Center Ice Bracket Is Here!

The Center Ice Tournament bracket is ready to go. You can already see it in the sidebar. Or see a larger image below. Clicking on either bracket will take you to the full version.

I've made some adjustments as you'll notice. My favorite is no more pop-ups. I never did like that. I've also changed the layout of the bracket to help with the amount of space it takes up. Hope you guys like the changes. I know in the past I haven't been the best at keeping the bracket up to date but I'm going to try to turn over a new leaf with this tournament.

In case you missed it, further details can be found by clicking here. The tournament begins on Monday!

Center Ice Tournament

It's been a long time since we've had a full-fledged logo tournament underway here or on NHLToL. In fact, in the 26 days Icethetics has been up and running, we haven't had a single one aside from finishing up the CHL tournament. So today I'm announcing the first tournament here on Icethetics — it's the Center Ice Tournament.

Your vote will help determine which NHL arena has the best center ice design. The criteria you use to cast your vote is entirely up to you. You just have to pick which one you like better for whatever reason you choose.

There are 30 teams and each one will be included in the tournament. This means two teams will get first-round byes. They have been randomly selected as has the bracket which you will get a peek at tomorrow. But all 30 graphics are ready to go and in no particular order, here they are.

The original ice graphics were created by CanuckFanatic92 at hockeydownloads.com.

They are as close to accurate as I could find. They generally reflect last year's designs so this is what you'll be voting on regardless of whether anything has changed for next season. I recognize that teams celebrating special anniversary or hosting the all-star game tend to use special designs but I'm going with just the standard looks here. If you notice any major inaccuracies, best to point it out right away, though I can't say for sure whether I'll be able to make any changes.

BRACKET You'll get your first look at the new bracket tomorrow and the tournament will begin on Monday. It's going to run basically the same as any other tournament we've done in the past. I think it's been a fairly effective system and you guys already know how it works so what's the sense in changing it?

POLL LENGTH The only major adjustment will be to the number of days a poll remains open. It was previously five days but I'm now cutting that to four. The majority of the votes are cast within the first two or three days anyway.

SCHEDULING A new poll will be posted every day in the first round. For later rounds, polls will be scheduled so that they can be posted on consecutive days. We will have a few days off between rounds as the tournament progresses, but I prefer not to have days off within rounds, if possible.

LAYOUT The individual polls will also have a new layout. If you've voted recently on the CHL championship poll you'll know what I'm talking about. The logos will now be arranged vertically and alongside the radio button you use to make your selection. The logos will also appear in random order when you load the page.

If you've got any questions about this tournament, feel free to ask by emailing me or leaving a comment. Remember, I'll reveal the bracket tomorrow and the voting will commence on Monday. And just because I enjoy teasing you, I'll tell you which poll will be first: Predators vs Bruins.

Reasons To Visit This Weekend

I have a busy weekend planned here at Icethetics. Below are just a few of the reasons you should be sure to visit over the next few days.

CENTER ICE TOURNAMENT
I'll be officially announcing the new Center Ice Tournament along with all that that entails. You'll get a rundown of how this tournament will work — it'll be somewhat different than in the past. You'll get to preview all 30 new center ice graphics which I feel fit nicely with the new look of the blog. And most importantly, you'll find out when the voting will begin!

PROJECT: IHA
The IHA logo design project has been going great! You guys have been sending in some amazing artwork. This weekend I'll be unveiling the finalists for the Atlantic Division team logos. I'll also outline the process for how we'll come to a determination for each team's logo set, when the voting will start, and what's ahead.

CONCEPT ART
I'll have concept art galore to share for the Blackhawks, Blues, Coyotes and others plus a lot of great ideas for third jerseys based on some of the many rumors that have been floating around. You won't want to miss any of it!

Thrashers Up In The Air

I've been getting a lot of emails about the Atlanta Thrashers' alleged unveiling of their new third jersey at tomorrow's Select-A-Seat event. So I thought I should make a general clarification of my position on this.

First, the emails I've been getting basically say that an administrator on the Thrashers' official message board is denying any possibility that a third jersey will be released/unveiled/exhibited in any way at the event tomorrow. It should end there. He's obviously connected to the team whereas Icethetics is not.

And I was all set to remove the countdown from the sidebar until I re-read the email that went out to Thrashers fans last week. I wrote about it last Thursday. Even if it does turn out that the Thrashers will not show off their new third jersey this weekend, there's supposedly something going on that I'm sure will be of interest to Icethetics readers.

The email states as follows:

Members of the Thrashers Blue Crew and ticketing staff will be on hand to help direct you to available seats in great locations and give tours of the team locker rooms. In addition, fans will have the opportunity to see a new look for the Thrashers. Kids inflatables and special $1 concessions will be available on the concourse, and parking will be free at the Centennial Parking Deck when you present a printed out version of this message.

Notice the highlighted part. Some are under the impression that "a new look" could mean a new perspective of the game, that is, from a different seat within Philips Arena. But because of the "in addition" part, I'm tempted to believe it must have to do with something else.

"A new look" could also be interpreted as the new players the Thrashers acquired over the offseason, but it's awkwardly worded for that. So it seems to me that this must have something to do with logos or uniforms. I could be way off base here and as such, I'm qualifying the countdown. It now says they'll be unveiling "a new look" tomorrow.

Any Thrasher fans attending, I'd love an email after/during the event with regard to what this is all about. If it turns out to be nothing, then so be it. I'll have unintentionally gotten your hopes up for nothing. And for that, all I can say is... oops.

Winter Classic Logo Unveiled!

The Winter Classic 2009 has a logo!

credit: Wikipedia

Look familiar? I'm really liking the vintage looks for the Winter Classic logos. This is a trend that's worth keeping. What do you guys think of the new logo?

Big thanks to Mike for the find!

Rumored New Looks For Fall

I ran across a post on the Canucks' official message board with some interesting information. It actually links back to NHLToL but that's not the interesting part. Apparently there's someone claiming to have had a look at new NHL logos for use this season. You can see the original thread here or catch the highlights below.

First of all, Boston, St. Louis, Nashville, and Florida have all changed to the same yellow Pantone color. The sharks also changed their teal. I think that is all for color changes.

Now for the more exciting stuff...

Boston: new wordmark in the same font as the B in the primary logo.

San Jose: Added a secondary logo with the letters SJ and the old unused shark fin logo from last year at the bottom.

Phoenix: Pretty much all new logos except for the primary, including a new full body coyote as a secondary.

Buffalo: Added a slightly redesigned version of the classic logo with the new navy blue. I looked at the two logos more closely together and it is pretty much the same with a Very minor tweak in the sword handle, and the addition of silver outlines around everything. It also has the red eye.

Vancouver: Added the Johnny Canuck logo with his head in the V back to their identity.

As with anything, I can't vouch for the information myself, but I read it and thought you guys might be interested — whether it ends up being true or not. However, my guess is most of it is on the level.

If I get any confirmations or looks at these logos, you can expect to see them posted right away.

Interestingly, but unrelated, in the same thread was an amazing concept logo I just had to post. You guys know how much I like the Canucks' new V logo. Well someone on that site created one that's even better! It's got a roughness and an edge to it that's lacking in the original logo.

credit: DaveyG @ Canucks.com Message Board

I'm sure most of the Canucks fans here have already seen that, but to anyone who hasn't, what do you think?

Third Jerseys: What's Coming?

Just 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.

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.

Project: IHA West

First, if you have no idea what the Icethetics IHA Project is then click here to get caught up.

Now that you know what's going on, I'm pleased to announce the unveiling of the next division. I'm doing this in no particular order. Last week was the Atlantic Division. Today... the West Division! Remember, your job is to take the name and colors and create an identity for a hockey team from scratch. I know you can do it!

We got an unbelievable response from last week's division. Just wait until you guys see some of the logos your fellow readers came up with. Some of them will blow you away. I'm not posting any of them yet because I don't want to taint the design pool. I'm still accepting logos for the Atlantic, but I'd really like to move on to the West this week.

I anticipate unveiling a new division every Monday for the next few weeks until we've got all the team names and colors out there. I'll have you guys start voting on the Atlantic logos probably next week, the West the week after. The top-voted logos for each team will be included in the IHA Logo Tournament and, of course, the IHA itself.

Anyway, enough chatter, here are this week's teams...

IHA: WEST DIVISION

CALGARY MAVERICKS / Calgary, Alberta
blue (00478A), gold (A79A53) and white (F0F0F0)

DALLAS PATRIOTS / Dallas, Texas
red (A00000), navy (0F1155) and white (F0F0F0)

DENVER MOUNTAINEERS / Denver, Colorado
purple (4D1B67), teal (008B8B) and white (F0F0F0)

EDMONTON SEAHAWKS / Edmonton, Alberta
lime (7FCE0E), blue (002E8C) and black (202020)

HOUSTON COMETS / Houston, Texas
blue (1B3B8B), orange (C86504) and black (202020)

I've supplied colors in hexadecimal format. Should you need RGB conversion, here's a decent resource. By the way, you aren't tied to the exact colors here. Feel free to alter them a little if need be. But please shy away from the standard colors like total black or total white or total red. Remember, be different! As similar as it is to the NHL, it's not the NHL!

GUIDELINES
Once again, follow these guidelines when submitting your original IHA artwork:

• DO NOT STEAL ARTWORK. I'm surprised I have to say this but a number of people submitted logos from professional teams. This is where you let your own creativity shine through. Send in something original!


• Submit three (3) logos: primary, secondary and wordmark. Use a white background. If your logo requires a white outline (think Lightning or Capitals), then use a gray background with the white outline included.


• Submit vector art if possible. I will accept .ai, .psd and .pdf files. If you cannot submit vector art, you must be able to provide high quality raster art in .jpg or .png files. No .bmp files, please.


• Try to stick to the assigned colors. Change them only if you deem it necessary and then explain why you made the change. Remember, the "fans" chose these colors and they're who you're working for in the end.


• Email them to nhllogos@gmail.com with IHA in the subject line. Please include your first and last name (it will not be posted). Please also submit your nickname which will be public if you don't want your real first name used.


• By submitting your own original artwork to the email address above, you agree to grant permission of its use for online or print publication by Icethetics. Do not watermark your logos or they will not be considered.


• And finally, be prepared to accept feedback and criticism of all kinds!

As always, you can email me questions directly or post them in the comments area. Start designing your logos! I look forward to seeing what you all come up with!

UPDATE (5:32 PM): Just a quick thing after looking at some of the comments. While all the feedback is more than appreciated, there really is no point to complaining about the colors or names of the teams listed here. I think "roccot" said it best in the comment below: "As a designer are you going to tell your boss/client their name sucks!? Good-bye job!"

This project is for designers who want a challenge. Sure, some of the names and color schemes may be unoriginal, but that's where the challenge lies. Can you create individual identities for red, white and blue teams named the Stars, Americans and Patriots? If not that's okay, but at least try to enjoy the challenge.

Frankly, I was a little surprised by the overwhelming number of people who were upset by the fact that they weren't getting to vote on the teams' names and locations to begin with. Had I known this would be such an issue, I might've considered building a fantasy league from the ground up myself allowing you guys to choose and vote on names/colors.

Unfortunately, doing something like that would be a huge undertaking. How do you organize it with the kind of limited time I have to work on this site? Is it something I'll consider for the future? If this project continues to be as big a hit as it's been so far, absolutely! No question in my mind.

But for now, I just wanted to offer a project where readers could design logos, given a name and colors. It's basically what everyone's doing by redesigning NHL logos anyway — only without the preconceived notions of what the logos should look like. The feedback is great, and if you guys do want to create another fantasy league from the ground up in the future — where you pick the names, colors and design the logos and uniforms — don't hesitate to let me know. I think it sounds like fun.

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!