Isles Prep For New Jersey

Hmm, that would've been a better pun if the New York Islanders had a game against the Devils in the next week or so. Instead, it's not even a pun. I'm obviously talking about their new alternate uniform.

First thing I have to address is the countdown in the sidebar. Surprisingly, I've gotten more than a few emails asking why Icethetics has a countdown of 4 days while the Isles' official web site has a countdown of 9 days to the new third jersey. The answer is simple. I'm counting down to the day the jersey will be unveiled to fans. The team's site is counting down to the day the sweater makes its game debut — five days later. Hope that clears some things up.

Speaking of which, Newsday's Greg Logan is reminding us that the Islanders will in fact unveil their new sweaters on Monday and he got a look a new royal blue helmet.

The Islanders are going to unveil their third jersey on Monday. First to see it will be the members of the Islanders Business Club who attend the meeting scheduled that evening before the Isles meet the Rangers for the first time this season at the Coliseum. Then, the jersey will be displayed for fans during the course of that game.

The first time the Islanders actually wear their new uniforms will be on Saturday, Nov. 1 against Montreal. They will wear them at all subsequent Saturday home games. Including the Canadiens game, there are 13 such dates.

I happened to see the helmet yesterday, and it’s a switch back to the traditional royal blue of the classic Islanders jersey. In the past, I heard the third jersey would be the same as the ones the team wore two seasons ago that had orange numbers. But that might not be the case. The Isles might go all the way back to their roots to wear the original blue jersey with white numerals. That was the “road” jersey way back when. But we’ll have to wait a couple days to find out for sure.

If you recall, last week I pointed out that the team's web site was saying the thirds will be entirely new which seems to indicate they won't be rehashing the past. However, everything I've read and seen seems to indicate Logan is on the money here.

I'm betting on a classic vintage look with the same logo and everything. But like he says, we'll find out for sure in a few days.

By the way, I've got some possible Winter Classic and Penguins third jersey scoop. I'll do some more research and get back to you.

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.

Bolts Goalies Get Sawed

Is anyone else disturbed by Oren Koules' not-so-subtle attempts at cross-promoting his horrible movie with my team?

Last night's Lightning-Thrashers game was littered with an assortment of Saw V promotions, not the least of which included some special — and I do hope temporary — goalie masks for Olaf Kolzig and Mike Smith.

Smith played and wore this mask.

But apparently one has been designed for Kolzig as well — my thanks to Puck Daddy for finding a picture.

I'm just a bit disappointed. I'm not a fan of the movies so I guess I'm biased. But I do have to admit he's not an idiot. Koules and his marketing team sure know how to take advantage of what they've got.

But seriously, what's next? Charlie Sheen wearing a Lightning jersey?

One more thing and totally unrelated. I can say this because my team is sucking just as bad. What's up with the Flyers? You put six tallies on the board and you still can't win a game. You're the only team left. Get it together.

Kings Set Third Unveiling, Sked

Tonight the Los Angeles Kings officially announced their intentions to unveil their new third jersey via their official web site. They also released a schedule indicating when this new sweater would be worn.

They will unveil the alternate sweaters on November 22 when they take the ice against the Colorado Avalanche.

The Kings will wear their regular Crown/black home jerseys for pre-game warm-ups and change into the new sweaters before hitting the ice prior to the drop of the puck.

“I know our fans are anxiously awaiting this jersey and we are excited to unveil it,” said Kings President, Business Operations Luc Robitaille. “Everyone will want to get to that game early.”

The jersey is described as featuring "a modern look while echoing the history of the franchise." It will be worn for 12 home contests.

This image, showing the complete collection of past Kings sweaters, was included with the announcement.

I'll have pictures of the new sweater when they become available.

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.

IceHL: Southeast Voting

You can now begin rating the names for the franchises in the Southeast Division of the IceHL. Links can be found in the pollbar. Happy voting!

IceHL: Central Preview

Over the weekend, logo submissions for the Central Division ended. Again, we've got another impressive set overall. However, this batch is much smaller. This time, only 23 eligible logo sets were submitted in total. 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.

CHICAGO HITMEN (5 eligible logos)

DETROIT MOTORHEADS (5 eligible logos)

MILWAUKEE LAGERS (4 eligible logos)

MINNESOTA MAMMOTHS (4 eligible logos)

ST. LOUIS ARCHERS (5 eligible logos)

The Motorheads and Hitmen certainly have a running theme. I was a little disappointed by the drop off in submissions for this division. I hope we can get the numbers back up for the next one.

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.

Icethetics Wants You!

I've been making mention of this here and there, but I've got some big plans in the works for Icethetics. But first, I need to get some input from you. Do me a favor and vote in the poll to the right to start with.

Now, here's the thing. I've put together a 10-question survey asking for your thoughts about Icethetics and its future direction. One of the things I ask about in the survey is the possibility of introducing a paid membership that, for a small fee, would offer users access to exclusive content and news coverage. I want to know what you guys think about this idea and others.

SURVEY NOW CLOSED. THANKS FOR PARTICIPATING!

Big things are on the horizon. A new web site is coming that will make Icethetics more than just a blog. A ton of new features will be introduced without losing the ones you've come to know and love. All in time. But for now, let me know what you think by taking the survey. Thanks guys!

UPDATE (10/20 6:04 PM): Just wanted to clarify some things. I do not actually plan to require payment for anything related to Icethetics ever. I simply wanted to gauge interest. In other words, how much do people like this site? Enough that they'd pay for it? Not to worry though, that won't happen so you don't have to get preemptively angry with me.

At best, I'll offer a donation option simply to cover the costs of the new site. The ads on Icethetics have finally started to warrant putting some money back into it and I believe it will be for the better.

The good news is that part of the new site will be a FREE membership option. However, I currently have no plans to introduce a message board or anything like that, as some have asked. Discussions will remain a part of the comments area of blog posts.

Anyway, I'm still putting ideas together but I should be ready to make an announcement about the new site in a few weeks.

AHL Third Jersey Update, Part 4

Part 1 · Part 2 · Part 3

More AHL third jersey news to share tonight, beginning with the Bridgeport Sound Tigers. They've apparently got new white third jerseys with the orange tiger on the front.

And I have a picture.

For reference, Bridgeport's regular home jersey is orange while their road sweater is blue.

The other team I'm reporting on is the Chicago Wolves. But they're kind of an enigma. From the photos I found, it looks like they've been using this white third jersey since last season.

If any Wolves fans are reading, maybe you can fill us in. Were the Wolves actually the first to sport a third jersey in the Rbk EDGE era?

And what's all this with white third jerseys? The regular white jersey for Chicago has the primary logo on the front instead of the text.

As always, if you've got a tip on AHL third jerseys, email me and I'll be happy to post it.