Wings' Winter Classic Look Leaks Too!

curt4201 via ebay

Well, once the Maple Leafs' jersey was leaked, you had to know it was only a matter of time before the other one came. It appears ebay has now provided us a look at the 2013 Winter Classic sweater of the Detroit Red Wings.

Once again, I have to believe it's a legitimate Reebok product — not because curt4201 says so — but because of the details you find. The embroidering, the tags, the NHL shield. It's all so far from what counterfeiters are capable of producing.

The seller actually calls it a "throwback alternate" jersey. Think it's safe to say he's not a big hockey sweater guy. First, it's not a throwback to anything. It's another homage to the Detroit Cougars with a big of Red Wings mixed in (just like in 2009). It's also not a third jersey — something the Red Wings have never had.

Based on this, we know it was intended for this year's Winter Classic. Back in January, some images of WC merchandise, including t-shirts, were leaked by an online retailer. The Red Wings t-shirt used the exact crest found on this jersey — down to the custom font that spells DETROIT. Even the custom numbers can be matched to that shirt.

However, there's a problem. The Maple Leafs jersey that was leaked was blue. That means neither team would've had a white sweater for the Winter Classic. Is that unprecendented? Of course not.

TheHockeyJersey.co via ebay

A blue-vs-red game could work quite well. I, for one, hope we still get a chance to experience that again when we ring in 2014. It'll be a sight to see.

So, just as with the Leafs jersey, I'm content to say this Red Wings jersey did, in fact, come out of a Reebok factory. Whether it's the real deal or a mere prototype, you can decide for yourself until we get something official from the NHL.

But whatever the case, what do you think of it? Were these two jerseys the right way to go?

Connecticut Whale to Be No More?

Silly name and logo could soon be gone

It sounds too good to be true, but just three years after the Connecticut Whale brand was introduced, it may be disappearing, according to the Hartford Courant.

With Howard Baldwin no longer at the helm and new ownership in the picture, there's the possibility the franchise could revert to its previous (better) identity — the Hartford Wolf Pack. The article isn't specific about when the change would happen, but I'm hoping they don't do another midseason rebranding.

Evidence indicates return of Hartford Wolf Pack brand

Here's some of what writer Paul Doyle had to say on the matter — and why he thinks the Wolf Pack could be staging a comeback:

The Connecticut Whale brand was created by Howard Baldwin's Whalers Sports & Entertainment in 2010 and that company no longer runs the business side of the franchise, although it allowed current XL Center operator AEG to use the name and logo this season. The franchise is owned by MSG, but Global will run the team's day-to-day operation in Hartford and handle the marketing.

Unless MSG and Global decide to work out an agreement with WSE, the team's name will likely change. The team could return to the Hartford Wolf Pack, the name of the franchise from 1997 until it was re-branded in 2010. MSG has kept the brand alive by retaining uniforms and has even renewed the hartfordwolfpack.com domain name, updating data base information on the domain name Saturday.

Another possibility is to simply call the team the Rangers — Hartford or Connecticut preceding the name — although that could be a public relations risk. Returning to the Wolf Pack would be simple, especially with the still visible around the team and the XL Center.

The activity with the domain name is interesting. Why keep it if you have no intention of using it again? Plus, we all know the Connecticut Whale name and logo are just dumb.

I'm rooting for the Wolf Pack!

Leafs' Winter Classic Jersey Leaked?

TheHockeyJersey.co via ebay

Apparent unreleased Leafs jersey shows up on ebay

A product listing on ebay appears to show a legitimate Toronto Maple Leafs jersey, intended for the 2013 NHL Winter Classic. The game was canceled so uniforms were never released or even unveiled. That being said, it was canceled pretty late in the year, meaning merchandise like this was certainly already produced.

Last month, a couple of leaked T-shirt designs showed the same logo crest.

TheHockeyJersey.co via ebay

Seeing something like this tends to make us all skeptical. And I'd venture to say I fly the skeptic flag higher than anyone else when it comes to these things. So the fact that I'm taking the time to post this should tell you something.

But more important than whether this is a real jersey or not is the fact that, if it isn't, it's by far and away the most convincing counterfeit I have ever seen. And it would mean counterfeiters are getting scary good. So good, in fact, that it's impossible to tell the difference between real and fake. Which is why I believe this is probably the real thing.

The seller is TheHockeyJersey.co and the rest of their product catalog appears to be legitimate. However, I doubt they're officially licensed by the NHL. Because if they are, they won't be for much longer. But drop by their page, take a look at the high-resolution photos on the auction listing and judge for yourself.

Thanks to Doug B. for the tip.

So... real or what?

Update on Saturday · Feb 16 · 2013 | 12:51 AM PST by Chris

On Thursday night, the seller of this jersey apparently left a comment on this blog post and included a new photo of the jersey. It shows that the NHL shield on the collar is, in fact, centered properly. Here's the comment that was left:

Hi all, thanks for the comments and article about the jersey. I didn't expect quite all this when I made the listing and I didnt take the best pictures. The NHL neck logo is definitely centered, it was just laying weird in the picture. I took a new picture and will be posting it to the listing soon. I can assure you it is authentic and the shield is centered. As for the black lace, it is weird to me as well. My guess is the final release would be white. Thanks again and here is a better picture.

Can't help but notice he didn't bother to say how this jersey came into his possession. Anyway, below is the photo to which he included a link. (It's actually cropped to better fit on the page. See the original version here.)

Photo from TheHockeyJersey.co

I'll level with you guys. I feel no need to help prove that this isn't a counterfeit. I'm just here to share information. You can believe whatever you like. That being said, based on my years of research and knowledge, I'm comfortable saying this jersey came out of a Reebok factory.

But one commenter, Brads, makes a good point. If this isn't the jersey the Maple Leafs were actually supposed to wear to the 2013 Winter Classic, could it simply be a prototype? I'm not sure how Reebok produces their prototypes — are they usually of this quality? I might expect a prototype to be made of a lesser material just to give an overall sense of how the uniform would look. This one has an awful lot of details we see in the stuff on the rack.

Lastly, there were other commenters that made equally good points about the style of Winter Classic jerseys that are sold to consumers. They're certainly not the same as a regular team jersey you might buy. In other words, they're not the full Reebok Edge style. I remember a lot of readers complaining about not being able to purchase a Sabres Winter Classic jersey in the same style as what the players wore — that went for both authetics and replicas.

So all of the questions and skepticism is certainly warranted. But again, from everything I've seen over the years, I think we're looking at a genuine Leafs jersey from Reebok. This is what would've been worn on Jan. 1, 2013 — and it's probably what will be worn on Jan. 1, 2014. Only time will tell for certain.

Hockey Talks Across Canada

Canada's seven NHL franchises are taking part in a mental health initiative throughout the month of February. Among other things, it involves the players wearing special helmet decals for select games throughout the month. Each team will host a Hockey Talks game night, led by the Vancouver Canucks back on Feb. 1.

The Toronto Maple Leafs picked up the torch the following night on Feb. 2.

Last Wednesday, it was the Montreal Canadiens doing their part on Feb. 6.

The next night, on Feb. 7, it was Hockey Talks night for the Winnipeg Jets.

The other three teams will host their Hockey Talks nights next week, beginning with the Calgary Flames on Thursday, Feb. 20.

The Edmonton Oilers follow up with their hosting duties on Feb. 21.

And finally, things wrap up in Canada's capital city on Feb. 23 when the Ottawa Senators host the Leafs for the final Hockey Talks game night of the month.

By the way, take a close look at each of these seven logos. They're not as generic as they seem. The type is all set in the same font the Vancouver Canucks use for their wordmarks and jerseys. And the hockey stick in the middle, it's from the Canucks' secondary logo.

I know this campaign has a lot to do with Rick Rypien, so it makes sense the Canucks marketing team would take the lead on designing the logos. It's just interesting to see Canucks branding incorporated into that of all the other Canadian clubs.

Not that any of that matters. This is an important issue and it still would be regardless of any silly logos. It's nice to see Canadians trying to take care of their own. We could learn a thing or two about that down here.

Solar Bears Roll Back the Clock

Photos provided by Orlando Solar Bears

Twelve years is a long time to wait for something. Orlando hockey fans had to wait that long to watch their championship banner be raised to the rafters. Last Saturday, Feb. 2, the ECHL's Orlando Solar Bears paid tribute to their IHL predecessors by celebrating their 2001 Turner Cup championship.

But the interesting thing to us jersey geeks is what the Solar Bears wore while doing it. The team broke out the old Solar Bears jerseys for the special night — complete with the upper/lowercase surnames and everything! Those uniforms looked great from 1996 to 2001 and they look great now.

Photos: ©2013 Gary Bassing/OSB via Solar Bears official Facebook page

Great to see the new Solar Bears honoring the old Solar Bears. You can find a lot more pictures on the team's official Facebook page.