NHL Announces 2014 Winter Classic

Outdoor game in Ann Arbor, Mich. officially rescheduled

The NHL announced Sunday morning that the Detroit Red Wings and Toronto Maple Leafs will meet in Ann Arbor, Mich. on Jan. 1 for the next Winter Classic. I'm starting to sound like a broken record. This same game was announced last year for 2013 but was canceled due to the lockout. It will now take place in 2014.

Better than the announcement of the big game was the unveiling of all the jerseys that will be used at the event next January. So we'll have a lot of pictures in this post. Enjoy.

We'll start with the host team. The Red Wings who, according to the press release, "will be wearing iconic red and antique white uniforms featuring a striping pattern and arch Detroit wordmark inspired by the late-1920s Detroit Cougars. The front crest on the jersey will feature an early iteration of the winged wheel from the late 1930s Red Wings."

Photo from Detroit Red Wings official website

Perhaps the most fascinating detail of this jersey is the captains' letters being worn on the left sleeve. Above, you see the "A" on Pavel Datsyuk's sweater, and below, the "C" on Henrik Zetterberg's. I think this may be the first time we've ever seen the captains marked anywhere but the chest.

Photos from Detroit Red Wings official website

Here are a few more looks at the jersey and some the details.

Now let's switch gears to their opponent.

The Maple Leafs are going back to 1927 for their Winter Classic uniform — a design they actually resurrected briefly back in the 90s.

Photo from Schuyler Baehman via Twitter

Here's what the team says about the jersey on their website's current splash page.

The Toronto Maple Leafs 2014 NHL Winter Classic sweater speaks to our storied beginnings and evokes memories of Hall of Famers nicknamed "Busher" Jackson, "Ace" Bailey, "King" Clancy and "Gentleman" Joe Primeau.

The name and crest were born on a train ride home from Michigan in 1927, with Toronto leaving Detroit as the St. Pats and pulling into Old Union Station as the Toronto Maple Leafs. Our blue and white colours were chosen by team founder Conn Smythe to reflect is alma mater the University of Toronto.

An unabashed patriot, Smythe wanted to adopt Canada's national emblem, the maple leaf, for his new hockey team, stating: "The Maple Leaf, to us, was the badge of courage, the badge that meant home... We chose it hoping [it would be] worn with honour and pride and courage, the way it had been worn by the soldiers of the first Great War in the Canadian Army."

Don't you love the Detroit tie-in to that story?

Photo from Toronto Maple Leafs via Facebook

Now I'd love to show you some more pictures of that Leafs jersey here, but — unlike the Red Wings — the Leafs haven't put a whole lot out there yet. So we'll just skip to the next bit.

Photo from Detroit Red Wings via Facebook

The sweaters for the alumni game were also unveiled today. The Wings will basically wear the opposite of their 2009 Winter Classic jersey — red with a white stripe and "D" on the chest. The Leafs will sport their 1970s uniform.

Here are some other notes from the day:

• HBO's 24/7 series will be back to chronicle the season leading up to the Winter Classic. It's worth noting that realignment puts Detroit and Toronto in the same division next season which will make things even more interesting.
• There's been a lot of talk about multiple outdoor games in 2014. Perhaps another Heritage Classic featuring the Montreal Canadiens and, say, the Vancouver Canucks in their Millionaires jersey? I only say Montreal because they've played every Heritage game so far. But maybe the Ottawa Senators in a white version of their Heritage jerseys could take on the Millionaires-clad Canucks? That way everybody gets a turn at playing on a pond.
• And finally... BLUE VERSUS RED!!

What are you excited about most when it comes to the 2014 NHL Winter Classic?

Let's Catch Up on the Week

The reason you haven't heard from me this week is simple: relocation. I've been packing all my stuff, moving it to a new place, and then unpacking it. All while working. Didn't leave a lot of time for Icethetics. But not to worry, I'm back!

Time to catch up on what I've missed. And there's been quite a bit.

NHL to hold Winter Classic press conference Sunday

First, we'll start with the newest news. Apparently, the NHL has called a press conference for Sunday morning and those in the know are speculating it will be the official announcement that the NHL Winter Classic — scheduled to be played in Ann Arbor, Mich. between the Red Wings and Maple Leafs three months ago — will be rescheduled for Jan. 1, 2014. Or so says Michigan Live's Ansar Khan.

More importantly to Icethetics readers, Khan says the jerseys will be unveiled as well. And assuming the designs weren't changed after the recent leaks, this is what we can expect them to look like

The press conference is scheduled for 10:30 AM ET on Sunday. You can be sure I plan to update the blog with official images as soon as humanly possible.

Thanks to @Levesque_B and @adam_rickert for their helpful tweets this morning.

Dallas Stars' whiff on April Fools' joke

As if their poor fans haven't endured enough these days, the Dallas Stars decided to play a nasty joke on them Monday. It was an April Fools' Day prank that might've been funny in another context.

At this point, it's widely known the Stars will have new uniforms next season. What's not known is when they plan to unveil them. Then the team tweeted this Monday night. 

The third period is gonna be an exciting one! twitter.com/DallasStars/st…

— Dallas Stars (@DallasStars) April 2, 2013

Now, April Fools' Day being what it is, most of us were understandably suspicious. You don't make big announcements on April 1 because no one will believe you. Still, many people were taken in by the idea that the Stars might reveal their new threads that night.

With any hope of making the playoffs quickly fading and the Stars being shut out 3-0 by Anaheim, the promise of a look at the club's future was enough to blind a lot of folks to the calendar. Unfortunately, what they got was a look at their ridiculous past when — as Dallas Morning News beat writer Mike Heika put it — "out of a curtain jumped a guy in a horse head wearing the old alternate sweater — 'The Mooterus,' as it is called in disgust by fans."

Yeah, under the circumstances, not so funny. Chris at SportsLogos.net got into a little more detail on his blog — including some unwelcome fan backlash.

Stars jersey leak prank fools logo website's readers

Speaking of our good friends at SportsLogos.net, Chris decided to join the April Fools' fray on Monday morning, thinking it would be funny to post a phony leak of the Stars' new uniforms.

April Fools' Day prank via SportsLogos.net

Essentially, it's a Tampa Bay Lightning jersey in green with the Dallas Cowboys logo on the front. Can't give him points for creativity, but I can give him points for execution. The grainy "cell phone photo" was intended to look like a shot of an official NHL branding sheet, complete with "CONFIDENTIAL - DO NOT RELEASE UNTIL Q3 2013" watermarked all over.

I thought we'd all have a laugh and move on. Until my inbox starting filling up (thanks, Chris) with people asking if I'd seen the leak. I think many of Chris' readers simply looked at the pretty picture, downloaded it, and posted it to other web forums and such — without bothering to read all the way to the bottom of the page.

Yes, folks, it was a joke. Did you really think the Stars could so blatantly infringe on one of the most valuable identities in all of sports? And spend so much time developing a new brand that simply ripped off other brands? We all know better than that. It was a decent joke, but nothing more.

Penguins may not add new third jersey in 2013

Contrary to what was reported in the last NHL JerseyWatch post, the Pittsburgh Penguins might not be adding a new alternate uniform next season. While they are definitely retiring their blue third at the end of this season, its replacement may still be a couple years away.

This all comes from one succinct tweet by Pittsburgh Tribune-Review beat writer Rob Rossi yesterday.

No #pens trade, but about uniforms that didn't make notes: No alternates at all next season. Maybe new ones in future. Vegas gold staying.

— Rob Rossi (@RobRossi_Trib) April 3, 2013

All the bad news you can fit into 140 characters. New new thirds. And the Vegas gold is staying. Sorry Pens fans, this is apparently not your year.

But briefly on the subject of the JerseyWatch post. I must admit I was making an assumption regarding a new third jersey. All Reebok tends to say in January when it comes to jersey changes is "TBA" — to be announced. All it tells us for sure is that the existing jersey won't be around next season. The question of whether it would be replaced immediately is not answered with "TBA." I just jumped to conclusions.

That's not to say a new third wasn't in the works for 2013. The team may have had something in development that was scrapped before December. We'll probably never know for sure.

Red Wings honor Gordie Howe with No. 9 sweaters

And finally, we'll finish where we started. Michigan. The Detroit Red Wings honored legend Gordie Howe on his 85th birthday Sunday. Every player donned his No. 9 sweater during warm-ups prior to their game against the Blackhawks.

Photo from Detroit Red Wings official website

It was kind of an interesting sight and a neat way to wrap up this post.

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?

More on the Millionaires Tribute

We received some surprising news last Friday when the Vancouver Canucks revealed how they'll be honoring the old Vancouver Millionaires on their uniforms this season. Since this is actual jersey news in a season where we weren't expecting any, you can bet this will be a frequent topic of discussion.

Vancouver Canucks official website

On Friday, the Canucks' alternate jersey made its season debut with a new addition — the blue Vancouver Millionaires patch on the chest. It only improves upon a jersey that's already outfitted with some pretty awesome logos. (That Johnny Canuck V mark needs to become the primary logo. What are they waiting for?)

By the way, I'm not ignoring that Hockey Talks logo. All seven Canadian teams will have a version that they'll wear as a helmet decal at various points during the month of February. I'll have a post on that later this week.

Vancouver Canucks via Twitter

But back to the Millionaires. If you're looking to deck yourself out in that classic logo, clearly gear is not in short supply. This photo was posted to the Canucks Team Store Twitter account on Friday. They're even selling the five-year-old third jersey with a new patch. Pardon the pun, but millionaires indeed.

Of course we can't leave out the new sweater that's at the center of all this exciting news. As modeled by Ryan Kesler in photos released by the team last week, this is the Vancouver Millionaires jersey the team will wear at least once during this shortened season. All indications point to March 16 when the Red Wings are in town.

Photos by Severin Samulski via Fort Nucks

Believe it or not, the Red Wings as an opponent for this game isn't as random as it seems. This requires a bit of a history lesson to understand why.

In 1912 came the formation of the Pacific Coast Hockey Association (PCHA), of which the Millionaires were a founding member along with the New Westminster Royals and Victoria Senators. In 1913, Senators became the Victoria Aristocrats. (Honestly, after four lockouts in 20 years, can you imagine any NHL team today being named the Millionaires or Aristocrats and still having fans? Yeah, the naming thing gets worse...)

Before the 1916-17 season, the Aristocrats left Victoria for Spokane, Wash. where they were renamed the Canaries. (Told ya.) But no one in eastern Washington cared to attend games and the club folded before the season even ended.

Victoria, B.C. returned to the PCHA scene in 1918 with a brand new team — also called the Aristocrats. (Think Winnipeg Jets, except with fewer relocations.) In 1922, the club was renamed once again to the Victoria Cougars. That might actually be a name you recognize if you're at all familiar with Stanley Cup history. (Also, the Millionaires became the Maroons.)

Two years later in 1924, the Seattle Metropolitans folded, leaving just two teams in the PCHA. The Cougars and Maroons moved to the Western Canada Hockey League where the Cougars promptly won their first and only Stanley Cup championship against the Montreal Canadiens!

The Cougars played one more season in the newly renamed Western Hockey League where this time they lost the Stanley Cup Final. It also spelled the end of the team as the WHL was unable to compete financially with the NHL. The teams were disbanded and players' rights were sold to NHL clubs.

Guess who bought the rights to the Victoria Cougars in 1926. Yep, a group from Detroit, who named their new team the Detroit Cougars. The Cougars became the Falcons in 1930. And ultimately, in 1932, they became the Detroit Red Wings we know today.

So you see, the Canucks are really trying to stir up a century-old rivalry. Can't wait to see it. Now if only someone could convince them to wear their 2009 Winter Classic jerseys — which were in fact Cougars jerseys!

Then we'd have ourselves a hockey game.

Winter Classic: What Might've Been

Online retailer apparently leaks 2013 Winter Classic T-shirts

Just a couple of days after the 2013 NHL Winter Classic was supposed to take place, we're getting a sneak peek at what the Detroit Red Wings and Toronto Maple Leafs would've worn — and what they might be wearing when the outdoor game does move to 2014.

The above images were posted Wednesday on the SportsLogos.net message boards by Pizzaman7294. They were downloaded from FansEdge.com, an online retailer of sports merchandise. And while the T-shirts don't appear to be listed as available products on the public area of the website, the images still exist in the site's database.

The Winter Classic was originally scheduled for Tuesday at The Big House in Ann Arbor, Mich. but the lack of a new CBA led the NHL to cancel the game along with about half of the season so far. (You don't need me to tell you about that.) We never did see the jerseys, though the logo was unveiled by the Red Wings over the summer.

It's expected that the game will simply be shifted to next season — Jan. 1, 2014 — with the location and opponents remaining the same. Presumably, then, the Wings and Leafs will wear the same jerseys and logos that were originally designed for the 2013 game.

What do you think of the designs seen above? Do they have you looking forward to the Winter Classic finally being played? Maybe they'll get some of our concept artists thinking!