Ducks Confirm No Third

You know, with all the talk about which teams are getting third jerseys this season, I guess it makes sense to mention confirmation of those that aren't.

According to Curtis Zupke from the OC Register, Ducks management says they will be one of handful without one. It's funny because, 1) they could use one, and 2) history shows Anaheim has been one of the most prolific clubs in terms of thirds. A quick look back at the last 12 years turns up four different alternate sweaters for the Ducks alone.

credit: Andrew @ NHL Uniforms.com

It's worth noting the gradual increase in quality here over the years from something that should never have been worn in an NHL game to something that I wish was still around.

Inspiring Concepts

It's been a while since I've done a concept post. But as you know I've been busy redesigning the blog this weekend (again). Before I get into today's artwork — and there's a lot of it — I wanted to share my inspiration for this latest round of design upgrades.

A reader and graphic artist named Guillaume Bellemare emailed me a couple of weeks ago about the design of Icethetics. He said he had some ideas for improving it and I asked him to send me whatever he came up with. I just wanted to show you guys what he sent.

First of all, Guillaume obviously does really great work. You can check out his web site for more like it. You can click on the images above to enlarge them. On the left is the logo he created. I don't plan on using it (not a big fan of the font) but I do like the concept a lot. And on the right you can see the site design he came up with. So I have to credit Guillaume with putting the idea of a pollbar in my head. It wasn't until I saw his design that it really clicked with me.

One of the main focuses of this site is the polls. Why am I letting them get buried in pages of posts? It didn't make any sense. Now you have a quick at-a-glance way of seeing what you can vote on — and how long you have left to do so. That was the main element I took away from his demo here.

As for the rest of it, like I told him, the majority of the people who visit Icethetics are designers or otherwise artsy people who tend to use higher resolution monitors. Tiny text is difficult to read so I prefer large text and lots of spacing. I also widened the page for the same reason. Anyway, there's no need to beat this to death, so I'm not going to go into anymore details unless specifically asked.

If you have any questions, email me or comment. Now for today's concept art...

We're beginning with the Ducks because I have two great logo designs for them.

This one I like a lot but it's funny to me that, like the Canucks, the uniform would feature a prominent color not in the actual logo itself. The designer created orange uniforms for this concept. Still a great logo. The next one, I don't know.

It is quite duck-like, but I'm not sure that's winning it points. A little detailed perhaps, it makes great use of Anaheim's new colors. Moving on now to the Coyotes.

I think this logo would be improved by filling in the moon with a color. And while I like Phoenix's actual logo better, in this one, the coyote actually appears to be howling.

Another interesting Sabres design to add to the pile.

Simple, straightforward, traditional. Nothing wrong with that.

The next piece is based off an Islanders concept logo I posted here about a month ago.

Those are some nice jerseys and I can't see how the club from Long Island could go wrong with a logo like that.

We'll finish things off with a little something for the Quebecois population out there still missing the Nordiques. Here's what the old club might've looked like in today's Rbk EDGE sweaters.

Not bad at all.

Kings Official; Who Else Is?

This isn't earth-shattering news or anything but I just thought I'd point out that the Kings have officially confirmed that they'll have a third jersey this season on their web site.

Season ticket holders will receive a free one — wonder if that means they think they'll have a hard time selling them.

Anyway, like I said it's not like we didn't know the Kings would have a third jersey this year, but amidst all the rumors I think we sometimes forget that very few of these alternate sweaters are officially confirmed yet and the carpet could be ripped out from under us at any time. So I still plan to keep a close eye on what the teams are saying — along with Howard Berger and other rumor-mongers.

Here's a rundown of teams that have confirmed a third jersey is some official capacity:

Sabres
Prior to the Winter Classic, Buffalo alluded to the use of a third jersey without setting a specific timetable when managing partner Larry Quinn said, "Our future retro jersey will be the dark blue sweater, so this maybe one of the last times our team wears this [white] jersey."

Kings
As stated above, Los Angeles has made their alternate sweater official by offering a "Kings Free Alternate Jersey (with mystery photo)" to season ticket holders.

Flyers
Philly was the first to confirm a third jersey last year, doing so within the online form to buy a new Rbk EDGE sweater. It read, "Black and white jerseys are available this year. A third orange jersey will be released next year."

Sharks
In May at San Jose's "State of the Sharks" event, CEO Greg Jamison confirmed a third jersey's existence by saying, "There is a good chance it will be black. It is still being decided on. I can tell you we get input from the fans, staff and the players. The players were very involved in the jerseys for this year. I think the third jersey will be very neat."

Those were the only teams for which I could find quotes on official web sites. I don't consider a media interview with a team executive to be an official confirmation, because that's not coming through team channels — if that makes any sense.

If you come across anything I haven't found, shoot me an email and I'll add it to the list.

Previewing The New Thirds

All right, so much to discuss. This is the post I promised days ago but I kept putting it off every time new information leaked. So far I haven't heard anything new today so here are some of the concepts folks have put together based off of the latest design rumors. We're starting with Hockey Week, who put together a graphic that includes all 18 possible thirds!

That's a lot of work he put into that. But there's still more. The Islanders wore special vintage jerseys briefly two seasons ago that will probably serve as a basis for this year's alternates.

Very sharp. Those are the only photographs I have. Everything else is fan made art.

Next up are the Kings in a variety of different looks based off of Howard Berger's description.

I'm pulling for the one on the left, personally. Here are a couple of concepts for the Senators — or should I say, Sens?

While I'm on the subject, a group of fans in Ottawa are pushing a "heritage jersey" as they call it. This is what it looks like.

You can sign their peititon if you're so inclined. Honestly, they could do a lot worse. That's a very nice sweater.

You want to see what's not a nice sweater?

With the text on the jersey, I don't imagine the Lightning will use the numbers on the front. I do like the arm stripes here, though. Staying in the south, we've got Kari Lehtonen with a possible third jersey design painted on.

I'm not a huge fan but I think I need to see the actual sweater.

And finally, our friend Dave (aka DRutka) has come up with a little something for the Sabres. Charlie posted this at Sabres Not Slugs.

By the way, as you guys know, Dave's been adapted Matt's rebrands for use in EA's NHL video games. I'll have links to those coming shortly. You'll find them in the Rebranding The NHL section of the sidebar.

If you guys have anymore third jersey mock-ups, feel free to send them along for posting here.

By the way, almost forgot to mention it. All 18 teams getting third jerseys are now featuring in the sidebar.

Blues, Blackhawks & Blue Jackets

Hope you guys are psyched for the Center Ice Tournament. I've been busy getting that prepared but in the meantime I did promise you concept art. Today's theme is the Central Division.

First up, the Blues — in an assortment of different colors.

These logos have a very different feel to them as well because of the hand-drawn look. The NHL has never really done anything like this. Also, there's a jersey to go with them.

But back to a more simplistic approach, what about a striping pattern on the jersey that alludes to the Gateway Arch?

Here's an interesting wordmark.

Next is my favorite subject, as you know, the Blackhawks. The designer tells me he came up with this logo around the time the Senators first introduced their 3Dish logo. You give the Indian head a quarter turn and he might look something like this.

I like it a lot — maybe not as a logo, but just in general. Plus, remember this logo? Somebody put it on a jersey.

Not bad at all.

We'll finish things up here with the Blue Jackets. Here we're replacing the hat with a cannon on the secondary logo.

And here's a variety of color patterns for Columbus' jerseys.

Nothing really jumps out at me (in fact, it took me a minute to notice they were all different).

Don't forget, tomorrow you'll get your first look at some of the logos designed for Project: IHA. I can't wait to post them and get your feedback. Plus the Center Ice Tournament bracket will make it's debut. So there's a lot you won't want to miss.

Rebranding The Stars

Your favorite Icethetics partner artist is back tonight with another concept for his series, Rebranding The NHL. I know you're excited! Matt is taking his shot at the Dallas Stars and it's quite likely one of his best yet. But first, read his explanation in his own words.

After my exhaustive research into the Dallas Stars, many of the Stars fans really like their new uniforms. So taking cue from that, I ended up removing green from the color scheme. Why? Because the time has finally come to put the North Stars days away for good. This is the Dallas Stars. Minnesota has their new team. Time to turn the page in Stars history and embrace their home.

The goal of this new identity is to embrace the new "Lone" Stars. The completely custom wordmark is styled after an old saloon sign. The new secondary logo is a much better attempt to symbolize Texas than the failed "Mooterus" from a few years ago. The striping on the home and away feature barb wire lining the jersey, and the alternate jersey design resembles the horns of a steer...

So here are the logos he created for the Stars.

As usual, it's truly great work and that secondary logo is just downright scary. Like a lot of you, at first I was concerned with the lack of green. But after reading Matt's explanation, I think it's perfect. A true, individual branding for a great team.

Naturally, he's done uniform concepts to go with it.

I'd buy that gold jersey in a heartbeat.

But for all the fans of Matt's work, he's donated a neat little surprise for. A lot of folks have asked about getting a copy of Matt's uniform template. He's now generously offering it for the first time. Enjoy!

So what's next? Matt tells me he's hard at work on a new rebranding of the St. Louis Blues. But he's a little stumped. He says, "The only thing is I have no idea how I can give them a better identity than the Blue Note. So I would like to call out to all Icethetic-ites for aid in coming up with ideas for Blues logos..."

For one thing, he needs help determining a secondary color. And who better to ask than the awesome readers of Icethetics? In the sidebar is a new poll where you can voice your opinion. Choose between navy blue, yellow and red to go with the primary color of blue.

And if you have any brilliant ideas for a new direction for the Blues' logo, you can post them here in the comments or contact Matt directly by emailing him at gfb_designs@yahoo.com. Voice your thoughts and get ready for an exciting new look for the Blues!

AHL Jersey News

I've got a few pieces of AHL jersey-related news. To start, I need to dispel a weird rumor. EA released a bunch more screenshots of NHL 09 and you wouldn't believe the number of emails I got from folks who thought this was the San Jose Sharks' new third jersey.

Without question it's the AHL's Worcester Sharks.

Some other screenshots of the game showed the backs of the Iowa Chops' new uniforms.

Basically they'll be wearing a red (instead of orange) version of the Anaheim Ducks' sweaters.

And finally, the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins evidently have a third jersey design out there that I hadn't seen before...

credit: Penguins official site

...I'll leave my words out of it, availing myself of the adage: "If you can't say anything nice, say nothing at all." However if you'd like to comment, please do so.

A Florida Makeover

One of our regular artists who designs under the moniker Sigma Kappa is back with another great design. Most recently he gave the Red Wings a new look. Before that came the Devils, Predators, Senators, Flyers, and Coyotes. Tonight we've got a logo/uniform makeover for the Florida Panthers.

That is one fierce logo. As with most of his designs, the logo is based off of the original to some extent but it's a rather unique take. In the secondary logo, the cat is calmer but no less fierce.

And below are the jersey designs he came up with.

Overall, it's outstanding work and I love it when I can post such an excellent concept. What do you think of it? Sound off in the comments.

Third Jersey Fan Renderings

It's been mostly quiet on the third jersey news front so far today. But several fans have been hard at work designing sweater concepts based on the rumors that have been swirling lately. There's a lot to get to so I'll dive in.

The Hurricanes may adopt a third jersey this season that looks a little something like this.

Meanwhile the Maple Leafs will likely take a more traditional path.

It's more likely they'll end up with a white sweater, but blue is certainly a possibility as well.

The Bruins have sort of already leaked their third jersey design and it looks like this.

The Oilers will probably go with a retro look...

...same as the Sabres.

Still other teams may ditch the historical look for something more contemporary. If the Stars go with a green third, it could look like this.

And the Lightning and Senators might go with informal nicknames on the front — the Bolts and Sens.

Not sure about the gold Ottawa sweater. I like black better for them. I also wouldn't expect to see the 2D logo on the front of a jersey anytime soon, but that's just me. I've been wrong before.

I'll have more later today including the next division in the IHA branding project.

Hawks Convention Yields News

The Blackhawks are holding a big hockey convention this weekend to, I suppose, intensify the city's interest in the team and the sport. As part of the event, Saturday at noon there was a panel discussing the Winter Classic set for New Year's Day at Wrigley Field. Hawks president John McDonough and defenseman Brian Campbell were on hand along side the NHL's marketing director, Brian Jennings.

According to an email I received summarizing the event, there was a discussion about whether the Blackhawks and Red Wings would be wearing vintage jerseys like the Penguins and Sabres did last season. McDonough said they would be and suggested it may be styled after a 1930s sweater, like the one seen below.

credit: Andrew @ NHLUniforms.com

According to this same email, Jennings spoke about the selection process for last year's Winter Classic sweaters. He apparently said the Penguins liked theirs so much they'll be unveiling a similar powder blue design as their third jersey this season. This isn't really news but it's coming straight from the Director of Marketing at the NHL so I felt like it was worth mentioning.

As with anything, I can't vouch for the veracity of this info as it comes by way of a reader email and not any official channels. B But what's the point of lying? Thanks to Brent for the info!