Loose Threads: Red and the Rest
Wednesday · Jun 1 · 2011 | 1:12 PM PDTObviously the big news yesterday was the announcement of the sale and intent to relocate the Atlanta Thrashers. But that's not all that went down yesterday. Here's a quick run-through.
Panthers Bringing Back the Red
Panthers 1993-2007 / from Getty Images
According to Miami Herald beat writer George Richards, the Florida Panthers are revisiting the past with new red sweaters starting in the 2011-12 season.
I highly recommend reading his latest On Frozen Pond blog post. But if you can't be bothered, here's some of what he wrote on the subject.
The Panthers are shifting their marketing focus this summer to coincide with their return to their orginal look.
A restyled red jersey will become Florida's primary jersey this season — the first time the red will be the team's primary home jersey since the early 2000s when it was relegated to alternate thirds and then dropped during the Reebok restyle in 2007. I was told Alan Cohen hated the red look, and for parts of his ownership, the team only wore that color on weekends.
I have seen mockups with the new circle logo — which debuted on the Tampa Bay JetBlue thirds — on them although I have been told it will be the leaping cat on the front. Sans stick.
No word on whether the JetBlues will return as the alternate for a third season. Florida may keep the home blue jerseys it has worn since the 2007-08 season as the alternate. When I find out about the thirds, will let you know.
He says the secondary logo — sun with crossed hockey stick and palm tree — will remain on the new sweater, which will be unveiled at the 2011 NHL Entry Draft on June 24. The new draftees will be the first to sport the new design.
So look for lots more red from the Panthers this summer. Personally, I think this is great. Always like the Panthers better in red than navy.
Moves Around the Minors
The rest of this post can be done with bullet points and, since I'm up against the clock, that's a good thing.
- The Telegram in St. John's is reporting that a deal has been reached to relocate the AHL's now homeless Manitoba Moose to Newfoundland for the start of the 2011-12 season. With the acquisition of the Thrashers, True North was obviously eager to unload the minor league franchise that filled Winnipeg's NHL gap for the last 15 years. No word yet on what the team's new name will be. full story
Chicago Express jerseys unveiled / ExpressThe ECHL's newest expansion team, the Chicago Express is set to begin play in the 2011-12 season. So yesterday, they unveiled the jerseys they'll wear. Unsurprisingly, they're based on the Blackhawks' uniform design in the Express' blue and silver color scheme. They grey third jersey steps outside the box a little bit, but overall an unimpressive set. full story- In other ECHL news, the league approved the membership of the Colorado Eagles, formerly of the Central Hockey League. With the folding of the Victoria Salmon Kings and the addition of the Express and Eagles, the ECHL will begin play with 20 teams this fall. full story
- Joining Victoria and Atlanta in losing hockey teams this summer is Lewiston, Maine. The QMJHL's Lewiston MAINEiacs have folded and the league announced that in 2012, it will expand to Sherbrooke, Quebec — which is actually where the MAINEiacs relocated from in 2003. Ouch. full story
That's all I have for now. Be sure to follow @icethetics on Twitter or keep an eye on the feed in the sidebar for the latest updates. I intend to have more updates on these stories throughout the summer or, at the very least, full coverage in the 2011 Icethetics Season Preview in September.
Reader Comments (23)
Red is such a great look for the Panthers because it really helps the logo stand out more, especially the navy portion.
As a Panthers fan since my first game in 1995, I have to say that I nearly teared up when I saw your Tweet yesterday about the Cats returning to red. I'm so happy and relieved that they are going back to the red jerseys...I can't even describe it. I feel like yesterday, not only did Winnipeg get a team back, but I got my team back, even if only in visual identity. I'm so unbelievably excited to see the new unis.
I actually rather like the Express blues. Probably will be picking one up myself.
Actually, say what you will Chris, but I like Chicago's new jerseys! Often times alot of teams try to go with futurstic looks and it blows up in their faces (yes, I'm talking about YOU New York Islanders), Chicago's uniforms may be simple... but they're classy, and I LIKE THEM!
Why do minor and junior teams always have giant lettering on their jerseys? Is it because they aren't as recognizable if they're just logos?
Got to disagree. I really like the simple and classic lines of the Express jersey. I may also need to pick one up.
Now the problem I have is with a team 25 miles outside the city limits calling themselves the Chicago Express....maybe the Hoffman Estates Express just doesn't have that ring to it.
Corresponding with the panther's jersey change, I have noticed that the Panther's rectangle icon on NHL.com has changed from a blue to a red background. Check a Panthers player profile or the regular season standings to see what I mean. I don't know when this happened, noticed it a few days ago, but if my memory serves me right, it used to be dark blue months ago.
Great job, Chris. Does this mean we'll have a mismatched home (non-Edge-style) and road (RBK piping et. al) ? It will look more consistent, I guess, if they go the lazy man's way and keep the road as-is, but have you heard one way or the other?
True North isn't unloading the Moose. True North (with former Premier Danny Williams) are going to retain ownership of the Moose after relocating the team. True North wants to hold onto ownership of the Moose so they can be Winnipeg's new affiliate.
MP: I highly doubt they would leave the road jersey alone if they change the home jersey. Most teams prefer matching sets — Panthers included. I know he was only talking specifically about a new red sweater, but you have to understand most people don't notice a uniform change unless the logo or primary color is different. So to say they're changing the striping on the white jersey wouldn't matter to most hockey fans. Those of us here on Icethetics have to remember we're pretty weird!
Chip: I'll be honest. I'm not well-versed in what goes on in the minors. Is it that True North is simply leasing the building in St. John's for the team to play in while retaining ownership of the franchise? Guess that would make sense.
oh man thats so awesome i'm such a huge fan of the panthers old red jersey. IF the bring the leaping cat and palm tree logos back with a slight variation to the jersey i will buy it as soon as it comes out. as for Winnipeg will they use winnipeg or manitoba ive heard so many different stories about name rights of the jets so i know they most likely wont be called the jets, but any sure word on the city name or is it still up in the air. Once i find out the city name im gona design a concept lol
Oh, well sure. Now that I read the WHOLE article, I see the context in which Victoria lost their team. My mistake.
Chicago Express Uni's look sharp, although not liking the gray strip on the home whites. That would have looked much better as a light blue used in the logo. Also, nods to them for not making the alternate jersey BFBS.
@Chris True North will make the St. John's team their farm team . So the Wolves roster would be relocated to Newfoundland. I guess the Vancouver prospects will move to Chicago where they will be pelted with cups and such.
I'm pretty stoked about getting an AHL team back in St. John's. I'm currently working on a couple of jerseys and name concepts for the team with a friend of mine and hope to put them in the right hands.
The red looks better, but then 3 of 5 SE teams will be wearing red next season! There is a bit of a red overload in the NHL.
Beezer! Also love those new Chicago Express jerseys. Want!
- ECHL + WHL is kind of a net-win for Victoria.
I wouldn't say Victoria "lost" a hockey team. No one here ever wanted a semi-pro franchise and the hope was always for the WHL to come through. So, it's an easy choice to say we won big this offseason.
Here's a jersey set I thought up last night for the Vancouver Canucks. This idea all stems from me not enjoying the whale logo as much as I used to , and seeing how nice the white stick jerseys for 40 years are.
Home - Current Alternate (Blue jersey with Stick logo)
Away - White version of the Home with the stick logo
Alternate - the Stick logo jersey in the Black, Red and Gold colour scheme
I think it would be cool to tie all Canucks history together, and you can throw the Whale logo on the shoulder (I think I only dislike so much now cause of the "VANOUVER" being above it)
@Jake Shapiro, the winnipeg team could become red too, so there could be 4/5 SE teams in red!
right, so manitoba moose (the canucks ahl farm team) are moving to st.johns & will become winnipeg's ahl farm team, but where is vancouver's new farm team going to be?? anyone know??
It would be nice to see the Panthers have more continuity and have their yellow match the gold more. Glad to hear they are bringing the reds back.
I always preffered the Panthers red jersey, it always looked sharp. Hope they ditch that disaster of a third jersey.