Sabres, Sens and Stadiums Redux

Several recent stories require follow-ups so I'm squeezing them all into tonight's post.

Sabres release 2013-14 third jersey schedule

Believe it or not, there are still skeptics out there. Those who don't believe the gold third jersey unveiled by Buffalo Sabres in September was the real deal. Those who thought that Steve Ott business was just a prank. Wishful thinking, I suppose.

Either way, this faction will finally and officially be proven wrong on Sunday when the Sabres debut their controversial new threads. The team released its 10-game third jersey schedule today. You can see it in the graphic below.

Photo from Buffalo Sabres

The schedule begins and ends with Detroit, a new divisional rival for the Sabres in the Atlantic Division. The jersey will not see action on the road this season.

Before I move on, it should be noted that the genesis of this design is explained for the first time in today's press release. Take a look:

The third jersey, which was revealed via the team’s social media platforms in September, was designed by the Sabres’ creative team in collaboration with Reebok. Challenged by Sabres ownership to use gold as the primary jersey color for the first time in team history, the design team looked at jerseys and uniforms from across the full spectrum of professional sports for inspiration. The result was a two-tone jersey with gold as the primary color on the front and navy blue on the back. This design concept is believed to be a first for the NHL.

"Believed to be a first"? The NHL's jersey history is fully documented. There aren't any mysteries. (In fact, if you've never been to NHLUniforms.com, I highly recommend it.) Point is, this is definitely a first, for better or worse.

Now, to Ottawa.

Senators start offering up Heritage teasers

We're now a week away from the Ottawa Senators unveiling of their 2014 Heritage Classic jersey and the ancipated teasers are well underway. In fact, we've gotten two this week.

Photo from Ottawa Senators (via Facebook)

This photo (right) was posted to the Sens' various social media platforms, including Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

It's a gray-scaled photo of the top portion of the sweater. Because of the lack of color, though, it's tough to tell whether the jersey is white or "vintage white" — but I still made a vintage white graphic for the top of this story.

I'm not sure that's a great color for a jersey, however, so it's probably white in reality. A future teaser may answer that question for us before next week.

The "C" on the chest is the only element that gives anything away. But so far, it's looking like a reverse of the black Heritage third jersey the Sens have been wearing for a couple years.

In other words, it'll probably look a lot like this concept by Mat Ware.

But this wasn't the Sens' first teaser. On Tuesday, they gave us a bizarre video of Erik Karlsson and Jason Spezza recounting their reactions to seeing the sweater for the first time. As teasers go, this was one of the worst I've ever seen. And there have been some bad ones this year.

Video stills from Ottawa Senators

Nonetheless, it's worth reporting, so let's get through it. Erik Karlsson went first. He said:

It's different. I think it looks good with the color that it is. And it actually looks like it is old. The combination is a little bit older than probably what team uses nowadays. The first time I saw it I right away thought of something old. But still good looking.

I like it. I like it a lot. I think it tells a lot of history with the way it looks. I think the numbers on the back are looking a little better I think than maybe the red and the white. It's a little more special. And everybody on the team says the same thing. It's a great looking jersey that right away gives away a lot of history.

Based on Karlsson's description, it doesn't sound as similar to the black jersey as we're expecting. He makes specific note of how "old" it looks (perhaps it could be vintage white after all?) and the numbers on the back (different from the third jersey?).

But then again, I'd be very surprised if Karlsson put as much thought into hockey sweaters as we do here, so I don't want to put too much stock into what he's saying just yet. The photo below was shown while Karlsson was speaking.

Video still from Ottawa Senators

Could it be anymore clear? 

Then Jason Spezza expressed his take:

It's something that, to me, seems like a hockey jersey. It's a traditional jersey. I like the way it looks and I think it's been good for us. It's a great jersey. I think they've done a great job with it. It's something that the players will like, the fans will like. It kind of ties in to the whole "heritage" aspect of it all.

I think whenever you can take a modern jersey and put a bit of a traditional twist to it, I think it's a cool thing. It's something you can tell is well thought out. And it's nice to tie to the two generations together.

What stuck out to me was "it's been good for us." Yet they've never worn it before. So either it is the reverse of the black jersey, or Spezza misspoke. The following photo was shown while he spoke.

Video still from Ottawa Senators

When I first watched this video, I was thinking the jersey could be full-on barber pole with stripes top to bottom. But today's teaser photo killed that theory, of course. In fact, there's not a single stripe visible in the teaser.

One more thing caught my eye. This old Senators sweater was also shown during the interviews.

Video still from Ottawa Senators

Is it possible the Sens could revive this script on the new sweater as opposed to falling back to the big black "O"? It would definitely stand out and wordmark-based throwbacks seem to be trending lately. What would you prefer?

Video still from Ottawa Senators

Canucks sticking with Millionaires sweater?

While we're on the subject of the Heritage Classic, an email sent to Vancouver Canucks fans today regarding tickets was decked out in Millionaires colors. That combined with the lack of any talk about a new Vancouver jersey is making it look more and more like that's what the Canucks will wear on March 2. And that's definitely a good thing.

More clue-laden Stadium Series gear shows up

Since we last spoke (two days ago), more 2014 NHL Stadium Series gear has appeared online. First, we've gotten front and back looks at the New Jersey Devils' T-shirts. Take a look.

Photos from Shop.NHL.com

This version doesn't make use of the chrome logo, as you can see. Turns out this series of shirts includes two versions for every team — one with chrome, one without. Here's what I mean.

Source unknown

This might be a good time to point out some news about the Devils' Stadium Series jersey. Beat reporter Tom Gulitti tweeted the following on Wednesday morning.

For those who've beem asking, Lou Lamoriello said Devils will be wearing original red jerseys with green in outdoor game at Yankee Stadium.

— Tom Gulitti (@TGfireandice) November 20, 2013

So it sounds like those St. Patrick's Day jerseys will be returning — and perhaps "futuristic" doesn't accurately describe all seven Stadium Series sweaters. Time will tell for sure.

Now on to more treats from Shop.NHL.com.

Photos from Shop.NHL.com

This blue hoodie gives us a look at the Islanders' elongated numbers — a lot like what we saw Tuesday with the Rangers, Blackhawks and Penguins, but not the Devils, interestingly. And if you're still wondering about the California clubs, they too have elongated numbers.

Photos from Shop.NHL.com

Of course these shirts are confusing because both are black. So maybe these shirts don't say as much about the jerseys as we thought. Plus, we already know the Ducks will be wearing orange. The question then, is about the numbers. Will they look like this after all?

Let's wrap this thing up with a few unusual Stadium Series shirts.

Photos from Shop.NHL.com

What's with the "Hockey Bear" on the Ducks shirt? Is that a thing I'm unaware of? (UPDATE: Everyone is telling me it's a nod to the state flag of California. I can see that. And it fits thematically with the others.) The other two at least make a little sense to me.

Anyway, these jerseys should be unveiled soon so we can stop all this speculating.

What's in Store for the Stadium Series?

New event merchandise could be full of clues

I rarely get the opportunity for a good headline pun. Tonight we're taking a look at some new NHL Stadium Series T-shirts that are now showing up in stores. The designs could be offering some insight into what the forthcoming jerseys will look like.

We'll dive in with the New York Rangers first.

Photos from ebay (o_sports_gear)

A few things to note. First, the shirt is white. We'll see that's not the case with all of them and there's reason to believe they may suggest the colors of each team's Stadium Series jersey. For one thing, a source tells me the Rangers' jersey is, in fact, white.

It makes sense as the Rangers will be the designated "road team" for both of their Yankee Stadium games against the Islanders and Devils. Speaking of the Devils... (On a roll with these awful puns!)

Photo by @TheJerseyNYRFan (via Twitter)

A photo posted to Twitter by @TheJerseyNYRFan on Monday shows the back of the New Jersey Devils shirt. It's red with white numbers.

The tweeter also pointed out the coloring of the Devils' chrome Stadium Series logo on the "Cross River Rivals" tee seen in the middle. There's no green in sight. But it's likely that has more to do with the production costs associated with the number of colors used in the screen printing process.

Back to the Rangers for a moment.  The number treatment seen on these shirts is unlike anything the team has used before. The grey/silver evokes the design used on the Lady Liberty jerseys from back in the late '90s. But those numbers used red for the shadow rather than a thin outline.

Photo by Jessica D'Agata (@ayojess via Twitter)

This blue New York Islanders tee seems to confirm the idea that the shirts match the jersey colors. But look closely and you'll see this chrome Isles logo doesn't quite match the one released last week. The one on the shirt has rounded corners and an angled corner at the top of the Y.

To sum up, these are the colors and logos that will be representing these teams in January.

As far as jersey crests, I think it's accurate only for the Devils and Islanders. It sounds like the Rangers will, as usual, go with a wordmark across their chests and the shield will be used on the shoulders. Whether the crests will make use of this chrome-treated effect is anyone's guess. But I hope not.

Let's switch gears now to the Soldier Field game in Chicago.

Photos from ebay (o_sports_gear)

The Chicago Blackhawks have red Stadium Series T-shirts. As the home team, this makes sense. But the noteworthy element of these photos is the elongated number design. It's the standard Blackhawks font, but it's stretched out.

If you look back at the Rangers' shirts you'll notice the same thing. It's just more pronounced here.

The elongated design is very noticeable on the Pittsburgh Penguins shirts. Their jersey numbers are usually rather wide. Definitely not the case here. So could these number redesigns be an element of the "futuristic" jerseys we've heard about?

Based on the colors and crests, it doesn't appear things will look too different for Chicago's Stadium Series game. Here are the colors and crests based on what we've seen so far.

That leaves us with the California game at Dodger Stadium.

Just today, a new T-shirt showed up for the Los Angeles Kings with another new logo.

Photo from TEAM LA Store

The TEAM LA Store started selling this, described as a "ligature logo T-shirt." A ligature is basically a couple of letters joined together to create a unique letterform. It's the letters from the Kings' primary logo — which is also featured on the tee. However, it is not the same as the chrome logo unveiled last week. So that's nice and confusing.

What will be on the front of the Kings' Stadium Series sweater? Your guess is as good as mine, but I doubt it's this ligature. This shirt is different from the previous ones seen in this post. The others have the NHL shield in place of the Reebok logo near the neck — and apart from that and the chrome logo, there's nothing else on the front of them.

In other words, this shirt doesn't seem to be part of the same series as the others.

As for the Anaheim Ducks, I haven't seen a shirt yet. All I know is the jersey will be orange. That's according to a tweet by Ducks PR guy Adam Brady. This means the L.A.-based outdoor game may feature orange versus black. We already know the 2014 Winter Classic will see red versus blue. Nice to see the league branching out.

We don't have enough information to be certain yet, so this graphic is a bit of an educated guess on my part. Like I said, the Kings could end up wearing white. (I'm just hoping they don't.)

As we piece together the looks for the upcoming Stadium Series, what are you hoping to see or not see?

Chrome Logos for Stadium Series

Effected logos to represent seven participating teams

Today, in a bizarre move, the NHL unveiled a collection of what it calls "chrome-treated" logos for the seven teams participating in the 2014 NHL Stadium Series. In essence, it was the result of someone goofing around with Photoshop — a fact eluding exactly no one. But there were some interesting revelations to discuss.

First, a new version of the New York Islanders primary logo was added to the mix — without the map of Long Island, the wordmark or the classic blue circle. The team has never used the NY on its own before. But check out the graphic posted on the front page of the Isles' website today.

It shows us that the new logo — un-chromed — was designed to sit on a blue background. So it appears we should be anticipating a blue jersey for the Isles' Stadium Series appearance.

By the way, said jersey is now on sale to Islanders' season ticket holders — sight unseen, no less. I'm not sure I could bring myself to part with that much money to buy something I've never seen.

The chrome logo for the New Jersey Devils re-introduces an old color palette. Green is back! But does this mean the Devils will simply break out the throwback jerseys they've been wearing in recent years for St. Patrick's Day? Based on what I've been hearing, I'm not so sure. Read on, I'll explain.

The Isles and Devils will both face the New York Rangers at Yankee Stadium in late January. And while this chrome-ified shield would indicate a Blueshirts throwback to the 1970s, I understand this logo will be little more than a shoulder patch.

The Rangers are known for the diagonal text across the front of their uniforms, and it may well be "NEW YORK" on the chest rather than the club's nickname — not unlike their Heritage Jersey, which debuted in 2011. Something to keep an eye on as we wait for the unveiling.

Speaking of which, the Rangers' own press release tells us the league will reveal all of the Stadium Series jerseys together "in the coming weeks." When that is exactly is anyone's guess.

The Los Angeles Kings are going back to the crown for their Stadium Series logo. But note the conspicuous lack of purple. Perhaps a sign the Kings could sport a Gretzky-era look? Maybe, but again I'm not so sure. Stay with me here.

The Kings' Dodger Stadium foe will be the Anaheim Ducks. But didn't we hear recently that Mighty Ducks might be making another appearance this season? Not if we assume this logo is the crest of the team's new sweater. On the other hand, I do still expect it to be orange. This would allow the Kings to wear black or white.

The Chicago Blackhawks and Pittsburgh Penguins will wrap up the Stadium Series on March 1 at Soldier Field. But their fancy chrome logos give us nothing. They're exactly the same as their existing primary marks — you know except for all that fancy chrome stuff.

I swear I did a logo treatment like this for Icethetics several years back. I'll have to try to track that stuff down. It didn't last long because you guys told me it looked terrible. And it did. Guess no one told them.

Stadium Series aesthetics will not be inspired by tradition

Since 2008, we've become accustomed to outdoor NHL games requiring a certain historical aesthetic. It's right there in the name. The Winter Classic. The Heritage Classic (double there!). Teams wear throwback jerseys and the whole event is designed to evoke feelings of the game's origin out there on the frozen pond in a world that could barely imagine our immense 20,000-seat arenas.

But there's a reason they didn't call this the Stadium Classic Series. (And it's not just the extra syllables.) The word "classic" conjures old-time hockey thanks to the Winter and Heritage Classics. It's my understanding the NHL is going in the opposite direction for these events. In a way, the goofy chrome logo treatment is to get fans out of that retro mindset.

It's right there in the Rangers' press release, actually.

The NHL also unveiled today the NHL Chrome Collection, chrome-treated team logos specifically designed for use in connection with the 2014 Coors Light NHL Stadium Series™. The Chrome logo designs are unique to the NHL Stadium Series and inspired from the chrome details on the NHL shield, bringing a dynamic and modern perspective to conventional team identities.

We might be wise to read a little more into that last line. Bringing a "modern perspective to conventional team identities." Likely a frightening thought to the traditionalists among us, but probably an important idea to consider.

In fact, someone with knowledge of the Stadium Series jersey designs recently described them to me as "futuristic." Later, another source told me the NHL and Reebok took the lead designing them. The teams were merely "consulted" as opposed to being directly involved.

Think about that as we wait for the league to finally unveil the jerseys. What sort of futuristic ideas could you imagine Reebok incorporating into these new uniforms?

Loose Threads: Outdoors & More

Flames to unveil third jersey at Flames Fest

Got a handful of items today, so I'm condensing them into this post.

First, the Calgary Flames sent an email to season ticket holders last night, inviting them to the first ever Flames Fest on Oct. 27. And getting a starring role at the event will be the unveiling of the team's new third jersey. (In fact, it's mentioned four times in the email!)

Specifically, the jersey will be officially unveiled at 1:30 PM MT (or 12:30 PT, 3:30 ET). Of course, if you can't wait, there's always that leak from a couple weeks ago.

Thanks to Ryan C. for sharing the email.

Ducks to wear fifth jersey to Stadium Series game

In a previous post, I wondered aloud whether the Anaheim Ducks would simply wear the eggplant throwback again in January for their Stadium Series game against the Kings. We now have definitive word that they will not.

According to tweets to fans from Adam Brady, the Ducks' Director of Publications and New Media, the team will have a completely different uniform for the Jan. 25 game — making it the fifth jersey the Ducks will wear this season on top of their home, road, third and last weekend's throwback.

Thanks to Matt Baldock for pointing me to this tweet.

There are also rumors — which may have started with an employee of the team store — saying that the Stadium Series jersey will be primarily orange and feature a version of the throwback Mighty Ducks logo. Probably not unlike what's currently used on the shoulder patch of the third jersey.

I can't imagine we'll have to wait too much longer to start seeing Stadium Series jerseys. Perhaps closer to late November? All seven teams are expected to have them, including the Ducks, Kings, Rangers, Islanders, Devils, Penguins and Blackhawks. (We're also waiting on the Canucks' and Senators' Heritage Classic sweaters.)

Do Lundqvist's Stadium Series pads preview jersey?

Henrik Lundqvist BlogSpeaking of the NHL Stadium Series, the New York Rangers will actually play two outdoor games this winter — but I'm only expecting one jersey from them. And Rangers fans may have gotten a sneak

Icethetics reader John F. sent in this photo (right) via Facebook. The photo appears to have been first posted almost a week ago by The Henrik Lundqvist Blog.

Unfortunately, while the writer said the photo was found on Twitter, no source link was provided.

There was also no information about the context of what we're seeing. Where/when was the photo taken? We don't know. Maybe someone reading can help out there and offer a little background.

On the table there's a card that reads:

Henrik Lundqvist
New York Rangers

Stadium Series
Yankee Stadium - January 26, 2014

So it's definitely a recent shot.

All that said, what's interesting about these pads is the striping pattern. While it definitely screams Rangers, it's not like anything they've worn recently.

I can't tell if it's the lighting, but the pads appear to be an off-white color. Vintage white. My favorite. But the heavy use of the Rangers' shield logo suggests we might see used it on a jersey for the first time ever. (The shield was different in 1978 and the 2012 Winter Classic.)

If nothing else, this might be good for another concept artist challenge. Who wants to create a jersey based on Lundqvist's pads?

Bruins throw back to 1940s with Milt Schmidt

Finally, here's one that slipped under the radar a bit. The Boston Bruins paid tribute to Milt Schmidt and the 1940s team on Monday afternoon as part of their 90th anniversary celebrations.

Photos from Boston Bruins

The 95-year-old ex-Bruin stepped onto the ice for the ceremonial puck drop sporting a replica of the sweater he wore way back in the mid-1940s — with the 90th anniversary patch stitched on. (Two minutes for tucking it in, though.)

The scoreboard was also decked out in the 1940s "B" logo, as seen in this photo tweeted by @KyleClauss. 

The scoreboard at TD Garden is sporting a pre-1949 "B" for today's game. cc @icethetics @TheEmblemSource pic.twitter.com/Az5WHraSkX

— Kyle Clauss (@KyleClauss) October 14, 2013

Seeing Schmidt in that sweater led some to wonder whether the Bruins would make a good opponent for the Capitals at the 2015 Winter Classic. (Yes, I know they've taken part before.) If so, this would be a great jersey to go up against the Caps' classic red look. What do you think?

The Mighty Ducks Still Shine

Photo from Anaheim Ducks

Anaheim looked fantastic on Throwback Night

I still puzzle over this one. Why did the NHL have to lose one of its coolest brands? And make no mistake, the Mighty Ducks of Anaheim were definitely among the best. And don't give me a lame business or marketing excuse. This uniform should still be making regular appearances every night.

Sunday night was a special one in Ducks history. Not only did they pay homage to their inaugural team with the most crowded ceremonial puck drop ever, but they did it in style by breaking out the old eggplant and jade jerseys no one can forget.

Photos from Anaheim Ducks

Twenty years on, those uniforms still look great. Is the crest a little cartoony? Maybe, but it's a classic. Are the colors a little unusual? Of course, but that's what gave this team its identity! Anyone who doesn't love these jerseys doesn't love hockey uniforms for the right reasons.

Photos from Anaheim Ducks

One of my favorite rules of good sweater design is whether the team is still recognizable without the crest. This one absolutely is! The current Ducks jerseys are as well, for the most part, but for the wrong reasons. All three California teams wear black and, for one of the sunnier states in the union, that's sad.

Look at this. Is there any question this is a California team? Can't say that about the black and gold.

Photo provided by Paul Gheduzzi

Icethetics reader Paul Gheduzzi was at the game Sunday night and snapped a few pictures during warm-ups. I particularly like seeing the original Mighty Ducks third jersey from 1996 in the crowd above. Still have one of those hanging in my closet.

Photo provided by Paul Gheduzzi

One of my favorite aspects of Ducks' Throwback Night was how even the TV side got involved! Throughout the game, Prime Ticket used classic-colored graphics and the Mighty Ducks logo and even mixed in a few old-style Chyron overlays.

Stills from Prime Ticket (via NHL GameCenter Live)

I enjoyed the use of the original Ottawa Senators logo too. Some Icethetics readers wondered if the Sens had planned to surprise us with an early '90s throwback of their own. But this was Anaheim's night, so it wouldn't have made much sense.

It was a pretty spectacular night all around for jersey geeks and Mighty Ducks fans. So the next question we have to ask... will they do it again?

The Ducks haven't announced plans for any other throwback nights this season, but given how popular this one was (on Twitter at least; I wasn't at the Honda Center), I could see them scheduling one more later in the year.

Could Ducks go Mighty again for outdoor game?

Let's not forget that the Ducks will play an outdoor game on Jan. 25, 2014. They will meet the Los Angeles Kings at Dodger Stadium as part of the NHL's new Stadium Series. (All five teams involved are expected to have special sweaters for the games.)

But before you point out that teams wear white on the road (and the Ducks would be considered the road team for this game), understand that none of the standard rules really apply when we talk about these outdoor "event" games.

The Sabres wore white when they hosted the first ever Winter Classic in 2008. In this season's Winter Classic, neither team will wear white. Plus, if the Ducks and Kings wear throwbacks, they'd be "throwing back" to a time before 2003 when teams did wear white at home.

I point this out not because I don't want to see a white version of the Mighty Ducks jersey again, but because it would make more economic sense for Reebok to produce just one throwback jersey for the Ducks in a single season rather than two. This is an outdoor game, but it's one of four so it won't be as big a deal as the actual Winter Classic. (In other words, I'm tempering expectations.)

So that's my take. What's yours? And what did you think of seeing the Mighty Ducks on the ice again after seven years? Would you want to see more or less of them in the future?