Jerseys Gallery Launched!
Icethetics just keeps on giving this Christmas. As promised, today marks the launch of a brand new feature. It's located in a tab at the top of the page simply called Jerseys.
Right now it consists of only one jersey gallery. In time, there will be galleries for every NHL uniform — not just the alternates. But I figured I'd begin with the league's newest sweater — the Florida Panthers' third.
Screen shot of the first Icethetics Jersey Gallery
Better Than 2D Displays
There are a couple of great sites out there that serve as a "database" of NHL jerseys. The best is NHL Uniforms.com but SportsLogos.net is also building a decent catalog. I'm not about to take on those guys. My intention is to go in a different direction.
They've got the two-dimensional aspect down. It's great for a top-to-bottom look at the overall design of a sweater. But how often do we really see hockey jerseys laid out flat that way? Most of the time we see jerseys on actual players in game action. That's how we remember them.
So I say it's time for a gallery that celebrates the jersey in its most awe-inspiring state — on the ice! Each jersey gallery will feature photos of all players (or as many as is practicably possible) who have worn it. That's the goal. It will likely be a work in progress for a long time to come.
The Presentation
I think you'll be pleased by the presentation of the photos. Clicking on one of the galleries takes you to a page full of thumbnails. From there, click one to see it enlarged. Then cycle through the rest using the navigation arrows on the left and right side of the window.
As for the photos themselves, they've been cropped to the same dimensions to avoid jarring transitions. Most important is the environment of the jersey. While it is the basis of these galleries, it can also be distracting. I've desaturated everything in the frame but for the player who is the focus of the shot. I believe this best helps the jersey and the player wearing it stand out in the image.
The caption includes the player's number and name and photos are arranged in numerical order. As time goes by and players come and go, numbers will be duplicated. I have no plans to list the year(s) a player played for the given team as that is available on sites such as NHL.com or HockeyDB.com.
New Updates One at a Time
I'll be adding new galleries one-by-one as I'm able to create all the graphics for it. Within a few weeks, I hope to have all current third jerseys. Within several months, all current home and road jerseys as well. As I post new galleries, I will make mention of it via Twitter — which can be seen in the sidebar.
Beyond that, we'll start diving into the past. I doubt we'll really get past the mid-90s as good pictures will be hard to come by, but that gets us into the days of the original third jerseys as the very least.
So there you have it. I hope you guys do enjoy the new Jersey Gallery feature. (And I apologize for all this text, I just figured I should explain myself.)
Chris
I'm feeling generous. I just added the Colorado Avalanche's third jersey to the brand new Jersey Gallery feature.
Chris
Just added the Nashville Predators' third to the Gallery.
Chris
Ratings
When viewing the new Jersey Galleries, you can now rate each jersey on a scale of 1 to 5 stars. This will give us a look at what Icethetics readers as a group think of them. Enjoy!
Chris
Added a fourth alternate jersey Gallery for the Chicago Blackhawks. Thought I'd take a break from all the dark blue sweaters. By the way, don't get too used to the high frequency of new galleries being posted. I've been working on this for a little while so I've had several ready to go.
Reader Comments (8)
I love it! This feature is unlike anything else out there, great idea.
Great job Chris, this site continues to come along smoothly.
Merry Christmas.
Love it. This is awesome. The non - player in black and white is the best touch ever.
You are the best! Merry Christmas to you! As an Oiler fan I would love to see that jersey gallery soon! Either way thanks a ton! You single handidly have a better website than facebook!
Little disappointed chris, i kinda was expecting more for the jerseys thing. i mean its a cool look at them, but they are still just photo's anyone can see. ive been visiting this site since day 1, and its not what it use to be.
Hey Mike, got any ideas to improve it? I'm always open. Criticism is useless unless it's constructive. Otherwise it's just whining.
By the way, when you say "it's not what it used to be," would you mind clarifying? When NHLToL launched, it was a way to track Reebok Edge jersey news. I still track jersey news to this day. If you mean the lack of logo tournaments, try to understand that takes a lot of time to organize and execute on my end. But we will get back to that in time.
Adding the rating system to the jersey galleries was a very good idea. Rather than being just a bunch of jerseys that people can stare at, you added some interactivity and let people see how the jerseys stack up with each other. Nice touch.
hey chris,
I understand, as you do have a regular life. But how bout putting up some banners at the top of the page that you use to have from all the past tourny winners. Have them going across the top of the page, kinda like an nhl arena. Maybe the jersey thing, i would just have like 3-d virtual view and show the jersey layout, kind of like you would see it on nhlshop.com. This way its easier for the viewers to click on them. Cause we are all about logos and jerseys. you should try and compete with those other sites, and show all current logos, all current jerseys. not past, but current. get rid of third central thats dead, icethetics is still alive, but needs an overhaul. like my buffalo bills.
Later,
not trying to put u down, just giving ideas.
The banners thing would be a good start
Chris- How often can we vote on jerseys? I think it would also be cool if we could comment on each of the jerseys posted.