among Penguins fans. Designed for the first Winter Classic game ever played in Pittsburgh, and worn before the largest crowd ever to watch a hockey game in the city, they feature the team’s original logo from 1967 — a skating penguin wearing a scarf.

“Fans have told us they love the new look, the new shade of blue, and the blending of different eras of Penguins hockey,” said James Santilli, the team’s vice president of marketing. “The light-blue jersey that we’ve worn as our third jersey since the 2008 Winter Classic always will be an important part of Penguins history, but we thought it was time to embrace this latest edition of the Winter Classic jersey.”