BlackArmor Coming Next Month

What is BlackArmor? Glad you asked. The San Jose Sharks have announced they will be unveiling their new third jersey — nicknamed BlackArmor for corporate sponsor Seagate — on November 21. The Sharks made this announcement today on their official web site.

I think it's a safe bet the jersey will be black. It will make its game debut on November 22 against the Washington Capitals. The Sharks also released a schedule of when the new alternate sweater would be worn — 14 games, including two on the road.

And as mentioned, the "BlackArmor" moniker was explained as follows: "The branding of the alternate sweater coincides with Seagate’s promotion of its BlackArmor™ product, the world’s first safe portable hard drive."

By the way, that's another date Icethetics had right. I'm as surprised as you are.

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.

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.

Freak Out Friday XLII

Freak Out Friday is finally back! After taking six weeks off, everybody's favorite series is making its' big return today. For those of you who just joined us in the last six weeks, take a look at some past Fridays. Some of the best ones were on the old blog. Basically, I take the opportunity every couple of weeks to showcase some of the weirdest and craziest concept art that turns up in my inbox.

Now, we're starting back up with an easy one. What did we last make fun on Freak Out Friday and what do we make fun of the most? Could it have been the Mighty Ducks' mid-90s third jerseys? What if they mated with the Kings?

Sticking with California for a moment, imagine if the Sharks went in an entirely different direction with their logo design.

That's not even the best one, and you'll notice that the majority of today's Freak Outs come by way of David Delisle who, while doing excellent work, sure ends up with some odd stuff.

Last month I featured a blog that was holding a competition to design the best Hurricanes/Whalers hybrid jersey for the franchise's 30th anniversary.

That's so scary it's actually good. And to all of you who think the Hurricanes' logo looks like a toilet flushing... this logo brings back memories of when my first goldfish died.

The Flames will be our next topic of discussion.

Check out that logo in the middle. The more astute among you will notice some things hiding in plain sight. The less astute will just be amused by this.

The Blue Jackets are next on our hit list. All this time and no one's ever made a concept showing jerseys that look like blue jackets. Until now.

How would that not get your team laughed off the ice?

Finally, a combination of odd designs by our new buddy Dave.

Yes, we get it. There are a lot of cabs in New York. By the way, the record needle on the end of a hockey stick is pretty funny.

One more thing, which isn't related to hockey but still funny. Kurt Snibbe of ESPN.com's Page 2 had some fun messing with NFL logos last week. I highly recommend a look even if you don't like football.

And that's all there is for this 42nd edition of the Freak Out Friday. I hope to be back in two weeks with a new crop of the ridiculous so make sure you guys keep them coming.

Making Over The Sharks

One of my favorite regulars has a new logo redesign. You've seen him give new looks to teams like the Red Wings, Devils, Predators, Senators, Flyers, Coyotes, and most recently the Panthers. Now he's taken a shot at the San Jose Sharks — who just unveiled a new look last season.

As you can see, it makes use of the Shark in the triangle. Here are a couple of secondary logo designs.

And even a couple of jerseys.

It's great work as always if you ask me. Feel free to post your opinions on these designs below.

Freak Out Friday XLI

Another Friday is upon us and it's time to freak you out. I'm starting with a rather frightening rendition of a Senators third jersey concept.

Just look at those eyes staring back at you. Scary stuff.

We've been talking a lot about the Dallas Stars lately. Anybody want a real Old West theme for the uniforms?

If you did, I'm sure you don't anymore.

Stripes for the Sharks?

You know you'd buy that jersey. Don't try to deny it.

Here's a somewhat less freaky Wild concept sweater.

A new series within a series I started to FOFs ago showcased the infamous Mighty Ducks third jersey with the logos of other teams from around the league. We've done the Atlantic Pacific Divisions and today we've got the Southeast.

And while we're on this topic, under the heading of Other Things That Just Won't Die, the Iowa Chops are back for another round of mockery.

I don't think I need to say anything more. Just try to enjoy your weekend now that you've been freaked out.

Overnight Art: California Style

It's late and I feel like you guys got shortchanged today with only an IHA Poll being posted. So I'm sitting here and I feel like writing up a pretty big concept art post — all about California. We'll start in Anaheim.

Here's an unusual idea for the Ducks — get rid of everything in the logo except for what's inside the D.

Or, to be more conservative, I've got an orange third jersey that's pretty sharp.

And an orange third jersey based on a purple one from the old days.

We could just go an entirely new route and find ourselves with a unique, new logo.

But maybe we'd better not. Continuing our California trip, let's head to L.A.

Same logo, two drastically different uniform designs. This next one loses the color altogether with a callback to the Kings' Gretzky days.

Now we head north to San Jose where we start with a new logo for the Sharks.

Notice the complete lack of orange. I always thought it was a nice accent. But that's why we have the one on the right. Though comparatively, those sweaters are a bit boring.

One designer suggested the team keep the shark of their current logo with the triangle of the old days.

And this last one was forwarded to me, I believe, from a message board somewhere. If anyone's got the link, I'd be happy to add it. (Update: See the original post at HFBoards.com.)

I like both but the shield logo is my personal favorite.

Happy now? Go get some sleep. (And if it's morning where you are when you're reading this, have a nice day.)

Alternates From A Fan

In combing through my inbox I came across a set of third jersey designs one reader sent in recently. There's 18 in all but I'm going to start with six — my favorites of the bunch.

An obvious win for a Hurricanes alternate sweater would be this one.

Though it steals a page out of L.A.'s book with the locator on the front of the sweater, it's not a bad look. Speaking of the Kings...

...how about a purple jersey with the Gretzky-era logo? One of my favorite logos has to be the new alternate unveiled by the Canucks last summer. I'm dying to see it on a uniform.

As far as that jersey goes though, sort of reminds me of the Whalers. But I do like the green. A lot!

Of the few things we have confirmation of regarding next year's third jerseys, is that the Blues will use a new logo that incorporates the Gateway Arch. Here's another concept with that in mind.

It may not be a new logo but it does include the arch.

I know many of you are opposed to black third jerseys, but I think they work for teams that actually have color in their regular home sweaters — the Sharks and Coyotes, for example.

I love that shield logo too. And here's a unique take on Phoenix's logo.

I'll have more from this artist in the future. In the meantime, stick around. I'll be posting information about the brand new International Hockey Association logo project a little later this evening.