Ducks 3rd Jersey Leaked

Anaheim Ducks 3rd jerseyThe Anaheim Ducks new alternate jersey has been leaked by the online sports retailer FansEdge.

That can't be good for their Reebok account. However, it is good news for us jersey geeks as Icethetics can now provide a visual sample of what you've read about for weeks.

By the way, Greg Wyshynski at Puck Daddy was actually first with this story. Check out his take on the new threads.

Despite it coming from a third party, this is official Reebok photography (right). We should all be very familiar with it. So at least for me there is no question whether this is the Ducks' actual jersey.

It makes sense that Reebok has provided images to retailers ahead of the November launch of the new sweater — though retailers were probably asked to keep it under their hats until then. Oops.

But one image wasn't enough. FansEdge kept going. Here's a look at the back of the jersey (left).

Since it's not customized, we can't be sure about the number and lettering style. We could assume it will be the same as the home and road sweaters but you never know.

According to the Ducks, the jersey will make its official on-ice debut on Nov. 26 when they host the Chicago Blackhawks (on Black Friday, of course).

As far as the design, I'm not crazy about the striping up and down the sides. Of course these shots don't provide the best view. We'll have to wait to see it in action next month.

The upshot is the "D" logo on the chest. Been waiting for that since 2006, when the current home and road sweaters were unveiled. Plus, as you can see on the shoulders, the original Mighty Ducks logo returns in the new color scheme, as I mentioned previously.

What do you guys think? What did they get right? What did they get wrong?

Update on Tuesday · Oct 19 · 2010 | 11:33 AM PDT by Chris

By the way, in case you didn't click the link earlier today, the image at FansEdge has since been removed. It will remain here on Icethetics, however, for informational purposes.

CHL Third Jersey Fever, Part 2

After a few weeks of daily updates, I needed a bit of a breather. But it's time now to get back to it. We first need to get to a few more third jerseys from the CHL, as a continuation from last week. That post included only new alternates from the WHL. Today's will be from all three leagues.

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Photo credit: John AllenThe WHL's Tri-City Americans unveiled a new red third jersey just a few weeks ago.

The design was first seen on Annie Fowler's Tri-City Herald sports blog on Sept. 23. The jersey then made its on-ice debut a few nights later, Sept. 26, for the Ams' first game of the season.

For the record, the Americans beat the Spokane Chiefs in the new threads in front of their home crowd in Kennewick, Wash. by a score of 6-3.

The standard home and road jerseys for the Tri-City club are dark blue and white. Though the red clearly works very well. The primary logo is the same on those sweaters so it might've been a nice change to see something else there.

Still, this is the CHL and even though it's a junior league it's hard to complain about most of their sweaters. They usually put a lot of work in and tend to hit the mark — unlike a certain major professional hockey league we all know well.

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Oil Kings unveil third jerseyJust yesterday, the WHL's Edmonton Oil Kings unveiled their new blue alternate sweater.

Typically, the Oil Kings' dark jerseys are red with more traditional striping so this is a change of pace. And while the rest of the sweater changes, the logo remains the same. A post at etownhockey may have put it best:

The jersey's take on a new modern look but their gaudy symbol is still intact. I like the look but I was really hoping for a completely revamped 3rd jersey which saw a new logo.

The yellow logo is very dated and looks out of place with the rest of the uniform. I understand this goes back to the original Oil Kings days, but with an alternate jersey they had free range to add something new. Unfortunately this wasn't the case.

The Oil Kings' own press release makes no excuses for the design, just pointing out that it will look like a whole new team when the new sweater hits the ice for the first time (in a game) on Friday night against the Medicine Hat Tigers. They also have an extra photo for your enjoyment.

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Photo credit: Dave ChanOne of my favorite CHL third jerseys has got to belong to the Halifax Mooseheads of the QMJHL.

The Mooseheads' new black sweater is actually a revisit of a previous third jersey, only now it's made by Reebok. And despite being black, it looks great. You know why black works in the CHL? Because it's used sparingly.

The jersey first hit the ice on Oct. 1 in a shootout loss to the Saint John Sea Dogs. But they sure looked good, aesthetically speaking. Not that they normally look bad. On any other night, the Mooseheads normally look like the Minnesota Wild, whose jersey design they use for both their home and road uniforms.

In other jersey-related news from Halifax, the Mooseheads will hold Pink in the Rink III on Oct. 22. That will involve specially-colored sweaters and the ice surface painted pink. Also, if you have a minor hockey team in Nova Scotia, the Mooseheads could wear your sweater for a night. Details on the Great Mooseheads Jersey Race on their website.

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St. Michael's Majors third jerseyThe OHL team with the most ridiculous name ever, the Mississauga St. Michael's Majors, has a new third jersey.

It's a nice one but all these "fauxbacks" are starting to look the same. You got your circle crest in your Habs-style stripe across the chest. We get it. Even jerseys from way back in the day had their own styles. Still, most NHL teams struggle for a look this clean and simple.

The new sweater was unveiled Sept. 26 at the Meet the Majors event. This photo (right) was posted on Twitter by Tony Ambrogio the following day but the team has a small photo gallery on its website. Unfortunately, the "fauxback" thing only gets worse when you see the back. Yes, that's a dark blue nameplate on a vintage white sweater. When did this become a thing?

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Greyhounds' new third jerseyWe'll wrap up today's CHL third jersey post with the OHL's Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds.

I don't know if they're trying to keep this new sweater a secret, but the Soo Greyhounds are doing a good job of it. A reader, Ryan, emailed in this photo (right) with no details on where it came from. There's also this article on the team's website.

The Greyhounds usually wear red and white so this is certainly something new. Still, it looks like they're trying (badly) to borrow an idea from the Mooseheads (mentioned above).

But I guess it's no worse than writing SENS or BOLTS across the front of your alternate uniform. The striping is hard to make out in either image but it appears to be pretty plain as well. Not that that's a bad thing.

Hoping the uniform looks better on the ice than in this photo, though. By the way, if you guys can track down a better shot (perhaps game action), let me know by email.

CHL Third Jersey Fever, Part 1

We have to be nearing some kind of record: New posts EVERY DAY since Sept. 15. And some of those days have seen multiple posts. I can't remember the last time Icethetics was this busy. But there's no sense in slowing down now. I promised a look at some CHL third jerseys before the week was out. Unfortunately, there are too many for a single post.

We'll begin with the Western Hockey League. The season kicked off a couple weeks ago and already we've got several new sweaters hitting the ice.

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Kamloops Blazers 3rd jerseyThe Kamloops Blazers have added a blazing orange blazer. It's not the color but the front of this jersey that is its downfall.

I hate to start on a bad note because last time I discussed Canadian Hockey League uniforms on this blog, it was with great acclaim. I said the NHL should take a page out of their book. But it looks more like the Blazers have taken a page out of the Dallas Stars' book. And the Stars' book is terrible!

The dawn of the Age of Reebok ushered orange out of the NHL. But prior to that, only the Islanders and Flyers used it for their third jerseys. Philadelphia then brought it back in 2008 as an alternate. Only now is it finally a regularly-used color again.

So despite the terrible lack of any sort of crest design for Kamloops, you won't find a more colorful hockey league and that by itself should be applauded.

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Kelowna Rockets 3rd jerseySpeaking of colorful, the Kelowna Rockets have barely worn their regular home and road sweaters this season.

On Sept. 25, the Rockets debuted a new red third jersey with silly-looking dragon face on the front of it. Say what you will about it, but how many teams have ever used this color combination? Certainly none in the NHL and the closest one I can think of is the Detroit Vipers in the old IHL.

But that's not all. The Rockets also wore their pink-ribbon jersey recently for (I'm hoping) Breast Cancer Awareness Night. To save space, I'm linking to it rather than displaying. Plus, you've seen one pink jersey, you've seen them all.

Rather ironically, their home and road sweaters are black and white. Still, the fact that they're willing to take advantage of their color scheme, even if only on a third jersey, is good enough for me. More NHL teams need to get a little creative.

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Kootenay Ice 3rd jerseyThe Kootenay Ice have a new blue third jersey in the pipeline.

And here's another example of an awful NHL fad creeping into the CHL. Stop with the mismatch nameplates. Philly did it first with their third jerseys to replicate a past design quirk. That's all right. Now stop.

Setting that aside, this is an otherwise perfectly nice hockey sweater with great colors and a slick design that manages to also feel retro. 

In a web release, the team credits the jersey design to Jack Santos of Visible Means Design in Sherwood Park, Alberta.

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Red Deer Rebels 3rd jerseyI recently mentioned the unveiling of the Red Deer Rebels third jersey. Now we can see it on a player in full gear.

The photos I have were sent in by Jorden Clarke. One thing he did point out was the poor visibility of the black numbers on the maroon stripes on the back. That's kind of a shame and easy to fix.

Despite that, however, I still believe this to be among the best new hockey sweaters in the world this season. I just wish they could get the WHL logo off the front.

This jersey made its debut last week on Oct. 2. My thanks to Jorden for these photos from the pre-game skate.

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Chiliwack Bruins' 3rd jerseyAlso making its first appearance that night was the Chilliwack Bruins' new third jersey.

This is an instance where I think the team would be better suited to just adopt their third jersey as the new standard. As Reebok-ified as the sleeve striping may be, it's still a great looking uniform as a whole.

I don't even think changing the logo would be a bad thing. Not every team called the "Bruins" has to have a spoked letter as their primary mark. (Yes, that's you too Providence.)

By the way, most of the uncredited game photos in today's post, this one included, and many more can be found at WHL.ca and their online photo gallery. Also this next one...

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Vancouver Giants' anniversary jerseyThe Vancouver Giants are celebrating their 10th anniversary with a special jersey.

The most notable feature of the sweater is the 10th anniversary logo placed front and center. The ECHL's Florida Everblades did something similar for their decennial in 2007-08. But they actually put the 10th year logo on the home and road jerseys all year.

For the Giants, they've just taken their standard white jersey and swapped out the crests. Might've expected a little more creativity from these guys so it's a tad disappointing.

Maybe we'll get something better from them next season. Last thing today then I'll leave you alone...

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Lethbridge Hurricanes' 3rd jerseyAccording to blogger Scott Wasilewski, this is the Lethbridge Hurricanes third jersey.

This photo appears to have been taken on a store shelf last Friday and I haven't seen anything on the team's website about an alternate sweater, so maybe you guys could help shed some light on this particular subject.

It looks like a frightening fusion between the Washington Capitals and Carolina Hurricanes. Scott isn't sure if he likes it. I'm pretty sure I don't. And heck, while we're talking about bad Lethbridge jerseys, they've announced plans for Pink in the Rink Night on Nov. 19-20.

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More new sweaters from the OHL and QMJHL this weekend. Also new stuff in the AHL and ECHL as well. Check back for updates.

Update on Thursday · Oct 14 · 2010 | 9:54 AM PDT by Chris

There is now a follow-up to this post: CHL Third Jersey Fever, Part 2. It features the Tri-City Americans and Edmonton Oil Kings from the WHL, Halifax Mooseheads from the Q, and the OHL's St. Mike's Majors and Soo Greyhounds.

Kings Unveil Vintage Jersey!

Kings' throwback sweaterWithout a lot of fanfare, the Los Angeles Kings today unveiled the throwback jersey they will wear occasionally during the season.

The new uniform was revealed via the team's website this afternoon. Unlike the retro gold jersey we saw the Kings give to their first round draft pick in June, this one is purple.

The sweater's design is simple, a replica of what the club wore during the 1970s. It features a single heavy gold stripe around the waist and sleeves along with the classic crown on the chest. Click here for a rendering of the full uniform.

In their press release, the team acknowledges the throwback jersey is being used on Saturday to commemorate 40 years of competition with the Vancouver Canucks, who entered the NHL in 1970. This year is the Kings' 44th.

The release also confirmed the jerseys would be worn again at home during the season:

Saturday’s game at Vancouver will also help kick-off off a special “Kings Legends Series” planned for later this season at STAPLES Center. As part of this series, the Kings will again wear their special vintage jerseys on three future home dates while honoring three distinguished former players. Legends Series dates and honorees will be announced at a later time.

For more pictures of the jersey, including photos of players breaking in their purple and gold gear at practice, make your way to the Kings' website. You can also find a page on the Kings' uniform history.

Sneak Peek at L.A. Prototypes?

Kings prototype jerseys?A couple of Los Angeles Kings fans say they got a sneak peek at what might be prototype jerseys.

One reader sent in this photo (right) in which we see two white jerseys draped over a couch in Luc Robitaille's office at the team's practice facility in El Segundo.

Robitaille is the Kings' president of business operations. And the sweaters feature the logo currently in use on the team's black third jersey. The anonymous shutterbug included the following in his email to me:

They're white versions of the Kings current third jersey. One is an inverse version and the other has the colors reversed on the arm bands. I actually think the silver band with black trim looks really sweet.

You can see a pair of matching socks underneath as well. Looks like maybe the Kings are thinking of switching their black thirds to full time home jerseys at some point, with these as the road version. I sure hope so; these look great.

If these are in fact actual NHL prototypes, the Kings wouldn't be the first team to be going retro, as that's become a welcome fad as of late. When this crest was introduced in 2008, it was meant to evoke the team's black-and-white era of the late '80s and '90s. So what's going on here? Are the Kings looking to drop the purple again?

Here's another theory: Maybe the NHL is considering going back to whites at home. Many fans want it. The league designated white jerseys for road games beginning in 2003. (That was also the year that broke hockey — they switched the jerseys, my Lightning won the Stanley Cup and then all NHL hockey ceased for more than a year!) 

If the league were to go back to whites at home, it might be wise for some teams to have a white alternate uniform as an option. And if these jerseys do ever see the light of day, it will be until 2011-12 at the earliest. By the way, I have absolutely no basis for this theory.

Photo by Kasey SpatzIf anyone can make out details in the photo and wants to take a shot at some concept art, I'd be happy to get it on the site.

One more Kings thing. While they still haven't given us any official details, there's more evidence that that team will be wearing throwbacks on Saturday night for the season opener in Vancouver.

In this photo (right), presumably taken at the same facility as the one above, Kings D-man Matt Greene is breaking in his purple and gold gloves during training camp.

Thanks to Josh for sending this in!

By the way, in case you missed the link earlier, there's an article in the New York Times today about the return of retro sweaters to NHL hockey. I was interviewed and quoted in the piece, and Icethetics gets a shoutout!