Saying Goodbye

Wednesday night brought a couple of possible "last times" in the NHL.

For example, with the Red Wings' sweep of the Phoenix Coyotes, it could turn out to be the last time fans gathered to watch an NHL game in Glendale, Ariz. Rumors have run rampant that any deal to keep the team in the desert has dried up (I intended that pun) — paving the way for a relocation back to frosty Winnipeg.

Those pesky rumors also suggest that such an announcement would be imminent as soon as the club's playoff run ended — which it has, in rather short order. It could be today (Thursday) or even as soon as tomorrow. On one hand I'm hoping they don't move because I can only imagine the devastation for the few hardcore Coyotes fans. But then again, I'd be fascinated to see another rebranding this offseason — and thrilled to see Canadians getting one of their teams back.

Another last time: If the Tampa Bay Lightning don't turn things around in their series against the Penguins, Wednesday night could prove to be their last time wearing black jerseys for the foreseeable future. Icethetics readers are well aware of the rebranding efforts unveiled in January, which eliminated the black from the team's identity

Imagine if the Bolts were to win the Cup wearing black (again). It would make it a lot harder to see them completely lose that color scheme in the following season. But if they keep playing the way they have been, that won't be an issue. They face elimination in Game 5 first thing Saturday in Pittsburgh.

One more thing hockey fans are saying goodbye to are the WHL's Chilliwack Bruins. It's official. They played their final game on April 2 in a 6-4 loss to the Spokane Chiefs.

At a media conference today, the league announced the sale and relocation of the club to Victoria, B.C. The ECHL's Victoria Salmon Kings are expected to be sold or folded, according to the Times-Colonist. Either way, it boils down to two groups of fans losing their teams.

Chilliwack Bruins third jersey / BruinsA website has already launched — www.vicwhl.com — for the Victoria franchise. By the way, the Chilliwack Bruins' website has been wiped from cyberspace and you'll find no reference to the team on the WHL's website. It's kind of annoying, actually. But I digress.

Currently, the new owners of Victoria's WHL team are holding a poll on their website asking fans what name they prefer for the team. The choices are Victoria Capitals, Dragons, Force, Royals, Tide and Thunder. (They do not offer a "none of the above" option. But Royals would probably be for the best.)

My guess is that poll couldn't matter less. The jerseys are probably already headed into production along with a load of knick-knacks with the new name and logo — whatever that may be. Though it could just be my cynical side saying that.

What else are we saying goodbye to in 2011?

67's Bring Back Barber Pole

New 67's jersey / Blitzen PhotographyThe OHL's Ottawa 67's announced yesterday that they'd be bringing back their classic barber-pole jerseys for the 2011-12 season.

The new sweater will be unveiled to fans at tonight's game but the team has posted a preview on their website. In addition, the Ottawa 67's Fan Blog posted a better shot (right).

The 67's haven't been able to wear the full stripes since before Reebok took over the CHL's uniforms for the 2009-10 season. The manufacturer blamed limitations to the jersey "technology" on the inability to recreate the unique effect.

Reebok says the technology has now "advanced" allowing the 67's to bring back their classic sweater. It replaces the black jersey the team had been wearing since 2009.

I may not be the biggest fan of the barber-pole look, but I certainly know it has its place in Ottawa. And with their combination of logo and colors, it just looks right on the 67's.

Now that we've seen the 67's new sweater, could you see the Senators borrowing this look for their forthcoming new third jersey? Do you think it'll be more like the black jersey the 67's just retired? Or will it be something entirely new?

Canadians Heart Stripes

It's been a week since the last blog update, so it's time for a nice long one. Let's take a trip across Canada and try to figure out why the natives like stripes so much. We start in the capital city. The blog's been a little Ottawa-heavy these days, but that's where the news is.

Ottawa 67's dark uniform / Robert LefebvreThe OHL's Ottawa 67's — not the Senators — have announced they will unveil a new dark uniform on Friday. They're bringing back the old barber-pole look from just prior to the Age of Reebok.

According to Reebok, the "high-tech" Edge uniforms were not conducive to the top-to-bottom striping the 67's were known for. So they switched to this (right) and fans weren't very happy with that.

Now, it's apparently "technologically possible" so they're bringing them back once again. Details from the team's website:

The Ottawa 67’s will return to their roots next season by wearing the barber pole jersey/socks as their “dark” uniform. The team was forced to temporarily switch from the barber pole to a solid colour prior to the start of the 2009-10 season when the OHL adopted the new Reebok EDGE jersey.

At the time, 67’s Owner and Governor Jeff Hunt pledged that his team would return to the barber pole design as soon as it was technologically possible, and that time has now arrived.

“The barber pole jersey is synonymous with 67’s hockey,” said 67’s Owner and Governor Jeff Hunt. “It’s the jersey of Denis Potvin, Doug Wilson and Bobby Smith. It’s the jersey of our Memorial Cup winning teams. And it’s fantastic to finally be able to return to it and give our fans the look they’ve been asking for.”

The jersey will be unveiled to 67’s fans at the Rona Centre on Friday evening, just before the start of their game against Niagara at 7:30 PM. Great seats for that game are still available.

Binghamton Senators' barber-pole jerseySo that's cool and I'll get pictures on the blog tomorrow. If any 67's fans in attendance feel like sharing a picture, everyone here would be grateful.

The AHL's Binghamton Senators recently sported the full stripes — though not in the Reebok Edge cut (right).

But that's not all. Now we bring it back to the NHL club. Icethetics reader Dan P. emailed in about what the change-up for the 67's might mean for the Ottawa Senators in 2011.

Given the conversations regarding the Sens jersey changes, this news could likely have an impact as it probably rules out a complete return to the straight barber poles... not likely that two teams in the same town sport the same jersey.

While I can't think of a specific example to refute Dan's claim, I don't see why that necessarily has to be the case — especially if it's just an alternate for the Sens. It might be cool to have that connection with the junior club in town.

Still, let's say Dan is onto something and the Sens wouldn't go full-on barber-pole. Team president Cyril Leeder has said that the barber-pole design will be part of the new third jersey. So that brings me back to the above jersey the 67's have been wearing since 2009. I think it would work perfectly for the Senators and it will no longer be in use by the 67's.

So that's that put to bed for the time being.

Here's an interesting one. Remember my April Fool's joke in 2008? It was about the NHL dropping Reebok Edge jerseys and turning to Project Runway for redesigned uniforms. Maybe it was just crazy enough to be true.

ESPN The Magazine asked fashion designer Tommy Hilfiger for his take on the uniforms of the most historic teams in major sports for their Style Issue (March 21 edition). He tried his hand at the Yankees, Lakers and Cowboys before turning to the Montreal Canadiens.

Tommy Hilfiger gives the Canadiens a new look / ESPN The Magazine

Here's what Hilfiger had to say about his Habs' redesign:

I wanted to go in a different direction than the current Canadiens uniforms, which are solid colors. We loved the idea of taking the traditional rugby stripe and incorporating it into a hockey uniform. The tie at the neck area allows a wider opening for putting on and taking off the jersey over all the pads. The zigzag stitch along the front is one of the strongest stitches that can be applied to a garment to withstand pulling and tugging. It gives the uniform a cool twist, but it's functional, too. There has to be a balance.

I like the rugby stripes much better than the barber-pole the 67's are talking about. But it would be hard to see the Habs in a uniform that didn't bear the CH. If you're so inclined, you should check out Hilfiger's other redesigns.

This next item relates to Canada, but not stripes. Chris Creamer tweeted a link to a story saying the sale of the WHL's Chilliwack Bruins  is "70% done" — meaning it's looking like they'll be playing in Victoria next season.

And it apparently relates to the possibility of the Phoenix Coyotes moving back to Winnipeg if they can't sort things out in Glendale, Ariz. This pretty much sums it up: "With the impeding collapse of the Phoenix Coyotes in Glendale and their move to Winnipeg in the cards, it is imperative to the WHL that they move into the Victoria market before the Vancouver Canucks affiliate, the Manitoba Moose does."

I don't know all the ins and outs of this story, but I do know the ECHL is already in Victoria with the Salmon Kings — and they're affiliated with the Canucks and Moose. I guess it'll be interesting to see what new team names and logos we end up with next season when all of this gets worked out.

By the way, I have an extra-long Winnipeg Jets concept post in the works for tomorrow. Thanks to all the artists who've submitted their work!

Islanders 2001—2007 / Getty ImagesAnd now to drop my Canadian theme altogether, we'll move on to the subject of the New York Islanders  and their new third jersey.

In a video blog on NYI Point Blank, Chris Botta addressed a reader's question. He says the Isles will indeed launch a new alternate sweater for 2011-12.

The reader asked what we're all thinking by pointing out that the Islanders already "got it right" with the new white sweater this season. So why risk a "fishsticks" ordeal?

The simple answer: money. As Botta points out, if the club adds a new jersey, even if it has a fisherman on the front, fans will buy it. And the Isles would like to have their money.

Botta had no details to offer on the design, but did say he was working for the club when the orange jersey was launched. He liked it. Personally, I'm not a big fan, but it is different and we have seen worse. Much worse.

Thanks to Andy F. for sending along the link. 

Junior Jerseys You Should Know About

Amidst all the recent NHL news, Icethetics readers have been emailing in to let us all know about some rather fascinating specialty jerseys hitting the ice in the Canadian Hockey League. And these you need to see.

Nuclear Night jersey / John AllenOver the weekend, the WHL's Tri-City Americans, based out of eastern Washington, held a special theme night which required special sweaters.

Friday, Jan. 28 was Nuclear Night in Kennewick, Wash. And they wore some rather radioactive uniforms to mark the occasion. Just look at them.

Full graphic rendering of jersey

I don't know what to say about that. Except that it's awesome! (We're supposed to think it's awesome, right?) I mean just look at all the colors... electric green, fuchsia, to name a few. 

Nuclear Night jersey (back) / John AllenThe event was announced Thursday on the team's website and that all of the jerseys would be auctioned off following Friday's game.

A special website was set up to take bids. (So if you have to have one of these, you know where to go.) It says the proceeds will benefit the Players' Continuing Education Fund.

Honestly, I love seeing this sort of thing in the minors/juniors. It's one night and it's fun. We'd never want to see it attempted in the NHL, of course, but if not for teams like this and their charitable causes, we'd never know what a Nuclear Night jersey would look like. Would we?

For the record, the Americans were victorious in all their atomic glory, defeating the Portland Winterhawks 5-2. And you know the Winterhawks didn't look this good.

My thanks to Josh S. for the tip.

If you though the Tri-City Americans had eye-catching jerseys, let's head to the Ontario Hockey League.

Alumni Night jersey / Erie OttersThe OHL's Erie Otters unveiled their Alumni Night jerseys last week.

These bright yellow sweaters will be worn this Saturday, Feb. 5, to celebrate the Otters' 1,000th regular season game.

These game-worn jerseys aren't going up for auction, however. (I think we know how that would go.) Instead, they'll go on sale following the game for $240 each (with a $20 discount if you're a season ticket holder).

Frankly, I'm not familiar with Erie's hockey past. Are there any readers who can shed some light on the history behind these colors?

Kudos to long-time reader Jeff S. for emailing this in.

Lethbridge throwback / from Joshua SchroederThe WHL's Lethbridge Hurricanes celebrated the 60th anniversary of a hometown team's world championship last week.

On Tuesday, Jan. 25, the Hurricanes hosted the Brandon Wheat Kings sporting the sweaters of the old Lethbridge Maple Leafs, who won the World Amateur Hockey Championship on the same date in 1951. They won 4-3.

This is a very cool tribute, and one of the few times "vintage white" is an acceptable color on a 2011 hockey uniform. They're honoring a team that played six decades ago. The cream color adds to the illusion that the guys are sporting the old club's sweaters. Even if we know better.

Now for all the links: Read a recap of the game on the team's website. Learn about the history of the Lethbridge Maple Leafs and the significance of the throwback night.

And while the auctions may be over, it's worth checking out what some of the sweaters sold for. One went for as much as $1,000! Who is Max Ross?

Thanks again to Josh S., our WHL watchdog.

I've got some other minor league jersey photos I'll try to get posted this week. Also preparing to give a stagnant Icethetics feature a big makeover. It'll give you another reason to keep coming back.

Oil Kings Celebrate Soldiers

Mark Pysyk / photo from Oil KingsThe WHL's Edmonton Oil Kings held their Military Appreciation Day over the weekend and broke out some specialty sweaters to mark the occasion.

On Sunday, the Oil Kings hosted the Kootenay Ice, sporting jerseys made of red and blue camouflage. They're quite a sight, and in case this one picture isn't enough, the team has you covered with a full photo gallery on its website.

I've never seen a camo jersey looking quite like that. Two completely different hues on one uniform. And it may look silly but it's for a good cause. As usual, the sweaters were auctioned off after the game.

The Oil Kings wore special edition Military Appreciation Day jerseys to honour the Canadian Armed Forces, and the game-worn uniforms were then auctioned off. An impressive $7,475 was raised from the jersey auction, with proceeds going to Soldier On, a program that improves the quality of life of injured or ill Canadian Forces personnel and former personnel through physical activities.

That really is impressive when you consider it averages out to more than $350 per sweater. But Canadians do seem to love their junior hockey. Perhaps I too will learn that joy when I finally will myself to a Seattle Thunderbirds game.

Sadly, the Oil Kings lost 2-1 to the Ice on Military Appreciation Day. If you'd like to know more about the event and/or the game, look no further than the team's website.