Hurricanes Third With Third

That's really as far as I plan to count. I'm sure it's getting annoying. The Carolina Hurricanes' third jersey made its debut on the ice tonight — as scheduled.

However its coming out party was crashed by the Detroit Red Wings. But I'm not your source for game scores, so here are some pictures instead.

They look good. Wouldn't want them going black full time though. That's Lightning turf.

If my schedule is accurate, we won't see any third jerseys on the ice for two weeks. But keep in mind that this schedule isn't comprehensive. Plenty of teams are keeping their schedule to themselves. I'll of course keep my eyes peeled in the meantime.

IceHL: Pacific Preview

The IceHL project is really starting to get interesting. Last night I accepted the final logo for submission for the Pacific Division. I'm very impressed with some of what I've seen. In all, 42 eligible logo sets were submitted. Today 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.

ALASKA HUSKIES (12 eligible logos)

CALIFORNIA WAVE (9 eligible logos)

PORTLAND PIONEERS (6 eligible logos)

SEATTLE AVIATORS (10 eligible logos)

VANCOUVER LUMBERJACKS (5 eligible logos)

Obviously the Huskies were the most popular team to design a logo for. I'm not sure if that's because of its name or because it was first on the list. The Lumberjacks got the fewest entries. But overall, I feel each team has at least one or more very strong potential logos.

Starting this weekend, there will be a week long rating period — just like the name ratings — followed by a week long poll of the top 3 rated logos. This way we can make sure the logo you guys really want gets used.

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. Questions in the comments area will be ignored.

A Jersey Joke

I would venture to say it's relatively uncommon to find comedy in hockey jersey numbers — I'm not talking Freak Out Friday here. But the Minnesota Wild have come up with an ad campaign that I thought was funny.

It's centered around the return of forward Andrew Brunette. He walks into the locker room and asks equipment manager Tony DaCosta if he can have his old number back. DaCosta tells him James Sheppard has it. He asks for 25. Eric Belanger. Brunette sarcastically asks for 825. An awkward pause ensues. Now, you've gotten this far, you might as well just watch the video.

In case you were wondering, Brunette did get his No. 15 jersey back. Sheppard's got 51.

And I know this isn't news, but I thought it was funny and wanted to share.

Oilers 2nd To Don 3rd

The Edmonton Oilers became the second team of the Rbk EDGE era to wear a third jersey — doing so while defeating the Colorado Avalanche tonight. There aren't a lot of pictures available right now, but here are a couple.

There's no denying they look good in those sweaters.

Almost like they could win a Stanley Cup or something.

AHL Third Jersey Update

I've been meaning to update you guys on the AHL's new crop of third jerseys. But like I've said, the AHL really isn't my thing, so my coverage isn't exactly comprehensive. However, I have news on a handful of teams.

We got our first look at the third jersey for the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins via their official web site a couple months ago. I've since been provided with this graphic — which more clearly shows just how dull it is.

Interesting how this club has abandoned its own colors, adopting its NHL affiliate's. The AHL Penguins are black, gold and red. Why the blue? A rumor out there suggests that when the Pittsburgh Penguins move into their new arena in 2010, they'll abandon the gold completely for a new blue-based look — a throwback perhaps to their original sweater colors when they joined the NHL in 1967. Will the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton franchise join them?

The Worcester Sharks will don a new third jersey this year. (By the way, this is an update to the previous incarnation of this post where in the information I had was wrong.)

The Sharks have a description of the jersey on their official web site.

The Worcester Sharks will sport a special third jersey this season! The third jersey is grey in color with “SHARKS” written diagonally across the front of the jersey. The jersey has laces on the neck line to secure. The Sharks will debut these special third jerseys when they host the Bridgeport Sound Tigers on Saturday, October 25th. Make sure to check back at SharksAHL.com for more information and a preview of the new jersey!

I really don't think this one is even worth dignifying with a mention, but it's my job. The Toronto Marlies are doing exactly what Todd McFarlane said not to!

Sure, maybe it isn't the cutest puppy you've ever seen, but it sure isn't menacing either.

And you guys know how hard it is to find something I don't like. Poor Marlies fans. I just hope they don't wear it too often this season.

The Philadelphia Phantoms are next on my list. I got any email from a fan saying a sweater he recently bought will be the club's third jersey.

He even sent along a picture of the new purple uniform.

See, Los Angeles Kings, it doesn't look so bad. Maybe without the orange. It's always Halloween if you're a Phantoms fan, I guess.

The Milwaukee Admirals will join the ranks of AHL teams with a third jersey for 2008-09 — going with the fashionable powder blue. Not that it matters, but I like this jersey a lot.

It's got the whole pirate — peg leg and all — instead of the skull alone.

Hmm... is he using his amputated foot as a hockey stick? That is one hardcore pirate.

We'll finish up tonight with the Hartford Wolf Pack. Back in March, they held a contest to have fans design the 2008-09 third jersey. Unfortunately, that page of their official web site no longer exists — but Google saves everything.

I got an email from a fan saying the Wolf Pack was supposed to unveil that third jersey yesterday but still have yet to do so. Sadly, I can't help. I didn't even know there was an unveiling planned so I'm not sure why it didn't happen. I'll keep my eyes peeled though.

If there are any other AHL third jerseys out there, send me pictures and I'll be sure to make note of them here on Icethetics.

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.

Canucks Remember Bourdon

The Vancouver Canucks are remembering the late Luc Bourdon this season with a special decal on the back of their helmets. The 21-year-old defenseman was killed in a motorcycle accident in May.

I didn't know about this tribute logo when I wrote about the new specialty logos for the Icethetics Season Preview or I would've included it with that batch.

Thanks to Joshua for sending in the graphic.

IceHL Northeast: Final Names

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

• Boston COLONIALS
  average rating 3.84/5 by 479 people


• Hamilton STEELCATS
  average rating 3.03/5 by 321 people


• Montreal OLYMPIQUES
  average rating 3.47/5 by 371 people


• New York GUARDIANS
  average rating 2.99/5 by 309 people


• Quebec ARMADA
  average rating 3.26/5 by 347 people

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.

Northeast logo submission deadline: November 1

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!

IceHL Northeast: Runoff Poll

I was tallying up the ratings to determine the names for the IceHL's Northeast Division teams when something strange happened. Two names on the Toronto page tied for the top rating. So how do we solve that?

There's a new poll the IceHL section of the pollbar. Choose between the Hamilton Steelcats and Toronto Tritons for the name of that team. It will be open until Wednesday. Shortly, I'll post the other names for this division.

By the way, in the event this poll ends in an exact tie... I don't know. I may just have to flip a coin. Happy voting!

Where's The Puck?!

The newest incarnation of the IHL isn't exactly rolling in the dough — and neither is its member clubs. What makes me say that?

That is an actual picture of the ice rink of the Fort Wayne Komets from their official web site. I count 18 logos on the ice — not including the Komets' own at center ice.

Personally, I'd be concerned with not being able to follow the puck from the stands, let alone on TV — not that IHL games are broadcast on TV or anything.

Anyway, the real kicker in that photo is the complete lack of any ads or anything at all on the boards. Hopefully they're in the process of adding something.

Thanks to David for sending in the picture.