Wild, Avs 3rd Jersey Info

The Minnesota Wild have announced the dates for the official unveiling of of their new third jersey as well as its on-ice debut, according to their web site.

The Wild will offer fans a first look at the new green sweater on Sunday, August 30 at the Minnesota State Fair. It will then debut on Wednesday, October 21 when they face the Avs — who will also be getting a new third jersey (scroll down for more on that).

The National Hockey League’s (NHL) Minnesota Wild announced today that the club will introduce a new third jersey for the upcoming 2009-10 NHL season on Sunday, Aug. 30 at 12:30 p.m. at the Minnesota State Fair’s FAN Central building.

Minnesota’s new third jersey will be unveiled on stage in front of the FAN Central building starting at 12:30 p.m. The event will include Wild players and Nordy. The Wild’s State Fair booth will be located in the new FAN Central building this year at the intersection of Dan Patch Avenue and Underwood Street.

Minnesota is scheduled to wear its new third jerseys in a game for the first time on Wednesday, Oct. 21 against the Colorado Avalanche.

Not mentioned in this release is the fact that Derek Boogaard will be modeling the new sweater at the event. I'm sure there will be pictures and you can count on Icethetics to do all the heavy lifting for you.

I also added a countdown to the sidebar since we have an actual date! Just 11 days to go...

Now comes the time when I have to eat my words. It doesn't happen too often, but when I do make a mistake, I own up to it. Most of you read my initial reaction to the rumored leak of the Avs' new third jersey. Out of embarrassment, I won't link to it (you can find it), but I basically called it a sham.

I have come into new information that now has me 99% convinced that the rendering originally posted at the SportsLogos.net forums, and later picked up by Mile High Hockey, the Denver Post and Icethetics (damn!), is actually rather accurate.

To protect my source (whose first name is Matt), I won't go into detail, but let's just say, more or less (emphasis on more), this is what the Avalanche will be wearing on several occasions this coming season.

Yep, this will be the Avs' new third jersey

So, to Matt and everyone else who counts on Icethetics for solid information, I sincerely apologize for my rush to judgment. If you guys got some of the emails I get on a daily basis, you'd be cynical too. But it's no excuse. There you have it.

Now, regarding the jersey itself, I think it'll be nice to see the Avs in blue — a subtle nod to their franchise's history perhaps? Burgundy is undeniably the color most associated with the Avalanche, but isn't the purpose of a third jersey to experiment with your look? To color outside the lines?

Based on earlier comments, I know many of you aren't so thrilled about the sweater, but all I can say is give it a chance. And don't rush to judgment the way I did. Wait until you see it on the ice.

And that's my take on that. Later tonight, I'll get to those pictures of the new Team USA jerseys. I'm trying collect the cream of the crop as there doesn't seem to be any official source the way there was for Team Canada.

I also promised to post all of the other Ice Bulls submissions that came in. They'll be up at some point tonight. Over 25 different artists sent in artwork in less than a week! Icethetics readers/designers really are the best around! Also, if you haven't seen it yet, head to IceBulls.org to see the team's new logo.

More Than Just a Blog

I just wanted to take a moment and remind everyone that Icethetics is more than just this blog here. There's a lot more to check out when I have no new "news" posts.

The big news today is that I'm breathing life back into the stagnant Concepts section. It'll be slow to start, but I'm going to be posting more concept art. You guys asked for it, so I plan to deliver. I just posted some new Flames, Wild and Avs artwork today.

Plus, the IceHL is going stronger than ever. More and more votes keep coming in on the logo polls and I hope to begin accepting uniform concepts very soon. Designers will be required to work within a specific template as far as submissions but will be completely free to design their jerseys however they'd like.

And of course, don't forget about Twitter. If you don't have an account, it's no problem. Just keep an eye on the updates in the sidebar right here on the blog. I update it several times a day even when there's nothing new on the blog.

If you haven't heard, the USF Ice Bulls are unveiling their new logo tomorrow on their web site. I'll let you know when it gets posted. I would like to join them in thanking everyone who submitted work. There were some incredible entries making the decision extremely difficult. Congrats to all!

By the way, if you are still working on a concept and would like to share it with Icethetics readers, please send it along. I'll be posting all of the entries on the Concepts page following the Ice Bulls' official unveiling tomorrow.

Alleged Avalanche Leak

There's a story that's been making its way around the web today regarding an alleged leak of the Colorado Avalanche's third jersey.

It started with a post this morning at Mile High Hockey — an Avs blog — and continued on to Denver Post beat writer Adrian Dater's blog All Things Avs. Here at Icethetics, I see this sort of concept art all the time. Rarely have I seen it picked up by so many other blogs before my own (that should tell you something).

For reference, this is the design in question, which originated at the SportsLogos.net message boards.

Avalanche third jersey concept

It's a new take on the burgundy alternate sweaters from several years ago. David at Mile High Hockey is not taking a hard line on the legitimacy of this rumor, but he does sound confident in its source.

Being a bit of a jersey geek, I am familiar with the, uh, "fluorescent" poster who made the mock up from a camera phone pic he says he took of the jersey. I spoke to him a little yesterday and while I haven't seen firsthand evidence of the jerseys, I'm pretty confident this individual has seen the above jersey in person.

If it is the 3rd, I have to admit it's not that bad. I was fearful the fine folks at RBK would find a way to come up with something even more ridiculous than the horrible uniprons they've foisted on us. The above mock up may not be the best looking jersey in the world, but it's a vast improvement over what the team is wearing now. I assume that blue is Nordique blue, a nice nod that many have been suggesting.

I think the Quebec connection is a bit of a stretch, but he may be right in assuming that, if true, these would probably be nice-looking sweaters. The burgundy ones sure were sharp.

I've done some research and asked around among my usual sources and, basically, I can't confirm or deny it. That being said, my gut reaction, based on over two years of tracking this type of news, tells me something is fishy. But when isn't it, right?

Anyway, it all remains to be seen but I thought I'd at least mention it here because of the coverage its getting. Share your thoughts below on this latest rumor.

Team Canada Jerseys Unveiled!

Not that it should surprise anyone, but Team Canada's 2010 Olympics jerseys were officially unveiled today — confirming the leaked pictures first posted on Icethetics last week.

Hockey Canada has gone all out with an entire section of its web site dedicated to the new sweaters. Click here to see it. You can see a detailed version of the crest, download desktop wallpapers featuring the jerseys and the new crest, and even check out past Team Canada jerseys.

The official photos of the jerseys provided on HockeyCanada.ca give us a much better look at the overall design.

Personally, I think I favor the white one for its attention to contrast. Notice how you can clearly make out the leaf crest.

And, of course, for your viewing pleasure, the new crest in all its glory.

One more thing. At the risk of coming off as self-serving, I'd like to encourage Icethetics fans who plan to purchase either or both of these jerseys to show your support by clicking on the IceJerseys.com link and buying from them. They've got great prices and the small amount of money Icethetics makes from ads goes a long way to keeping the site running. And hey, just remember where you saw this jersey first, right?

Enough with that.

Team USA also unveiled their 2010 Olympic jerseys today but I have yet to come across any decent photos worth sharing on the blog. In the meantime, there are a couple of low-quality cell phone pictures I posted on Twitter. When better photos are available, I'll have them here.

Senators 3rd Jersey Poll

Current 3rd Jersey

Heritage Jersey

Ever since it appeared in a video on the Ottawa Senators' official web site, Jacob Barrette's Heritage jersey, has been getting a lot of press. Now Icethetics wants to know what you think about it all!

Which jersey do you like better? After introducing it just last year, should the Sens hang onto their new "SENS" jersey? Or should they send it to the scrap heap and go with Jacob's Heritage look? Vote now!

And after you've voted, if you'd like to sign the petition to get the Senators to adopt the Heritage jersey, click here.