Icethetics on TV!

Vancouverites, I need your help!

I understand Icethetics was mentioned briefly during Sportsnet Connected Pacific with regard to the Vancouver Canucks' third jersey leak I posted the other day. I'd love it if someone could post that clip or at least send it to me. So scour those TiVo's or set them to record if the show gets aired again overnight. If you've got it, I'll be forever indebted to you!

Thanks to Shane and Trevor for letting me know about Icethetics' special TV appearance.

AHL Third Jersey Update, Part 3

Part 1 • Part 2

In my continuing effort to expand Icethetics beyond the NHL, I have a few more tidbits on third jerseys in the American Hockey League — with a nod to my buddy Mike for helping out with the research. We'll start in Binghamton.

This is kind of a funny story actually. I first reported on the B-Sens last month when an interest not-so-new logo cropped up. Did some investigating and determined it was a one-time deal a couple years ago.

Now that story's changing. Could that logo be on the new third jersey for the Binghamton Senators?

Mike, who shot this picture, tells me he's "seen it in photos on a black third jersey. But [it] looks like they have made the switch from the 'big chin' logo to that third logo on their away jerseys. I'm not sure about there home ones."

So this is a case where I'm not sure whether we're looking at a third jersey or a new logo on a regular dark jersey. Sorry to leave this one so open ended.

The Rockford IceHogs are taking the lead from their NHL affiliate, the Chicago Blackhawks, for their new third jersey. And by taking the lead, I mean copying almost exactly.

Here it is, in all its pork chop glory.

Shoulder patches are different though. Guess the Indian head just wouldn't go with the whole look. Pig gnawing on a hockey stick, etc.

Finally, the Lake Erie Monsters will allegedly have a black alternate sweater this season. No pictures at this point, though. But Mike's on the case.

He writes, "I was on the message boards for the Lake Erie Monsters. I came across a thread about their thirds for the upcoming year. Two people on there said that a photo was passed around and described it a little. It’s not too informative but I was looking around and then I remembered the Avs' Rbk [EDGE] jersey. It seems to fit the bill. So I made this concept based on the Avs' jersey. I think it looks sweet in black."

So there you have it. And as always, should any more news come my way, I will continue to use Icethetics as a proper dispersal device.

By the way, my apologies on the lack of updates the last two days. I've just been absolutely slammed with other work. But not to worry, I have big plans for Icethetics and a big change is coming. I know Icethetics has only existed for four months (technically), but it's about to get so much better. Even I'm excited about it! I can't wait to tell you all about it.

NHL.com Shop Promoting Thirds

I'm not sure how newsworthy this is, but the NHL.com Shop is now advertising third jerseys. The unveiled sweaters have been available for pre-order for a little while already but now they're actually being advertised.

Smart, putting the two best ones in the ad.

Blackhawks Third Jersey Leaks Too!

Seems like the leaks are flowing like water this year — unlike last when the Rbk EDGE first rolled out. First it was the Lightning and Flyers last week. Then the Canucks just last night.

Now, we have our first look at the Chicago Blackhawks' third jersey.

This alternate sweater had the least amount of suspense and buzz about it considering there was no change from what the Hawks wore prior to the EDGE era. The black jersey was simply adapted to the EDGE style.

Right down to the shoulder patch.

These images were provided on a message board called The 300 Level by a user named gusev. There are more images available there if you're interested.

Again, this is not an official unveiling. These are leaked images of the jersey. It's my understanding the sweater will make its on-ice debut on November 3 when the Blackhawks face the Avalanche in Chicago. I wouldn't expect any sort of unveiling ceremony or event. It'll probably just show up that night in the game.

Revamping Icethetics

It should be fairly obvious to you by now, but obviously I'm making some updates to the layout of the blog. As I've mentioned, I get tired of looking at the same thing day after day so every once in a while I feel like making changes.

One major difference is that I've moved the pollbar to the center of the page. I felt like the main content was getting trapped by the two columns on each side. It's different and it might take some getting used to, but I think it's for the better.

There's also a new banner and site logo at the top of the page. That large empty blue area will eventually be filled in with new content as Icethetics expands. Yes, I've got big plans. I'll go into detail on that at a later time.

Anyway, I'll use this post to take questions and comments about the new design. So what do you think? Rate it below.

UPDATE (10:15 PM): Just finally had a chance to read through some of the comments. I was surprised at all the negativity toward this new look. I thought it was overall cleaner and simpler. I'll take a moment here to reply to some of the general feelings.

First, the clutter. Pretty much all of the content of Icethetics can be accessed from the main page. Personally, I like that. It means you don't have to go clicking around everywhere and waiting for pages to load to find information quickly. Yeah, it can be an eyesore so I've tried to make it as easy to deal with as possible.

To alleviate some of this clutter, something I'm working on is to actually expand Icethetics into a web site rather than just a blog like it is now. But that's the thing about the design of Icethetics. It's a blog — not a web site. However, I realize my content would lend itself well to a web site but then it comes down to how much work there is for me to do.

With the blog, all I have to do is create a new post and write in the content. Done and posted in minutes. Plus Blogger has a built in RSS feed that you can subscribe to so you know when I've made an update. Automation is the only reason I can do something like this. I maybe have an hour or two a day to dedicate to Icethetics. But I have a life outside of it.

If Icethetics were my day job — if I got paid to do it — I'd go all out. You wouldn't be able to find a better hockey web site. Right now, I only use a handful of HTML pages — the logo brackets and the IceHL ratings pages. Everything else goes through Blogger. So I'm limited by that. In the future, I hope to figure out a way to create a web site that will better handle everything Icethetics has to offer — with the blog being a primary element of it.

As far as the new aesthetic of Icethetics, you can't please everyone. All I can hope to do is create a design that I don't mind staring at everyday. For those of you who don't like it, you'll get used to it. Most people didn't like the last design either. What can I do? I'll just keep changing it every few months anyway.

Anyway, thanks for reading!

Canucks Third Jersey LEAKED!

Yes, it's true! I have it for you right here on Icethetics. The Vancouver Canucks' third jersey for the 2008-09 season has leaked!

Have a look for yourself. It's got the updated stick-in-the-rink logo as well as the new Johnny Canuck "V" logo on the shoulders.

I'm thrilled about that Johnny Canuck logo making its way onto a jersey. I think it's such a great design. Also interesting to note about this jersey is the complete lack of the orca logo. It's similar in overall design to their current home and road sweaters expect for the the striping pattern. The colors are the same.

It's important to note that this is not an official image. The Canucks have yet to make any sort of announcement regarding their third jersey. This is merely what's believed to be a leaked photo of it.

Isles To Get "Entirely New" Jersey?

The New York Islanders will unveil their third jersey on October 27, according to the team's official web site.

As part of the announcement, the Isles have indicated that "they will have an entirely new look" when they first take the ice with it against the Canadiens on November 1. This is not what we've been hearing. All the rumors have pointed to a throwback blue sweater — which obviously wouldn't be entirely new.

Interestingly, the countdown clock is back on their site. I wrote about it when it first appeared two weeks ago. It was quickly replaced with a countdown to the Isles' home opener. Here's a look at their site today.

You can also read the statement on the new third jersey.

You might have noticed that in the top right-hand corner of newyorkislanders.com, there is a clock counting down to 7 p.m. on Saturday, November 1. On that night, when the Islanders take the ice against the Montreal Canadiens, they will have an entirely new look—donning a brand new “Third Jersey.” But the Isles will be wearing more than just a new jersey. For the first time since 1996, the Islanders will skate in a game wearing a completely new uniform—including a new jersey, pants, helmet, gloves, and socks.

The new uniform—which will be officially unveiled on October 27—will serve as an alternative to the ones the Islanders wear at home, and will be worn 15 times during the 2008-09 season.

“Looking back at the Islanders uniform history, I noticed that there had been no change in the total Islander player uniform since 1996 and seized the opportunity to bring our fans a great new look,” said Terry Goldstein, the Islanders Director of Retail Operations. “During the past 15 months, I have worked very closely with our Head Equipment Manager Scott Boggs to engineer the change in the player equipment to coordinate with the new uniform."

In addition, the Islanders will introduce a special edition of the game puck which will only be used when the players wear the new uniform.

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.

So we'll keep an eye out for this "completely new uniform" on October 27. The sidebar countdown has been updated to reflect this new information.

Canucks Allude To Special Date

Do the Vancouver Canucks have something up their sleeve for later this month? Several fans who watched the pay-per-view game against the Capitals last night saw an interesting promo air.

It's been described as alluding to jerseys of the past then reveals a date — perhaps, the unveiling date of the new third jersey? However, accounts vary based on the emails I received. Some say the date was October 24. Some say October 25. The Canucks play the Oilers on the 25th — no game on the 24th.

It's believed that the third jersey will make its on-ice debut on November 15 against the Maple Leafs — who will also probably wear their third jersey.

So what does all of this mean? Here are some of the emails I received.

It was an all black screen with just white text changing.... it said stuff like "It survived the flying V" and "It survived the plate of spaghetti" and "it survived the downwards skate".... and then the screen simply read "Oct. 24, 2008".

They're using the new thirds for the first time on Nov.15, but I'm thinking this might be a revealing ceremony.... which the Canucks are pretty big on (they had a huge one last year). The Canucks don't play on the 24th and are at home on the 25th, which would make the 24th a perfect time for one of those ceremonies again.... just a thought.

During yesterdays PPV game in Vancouver there was one single ad that said something along the lines of..

(Paraphrasing)
It's coming...
October 25th...
A sign of surrender became a sporting tradition...
a team mocked for the flying V and the downhill skate...
history is back...
October 25th

During the canucks pay per view game today against the capitals, during a commercial a date was mentioned....October 25th. The commercial listed previous historical moments in canucks history and made references to canucks jerseys....saying that they had all survived different eras and whatnot. I am thinking that maybe this is in reference to a third jersey unveiling or a new logo ( johnny canuck!)...

Thanks to Dawson, Daryl and Dennis for sending this in. If I hear anything more on the subject, you know where to find it. But until there's more information, I'm not changing the sidebar.

Pens To Debut 3rd Against Classic Foe

According to the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review, the Pittsburgh Penguins will debut their new third jersey on Saturday, November 15. The date Icethetics has for the unveiling of this sweater is Thursday, November 6.

It's expected the Pens will go with a design similar to, if not the same as, what they wore at the Winter Classic against the Buffalo Sabres — their opponent for the November 15 game.

The article doesn't cite a source but does say the team is finalizing plans for some sort of unveiling event. You can read an excerpt below or click here to read the full text.

The Penguins will debut their alternate uniforms Nov. 15 at home against the Buffalo Sabres, the Tribune-Review has learned.

The uniforms will mirror the retro-themed ones worn against Buffalo at the New Year's Day NHL Winter Classic. The alternate design borrows from several early uniform incarnations and consists of a predominantly baby blue sweater and socks, with navy pants, gloves and helmet.

The Penguins had no comment Monday regarding the alternate uniforms debut date. However, they are finalizing plans for a formal re-introduction, which could include players modeling the alternate uniforms sometime prior to the Nov. 15 contest.

The alternate uniform is slated to be worn at select home games throughout the season.

By the way, the image associated with that article is the jersey from the Winter Classic — NOT the third jersey.

Thanks to Ken for the tip.

By the way, I mentioned a rumor the other day that has the Pens dropping the gold for the two-tone blue color scheme in two years when they move into their new arena.

It wouldn't surprise me considering those were their original colors when they joined the league more than 40 years ago and throwbacks seem to be all the rage. This new jersey may be a step in that direction. But don't shoot the messenger. We'll see what happens.

AHL Third Jersey Update, Part 2

This weekend, I wrote up a bit about new third jerseys around the AHL — something I didn't get to as part of the Icethetics Season Preview. I've got more, thanks to some awesome readers.

The Hershey Bears are going the simplicity route with minimalist text across the front of their third jersey. You'll have to forgive the picture quality. Cell phone cameras... what can I say?

Psst... how about that California Seals towel in the corner of the picture?

Anyway, next to it is the Portland Pirates' new third jersey — different from their regular red jersey in that it has much less black and new silver piping. Looks a little plain, but it's got that slug on both shoulders.

If any other new third jerseys turn up, let me know and I'll post them here.