More Leaked Third Jersey Pics!

I shared some new leaked images of a handful of third jerseys on Wednesday. Turns out there's more where that came from. Today's images serve as further proof of what we can expect from the Vancouver Canucks and Philadelphia Flyers.

Have a look for yourself.

Also included were close-ups of the crests in all their embroidered glory. First the Canucks...

...and the Flyers too!

Still nothing new — I mean, we've already seen these before — but it's nice to have more pictures. I hope to have shots of the Kings, Sharks, Penguins, Senators and Stars alternate jerseys for you at some point in the near future. No promises, though.

On Deck For Super Saturday

This is going to be quite a night. For one thing, it's what the NHL is calling "Super Saturday" — all 30 teams have games today. But there's some other stuff going on.

First, we've got the unveiling of the new Winter Classic jerseys tonight during the Red Wings-Blackhawks game — which will be broadcast locally on FSN Detroit and WGN-TV in Chicago. I'm also assuming the teams will have pictures or video posted on their web site at some point tonight or tomorrow.

As soon as there's something to post, I'll have it right here on Icethetics.

But we have a few hours, so why not speculate? Turning now to one of the best hockey sites on the web for some visual assistance — NHLUniforms.com. My honest opinion is they'll go with the 1991-92 throwbacks.

Classy... obnoxious... you know the drill. But a random message board post — which I can't vouch for the veracity of — suggests these as the subject of alternative speculation.

It would certainly be an interesting choice for both teams and nothing to sneeze at but that isn't even a Red Wings jersey. It belonged to the Detroit Cougars. In any case we'll know for sure tonight. Hope those of you that can watch will report back.

I also wanted to mention Thursday's Canucks post again. The date referenced in that video is tonight. And after reading all the comments and other message board posts elsewhere, I'm among those convinced this viral promotion has to do with the fans and possible the return in some form of the 7th Man campaign.

I mean the answer to all of the questions in that video is "the fans." So it makes sense. Now, having said that I'm still not discounting the possibility of a third jersey unveiling. That would be a nice gift to the fans, I'm sure. So those in attendance tonight at GM Place can report back and I'll spread the word here.

So besides, Danny Boyle bitterly returning to Tampa in a new sweater, anything else going on tonight around the league?

Watch The Canucks' Cryptic Video

Remember that cryptic Vancouver Canucks video I mentioned last week? Now the team has posted it on their web site. It indicates Saturday as a special date for... something.

You can also watch it right here on Icethetics and it's just as cryptic as ever.

It says, "Who else suffered rejection for an NHL franchise but never quit? Who else turned a symbol of surrender into a passionate tradition copied all across sports? Who else survived the insults of the Flying 'V', the plate of spaghetti, and the skate going down? Find out October 25th at General Motors Place."

The thing that flashes up for a few frames at the end is a 7.

We're not quite sure what it means exactly, but some have suggested it's the planned unveiling of the new third jersey — which Icethetics leaked. So what do you think the 7 means and what do you think the video means?

Comment with your conspiracy theories.

Third Jersey Fan Concepts & More

We haven't had a good concept art post in almost a month because of the explosion of third jersey news. Now that we're getting a little bit of a break from it, let's take a look at what some fans would like to see as alternate sweaters. And get comfortable, because this is going to be a long one.

We'll start with some update Flyers logos that were submitted.

My personal favorite is the bottom right corner in the sketches. Up next is a great set with some uniquely updated logos.

credit: David Baratta

And speaking of updated logos, check out these for the Sharks.

The artist who submitted these prefers the one on the left but I thought I'd post them both and let you decide for yourself.

Now let's get into those third jersey concepts I was telling you about. We'll start with San Jose. Rumors have circulated that the shield logo could go on the front, but I wouldn't expect to see any white or orange anywhere else on the jersey.

And the Predators concept is purely from the mind of the artist. The Predators haven't announced any plans for a third jersey either this year or next. Neither have the Capitals, but many people are wishing for something like this.

Many Canucks fans were hoping for a green third jersey. Maybe something like this isn't too far off.

Yeah, maybe not the one on the right, though.

Here's a very busy idea for the Canadiens.

Maybe if your jersey was distracting enough, you could just win that way. Sticking with the Canada theme for a moment, how about these for the Senators?

And finally, hoping for the return of a yellow third jersey for the Bruins? Here's one of my favorite concepts from this batch.

What do you think of these? if you have any concept art of your own, feel free to send it along.

Sun Picks Up Canucks Third

Icethetics and the leaked picture of the Canucks' new third jersey has made it to the home page of the Vancouver Sun this afternoon. Check it out! And here's the full story.

I spoke with the Sun's sports editor earlier today and he told me folks in Vancouver get really pumped over stuff like this. So I was happy to provide a non-watermarked image to them.

For those in Vancouver, I'm told the image may be appearing in print tomorrow. So keep an eye out for it and be sure to buy a copy of the paper!

Helmets Fighting Cancer

A couple of people wrote in asking about the stickers appearing on the backs of players' helmets. Since the Vancouver Canucks seem to be a hot topic as of late, I'll use them in my example.

For most teams, players are wearing two decals on the backs of their helmets. On the right, the NHL shield and on the left a square logo you can only make out up close. It's the Hockey Fights Cancer logo. However, for the Canucks, they're wearing both decals on the right side while they wear a tribute decal for Luc Bourdon on the left.

That's the back side of Alex Burrows, demonstrating this quite nicely. Goalie Roberto Luongo isn't bothering with the NHL shield but he does have the HFC and LB decals on the back of his mask.

And while we're on the subject of Luongo, he's either got a second mask or he repainted it to make the C on the chin white instead of blue.

Luongo was named captain of the Canucks but league rules prevent him from wearing the C on his chest.

Back to helmets for a moment. A couple other readers noticed that the Dallas Stars have made some modifications to the logo on theirs.

The green star within the gold star appears to have gone away in exchange for a large gold star on the black helmets.

Meanwhile, I can't tell if the star on the white helmets is still green or has been switched to black. Not enough good photos out there. But many have asked whether this is a sign of things to come in Dallas. Will the green go away completely, forever severing ties with the North Stars? I sure hope not.

By the way, the wait is almost over for Part 6 of the Icethetics Season Preview. It's coming this weekend.

Canucks Third Jersey LEAKED!

Yes, it's true! I have it for you right here on Icethetics. The Vancouver Canucks' third jersey for the 2008-09 season has leaked!

Have a look for yourself. It's got the updated stick-in-the-rink logo as well as the new Johnny Canuck "V" logo on the shoulders.

I'm thrilled about that Johnny Canuck logo making its way onto a jersey. I think it's such a great design. Also interesting to note about this jersey is the complete lack of the orca logo. It's similar in overall design to their current home and road sweaters expect for the the striping pattern. The colors are the same.

It's important to note that this is not an official image. The Canucks have yet to make any sort of announcement regarding their third jersey. This is merely what's believed to be a leaked photo of it.

Canucks Allude To Special Date

Do the Vancouver Canucks have something up their sleeve for later this month? Several fans who watched the pay-per-view game against the Capitals last night saw an interesting promo air.

It's been described as alluding to jerseys of the past then reveals a date — perhaps, the unveiling date of the new third jersey? However, accounts vary based on the emails I received. Some say the date was October 24. Some say October 25. The Canucks play the Oilers on the 25th — no game on the 24th.

It's believed that the third jersey will make its on-ice debut on November 15 against the Maple Leafs — who will also probably wear their third jersey.

So what does all of this mean? Here are some of the emails I received.

It was an all black screen with just white text changing.... it said stuff like "It survived the flying V" and "It survived the plate of spaghetti" and "it survived the downwards skate".... and then the screen simply read "Oct. 24, 2008".

They're using the new thirds for the first time on Nov.15, but I'm thinking this might be a revealing ceremony.... which the Canucks are pretty big on (they had a huge one last year). The Canucks don't play on the 24th and are at home on the 25th, which would make the 24th a perfect time for one of those ceremonies again.... just a thought.

During yesterdays PPV game in Vancouver there was one single ad that said something along the lines of..

(Paraphrasing)
It's coming...
October 25th...
A sign of surrender became a sporting tradition...
a team mocked for the flying V and the downhill skate...
history is back...
October 25th

During the canucks pay per view game today against the capitals, during a commercial a date was mentioned....October 25th. The commercial listed previous historical moments in canucks history and made references to canucks jerseys....saying that they had all survived different eras and whatnot. I am thinking that maybe this is in reference to a third jersey unveiling or a new logo ( johnny canuck!)...

Thanks to Dawson, Daryl and Dennis for sending this in. If I hear anything more on the subject, you know where to find it. But until there's more information, I'm not changing the sidebar.

New Third Jersey Rumors!

I know the real reason you're here checking Icethetics tonight. It's to see if I've got any new third jersey scoop. It's your lucky night. I've got some new information to share regarding what some of the yet unreleased sweaters will look like.

As always, the source shall remain anonymous — so take it for what it is. But how many times have I lied to you?

This person got a look at the jersey designs on a piece of paper and compared what he saw with what Howard Berger saw. There's some interesting stuff here.

Is this the logo that will be on the front of the San Jose Sharks' third jersey? I'm told that it will indeed be black but instead of featuring just the full-body shark logo, it will actually be the new shield logo introduced last year — which includes the full-body shark.

My source writes, "This jersey disappointed me, it isnt just the black with the traditional shark. It is black, yes, but it uses the full body shark inside the shield design. With the orange and black script reading 'San Jose' across the top with the sun design."

Personally, I loved this logo from the moment it was first unveiled last year and would be thrilled to see it front and center on its own jersey. Is this true? I don't know. But I sure hope so.

We're continuing to hear that the Los Angeles Kings' third jersey will in fact be black and white with this logo — in black and white, no purple. I'm a little worried it's going to look boring, but they pulled off the look well in the '90s.

That's not all...

The Dallas Stars' third jersey will be white — basically the opposite of the regular black jersey. DALLAS will be arched above the player's jersey number in black text with a green outline instead of gold.

The interesting thing about this is that, like Toronto, wearing it at home forces the visiting team to carry twice as many jerseys with them on their road trip.

The Vancouver Canucks will wear their secondary "stick-in-rink" logo on the front of their blue third jersey. However, this latest source claims it will actually be a white version of the logo currently used as a shoulder patch. It certainly stands out more.

My hope is that the new Johnny Canuck logo will find its way onto, say, the shoulders of this jersey. It seems all of the images being seen by our "leakers" are small and grainy making it difficult to see details — such as shoulder decoration.

And that brings us to the Ottawa Senators. What I wouldn't give to see that team wear this logo, but there's been no word on that. If anything, it might be a shoulder patch, but this is just wishful thinking — I have nothing to back that up.

What I do have on the Sens from my source is this: "The jersey is not black, its that odd gold colour that the sens use. The word "SENS" isnt laid out in the common slanting downward fashion, its close together in white, with the red and black outlines, slightly slanting upwards (think Washington Wizards of the NBA, gold alternates). Very different from the concept illustration."

Gold, eh? That's... unusual. I'm not so sure about that but the main thing to take away from this information is that the upward slant of the text will not make it look like it says SNES as many have worried. In fact, I've put together a few concept renderings what what this may look like.

It's a simple upward slant that I've done but the actual jersey may feature more stylized or curved text. First, on a gold jersey, as this rumor suggests.

That's just standard block letter text, but they may also use something similar to the numbering style seen on their current home and road sweaters.

This serif text is also used for the C and A on the captains' sweaters. But if you want my opinion, I still think it'll be a black jersey — and this is the more likely look for the text.

And here are a couple of other options — one including gold.

Which one do you guys like best?

By the way, just a blog note here. I've updated the Atlanta Thrashers' third jersey logo in the sidebar. Their new sweater features the bird-head only logo on the shoulders — obviously no logo on the front as we all know.

That's all for tonight. Hope that satisfies your third jersey rumor thirst for now.

Canucks Remember Bourdon

The Vancouver Canucks are remembering the late Luc Bourdon this season with a special decal on the back of their helmets. The 21-year-old defenseman was killed in a motorcycle accident in May.

I didn't know about this tribute logo when I wrote about the new specialty logos for the Icethetics Season Preview or I would've included it with that batch.

Thanks to Joshua for sending in the graphic.