Bruins, Stars Set To Unveil Alternates

Confused? You're not alone.

For weeks I've been assuming the the Boston Bruins unveiled their new third jersey when Milan Lucic wore it in front of season ticket holders at the State of the Bruins event. I now have new reliable information that says that was not the "official" release of the sweater.

In fact, the Boston Bruins will officially unveil their third jersey on Monday, November 24. I don't know any details regarding plans for this unveiling, but I do know the team has plans to show the new alternate sweater to fans and the public on that date.

I'm now considering the pictures from the State of the Bruins event a "leak" — which is technically what it was. The team never officially released photos of the jersey. The photos we had were taken by people in attendance.

Confusing, I know. We've already seen the Bruins third jersey (multiple times!) but I'm big on getting my facts straight. The fact is, the Bruins have not unveiled their third jersey and they won't until November 24. When they do, I'll add them back to the unveiled list. And who knows, maybe they'll have made a change or two to the design we last saw.

Now, about the Dallas Stars. Several fans have emailed in to say that they've seen messages appearing in the American Airlines Center on the scoreboard confirming the Tuesday, November 18 unveiling date.

No details on what it will look like, but here is one email I received from a reader.

I was at the Stars game last saturday and on the jumbotron they had an ad for their charity luncheon, which is November 18, and they said that those who go to the luncheon will be the first to see the new third jersey. So, November 18 is definitely the date for the unveiling. I thought that you'd like to know.

Both the Bruins and Stars dates have now been added to the Countdowns in the sidebar.

Islanders Unveil Third Jersey!

The New York Islanders have officially unveiled their new third jersey for the 2008-09 season. It's the classic throwback from the 1970s featuring royal blue and orange.

A major improvement over the new EDGE jerseys they introduced last year.

Here you can see Bill Guerin modeling the new uniform — and we now see what the Isles meant by new "uniform." The last time they had a third jersey, the rest of the uniform remained the same.

Overall, it's a great look. It surprises me that more jerseys, like some of the throwback thirds that have been unveiled, weren't introduced as the primary jerseys last year when Reebok took over.

On their web site, the Islanders have a cool 360-degree view of Guerin in the new uniform. What's interesting is the way the horizontal stripes around the socks seem to be broken at the calf.

You can see a picture of what I'm talking about below.

This third jersey will make its game debut on Saturday when the Isles face the Montreal Canadiens for "Throwback Night." I'll be sure to grab some pictures from the game.

One more shot of Guerin in the new sweater.

Group photo! Bobby Nystrom, Josh Bailey, Mike Sillinger and Clark Gillies model the new sweater below.

Having not seen any high resolution images of the jersey, something I hadn't realized was the extra lines around the stick signifying the number of Stanley Cup championships.

"I think the new jerseys are fantastic," said Bob Nystrom, a member of the original 1972 Islanders squad. "The colors really bring me back to our early teams. I think the fans are really going to buy into the jerseys because anybody who saw the team when we played, will appreciate the original colors. Plus, I like the subtle change the made to add another strip to the stick, signifying the four Cups."

And if you want to watch the actual unveiling during the Islanders Business Club event today, here's the video.

So there it is. What do you think of the new uniform?

Isles Unveiling Third Tonight

Just reminding everyone that the New York Islanders will be unveiling their new third jersey tonight at the Islanders Business Club event. They have more information on their web site.

I believe the event is scheduled for 5 PM but photos will be posted online tonight for those who can't be there or at the game afterwards.

The event is exclusive for IBC members, but following the event fans in attendance tonight’s Islanders/Rangers game will get their first look at the uniform.

Once again, the team's description of the new sweaters seems to indicate something more than a throwback but I'm not so sure.

Current and former Islanders will be on hand to unveil the Islanders first complete uniform change since 1996. The Islanders will take the ice in the new uniforms for the first time on Saturday against the Montreal Canadiens. ... They will wear the uniform a total of 15 times this season.

This marks the eighth time since the Islanders entered the league in 1972 that the team has made a significant change to their jersey or complete uniform. The last time the Islanders played in a “Third Jersey” was in 2006-07 when the team donned an orange jersey for a number of home games.

I would consider the 2006 orange third jersey a significant change in uniform, so why they're going back to 1996, I'm not sure. I'm really excited to see what they've come up with now.

I'll have pictures up tonight — probably not right away — but they'll be here. Keep an eye on the Isles' web site.

IceHL: North Preview

Over the weekend, logo submissions for the North Division ended. More impressive logos here. There were a total of 31 eligible logo sets submitted. And just like last week I'm going to give you a sneak peek at all of them.

Below are the primary logos from each set. When the ratings begin, you will see the entire set of logos in full detail along with the artist's credit.

CALGARY CAVALRY (4 eligible logos)

EDMONTON KODIAKS (8 eligible logos)

REGINA RENEGADES (3 eligible logos)

SASKATOON SHARPSHOOTERS (4 eligible logos)

WINNIPEG WINTERHAWKS (12 eligible logos)

The Winterhawks were almost as popular as the Huskies to design a logo for. But I'm definitely glad we had so many more submissions for this division. Keep them coming!

If you do not see your logo here, one of two things happened. Either your submission was ineligible based on one or more of the reasons I outlined when I began taking submissions — or your email failed to get to me. I will entertain questions via email.

And just so you know, logo voting should begin in a week or two.

IceHL Southeast: Final Names

The final names for the IceHL's Southeast Division are in! Hundreds of you made your voice heard by rating the finalists for each franchise. So here are the winners.

• Atlanta ARSENAL
  average rating 3.19/5 by 443 people


• Baltimore BLUE CRABS
  average rating 3.4/5 by 429 people


• North Carolina NIGHTHAWKS
  average rating 3.83/5 by 448 people


• Tampa Bay BARRACUDAS
  average rating 3.79/5 by 412 people


• Washington SENTINELS
  average rating 2.95/5 by 309 people

It's a little odd to see such similar names as Winterhawks and Nighthawks along with Hellcats and Steelcats. But I've been leaving these decisions up to you guys so there it is.

Based on these names, your task — should you choose to accept it — is to brand the franchise. You choose the color scheme and design primary, secondary and script logos around that. Additional logos may or may not be included in the voting process.

Submit your logo art by email to me at icethetics@gmail.com. Do not post links to artwork in the comments. They will be deleted and not considered for use in this project. I'm also outlining guidelines for submissions below. If you don't follow them, your work will probably not be included.

Southeast logo submission deadline: November 15

If you want your submission included, follow these instructions:

• DO NOT STEAL ARTWORK. Logos copied or adapted from professional trademarked logos will not be permitted.


• Submit three (3) logos: primary, secondary and script. 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. ALL 3 LOGOS will be used in the voting process. If you leave out one, your work may be disqualified.


• 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 images in .jpg or .png files ONLY. All other file types may be disqualified.


• You must include your credit within the graphic itself as well as the email. This can be your real name or a pseudonym. I need them in both places so I can easily search my email to find your artwork and email address. Failure to do so may result in disqualification.


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


• No jersey concepts, please. That will be a later step in this process.

I tried to be specific here but I'm happy to answer any additional questions you may have via email. I was very clear about this but keep in mind that if you do not properly follow the instructions above, your work will likely be disqualified. So read them carefully.

Just so everyone is aware, when it comes time to choose a logo for each team, the process will work basically the same as the name ratings. Logo rating pages will be posted for each team and up to 20 logo submissions will be available to rate. I'm sorry I can't include more but this assures that all worthy submissions will get a fair shake.

The difference here is that once the rating period has ended, there will be a vote on Icethetics of the top 3 rated logos for each team. This assures that we choose the logo everyone wants.

Start submitting your logos!

Era Of Change For Hockey Uniforms

There's an article in today's Newsday talking about the lack of originality in hockey uniforms over the last several years. The column, written by Mark Herrmann, comes a day before the New York Islanders are scheduled to reveal their new third jersey.

It's an interesting enough read for anyone who's a fan of Icethetics. But the cool thing is Icethetics gets a mention and I'm even quoted in the piece. But give it a read and see what you think.

And try to look past the first paragraph which mentions the Blackhawks winning the THN logo tournament. It was actually the Canadiens, but the point about red taking over the league still stands.

By the way guys, I just wanted to address the lack of posts this weekend. Not only did I have a lot of plans, but I've been hard at work on the new Icethetics web site and all that goes with that. Hopefully all of this work will pay off and you guys will appreciate Icethetics' new home. We'll even have our own domain and everything like so many of you have been asking for!

I plan to make an announcement some time this week so keep checking back.

Winter Classic Jerseys Unveiled!

So did I fool anybody with my last post?

Tonight, the Winter Classic 2009 jerseys for the Chicago Blackhawks and Detroit Red Wings were unveiled. Each team will be wearing a special one-time only throwback sweater for the New Year's Day game. Have a look!

The Detroit Red Wings jersey — as modeled above by Chris Chelios — is a replica of the original Detroit Cougars jersey from 1926. In 1930, the Cougars became the Falcons and two years after that the Red Wings moniker was adopted.

The Chicago Blackhawks sweater — modeled by Jonathan Toews and Patrick Kane — made its original debut in 1935 but with a slightly different version of the Indian head logo. In the 700 meetings prior to the Winter Classic between these two teams, never have these two jerseys taken the ice at the same time — just another reason why this game will be special.

I've got a much better picture of the two jerseys here. You can see Bobby Hull there modeling the Hawks' new sweater.

As more pictures surface, I'll be sure to post them.

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?

Pretty In Pink

I know it's for a good cause, but this amuses me. A handful of hockey teams are donning special pink jerseys in recognition of National Breast Cancer Awareness Month — which is October.

The AHL's Portland Pirates will wear this uniforms tonight when the face the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins.

You can even get one of your own. Detail on their web site.

The QMJHL's Halifax Mooseheads wore these last night as they got blasted 7-1.

Like I said, it's a good cause but it just looks so funny.

If you guys know of any other teams that have worn pink jerseys this month or have plans to, send me pictures and I'll add them to this post.

Winter Classic Jerseys To Be Unveiled

The Winter Classic 2009 jerseys will be unveiled on Saturday night when the Chicago Blackhawks face the Detroit Red Wings at the United Center. The announcement was made this morning on the Hawks' official web site.

The unveiling will take place during the broadcast of the game tomorrow night on WGN-TV and FSN Detroit. I'm sure pictures will be posted online by both teams. If anyone can record the unveiling and post it on YouTube, I'd be happy to put your video here on Icethetics — that's assuming the teams don't beat you to it.

So anyway, remember how I told you yesterday I'd have Winter Classic news I'd get back to you on? Well there it is. I was just waiting for some confirmation before posting and now we've got it.

I'm also still working on that Penguins news. Basically, it sounds like their new third jersey might not look exactly like what they wore at last year's Winter Classic. Close, but not exact. I'll get you more when I have it.