Third Jerseys: What's Coming?
17 CommentsJust like last summer, I think my blog has unintentionally become a primary source for jersey news. Guess I'll keep that flame burning while I can. Back in March I posted a long list of rumors regarding this season's new third jerseys. This is an updated list of what we know/suspect/wish for as far as that goes. It includes 18 teams — the number rumored to be seeking permission from the league for an alternate sweater.
Atlanta Thrashers
Word is they'll be going with a maroon or navy sweater with a textual element on the front — something like the Rangers or Stars black jerseys, perhaps. This is the team with the least information available so we don't have very much to go on. What we do know is that the Thrashers will be giving fans a preview of the team's "new look" this weekend. We assume they mean third jersey.
Boston Bruins
Images of the Bruins' third jersey have leaked. And though they haven't officially unveiled the real deal yet, it'll be black with the secondary logo as the crest, the primary mark on the shoulders, and have yellow and white stripes around the elbows and waist.
Buffalo Sabres
One of two things will happen. Either they'll have their traditional blue vintage with the 1970s logo or they'll go in a new direction entirely. My money's on the blue vintage — similar to what they wore at the Winter Classic, but perhaps with some minor differences.
Carolina Hurricanes
The Hurricanes have unofficially confirmed they will have a third jersey — black with the secondary flag logo on the front. Expect minimal design elements like striping in contrast to their standard home and road sweaters.
Dallas Stars
We keep hearing it will be a white version of their black sweater with DALLAS written out above the player number. I like their black sweater, but let's not overdo it. At the same time, maybe they should avoid creating special logos for the third jersey as we all know what resulted last time. I'd love to see them wear something in green.
Edmonton Oilers
Team management has unofficially confirmed a third on a number of occasions without detailing the design. Expect a vintage look with the classic shades of blue and orange. I'm sure it will win over fans. Just the description alone has me sold.
Los Angeles Kings
I keep reading that it will be black but that would surprise me (or not, considering the NHL) since they already have a black sweater. I'm holding out hope they return to the purple one. The latest rumors suggest it will feature the shield logo — or perhaps a simplified version of it.
Minnesota Wild
At last... green! This is another jersey we're expecting to feature a prominent textual element — such as MINNESOTA spelled out across the chest. The Wild have a history of creating quality vintage style jerseys so hopefully this one is no exception.
New York Islanders
We're probably looking at a vintage blue sweater for the Isles — something like what they wore in their glory days. Though not to worry, I don't envision the fisherman making a comeback anytime soon. Basically all that would be different is the striping pattern as far as I can tell. I imagine it will feature the same logo crest.
Ottawa Senators
A lot of bad rumors have been floating around the Sens. In fact, that four-letter word just might be plastered onto a gold jersey if there's any truth to them. I was always a fan of their black jerseys. I think the new 2D logo on a sweater like that would be money in the bank.
Philadelphia Flyers
This is the only one we've actually seen in pictures (sort of). The cell phone photos that leaked suggest an orange sweater in a vintage style conjuring the days of the Broadstreet Bullies. I can't see anyone complaining about this. It's the sort of thing traditionalists get geared up for.
Phoenix Coyotes
This will be one of a handful of thirds featuring a completely new logo according to recent rumors. Imagine a full-body coyote in a running stance on a black sweater. Don't hold me to the color but I can't imagine what else they'd go with. If we're barely getting orange and green jerseys this year, I think sand is asking too much.
Pittsburgh Penguins
The team has confirmed they submitted a design similar to what they wore at the Winter Classic for NHL approval as their new third. The sky blue sweater will probably feature a more contemporary logo over the vintage one seen on the New Year's Day game. I imagine this will be one of the better ones.
San Jose Sharks
Expect black. That's what they did with the last third jersey and it worked out. We're not sure one what logo to expect on the front, though. There hasn't been much in the way of rumors with regard to that. I'm hoping for the diamond logo with the shark fin or maybe the shield that currently adorns their pants.
St. Louis Blues
Team management has confirmed that we should expect a navy sweater with a new logo incorporating the Blue Note and the Gateway Arch. Sounds like a winner there. Other rumors have suggested it'll be in the style of Minnesota's red sweater.
Tampa Bay Lightning
The rumors for the Lightning are about as bad as the Senators. While the jersey will be blue, it will allegedly make use of a textual element that reads BOLTS. And there's nothing good about the sound of that. As a fan, I'm keeping my fingers crossed it doesn't go badly.
Toronto Maple Leafs
Despite rumors of a blue jersey similar to an image featured on the team's official web site recently, it seems more likely the Leafs will wear a white vintage sweater with the retro logo — just like what they had in the pre-Rbk EDGE days.
Vancouver Canucks
Apparently a blue vintage style sweater is in the works with the classic stick-in-the-rink logo. My guess is they'll go with the updated one currently worn on their shoulders. I would like to see a green or black sweater with the new Johnny Canuck logo on the front, but I don't think that's going to happen just yet.
As for the 12 teams not listed above, the Blackhawks and Red Wings are expected to wear one-time-only vintage sweaters for the Winter Classic at Wrigley Field and the Canadiens will probably use a variety of vintage sweaters throughout the season to commemorate their centennial.
The other nine teams not mentioned above are the Rangers, Devils, Panthers, Capitals, Blue Jackets, Predators, Ducks, Avalanche and Flames. For what it's worth, the Red Wings and Devils are the only two NHL teams never have a third jersey for those of you keeping track.
I know that was a long one, but there was a lot of information to disseminate. By the way, it took me almost two hours to assemble this post. Don't be surprised if I take a little break from the blog tomorrow.
Reader Comments (17)
Thanks for the full rundown, Chris!
Did you forget the Blackhawks? I assume they are going with the same black. It looks fine, but to me their red is perfection.
Also, if you want to get into technicalities, the wings did rotate in the vintage sweater into a handful of games during the 91-92 nhl 75th season. So that year they did technically have a third sweater..
Atlanta: Burgundy jersey with an arc'd "Thrashers" with numbers underneath, similar to the Dallas one, but with their own font/workmark
Boston: Just as your picture shows, posted the other day
Buffalo: Vintage navy blue
Carolina: Black with the Hurricane Storm flag, as speculated
Chicago: The classic black jersey they have always had
Dallas: A white version of their current black one
Edmonton: Vintage blue and orange. Main colour = Blue
LA: It's hard to see in the pictures I was provided, but it's a black jersey with White text letter in a box at the top saying "LA" then underneath is a crown with crossed sticks (IMO, the ugliest of them all)
NY Islanders: Is like their older blue, orange and grayish. Jersey = blue
Ottawa: Black with an upward slant of the word "Sens" where the end/top of slope is where the "C or A" would be worn. In a unique text/font with unique striping
Philadelphia: Orange jersey, but it in fact has the white patch under the name, as originally speculated
Phoenix: A black jersey with a running coyote there the head is where the "C or A" would be, and their C and A are on the opposite, as per the Red Wings this past season
Pittsburgh: Pretty much same as winter classic
San Jose: Black jersey with the Shark on the pants I believe, where you can see the tail and all. Not the shield, like some may have thought
St. Louis: Think Minnesota's red jersey. Except in the middle it has a Blues note as well as the Arc. Wordmark is like the Wild's, just replaced with St. Louis Blues
Tampa Bay: It is, indeed, the Bolts sloped downward in the direction like Rangers and Penguins are/were. It's in a unique text, and the jerseys are a sharp navy blue. I don't mind them at all, and are better than what I would have thought
Toronto: Classic white with the old vainy Leaf
Vancouver: The vintage stick in rink jersey, but with that updated logo from their should patch that is more modern
I know nothing of a confirmed Wild third, but I have heard rumours of it being Green with Sand or White coloured lettering reading "Minnesota" like "Rangers"
I have pictures of them all, but I do not have permission to post them. I will email you, Chris, as soon as I am allowed.
technically...the devils are the only team to never have a 3rd jersey...if you consider the nhl's 75th anniversary year where the orig 6 teams all wore throwback jerseys for half the season that is...
The Isles jersey will look different. It is their vintage blue. More of a powder/royal blue.
Your account on the Kings' alternate, Arwyaien, has me quite scared as a season-ticket holder. But these things do usually look better in person than the verbal descriptions. But unfortunately, all the rumors I've heard have said that it'd be a black jersey, which I think is quite terrible considering how great they look in solid purple.
The original post about that jersey here was that it'd incorporate some previous looks from the past. The only thing I can see them incorporating based on what you said, Arwyaien, is the font and colors of the '90s black-and-silver Gretzky-era jerseys and the crown of the '70s-'80s.
I believe us season-ticket holders will receive an authentic alternate jersey, although I don't know when. The tickets come in September, and in '05 after the lockout, each season-ticket holder account received a pre-Rbk Edge alternate jersey, shield on the front, autographed by Luc Robitaille. That jersey we received in September when we received the tickets, so I might be able to get a personal look at the new alternate if it does indeed come in September, such as three years ago.
Now, it'll likely be leaked within the next one and a half months, so we'll probably see it before I do in person. But let's just hope that the picture isn't worth those thousand words.
How do you know this Arwyaien?
I don't know if a throwback jersey is considered different from a regular "third jersey", but all the Original 6 teams (including the Wings) wore throwback alternates during the 1991-92 season. IMO, that makes the Devils the only team to have never had a third jersey.
Also, I wish the mantra about the NHL having an overabundance of black jerseys would die. The facts really don't back it up. For example...
Last season there were 7 teams with black jerseys (Anaheim, Boston, Dallas, Los Angeles, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, & Tampa Bay). On the other hand, there were 12 teams with blue jerseys (Atlanta, Buffalo, Columbus, Edmonton, Florida, Nashville, NY Islanders, NY Rangers, Penguins, Blues, Maple Leafs, & Canucks). There were also 10 teams with red jerseys (Calgary, Carolina, Detroit, Minnesota, Montreal, New Jersey, Ottawa, Phoenix, Washington, & the Eastern Conference All-Stars).
So what's all the fuss about black? Basically, when the new Edge jerseys started coming out, somebody decided to complain about black jerseys (because everybody was complaining about something), and the idea caught fire without anyone ever actually noticing the facts.
I personally don't have anything against black jerseys. As for the Kings, I'd prefer their alternate jersey not to be black since.. well, they've changed their jersey and logo numerous times since the '90s, and they've changed from black to black to black. If they are gonna introduce a new jersey (even as an alternate), I'd prefer them to introduce a new color. As somebody who has to see these jerseys 41 times a year in person, a little variety would be nice for a change.
So, bets are on. How long until every team in the NHL eventually phases into an NBA-esque wordmark jersey scheme? Only two seasons and the plague has already tripled.
I'm a little confused, maybe someone could explain to me?
Usually the third jerseys are worn at home games, right?
Well how can some teams have white third jerseys, when the away teams wear white?
Would that not be confusing on the ice?
I appreciate anyone who can help me out here.
Either the white alternate would be worn on the road OR if it is worn at home, the road team would wear dark for that particular game. Jersey colour swaps for single games happen all the time.
Great post. Lots of good info. Thank you, sir!
I hate that we keep hearing the Dallas alternate will be white. What's the point? I agree with Chris and others that it should be green, despite the inevitable barrage of complaints from Minnesota fans still bitter about the move.
It appears the Penguins and Flyers are the only team with the cajones to create a third jersey people would actually like. Screw all this black and city name crap (ironically, the very uniform system of my beloved Stars). It's quite lame each team is more Hell-bent on being trendy than being original.
As for Todd's argument that only 7 teams have black jerseys... if another oh, say, 8 teams (minimum) add black as an alternate, that would equal to half the league having black jerseys in some way or another. Yes, I agree about the dominance of red and blue too, but no need to over-do black in the process. Where is the green? The yellow? The orange? C'mon NHL!
Amen rugbysevens.
I totally agree.
@ rugbysevens...
First of all, let's wait and see what happens before we start worrying about 8 new teams with black jerseys. If it happens, then you'll have a legitimate argument, but there's no guarantee that it will happen.
Secondly, you can't forget that there are a few teams who have actually gotten rid of black jerseys over the last several years (Buffalo, Calgary, Chicago, Ottawa, Phoenix, San Jose, Vancouver, Washington, & the All-Star uniforms).
Finally, I totally agree about the need for other colors (yellow, green, orange, purple, etc.). Unfortunately, whenever a team unveils a new jersey in one of those colors, people gripe about how "nauseating" it is (like the old orange Isles alternates). Hockey fans have a very low tolerance for bright colors (other than red), which I think is kind of sad.
Here is what I expect from the Sabres 'new' uniforms...
-Dark blue to match the current jersey (which makes me wonder how the Sabres crest will look)
-Laces (made popular by the winter classic)
-Front Upper Number Area (FUNA not to be confused with the FUPA)