Amerks Unveil Third Jersey

Americans unveil new third jerseyThe AHL's Rochester Americans unveiled a new third jersey at a press conference on Tuesday.

The throwback sweater is a replica of what the Amerks wore back in the 1960s. Team president Lewis Staats called it a "symbol of returning to [the team's] roots."

Members of the American Spirit Dance Team were on hand to model the new jerseys. I like how minor league teams always use the pretty girls on staff to launch a new sweater. Almost guarantees people will look at it.

You can find more information about the new alternate uniform in an article posted yesterday on the team's website — it includes a picture of a bunch of dudes holding up the jersey.  Thanks to all the great Icethetics readers who sent this in.

Pirates Prepare for Pink in October

Pirates unveil special pink jerseyThe AHL's Portland Pirates will wear a special pink sweater for Breast Cancer Awareness Night.

This image (right) comes directly from the splash page of the Pirates' official website, which indicates the jersey will be worn on Oct. 23.

It's actually a really neat design that borrows both from the team's history as well as its NHL affiliate, the Buffalo Sabres and their new uniforms.

The jersey design itself is almost an exact replica of the Sabres' new home sweater with some colors replaced — blue changed to black, gold to pink. But the coolest part may be the crest, which is a fusion of the vintage Pirates and Sabres logos. Replacing the white buffalo above the crossed sabers is the primary mark the Pirates wore from 1990 to 2000.

We've seen some bad breast cancer night jerseys on this blog, so this one is kind of refreshing. I have to applaud the designer for a job well done. And thanks to everyone for emailing it in.

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That's all I've really got time for today. But just so you know, there's been a lot going on that just hasn't made it to the blog yet — despite these daily posts lately. So I recommend following @icethetics on Twitter, or at least keeping an eye on the Twitter feed in the sidebar for frequent updates of jersey/logo news.

Sabres Debut New Uniforms!

The Buffalo Sabres introduce new home, road and alternate jerseys today

It's official. Years of work have paid off for the guys at Sabres Not Slugs — a hardcore group of fans on a mission to rid their team of the infamous "Buffaslug" logo, instituted in 2006.

Today, the Buffalo Sabres unveiled new home, road and alternate jerseys for the 2010-11 season — and the old logo is nowhere to be found. In fact, the new sweaters show a shift by the team back to its original identity.

Thomas Vanek #26Where to start... First, the previous third jersey, introduced in 2008, is the new standard home sweater. No surprise, and it's a welcome change as this is a spectacular hockey uniform. Even better, the Sabres will double up on this solid design by wearing a white version for road games.

Some fans have bemoaned the heavy use of navy blue, but let's be honest: this is 2010, not 1980. Bright colors are better in small doses. And that makes the new alternate sweater perfect. The bright colors are a great change of pace and superb tribute to the past.

And BUFFALO across the front, an homage to the town's original pro hockey club, couldn't be better suited. After years of new logos that have failed to catch on with fans, this was exactly the right play for the Sabres. Celebrate the city, its hockey history, and stop trying to reinvent the wheel.

In a single day, one of the NHL's worst-dressed clubs has become one of the best. It's an outstanding set of sweaters. Most teams would be lucky to look this good.

Unique features on the back of the thirdA release on the Sabres website details some interesting facts about new third jersey:

•  The royal blue color of the third jersey reflects the original Sabres jersey that debuted in 1970.
• The “Buffalo” script wordmark was inspired by the old Buffalo Bisons “bottlecap” logo. 
• The choice of an off-white color for the Buffalo script was to give the jersey a vintage feel.
• There are four stripes on the sleeves, socks and around the waist that represent 40 years of Sabres hockey. 
• A commemorative 40th anniversary “1970” logo sits below the Buffalo script. 
• The faux felt numbers have a unique cross stitched pattern in reference to early pro hockey jerseys.

The new third jersey will be worn for 12 home games this season, including its debut on Oct. 9 for the Sabres' season opener when they host the New York Rangers at HSBC Arena. Seems 10/9/10 is going to be the night for retro sweaters in the NHL.

According to the Sabres' website, "the design for both jerseys was a collaborative effort between the Sabres and Reebok International." By the way, they also have a complete photo gallery of today's unveiling for your enjoyment.

Flyers "Unveil" Road Jersey

Richards sports new road jerseyNo one was surprised when the Philadelphia Flyers unveiled their "new" road sweater this afternoon.

Flyers captain Mike Richards was on hand at Virtua Flyers Skate Zone to model the jersey for the cameras and the crowd.

As anticipated, it's the Winter Classic throwback sweater recycled. And it's the third time in as many years that at least one specialty uniform from the big outdoor game went on to be used on a regular basis the following season. Pittsburgh and Chicago each turned theirs into third jerseys.

If you're craving more photos from today's unveiling event in Philadelphia, the Flyers website has you covered.

By the way, today's announcement means the Flyers are the third team to replace both their home and road sweaters since the league-wide Reebok Edge redesign in 2007. The Maple Leafs and Islanders already did so earlier this summer and the Sabres will join that small group tomorrow with their unveiling event.

In case anyone's keeping track.

Sabres tease third, coming tomorrow

Sabres tease new third jerseyThe Buffalo Sabres will officially unveil their new third jersey tomorrow at PuckDrop 2010.

It's also expected the club will take the opportunity to officially introduce last season's third jersey as the new home sweater — along with a brand new white version to be worn on the road.

Both the new alternate and away sweaters were leaked online earlier this month.

Still, the Sabres currently have a small teaser photo on the splash page of their website tonight. Doesn't really do much for us since we've seen the whole thing now, but if nothing else it further confirms the speculation.

If you are interested, the Sabres will be streaming tomorrow's sweater unveiling on their website starting at 11:30 AM eastern. I, for one, will be watching.

Blue Jackets third launches Nov. 26

Just in time for Black Friday, the Columbus Blue Jackets will hit the ice for the first time donning their new alternate jerseys on Friday, Nov. 26 as they go up against the Detroit Red Wings.

These details were confirmed in a posting on the team's website outlining special events and promotions for their 10th anniversary season.

The article does not detail any plans to unveil the sweater or its design prior to the game, so we may just have to wait until November to see the thing. I'll keep you posted.

Until Saturday morning, that's all the third jersey news I have for you. But I have a lot of other Icethetics-related news to catch up on all weekend, so keep checking back.

Avery Leaks Rangers Third

Rangers third revealedNew York Rangers forward Sean Avery has taken it upon himself to give us a sneak peek at his team's new third jersey.

This image was posted today on Avery's website. Looks like a pre-release photo shoot with the new alternate sweater — obviously.

Having gotten an early look at it myself, I can say that this is in fact the extra uniform the Rangers will have on hand for the 2010-11 season. You can see a patch there on the right shoulder. It's most likely the 85th anniversary logo.

I'm not sure when the team plans to hold an official unveiling for the third. They may just wait until November, like Anaheim. Or they may do it sooner. Either way, you've already gotten a chance to see it for yourself.

I'm a big fan of the color scheme, but it's no secret that personally, I would've rather seen them go with with the Lady Liberty logo from the mid-90s. What do you guys think? Hit or miss?

Loose Threads: Canada to SoCal

In today's edition of Loose Threads, I've got jersey news, ice painting news, and some other stuff. I always know to start with the jersey news and for now that means Calgary.

Flames: Retro Edge Jersey Revealed

Flames retro Edge jerseyAn Icethetics reader sent in a photo of the Calgary Flames vintage sweater in its new Reebok Edge cut.

Last season, the Flames re-introduced their original threads as an alternate uniform as part of their 30th anniversary celebration. Then in March the team announced that the classic sweater would be back for at least another season, but as a Reebok Edge jersey. Last season's version was made out of the standard pre-Edge jersey material.

The design remains mostly the same but for an alteration in the collar. The Flames have said this jersey will be worn up to 15 times this season. Last year, it saw action in only five games. Thanks to Mitchell for sending in this photo.

Maple Leafs: Center Line Gets Patriotic

Leafs paint new patriotic center lineThe Toronto Maple Leafs have overhauled their center ice design at the Air Canada Centre.

A string of Canadian flags now forms the center red line on their rink. But there's a twist. The leaf you find within those little white boxes that run the 85 feet from dasher to dasher is not quite what you'd find on the flag. It's actually the Maple Leafs' logo painted red. Not ground-breaking, but pretty cool.

Close-up of Leafs' new red lineHere's a close up. But if these photos aren't enough for you, the Leafs have you covered. There's an entire photo gallery on the website that shows the process of painting the logos before the ice goes down. Thanks to Brad for that.

Also, I haven't yet mentioned it on the site, but I did link to it on Twitter last week. We recently got a look at the the Leafs' new home sweater in action at the NHLPA Rookie Showcase. Click here to see it.

Kings: Look Out for Legends Night

Kings to celebrate Legends NightFinally, we have some new details on what the Los Angeles Kings are calling Legends Night this season.

Icethetics reader Curtis S. recently received his season ticket package and had some information to share. He says the Kings have branded several games as Legends Night.

Not sure what that means but the games are denoted by an emblem that features the Kings' retro logo. The team will be wearing a retro sweater this season, so this is probably indicative of that.

We already know the Kings will relaunch the classic threads on Oct. 9 against the Canucks. Curtis tells me that other Legends Nights include Jan. 15 vs Edmonton, Feb. 24 vs Minnesota and Mar. 19 vs Anaheim.

Too bad those games are all at home. What a sight it would be to see the Kings and Oilers both in their brightly-colored retro sweaters — no red, black or navy blue to be found.

By the way, the Kings are holding Hockey Fest '10 this Saturday. They haven't said anything about unveiling their retro jersey at this event, but it would be a good time, so I'll keep an eye on it.