Preds 3rd Leaked at Concert

The Nashville Predators used a country music concert to leak their new third jersey last night at the Sommet Center.

According to Preds fan blog Section 303, singer Taylor Swift made a wardrobe change for her encore — donning the yet unseen alternate sweater. Preds forward Steve Sullivan even hinted at the surprise via Twitter last night.

Photo from Section303.com

Section 303 nabbed a photo from a giant video screen so obviously it lacks in quality in terms of detail. For that, we'll probably still have to wait until next Thursday.

I don't think anybody but a couple of 11-year-olds in the front row actually got a good look at it. Still, we can make out some of the basic features. It actually looks a lot like the mockup that was based off of one fan's alleged early look at the jersey.

It looks to be dark blue, with fewer colors on the crest, white stripes around the waist and sleeves, and laces at the collar. It's too difficult to make out whether that checkerboard pattern is present. (Section 303 says it's not but didn't provide any photographic evidence.)

What the earlier "leak" failed to incorporate was the the new circular logo that appears to be on the shoulders. It looks like the primary logo enclosed in a heavy circle — similar to the logo on the Wild's home jersey.

Predators owner David Freeman certainly wasn't lying about the Original Six feel of the jersey — aside from the glaringly modern logo on the front of the sweater, of course.

In fact, Jeremy at Section 303 points out, it's practically a carbon copy of the Maple Leafs' classic uniforms. That will probably hurt it's originality score.

Section 303 has more pictures. Thanks to all of the Icethetics readers who wrote in overnight with this news. My inbox was overflowing with new messages when I woke up this morning.

Remember, the official unveiling takes place at the Sommet Center this Thursday prior to the Preds' preseason game against the Thrashers. We'll have much better photos to look at then.

Winter Classic Windfall

If you've been following the comments in the previous post today, then by now you're aware of what I'm posting tonight. If you steer clear of the comments as I do, it's time to catch up on the big news of the day and it's all about the 2010 Winter Classic.

First, the Philadelphia Flyers officially unveiled their new jersey for the outdoor game.

Keeping in step with the previous four Winter Classic participants, the Flyers will don a classic look that harkens back to their earlier days. Unsurprisingly, it is simply a reversed version of the orange jersey introduced as an alternate last year. (It will become the new home sweater this season.)

Flyers players shoot at a wall of ice to reveal the jersey

Daniel Briere, Simon Gagne and Braydon Coburn were on hand today to reveal the new design by shooting pucks at a wall of ice that concealed it. The three Philadelphia skaters then modeled the sweaters for photos.

Briere, Gagne and Coburn model the Winter Classic threads

Interestingly, the biggest talker with this unveiling wasn't even the design itself — which had been rumored expected for months. From the comments and emails I read, many people could not get over the black nameplate on the back of the white sweater.

Notice the black nameplate on the white sweater...

Personally, I don't mind it. It fits well in context with the orange jersey (which features a white nameplate). It opens the door to making this the new road jersey in the near future. I know many of you are hoping for that. Maybe an orange nameplate would've been better, but black will certainly be more legible.

I recommend checking out the full photo gallery on the Flyers' web site.

The surprise of the day? The Boston Bruins third jersey was leaked online! And no, not at the hands of Icethetics. (Surprisingly.)

In fact, I'm actually not sure where this picture originated. But it clearly shows Tim Thomas wearing a yellow jersey the Bruins have never used before. (Much better than yesterday's poor excuse for a leaked image.)

Take a look.

Is Tim Thomas wearing the Bs' new Winter Classic sweater?

There's little doubt in my mind that this is the real thing — the Bs' brand new Winter Classic sweater. We'll get official word on that next Thursday when it is unveiled at the State of the Bruins event.

As far as the source of this image, the closest I could find was The Boston Sports Network blog. But I am not certain. Please correct me if I'm wrong. I certainly don't want to credit the wrong source.

Anyway, that wraps up today's big Winter Classic news. Just 110 days until the big event!

Preds 3rd Launch Date & More...

Lots to cover tonight so let's dive right in.

The Nashville Predators have revealed their plans for the unveiling of their brand new third jersey. According to the team's web site, the sweater will be introduced on Thursday, September 17.

That night the Preds face the Atlanta Thrashers in an exhibition match at the Sommet Center and fans in attendance will get their first look at the new threads during a pre-game ceremony.

Here's the text pulled from the web page.

Prior to the start of the Sept. 17 game, the Predators new Third Jersey will be revealed in a pre-game ceremony. Players debuting the new jersey will be available for autographs on the main concourse during the first intermission. 

If you're there, feel free to snap some photos and send them along. I'm sure everyone here will enjoy seeing them. Thanks to Paul for pointing out this new information.

To recap earlier news, it sounds like the third jersey will make its regular season debut sometime in November. Team owner David Freeman says it has a traditional look based on some Original Six teams. And back in July, a fan claiming to have seen the sweater, posted a description online which was followed up by a concept rendering.

Now onto the Boston Bruins.

This story may turn out to be nothing, but I got several emails so I thought I'd share it. A new video on NHL.com featuring Tim Thomas appears to show a retro-looking Bruins sweater we've never seen before.

Could it be a sneak peek at their new Winter Classic threads? Take a look at this screenshot and judge for yourself.

Sneak peek at Bruins Winter Classic sweater?

It's the yellow one there in the equipment bag. It's tough to say but it certainly isn't out the question. Like I said, I'll let you guys make up your own minds about its legitimacy. Feel free to discuss.

The design will be officially unveiled a week from tonight at the Bs' State of the Bruins event.

My final piece of news for the night is sort of a follow-up to Wednesday's late night post regarding the classic Buffalo Sabres logo continuing to appear at center ice. It's good news for fans who've been awaiting the imminent death of that awful yellow logo which debuted in 2006.

The final nail in the coffin may have come straight from the mouth of Buffalo bigwig Larry Quinn early today. Icethetics reader Kevin wrote in today with this report.

Hey Chris,

Larry Quinn, managing partner of the Buffalo Sabres was on Leafs Lunch with Bill Watters on AM 640 Toronto today. He let slip that the Sabres are migrating to wearing the retro sweaters full time. Audio isn't up on the website yet, but I'm sure it will be soon. Thought you'd like to know. Goodbye Buffaslug!

Kevin

I'm sure you guys can keep an eye (ear) out for that but it is certainly positive news. I think we'd all be better of if they just listened to John Slabyk in the first place. But we should all be grateful for the little victories where we can get them.

That's all for tonight.

CHL Unveiling Edge Jerseys

Good morning everyone! It's 09-09-09 at 9:09 AM. Won't happen again for another 100 years.

It's going to be an incredibly busy day here at Icethetics today. As you may have read, all 60 CHL teams will be officially launching their new Reebok Edge jerseys. Yes, it's incredibly annoying to have them all coming out on the same day but we'll manage.

Here's how it's going to work. I will be monitoring league and team web sites and as I find pictures, they will be posted on Twitter only! As the day goes on I plan to assemble all of the image links in this post for quick and easy access.

If you run across any good pictures throughout the day that you'd like to share, check that they haven't already been posted before you email them to me. It'll make things go a lot smoother on my end as I try and gather information from five dozen teams.

I appreciate your help on what is sure to be a ridiculous day.

Update on Wednesday · Sep 9 · 2009 | 11:29 AM PDT by Chris

Click here to see all 120 new CHL Reebok Edge jerseys!

Classic Bruins Jersey Coming Soon

The Boston Bruins will unveil their 2010 Winter Classic jersey next Thursday at the State of the Bruins event. The B's unveiled their new third jersey at last year's event.

The announcement was made in an email sent only to season ticket holders just this afternoon. According to the message, those in attendance "will get an exclusive first look at the 2009-2010 Winter Classic jersey."

Here's a screenshot from the email.

The event will take place September 17 at 6:30 PM.

This news comes just a day after the Philadelphia Flyers announced their own plans to give fans a preview of their special outdoor jerseys this Friday. Check back here at Icethetics both nights for pictures of the new sweaters.

Thanks to Jeff and Jeff for sending along the email!