They beat me to the punch. On their official web site, the Montreal Canadiens are holding a poll, asking you to vote for your favorite of the six newly unveiled Centennial Jerseys.
Click here to go cast your vote.
It'll be interesting to see which one is the most popular. I'm sure I'll have a poll like that on Icethetics at some point. Happy voting!
NEW NHL LOGOS
The Icethetics Season Preview is winding down. All week I've been getting you caught up with what's new in the world of hockey as it pertains to the right side of your brain.
Unlike last season, no NHL clubs are introducing new primary logos this season. However with the re-introduction of third jerseys this fall — and I'll go deeper into this tomorrow — a handful of teams will have new marks for their new duds.
There's no better team to start with for this topic than the Buffalo Sabres. I know a number of tradition-loving fans are thrilled at the prospect of the team's original logo making its' return — even if it is on a part-time basis.
The updated classic logo with a darker blue and silver lining will be worn on the Sabres' third jersey this season. Some are even hoping this logo will eventually be promoted to full-time status. It's not unprecedented for a third jersey logo to eventually become a team's primary. The Blue Jackets and Blues both did it.
Speaking of the St. Louis Blues, they've also unveiled a new logo to go on their new third jersey. The main feature is the use of the Gateway Arch imagery but it's also got the classic circle style — similar to what the Wild did when they introduced their first and only third jersey in 2003.
It's a beautiful design and use of color and stays true to the original Blue Note. You have to hand it to the Blues for really getting this one right.
Technically, the Carolina Hurricanes also have something new on their new third jersey. This dark version of their primary logo can be found on the shoulders. It's nothing spectacular, but it sure is a nice touch. And I assure you it looks much better in context, on the black jersey.
But that's all for new NHL logos — officially. But leaks happen and there's no group in the world that can really keep a secret — except the ones that kill people. So over the course of the summer, a few logos have make their way to those of us interested enough in finding them.
We'll begin with the Los Angeles Kings, who will be unveiling a new third jersey next month. The logo seen here fits the description for what we've heard about this particular sweater. It was discovered on a governmental trademark web site. And while those web sites generally tend to use only black and white images, it's believed this logo as well as the jersey will be black and white — and maybe silver.
So I trust this image and fully expect to see it on the front of the Kings' new third jersey in November.
Another team with leaking logos is the Phoenix Coyotes. Two brand new logos turned up over the summer.
The logo on the left is expected to be on the front of the Coyotes' new third jersey — also expected for release next month. The one on the right, if I were to guess, will probably be on the shoulder of this jersey — if they use it on a uniform at all. It could just be one of those alternate logos that only gets used on a handful of merchandise. The Canucks, Senators and Sharks all have logos like that.
Along with these other leaked logos were a couple of new scripts that turned up for the Coyotes and the Boston Bruins.
This new script logo for the Bruins matches much better with the new logo they unveiled last year.
The New York Islanders and Edmonton Oilers are expected to go retro with their new third jerseys this season.
Technically, these aren't "new" logos but they are new additions for this season.
And that's that. We're expecting to see something new when the Thrashers, Lightning, Stars and Senators unveil their new third jerseys, but rumor has it they'll simply be text logos across the chest.
If you think I missed anything, shoot me an email and I'll be sure to add it. Otherwise, that does it for the this edition of the Icethetics Season Preview. Tomorrow is the last day of the Icethetics Season Preview (or is it?) and it's all about third jerseys. It's all the intelligence we've gathered this summer wrapped up in one big post.
NEW MINOR LEAGUE LOGOS
The Icethetics Season Preview continues. All week, I'm getting you caught up with what's new in the world of hockey as it pertains to the right side of your brain.
Logos come and go — a lot like fashions. I find this especially true for the minor leagues. So it's time to get caught up on the new logos unveiled in 2008 — beginning with the AHL.
Not only did they get a new logo, but the Iowa Stars have a new name this season. They are now the Iowa Chops — much to the dismay of hockey fans everywhere. And they unveiled their new logo on July 9.
It pretty much speaks for itself. On, now, to the ECHL.
As part of their 15th anniversary celebration, the Charlotte Checkers unveiled a new logo midway through last season, on January 11 — delivering a great update to a previously childish look.
Don't mess with that bear.
The South Carolina Stingrays also got a new logo — which was unveiled on June 4 — and I'd bet money the same design firm that did the Checkers had a hand in this one. It even borrows from the same color palette.
Notice how much better these hockey logos look without hockey sticks? These are identities these teams can build on for a long time to come. Speaking of identity, the Stingrays also took the liberty of unveiling the other logos that go with their new branding.
One more ECHL club is getting a new logo. This summer the Texas Wildcatters relocated to California. The Ontario Reign unveiled their new logo on March 17 — before the corpse was even cold.
We'll finish things up with the Canadian Hockey League. The Prince George Cougars of the WHL got a much-needed update to their look with an unveiling on August 20.
The Shawinigan Cataractes of the QMJHL will don a new logo to celebrate their 40th anniversary.
This is one case where I prefer the original. Consult the team's web site for more information.
Almost forgot one. The St. John's Fog Devils of the QMJHL are no more. The club is now simply the Montreal Juniors — or Club de hockey junior de Montréal.
A simple name with an even simpler logo. Thanks to Matt for catching that one for me.
If you think I missed anything, shoot me an email and I'll be sure to add it. Otherwise, that does it for the this edition of the Icethetics Season Preview. Tomorrow, we're looking at new logos around the NHL. Don't miss it!
As of yesterday, we now know all of the third jersey launch dates. But it's still nice to get confirmations from the individual teams — and to know that they're as excited about all of this as we are.
Having said that, the New York Islanders' official web site now features a countdown at the top of the page. What's it counting down to? You guessed it.
That countdown appears to confirm November 1 as the big day. The bigger geeks among you will be able to pinpoint down the second, the time at which I made that screenshot above.
Anyway, I'm told the Isles are marketing the game as "Throwback Night" and they'll be facing the Montreal Canadiens. Shocker.
Thanks to Lucas for the tip!
Hey by the way, if you're still on the Islanders' web site, there's a cool feature you should check out about the guy who's in charge of getting the ice done at the Nassau Coliseum.
NEW CENTER ICE DESIGNS
The Icethetics Season Preview continues. All week, I'm doing my best to get you caught up with what's new in the world of hockey as it pertains to the right side of your brain.
Every year, every NHL team repaints its ice rink. In fact, this happens several times a year. But usually, they paint the same logo down on center ice each time. For the 2008-09 season, a half-dozen clubs are giving their manmade ponds a makeover.
In this post I'll be using concept images to show you what the center ice logos will look like. They are not entirely accurate representations of what's painted on the ice, however the logo dimensions are correct. The arena names have been left off along with the center line design which can vary from team to team.
A couple of teams are just enlarging their primary logo under the main faceoff circle.
The Dallas Stars increased the size of their logo and also added small stars to dot their red line. The Toronto Maple Leafs actually removed one. Previously, the Leafs center ice featured two logos, one facing the television cameras and the other facing opposite.
Two other teams are using their center ice circle to celebrate their anniversaries.
The Montreal Canadiens' 100th anniversary logo replaces the classic CH logo this season while the Edmonton Oilers are going with a simplified version of their 30th anniversary mark, which includes the vintage logo.
Finally, two other teams are going with their third jersey logos at center ice.
The Buffalo Sabres will use their updated vintage logo while the Carolina Hurricanes are going with the storm flag and small square storm flags along their red line.
There are unsubstantiated rumors circulating that these designs are temporary for the Hurricanes and Sabres, meant only as a marketing tool for the preseason in creating awareness of the teams' new third jerseys. I'll keep an eye out when the regular season starts to see if the primary logos find their way back to the ice for these two teams.
I'm only covering the NHL with this part of the preview, but if you think I missed anything, shoot me an email and I'll be sure to add it. Otherwise, that does it for the second day of the Icethetics Season Preview. Tomorrow, we're looking at minor league teams introducing new logos this fall.
canadiens, hurricanes, logos, maple leafs, news, oilers, preview, sabres, stars I have new — reliable — information tonight regarding the various third jersey unveilings throughout the NHL.
As I mentioned in tonight's Live Chat, the Toronto Maple Leafs will be unveiling their new third jersey for the 2008-09 season on Monday, October 6.
It's expected they'll be wearing the same third jersey they did prior to last season — only it'll be Rbk EDGEd.
We already know the Oilers will follow with their unveiling a day later. Tonight's news is that the Atlanta Thrashers will follow Edmonton on Wednesday.
The rumor going around is that the Thrashers will don maroon with their name arched across the front of the sweater above the player's number — a lot like the Stars.
We'll know for sure next week though. And if you're interested in some other dates, I've made some updates to the Countdowns in the sidebar!
The dates seen there are not official from the teams but they are official from the NHL and Reebok. There are a bunch more — in fact, all of them — in the sidebar. Enjoy!
maple leafs, news, thirds, thrashers NEW SPECIALTY LOGOS
The Icethetics Season Preview begins today. All week, I'll do my best to get you caught up with what's new in the world of hockey as it pertains to the right side of your brain.
I consider specialty logos to be those that get sort of a one-time use — commemorative, tribute logos; anniversary logos and the like. And obviously there's no better place to start for the 2008-09 season than the Montreal Canadiens.
The Habs are launching a 100th birthday celebration that will span two seasons. For the event, they've created two logos.
The logo on the left can be seen on the right shoulder of Canadiens' home and road jerseys this season as well as doing double duty on the ice in the Bell Centre (more on that tomorrow). The one on the right will be featured on the the right shoulder of jerseys worn on Centennial Jersey Night — which brings us to our next logos.
On the eight Centennial Jersey Nights throughout the season, the team will don four different retro style sweaters, twice each. These jerseys will also feature the logo from that era.
The logo on the left is from the 1912-13 season. On the right is the 1915-16 logo. The Canadiens will also have throwbacks from 1945 and 1970, seen below.
The 1970 logo, right, is no different from the team's current logo — which is a cleaner version of the 1945 design, left.
The Habs aren't the only NHL club with a special anniversary this season. The Edmonton Oilers are celebrating 30 years — despite having been in existence for 37.
The Oilers were one of four teams that joined the NHL when the WHA folded in 1979.
Interestingly, all four were formed in 1972 but only the Oilers remain in their original city. The New England Whalers have become the Hurricanes (who celebrated 10 years last season), the Quebec Nordiques are now the Avalanche and the Winnipeg Jets are now the Coyotes. None of those three franchises are doing anything to mark their 30th year in the NHL.
Having said that, no other NHL teams are introducing anniversary logos this season. But for the record, this year is the 10th anniversary of the Atlanta Thrashers.
That brings us to the AHL. The Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins have introduced a simple logo for their 10th anniversary. It features their skating penguin over a gold X with the years 1999 and 2009.
Oddly enough, this franchise has existed since 1981 when it joined the AHL as the Fredericton Express. In 1988, they became the Halifax Citadels and then the Cornwall Aces in 1993. But operations were shut down in 1996. The Pittsburgh Penguins resurrected the organization and moved it to Wilkes-Barre in 1999 — which is the year they count as their first.
The Norfolk Admirals are celebrating 20 years. This is interesting because for the first 11 years of its existence, the team played as the Hampton Roads Admirals of the ECHL. They were admitted into the AHL as an expansion franchise in 2000.
The anniversary mark incorporates a major element of the Hampton Roads logo — the large yellow ship anchor — yet stays true to the Norfolk logo and the addition of blue to their color scheme after becoming an affiliate of the Tampa Bay Lightning.
Speaking of the ECHL, a couple of teams are turning 15 — last year, technically. The Charlotte Checkers and South Carolina Stingrays joined the ECHL in 1993 and so started their 15th anniversary celebrations last year.
On the left is the Checkers' logo — introduced last year — and the Stingrays logo on the right, which is new for this year (I believe). Both logos come with a completely new branding for the teams. We'll get a look at their new logos on Wednesday.
Back on the NHL side, the Columbus Blue Jackets are honoring their late founder and owner John H. McConnell who died in April.
It's a sharp logo bearing his initials, a silver star and red stripes. The logo will be used as a patch on the team's jerseys this season.
There's more information on the Blue Jackets' official web site.
We can't forget about those all-star game logos. Along with their centennial celebrations, the Montreal Canadiens will host the 2009 NHL All-Star Game. English and French versions of the logo have been released.
It's a cool design that tries to play off one of the 100th anniversary logo (see above). It also features the Habs' famous CH logo in full — a rarity among all-star logos since 1993, which typically feature only small elements of the host team's crest.
We can't leave out the minor leagues. The AHL's All-Star Classic will be hosted this year by the Worcester Sharks and the Reading Royals will host the ECHL's All-Star Game for the second time in four years.
And that about does it except for one thing — a special logo for a special event.
The Winter Classic will be held at Wrigley Field this season and feature the Chicago Blackhawks and Detroit Red Wings. The logo, left, works in the famous sign at the old ballpark.
For the game, the teams will don classic vintage sweaters — the Hawks in black and the Wings in white. I'll share pictures as soon as they surface.
Almost forgot a couple. Just like last year, the NHL is premiering its season in Europe.
On the left is NHL Premiere Prague featuring the Tampa Bay Lightning and New York Rangers. On the right is the Bridgestone-sponsored NHL Premiere Stockholm featuring the Pittsburgh Penguins and Ottawa Senators.
Now, I'm only human, so if you think I missed anything, shoot me an email and I'll be sure to add it. Otherwise, that wraps things up for the first day of the Icethetics Season Preview. See you back here for more tomorrow.
The Icethetics Season Preview kicks off this week — later today, technically. All week long I'll be catching you up on what you need to know with regard to new hockey logos and jerseys for the 2008-09 season. Who's excited? The first part will be the big one, covering all the new specialty logos for the year — and there are a lot of them!
To get the week started, I'll be hosting a Live Chat right here on Icethetics on Monday night at 11 PM EDT — for the math challenged, that's 8 PM on the west coast and 4 AM in the U.K. It'll last about an hour and as always we can talk about anything you guys want. I'll take questions and comments and get you prepared for the rest of the week.
info And no I'm not referring to concept art here. I mean actual jerseys that you can touch and, well, wear!
If you're bored, a Brit with a proclivity for thriftiness and a blog on NHL Connect at NHL.com has devised a technique for creating homemade hockey sweaters. He outlines it here.
So if you're unhappy with your team's present jersey offerings, stop griping and make your own. Seriously, your imagination is the only limit.
I realize this post is about five months old so my apologies for coming late to the party. But I thought many of you might appreciate it. Kudos to Ninh on coming up with the idea!
