Following a one-year hiatus on all third jerseys (save for the 2008 NHL Winter Classic, where the Pittsburgh Penguins and Buffalo Sabres wore throwbacks for that game) as part of the NHL's transition to the Edge uniform system, the third jersey program returned in full earnest for the 2008–09 season. The Winter and Heritage Classics became showcases for throwback uniforms and new sweaters with a throwback aesthetic, while the NHL Stadium Series became a showcase for more radical uniform designs. Third jerseys as a whole began to skew more to traditional stylings and throwback designs, especially for teams who more modernized looks in the Edge redesign.