JerseyWatch 2010: Expanded
Friday · Apr 2 · 2010 | 4:01 PM PDTI have a ton of updates to make to NHL JerseyWatch 2010. Basically, the way this works is each time I have an update I'll be copying everything from the previous JerseyWatch post and adding in the new information (highlighted). This way you don't have to search around for past posts. Everything is in one place.
Everything is rumor until it becomes official. That being said, the following information is believed to be as accurate as possible. Teams are listed alphabetically. Highlighted text represents updated information.
Anaheim Ducks
New alternate jersey According to the information I have from Reebok, the Ducks will be adding an alternate jersey this season. Their home and road sweaters will remain unchanged.
By the way, the list I have does not detail any design elements so all we'd have is speculation at this point. And I'm going to try to avoid a lot of blind guessing in this post. You guys should feel free to add your speculation in the comments.
Boston Bruins
Speculation only The Boston Bruins are not among the teams noted by Reebok as changing their uniforms for the 2010-11 season. That includes the third jersey.
However, the Bruins have worn their gold Winter Classic jerseys three times since the big event. This has led to speculation that the Bs could be pushing toward making it a new alternate in the near future.
Buffalo Sabres
New home, road & alternate jerseys The Sabres will be undergoing big changes to celebrate their 40th anniversary season. Their current third jersey — a throwback with some modern updates — will take over as the home jersey, as has long been rumored.
Reebok lists the Sabres' road sweater as TBD, but it will most likely be a white version of the current alternates. I also understand they'll be adding an entirely new third jersey, but I'm told it may be only for the 40th anniversary season.
Sabres 2010 third jersey conceptIt will be royal blue with BUFFALO in a white script across the front, containing the vintage logo with the player's number underneath. The concept here to the right is my own rough rendering of the description I've been given. I've added the traditional striping and colors.
Obviously this jersey design isn't exact. But based on what I've been told, it's probably a good estimation. We'll have to wait until this summer to find out for sure.
Calgary Flames
New alternate jersey As the Flames have already announced, they will be bringing back the red retro jersey that was worn for a handful of games this season. The major difference is that it will be adapted to the Reebok Edge cut. The striping will remain as is. The home and road sweaters will not change.
The rumored black jersey that was previously in the works has likely either been tabled for a few years or scrapped entirely. We may never know. Unless Ken King gets chatty.
Columbus Blue Jackets
New alternate jersey The Blue Jackets have not made an official announcement, but theColumbus Dispatch confirmed earlier this month that a new third jersey is in development and will be used in the 2010-11 campaign. This is corroborated by Reebok.
According to the newspaper, a cannon will be the central feature of the crest on the new uniform. The jersey will be publicly unveiled in November 2010.
Dallas Stars
Road & alternate jerseys swapped Reebok confirms that the Stars will officially switch their road and alternate jerseys next season. Both jerseys are white. Currently, the third is a white version of the home jersey, which features DALLAS arched above the sweater number.
As of the fall, the white DALLAS jersey will become the primary road sweater. The one crested with the Stars' primary logo will become the alternate.
Nashville Predators
New home & road; no alternate jersey The indication from Reebok is that the Predators will turn the alternate jersey they launched this season into their new home sweater. The road sweater is listed as TBD but a safe assumption is that it will be a light version of the new dark jersey.
Because of these major changes, the Preds will not wear an alternate next season.
The new home jersey (third, currently) features the same primary logo the team has used since its inception in 1998 but with a simplified color scheme — now navy, steel blue, silver and black. The gold and orange have been removed.
New York Islanders
New home & road jerseys According to Reebok, the Islanders are changing only their road jersey. However, Isles blogger Chris Botta also said last year that the current retro thirds would become the new home sweater and a white road variant was in the works.
Now a source with the Islanders is confirming to Icethetics that the throwback royal blues will in fact be next year's home sweater and a white version will be adopted on the road. Fans in Bridgeport can already see them in action in the AHL.
No word yet on whether the current navy blue home jersey will be switched to alternate status or if it will go away entirely, leaving the Isles without a third uniform.
New York Rangers
New alternate jersey Reebok verifies the news we've all been dying to hear. The Rangers will wear an alternate jersey next season. But will it be the Lady Liberty logo make her glorious return?
Possible Rangers third?Reebok doesn't specify, however, Rangers blogger Greg Caggiano recently claimed to have the inside track on the new thirds. He says he's been told they'll be nearly identical to the current home jersey with NEW YORK replacing RANGERS across the front.
Caggiano doesn't specify a source so it could just be guessing. I think it would disappoint a lot of Rangers fans and Icethetics readers. The Rangers arguably had the best third jersey of the '90s with that Statue of Liberty logo emblazoned on the front.
Those navy blue sweaters were so popular that in 1998 the Rangers even added a white version for a short time. They were used up until 2007 when Reebok took over the league.
The Rangers previously wore a blue jersey with NEW YORK on the front from 1978 to 1987. The team's home and road sweaters will not change next season.
Ottawa Senators
Speculation only According to Reebok, as of February, the Senators had no plans of making any uniform changes. In addition, multiple retail sources confirm the team will in fact be keeping all three of their current jerseys going into 2010-11.
However, rumors have circulated since August regarding the possibility of a new vintage jersey being added to Ottawa's arsenal. It all started when Jacob Barrette's Heritage sweater concept began showing up in artist renderings of the new O Store at Scotiabank Place.
Another rumor was based on markdown sales, which could be more about meeting quotas than selling off existing stock to launch a new product. We'll have to wait and see what news the summer brings.
Philadelphia Flyers
New road jersey The Flyers will don new road threads for the 2010-11 campaign. While Reebok doesn't say so specifically, it is widely assumed they will wear the retro white jersey that debuted at the 2010 Winter Classic in Boston.
The Flyers have worn the jersey on at least one occasion in front of the home crowd since the outdoor game at Fenway Park. Their home and alternate jerseys will remain unchanged.
Pittsburgh Penguins
New alternate jersey It's been widely rumored and now Reebok is confirming that the Penguins will ditch their powder blue thirds in favor of a new alternate uniform for 2010-11. Once again, the manufacturer hasn't released any details of the design.
However, Tribune-Review beat writer Rob Rossi said in December that blue would be returning in some fashion to the new third jersey. It's probably a safe bet that the Pens will dig into their past once again for this sweater — likely going with one of the darker blue options.
The home and road jerseys will stay the same.
Toronto Maple Leafs
New home & road jerseys This may be a tad misleading. Reebok says the Maple Leafs will redesign their home and road sweaters for next year. Technically, this is accurate, but it won't be a major overhaul. At least not according to Howard Berger.
He claims to have seen all of the 2010 jersey changes and says that the white stripes, once around the base of the team's jerseys before Reebok got involved, will finally be returning. He also says the jerseys will have a new shoulder patch, noting that the previous one was a TML logo which debuted in 2000. He doesn't say what the new one will look like.
Toronto Star columnist Damien Cox has since confirmed with the Leafs that there will be minor changes made that have already been approved by the NHL.
The retro alternate jersey will remain intact. However, this could be the last season for it, according to the National Post. Leafs COO Tom Anselmi says it could be ditched as early as 2011 in favor of a redesigned third jersey, based on another era in Toronto's hockey past. He says the team has been working with Reebok on changes but wouldn't give up any specifics.
Vancouver Canucks
Speculation only Last month, word from Reebok was the Canucks had no plans of changing their uniforms for their 40th anniversary. Now retail sources are reporting plans are in development for a special vintage sweater.
It's been suggested the Canucks would follow in the footsteps of the Flames, wearing a special throwback sweater for a handful of games during the regular season. This jersey would likely be a replica of the one worn in 1970, the team's debut season, with the vintage stick-in-the-rink logo.
Reebok says...
As of February, Reebok listed the following teams as making no changes to any of their uniforms in 2010-11. They are: Atlanta, Boston, Carolina, Chicago, Colorado, Edmonton, Florida, Los Angeles, Minnesota, Ottawa, Phoenix, San Jose, St. Louis, Tampa Bay and Vancouver. In addition, Detroit, Montreal, New Jersey and Washington are the only four teams that do not have third jerseys and do not plan on adding or changing anything.
This information is subject to change over the course of the summer.
That's the latest JerseyWatch 2010 update. This post will continue to be updated throughout the summer as new details emerge. And if you haven't seen it yet, I recommend checking out yesterday's JerseyWatch concept post as it provides a visual representation of some of the changes coming next season.
Reader Comments (27)
PLEASE DON'T PUT USELESS PIPING ON THE NEW LEAFS JERSEYS!!!!
Thanks for the update. I can understand why you didn't want to post it yesterday. The Islanders and Senators news are the most interesting, in my opinion.
Thanks for the update.
Boston: I love all three of their jerseys. I don't think they need a gold jersey, and the style they use for the 'B' doesn't look good to me. I understand I'm in the minority there, but it just looks cartoonish.
NY Islanders: Good news, although I'd rather them go without a third than use their current home as their alternate. It looks like they had some extra color left over and just splashed it on the arms.
Toronto: ALL their jerseys look plain to me. The logo looks plain, the stripes are boring.
Vancouver: Just go back to the Flying V. Please?
I'm so excited about the Islanders! This is what we need to get back into the spirit of the Dynasty years, no only if they'd bring back the orange numbers instead of white we'd be golden.
As a third I think they should bring back the fisherman. It's been just enough time that it can be considered retro, and if your lucky enough to attend a game on the Island you'll see the fisherman is still really popular among fans.
Count me among those who think the Bruins' retro golds look cute as a one-off, but don't merit permanent third jersey status. Just too cartoony, like kevin y said.
I'm not a Leafs fan, but i think if they go for a nod to their 70s/80s home whites (with the solid arm-length blue stipe) it could look pretty sharp in the Reebok cut, but might look too similar to the Blue Jackets' road whites.
And while its hard to still be surprised by the laziness of Canucks' designs, they'd be reaching a new low if they churn out yet another jersey based on the 70s stick-in-rink. As it is, their home and thirds are virtually identical aside from the crest, and this new throwback would surely follow the same template, but with the original white rink logo instead of the "modern" blue found on the third.
I think a white version of the Sens' "heritage" concept could look pretty cool as an alternate. Most teams avoid white thirds, but as far as I'm concerned, season ticket holders never see their team in white, and isnt "a different look" the whole point of thirds? If you have mediocre seats at a lot of home games for teams like the Canucks, Bruins or Kings, or even just watch on standard-definition TV, you can barely see the difference with what they have now.
theshackle You are NUTS!!!!!!
The fisherman is NOT popular at all and was the biggest mistake they ever made.
I think the Canucks should follow in the steps of the Canadiens and wear several vintage sweaters. I would love to see the classic Stick In Rink, as well as The Flying V and the Skate on a Plate of Spaghetti come back for a night.
Let's hope some team's next jerseys say "Winnipeg Jets" on them.
The Canucks continue to disappoint....
-Returning to blue and green, the team colors used the least in the teams history (albeit that the colors still look good)
-Maintaning the whale logo which does nothing for a team identity that is looking towards the past, and looks awkared combined the with 'Vancoucer' arched over it
-Releasing a vintage jersey that is different only in logo and slight stripping widths
-Now they're planning to release another jersey with the stick in rink logo that pays homage to the past, while ignoring the 18 years the Canucks were red, gold, and black and the 19 years the team was navy blue, maroon and silver. (Excluding the past two seasons under the RBK era, the Canucks were blue, green, and white for only 7 years)
I'm just looking for some semblance of recognition to the flying skate era that represented the team's most significant run at the cup in their history.
i really do think that's what the leafs should wear.
Every time I saw the fisherman jersey I had a sudden urge to eat some fishsticks.
LOVE to hear about the Islanders and the Flyers! Also, I really hope the slight changes they make to the Leafs jersey is just going to look like the ones from the 90's, when Gilmour was captain... Those were PERFECT! Also the Canucks should go back to the flying skate, just with a green and blue colour scheme along with a johnny canuck logo on the shoulders. I am pretty sure that would make most Nucks fans happy! I hate the stick and rink!!!! Worst logo in hockey!
Gabriele why would they want to commemorate one of the worst periods of leafs history with those jerseys
sure wearing those in warmup one night a year is okay to remember the few good players
but the 70s and 80s are some of the worst years
Im probably the only one, but I wish the Hawks would ditch the winter classic jersey, and go back to the black 3rd jersey. That was the best 3rd in the league.
B~
Excuse me mr.walrus but your numbers are completely incorrect. 18 years in the red black and gold 19 years navy blue and silver and 7 years previous in the blue and green, that adds up to 44 years when the canucks have only been around since 1969. Get your facts straight. I should also point out that the navy, silver and maroon jerseys were only used for about 10 or 11 years.
Count me among those rare few that like the Fisherman. Did not care for the wavy stripes, but he made for a great 3rd crest (I know he was primary).
Vancouver has the worst identity crisis in the history of sports.
The Oilers need to do exactly what the Islanders are doing.
What is taking the Canucks so long to get rid of the orca? They have three great-looking secondary logos to choose from as their primary: the Stick 'n Rink, Johnny Canuck V, and the Skating Johnny Canuck. The orca has nothing to do with the Canucks' name and brand and it has no green in it. The Vancouver wordmark makes the jerseys look cluttered. I wonder if it has anything to do with any trademark or contract issues. I even wonder if the NHL has a limit on how many teams can change their look in a year.
I also agree with OilCountry. It's time for the Oilers to drop the "practice" uniforms entirely as well as the Flames need to rid themselves of the "Nascar" look.
@strike anywhere:
i'm not talking about commemorating a maple leafs' era, i just think those were the best uniform they ever had :)
It will be a travesty if the Leafs bring back the 70's/80's style uniform as their 3rd jersey. Those 2 decades (especially the 80's) are the most disgraced period in Leafs' History and all thanks to one Harold Ballard. I will not pay omage to him and I will be extremely disappointed if MLSE does. It's an utter shame as well that the Leafs would get rid of their current 3rd, which should really be their road uniform.
Oh Malard, the irony is delicious. You should be the one to get your facts straight. The Canucks started play in 1970, not "about 1969", and wore the navy/silver/maroon Orca jerseys for 9 seasons (1997-2007, but minus one for lockout), not "about 10 or 11". In total, the Canucks have word royal blue for 11 season, some combination of black/gold/red or orange for 19, and the aforementioned navy sets for 9. There's your 39 seasons.
I want a Johnny Canuck logo'd jersey, btw. Can someone make that happen?
The Leafs' current third jersey and a similar Blue one featuring a lace neck, full-block one-color numerals and the mid-60s outlined, veined Leaf are what the team should ALWAYS WEAR. Period. End of discussion. If you want a new third jersey, then the '67 Cup jersey with the correct lettering on the Canadian-flag Leaf and the full-block numerals (not the crap-as* CCM-style) would be OK. The current "Ballard Leaf" and his arm-striped jerseys should be permanently retired.
And the Buffalo lettering shown here is like the old Bisons "Pepsi bottle cap" sweaters. I saw them play many times against the Amerks in Rochester.
Im with G-man on this one, i want my Jets back! Also, i wouldnt mind seeing the old Quebec Nordiques logo on some sweaters in the near future.
Leafs need to go back to the jersey from the 80's. Those were what hockey jerseys are suppose to look like. Wings and Leafs...best jerseys in the game.
I've been an Islanders fan since 1975 and I never want to see that Fisherman jersey again. They don't need a third jersey. They should go back to white at home across the league.
That 80s jersey would look great.
Islanders fan here. I'd rather see us use the striping power from the 80s instead of the inaugurals, but any step away from the water wings is absolutely golden.
Even as an Islander fan, even I like those Lady Liberties.
Also, I know I"m in the minority here, but I'd love to see the Ducks bring back that duck shaped hockey mask logo for their third. Always loved that logo.
@Preissdog. I disagree whole-heartedly with whites at home. The teams identity is in the colored uniforms, whereas every team has a white uniform; it's like a blanked out version. In the minority there too, but there you go.