Loose Threads: Alternates & Adidas

It's not quite time for the first JerseyWatch 2014 yet, so consider this a warm-up.

Penguins pondering another retro third jersey

The Pittsburgh Penguins are considering a new third jersey for next season, according to the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review. And it could make a lot of fans' dreams come true. (I'm thinking of one regular reader in particular. He knows who he is.)

The only details came by way of an article published on Dec. 13, the day the Pens unveiled their Stadium Series jersey, which the article confirmed will only be worn once.

There are tentative plans for a new alternate jersey that could debut next season. A design is not finalized, but under consideration is a jersey similar to the ones the Penguins wore during their 1991 and 1992 Stanley Cup runs.

Who's excited?

If they're smart, they'll move forward with these plans. Such a jersey would probably sell well, especially among Icethetics readers. But don't take my word for it. Check out the rating for the Penguins concept I posted yesterday.

Islanders' Stadium Series look may endure

While the Pens are ditching their Stadium Series jerseys after their big game, the New York Islanders are going in the opposite direction. Isles beat writer Chris Botta tweeted last week that we're certain to see at least the new crest sticking around.

That NY look on the Islanders' stadium jersey? Yeah, it's confirmed that you'll be seeing more of it in coming seasons.

He followed up with a few details.

Expectation is that the NY crest jersey, or something very close to it, will be the Islanders' 3rd jersey by 2015.

This effectively means the black third everyone loves to hate is on the way out. Perhaps only one more season of it — if that. Maybe the Isles will surprise us and have the new sweater ready by the fall. But it's more likely they'll wait and launch it with their move to Brooklyn.

By the way, check out their current Twitter profile image.

Ducks may promote third jersey, add white road version

If you don't follow me on Twitter, you may have missed this nugget. Orange County Register writer Eric Stephens says the Anaheim Ducks may have new home and road sweaters next fall.

This was his tweet back on Dec. 3:

Plan is for current Ducks third jersey to become main home sweater, perhaps next year. I figure next alternate will be orange-based.

No more wordmark! Wahoo!

Stephens doesn't specifically say there would be a white version added as a road jersey, but it makes sense the team would want matching sweaters.

That news followed the unveiling of the Ducks' Stadium Series jersey. It would be simple enough for that to become the new third — though it may not be popular enough among fans. But I've seen mixed reviews from Icethetics readers. You've got those that love it, hate it and are indifferent to it — in seemingly equal parts.

If the Ducks were to follow in the footsteps of the Penguins, what would you think of an orange Mighty Ducks jersey? Again, I'll point you to the Concepts page to see any number of ways that could work successfully.

Adidas may replace Reebok jersey branding

In the world of hockey jerseys, the word Reebok has become synonymous with repulsive to many. But that's not why parent company Adidas may soon swap out the name seen on the back of every NHL sweater.

CBC's Elliotte Friedman included an interesting tidbit in his 30 Thoughts article posted Monday. Specifically, he wrote:

Small business item: Reebok has the rights to make NHL jerseys. Its parent company, Adidas, apparently is considering putting its own name there instead of Reebok. As part of that, we may see an extension of the current contract, which runs through 2016-17.

This isn't totally unexpected. Adidas has been trying to reposition the Reebok brand back to its focus on runners — like it has been historically. From their mission statement:

At Reebok, our innovation focus is on fitness and training, where the priority is creating products that provide a material benefit to the consumer's fitness activities (e.g. flexibility or lightweight).

Hat tip to Matt Johnson for the link.

That said, I would've expected to see Adidas reposition CCM as the big name in hockey — as it has been historically. Plus, this is a brand that still has a very good reputation among folks who appreciate (and buy) hockey jerseys.

Then again, Adidas is a bigger name with better brand recognition — even if people like me associate them solely with soccer. Regardless of any branding changes, I would not expect the Edge uniform system to be replaced anytime soon.

Lots of news here tonight. Take your time digesting it all. I'm taking a long weekend in California!

More on the L.A. Stadium Game

Taking another look at the new Kings, Ducks uniforms

It's been a bit slow around here lately. Not necessarily because there's nothing to report, but rather I've been a little busy away from the blog. While I try to make time to put together a few more posts this week, I wanted to look back at the Ducks/Kings Stadium Series jerseys.

First, the images above are the official artwork from Reebok. They show the full jerseys, including the waist stripes (or lack thereof) which weren't visible in the images posted on the blog last week. The TEAM LA Store is currently taking pre-orders online if you're interested in buying.

I also wanted to do a bit of a link dump. Both the Ducks and Kings shared a lot of information related to these Stadium jerseys.

• Ducks' Stadium Series jersey press release
• Kings' Stadium Series jersey press release
• Kings' Stadium Series jersey: Q&A
• Kings' Stadium Series jersey: The Facts

If you're not interested in reading through all those articles, I've pulled a few fascinating facts below.

Stadium Series jerseys available in January

While you can currently pre-order any of the three unveiled Stadium Series jerseys, you can't take any of them home yet. According to the Ducks' press release, the jerseys will be available in stores and to ship in January. The Islanders' Stadium Series jersey order form, says "early January." No specific date has been made public yet — that I'm aware of.

Elongated numbers intended for fans in the cheap seats

The Kings' "The Facts" article explains the elongated numbers on the jerseys.

Player numbers on the back of the jersey are enlarged, making them more visible to fans in outdoor venues. Sleeve numbers are angled on five of the Stadium Series jerseys aligning player arm position with visual angles typical for fan viewing of the game in motion.

Honestly? I've never had a problem reading the sleeve numbers because of the angle. Let's just admit this is more about form than function. I guess the idea is that when the player is bent forward with arms outstretched to grip his stick, the angle of the numbers will be more horizontal. I have my doubts.

On the other hand, the elongated numbers make perfect sense now. There's so much real estate on the backs of jerseys that isn't being used. And because these stadiums weren't designed with a 200-foot hockey rink in mind, fans are forced to sit pretty far away from the action. The numbers can't be any wider, so making them taller makes sense.

The chrome crests use "high tech" printing

The chrome logos are cheesy but I suddenly understand the need. From the Kings' "The Facts":

This new technology fuses print and embroidery manufacturing process, allowing the logo to be displayed as a high-resolution image incorporated into the crest. This technology also reduces the weight of the crest, promoting a lighter jersey for improved athlete performance.

Ok, "weight of the crest" again? First the stripes weigh too much (San Jose!) and now it's the crests. Come on. But whatever it takes to make the players happy, right?

The first line of that quote is a crock. "Fuses print and embroidery"? No. Look at the photos. It's a printed crest stitched onto the jersey. Nothing about these crests are embroidered. And that explains the chrome logos. I'm guessing when Reebok experimented with printing crests, they realized it looked cheap.

So the logos required a little digital texture and beveling to give the same impression you get when looking at an embroidered crest. Unfortunately, however, it's probably a safe bet that printed crests are the way of the future when you take cost and player comfort into consideration.

The odd lace-up collar design explained

Once again, we'll turn to the Kings' "The Facts" piece:

The construction of the lace-up collar streamlines the cut and sew cosmetics of the collar for a seamless feel and better wear and performance, while still delivering the timeless style of the traditional hockey visual cue.

Now they're not even trying to hide their manipulation of us. It's just a "visual cue." But if we're being honest, the lace-up collars we see today are form over function anyway. They don't serve any purpose other than aesthetics. Which is fine.

I actually like the look of these new collars. They're just clean and unique.

Stadium Series jerseys were designed in 3 months

Teams usually spend a year or two developing new jersey designs. These were slapped together in just three months, according to Kings COO Kelly Cheeseman (a real name!). He was the focus of the Kings' "Q&A" article. He says the Kings' jersey design was a collaboration between the NHL's marketing department, Reebok, and the team's staff. (Note the lack of fan input. Not unusual, but the design seems to be going over well anyway.)

Feel free to weigh in on these new details in the comments.

Kings, Ducks Unveil Stadium Jerseys!

Video stills from NHL

Dodger Stadium game will feature orange versus grey

The 2014 Stadium Series jerseys to be worn by the Anaheim Ducks and Los Angeles Kings were unveiled this morning. While we await more photos, check out this unveiling video. Or if you can't watch the video, I grabbed some stills for all to enjoy.

Both teams are sticking with their recently unveiled chrome logos. This suggests the other Stadium teams will likely do the same. However, that may not be the case with the Rangers and Devils. I've heard the Rangers will have a "NEW YORK" script on their jersey while the Devils will simply wear their red and green throwbacks. But I'm sure we'll find out soon enough.

As rumored, both jerseys have new ligature shoulder patches. We saw L.A.'s on a T-shirt not too long ago. And Anaheim's "OC" logo was barely visible on another shirt. Both are great extensions of the existing brand identities. But you can definitely tell these two jerseys were designed together. That's good if they were only intended for use during this one game. But if the two teams continue to use them as alternate uniforms, it could be awkward.

The close-ups of the sleeve numbers look a lot like the teaser videos released over the weekend. 

And here are the nameplates. Anaheim's is unique with the letters looking very thin on the inside.

Looks like this new collar style is here to stay. We first saw it on the Islanders' Stadium Series jersey. Now the Ducks and Kings are repeating it. It's modern with a hint of retro. Personally, I like it.

Remember, the big game is Jan. 25, 2014. Don't miss the NHL's first orange-versus-grey game!

One More L.A. Stadium Preview

Video stills from Anaheim Ducks (via Instagram)

Ducks, Kings release new jersey teasers a day before unveiling

The Anaheim Ducks released a video clip via their official Instagram account tonight, showing details of their 2014 Stadium Series jersey. The full uniform will be unveiled Tuesday morning at 9 AM — just like the Kings' — according to the video.

The first shot is a close up of the sleeve, not unlike the teaser we got from the Kings on Friday. And if the knit of the jersey is anything to gauge by, it seems the Ducks may be sharing the Islanders' angled sleeve numbers and stripes. It's hard to say for sure.

Video stills from Anaheim Ducks (via Instagram)

The next shot shows the front of the obviously orange jersey just below the crest. A sliver of it is slightly visible at the top of the frame. Take note. It doesn't look liked the chrome webbed "D" we've been seeing. One rumor suggested the shoulder patch from the Ducks' third jersey would be used here. Could that be what we're seeing? Or will it be something entirely new?

The final shot seems to show the back of the jersey — though it's not clear to me. It could be the back of the sleeve. But some gold and white stitching is visible on the orange fabric, leading me to think we're looking at an area with numbers.

But that's not all...

Video stills from Los Angeles Kings (via Instagram)

The Los Angeles Kings also released another teaser video on Instagram — that's the place to be for jersey teasers these days! It's one shot, five seconds. A rack focus on what looks like the sleeve.

A lot of fans have been saying they see grey in the Kings' teasers. I didn't at first, but more and more I'm seeing how that could be possible. A game of orange and grey jerseys would definitely be unique in the history of the NHL. Could look really sharp.

Both jerseys will be released just over 12 hours from now on their respective teams' websites. Check back tomorrow after 9 AM PT as I hope to have photos up right away.

Update on Tuesday · Dec 3 · 2013 | 12:05 AM PST by Chris

Full frame stills reveal more of Ducks jersey

Just noticed the Ducks actually posted the full size version of the Instagram teaser video on their website. The video was originally shot in widescreen format — rather than the square format found on Instagram. So that means more details are exposed.

Video stills from Anaheim Ducks

Again, the unveiling happens at 9 AM PT on the Ducks' website.

New Kings, Ducks Sweaters Coming

Both teams will unveil Stadium Series jerseys on Dec. 3

The Los Angeles Kings and Anaheim Ducks will unveil their 2014 Stadium Series jerseys on Tues., Dec. 3. We now have confirmation of this from both teams as well as an Instagram teaser video from the Kings. I grabbed a couple of stills to share.

Video stills from Los Angeles Kings (via Instagram)

There are only three shots in the 14-second video clip. The first seems to show the side and under arm of the jersey. The color and lighting seem to suggest the jersey is primarily white — rather than black as we suspected. The final shot of the video is a graphic confirming the day and time of the unveiling on the Kings' website.

Video still composite from Los Angeles Kings (via Instagram)In between was another shot where the camera tilts down the sleeve of the jersey. It's a close-up, so for all the details we see, we don't get to see much of the bigger picture.

The image to the right is the first and last frame of the camera move stitched together — so you can see all of what was shown in a single image.

The lighting is very dramatic and makes it difficult to distinguish colors. But given the outline stitching on the numbers and the visible stripe below, it looks like part of the sleeve is black.

It's probably not unlike the sleeve design we see on the Avalanche and Panthers uniforms.

The sleeve stitching seems to be similar to what we saw on the Islanders' Stadium Series jersey, but I'm really hoping Reebok hasn't decided to paint all the teams with the same brush (i.e.: template).

I'm definitely hoping the tilted sleeve numbers and stripes don't become a thing. As a one-off, it's fine. But it's not something to be repeated over and over.

If you can make more sense than I can out of what we're seeing, please feel free to share in the comments.

Let's move on to the Kings' Dodger Stadium opponent now.

Prior to the holiday weekend, all we knew about the Ducks' Stadium Series jersey is that it will be orange — as confirmed by Ducks' media guy Adam Brady. Then Thursday afternoon, Brady confirmed the unveiling date after being asked by a fan.

This morning, Icethetics reader @EricTheHawk tweeted some details he'd heard about Anaheim's new threads. He wrote the following:

Potential scoop? I spoke w/ employee at Ducks team store yesterday who said Stadium jersey essentially an orange version of 3rd.

Said he'd seen designs, and the one Ducks most likely went with basically flips the orange and black on the current third look.

Take it for what it's worth, but he seemed knowledgeable & was excited to see (didn't know) when final design would be released.

If true, this would definitely get us out of the common template issue, but it doesn't sound all that creative. Bear in mind this is only one report from someone who was unsure of the final look.

That brings us to speculation. Some fans have started looking a little more closely at a piece of Stadium Series merchandise for answers. The Ducks' "Hockey Bear" T-shirt, to be specific.

Image from Shop.NHL.com

Folks have been wondering whether the bear is wearing the Ducks' Stadium jersey. It's orange. And it has sleeve and waist striping not unlike what we saw with the Isles. This doesn't sync up with the report of it being an orange version of the third jersey — unless the employee was merely referring to the webbed "D" crest.

Another thing to note on this T-shirt is the shoulder of the bear's jersey. This is the highest resolution I could find, but if you look closely, it looks like "OC" in the Ducks' font. An orange jersey. Orange County. May be extrapolating a bit, but who knows.

Now, two questions for Ducks fans: 1) Has anyone bought this shirt? If so, would you mind sending me a better photo of the bear? And 2) have you ever seen the team use this "OC" logo anywhere before?

We have 72 hours to speculate. All will be revealed on Tuesday morning.