Sens Share Another Heritage Teaser

Just a little something to warm you up for the official unveiling tomorrow. The Ottawa Senators posted this picture on their website's splash page yesterday. They're really showing all their cards, aren't they? Though they did already confirm what's been previously posted on this blog.

Senators Heritage Jersey teaser video

Anyway, they're going to look really good in these Heritage Jerseys this year. Anyone going to Puck Drop tomorrow? Feel free to share some photos.

Leafs Officially Unveil Third Jersey

Leafs unveil new 3rd jerseyMonths of rumors were validated last week when the Toronto Maple Leafs new third jersey was mistakenly leaked. Then two days ago, the team made it official.

Last we heard, the Leafs were planning to "officially" introduce the new sweater on October 6, opening night. Instead, they decided to do it a couple weeks early — probably since it's already out there.

Real Sports Apparel in Toronto was the site of Friday's unveiling event. Current Leafs Luke Schenn and Colby Armstrong were in the house to model the new look alongside ex-Leafs Darryl Sittler and Wendel Clark.

The design is based on the jersey that was worn the last time the Maple Leafs lifted the Stanley Cup in 1967. In fact, here's the story as the team tells it:

First introduced at the start of the 1967 NHL playoffs, the Maple Leafs captured the Stanley Cup that spring and went on to wear it for the following three campaigns.

Some of the attributes of the sweater include; a solid, snow white, wool-felt, 11-point Maple Leaf crest similar to the Maple Leaf on the Canadian Flag as the country celebrated its centennial year in 1967, felt fabric numbers and lettering, one set of thin-wide-thin stripes adorning the waist and both elbows, no shoulder patches, and a six-eyelet lace at the front of the neck.

Pants adorned with a new white vertical stripe along the sides will also be worn by the hockey club for games in which the third sweater will be used.

I should use this opportunity to clear up a mistake I made when talking about the jersey earlier this summer. I originally reported that the crest had a silver inner-outline, which it clearly doesn't. The photo I had at the time was causing my eyes to play tricks on me. Turns out its just white embroidery on the wool-felt logo — which in itself is pretty awesome! Now that's what I call retro.

A faceless mannequinThe Maple Leafs also announced their third jersey schedule for the 2011-12 season. It'll be worn on 14 occassions during the regular season:

• Thurs., Oct. 6 – vs. Montreal Canadiens
• Sat., Oct. 29 – vs. Pittsburgh Penguins
• Sat., Nov. 5 – vs. Boston Bruins
• Sat., Nov. 12 – vs. Ottawa Senators
• Sat., Nov. 19 – vs. Washington Capitals
• Sat., Dec. 3 – at Boston Bruins
• Mon., Dec. 5 – at New York Rangers
• Sat., Dec. 17 – vs. Vancouver Canucks
• Sat., Jan. 7 – vs. Detroit Red Wings
• Fri., Jan. 13 – at Buffalo Sabres
• Sat., Feb. 4 – at Ottawa Senators
• Wed., Feb. 29 – at Chicago Blackhawks
• Sat., Mar. 24 – vs. New York Rangers
• Sat., Mar. 31 – vs. Buffalo Sabres

So that's five of the 14 third jersey nigths on the road against Original Six foes or geographical rivals. And if you want to see this jersey in action, seems your best bet is to show up to a Saturday home game.

Oddly enough, the Nov. 12 game against the Senators was one I had initially marked as a Heritage Jersey game for Ottawa based on information not directly from the team. Obviously this is incorrect as you cannot have dark blue versus black in Gary Bettman's NHL. I'm adjusting the Senators' schedule accordingly.

If you check out the rest of that press release, it talks about how the team polled more than a thousand fans while trying to determine which retro design to go with for this season. I'd bet the green St. Pats jerseys were on the list but that no Icethetics readers were polled. Shame.

For more pictures from the unveiling, click here. 

Now if you thought that was it for third jersey news today, you were quite mistaken...

Panthers Dying to Ditch Those Blue Thirds

I always thought the Florida Panthers looked best in red and, despite all the other teams that have added dark blue third jerseys in recent years, I never disliked theirs as much as other people did. Now I find out that "other people" group includes the Panthers' own management!

Stephen WeissThis is also from last week, but Miami Herald beat writer George Richards quoted Panthers assistant GM Mike Santos saying some terrible things about what have become known as the "JetBlue jerseys" among fans.

The Panthers have brought back their original look by wearing predominately red jerseys at most home games this season. Florida has a contractual obligation to the league to wear its alternate light/dark blue jersey for 13 games this season.

It's apparent this will be the final year the Panthers wear that jersey. Santos is obviously not a fan of the look. He hopes to burn off some of the mandatory dates by wearing the third jersey in select road games. "As soon as we can rid ourselves of those things," Santos said, "we'll be a happier bunch."

The Panthers are going all out when it comes to bringing back the red color scheme. Seats in the lower bowl of the BankAtlantic Center are being reupholstered in red.

"We're connecting to a time when this organization was successful," Santos said. "A big part of that success is the color red. Red is our color, is a Panthers color. It's not light blue, baby blue or all these other silly colors. They have nothing to do with us. We were successful in red and will be again."

Based on this, it doesn't sound like the Stinkin' Panthers will be releasing a third jersey schedule, so we'll see them when we see them. But for the record, they've been wearing them for all of their home games during the preseason. According to Lightning radio play-by-play announcer Dave Mishkin, the team is waiting until the regular season to debut the new red sweaters.

For what it's worth, the Jets are also holding off on wearing their new home jerseys until the regular season. They've been wearing their white jerseys only throughout the preseason. The Predators and Lightning have each been wearing both of their new jerseys in exhibition play.

But back to the Panthers a moment. Since this will be the last season with the current third jersey, we have to wonder how long before they get back into the alternate uniform fray and what direction they'll go. Seems like blue is their best option, but maybe not the two-tone thing.

While we're on the subject of all these new jerseys, I'm already starting to put together new galleries. They'll start getting posted once the season gets started and there are more photos out there. (By the way, if anyone would like to help out with finding decent photos of pre-Edge jerseys, I'd love to expand even more.)

Housekeeping: Jets Contest & IceHL Project

I'll make this part quick. Since no one correctly predicted the unveiling dates of the Winnipeg Jets' logos and uniforms, I regret to say no one won the prize. I'm currently trying to think up another contest so I can give that board game away (preferably to a Canadian).

Also, if you haven't been keeping up with the IceHL Project, now is the time. I just published the IceHL 2011 Yearbook, a free digital book now availble to download here at Icethetics. It's the perfect way for new readers to catch up on everything you may have missed since the project began in 2008.

We have two fantasy leagues going this year, one with our Eastern Conference teams, the other with the Western Conference. But more importantly, you'll be able to get involved when Jersey Design Competition launches later this fall. And as if that weren't enough, we'll be expanding the league by two teams later in the winter or spring. So we'll need all you talented logo designers to help out!

Don't Forget: Winter Classic Announcement

Last thing, I swear. The NHL officially announces the 2012 Winter Classic from Philadelphia tomorrow at 1:30 PM ET (10:30 AM PT). It's no secret the Philadelphia Flyers will host the New York Rangers at Citizens Bank Park on January 2, but that's not stopping the league from pretending like it is anyway.

The real secret, actually, is the uniforms. In the past, the Winter Classic uniforms have sometimes been unveiled at the press conference that announces the event. That wasn't the case last year, but I don't recall there ever being a big press event at Heinz Field last year. I could be wrong about that. (Bad memory, you know.) But either way, both the Penguins and Capitals waited until October to unveil their throwback jerseys last year.

This time around, there's a bigger question about the uniforms. We all know the Winter Classic is used as an excuse to make money and new jerseys mean more of it. However, neither the Rangers nor Flyers have made a lot of uniform changes over the years, so we may not see anything dramatic this time around.

Having said that, let's not forget that the Penguins' 2011 Winter Classic jersey, while based on historical elements, was a brand new design. Similarly in 2010, the Bruins designed a new look that incorporated certain features from past uniforms.

It's entirely possible that either one of the 2012 opponents (or both) could simply rewrite history and sport retro-style jerseys that are unlike anything they've ever worn before. Hopefully we find out tomorrow. 

IceCaps Unveil Familiar Uniforms

IceCaps jerseys unveiled / Dave SalterThe AHL's St. John's IceCaps officially unveiled their uniforms today. It should surprise no one that they are identical to those of their NHL parent club, the Winnipeg Jets.

IceCaps owner Danny Williams and player Jason King were on hand this morning to model the new sweaters for cameras. And for an AHL team, they look incredibly good.

Now a moment ago I said "identical," but obviously that would be silly. The IceCaps have their own primary logo on the front and the Jets' logo on the shoulders. Add in an advertisement or two and that's it as far as differences.

Here's how the new look was described in a press release on the AHL's website:

The jerseys, which are modeled after the parent Winnipeg Jets uniforms, consist largely of two shades of blue. The primary navy blue base of the home dark jerseys is referred to as Polar Night Blue. The lighter, secondary blue is called Aviator Blue. Each jersey includes sleeve piping, accenting the colors. 

The IceCaps will wear the white jerseys at home and the blue jerseys for road games. 

“I could not be more pleased with the final product we are unveiling today which will be the signature look of the St. John’s IceCaps,” said Mr. Williams. “These are incredibly sharp looking jerseys that are sure to catch the eye throughout the league.”

If you haven't been following along this summer, the IceCaps were known as the Manitoba Moose until that club was displaced by the purchase and relocation of the Atlanta Thrashers to Winnipeg. The team, still owned by True North along with the Jets, moved to St. John's, Newfoundland and unveiled their logo on July 29.

As I said yesterday, I like the Jets' new uniforms, so naturally I like the IceCaps' as well. I almost like them better because I like their primary logo better. But despite my understanding that advertising is necessary to the business aspect of an AHL franchise, I've never liked it on the uniforms. Otherwise, solid look.

IceCaps uniforms nearly identical to Jets / AHL

But wait, there's more minor league news...

San Francisco Bulls joining ECHL in 2012

San Francisco Bulls joining ECHLYesterday, the ECHL Board of Governors approved the membership of a new franchise to begin play in the 2012-13 season. They're called the San Francisco Bulls and appropriately, they'll play at the Cow Palace.

But before you get too excited, the logo being used to represent the new California club on the ECHL's website is absolutely atrocious. It's not design. It's just a sad mess.

The bull head looks like some sort of futuristic, metallic thing while the font couldn't look more dated. And the crossed hockey sticks look like a tacked-on afterthought. Painful is what it is.

I'm hoping that by the time next summer rolls around, they'll have a real logo to show us. And maybe a revised color scheme? Who thought gold, red and black used in this way was a good idea? The 49ers do it right. This doesn't.

In any case, next year the ECHL celebrates its 25th anniversary and it's cool to see them adding new teams in west coast markets after so many have come and gone in the recent past. Heck, if the Florida Everblades were to visit, I might even fly down to see a game. 

Jets' New Look Hits the Ice

It was 112 days from the announcement of the Atlanta Thrashers' demise to the first time its' players would suit up as Winnipeg Jets. And for a blog like this one, watching the branding process unfold before our eyes was nothing short of a rollercoaster ride.

I'm not from Winnipeg. Or Canada. Or Atlanta. So I didn't really have a stake in the team itself. I was only interested in watching the first NHL relocation (since I started the blog) play out. Once the jerseys were unveiled, I went back to looking at them the same way I look at any other team. An enemy the Lightning need to beat. Even moreso this season since they're a division rival.

But that's not the end of the story. I haven't told you what I think of the uniforms yet. And many of you have been asking. Now that they've seen their first game action, I have no reason to hold out any longer.

Blake WheelerIn a funny twist, the Jets' first pre-season opponent was the Columbus Blue Jackets. Funny, because sentiment among many readers is that Winnipeg's new sweaters are a bit of a fusion of Columbus' uniforms.

And I see what they mean. The crest is blue, red and silver. On the road jersey, blue covers the top of the sleeves from the neck line to the wrist. Just like the Jackets.

There are light blue sleeve and waist stripes wrapped in silver. Just like the Jackets' third jersey. Even the font is hauntingly reminiscent of what's on the alternate Columbus sweater — only more rounded.

But those are other people's opinions. You wanted mine. And many of you have been waiting patiently for it. So I have to get it right. Not that it has to be popular, just an honest assessment.

It's no secret I'm not a fan of the primary logo, the crest. I made that quite clear when it was unveiled. And got a lot of hassle for it, I should add.

There's a lot I dislike about it. The central element, the jet, has no distinguishing features. The jagged maple leaf it sits atop is red, making it look like the plane is exploding. And worst of all, it's set in a circle.

I understand the impulse to go with a circle when your team is named Oilers or Islanders. But Jets? It's a name that conjures so much whether you were a hockey fan in the 1980s or not. Jets! They're meant to fly freely but instead this one is locked up inside a fat blue circle. Why?

Because True North liked Winnipeg's military connection and wanted to take advantage of that. It's one thing to have a military night and give free tickets to soldiers and have the players warm up in camo-colored jerseys that are auctioned to support the people that serve their country. I'm 100% behind that.

I'm just not sure an NHL franchise should market itself (read: try to turn a profit) by capitalizing on the iconic imagery used by the people who put their lives on the line almost daily. To me, it's just wrong. I know the Jets aren't the first team to use military-inspired marks, but I'm not making comparisons here.

Whether you agree or disagree with the military theme, the fact is the design itself is quite poor. It looks like a compromise. One guy wants the roundel. Another guy wants a red maple leaf. And the other guy says, "wait, don't forget to get a jet in there too." I don't mean to harp on it, especially considering they had to rush to get this done. All I'm saying is I stand by my initial review of that logo.

Now, the uniforms. Those I like. I like the two-tone blue and silver color scheme. I like that the red is nothing more than an accent color on the crest and shoulders. It really pops that way. I like the shoulder patches and the socks. And the fact that the sleeve stripes wrap completely around the arm. I even like the new number and nameplate font. All of these things bring some much-needed originality to this club's look.

Everyone wants to call the Jets unoriginal for using dark blue, the new "in" color, apparently. Actually, the only other teams that will have dark blue home jerseys this season are the Sabres, Maple Leafs and Blue Jackets. Granted, there are five teams that have dark blue thirds. But really, the biggest color offender is red. Eleven different teams use it on their jerseys in some form. And for 10 of those 11, it is the primary color of the home jersey. Let's praise the Jets for avoiding that color and looking more like Columbus than they already do.

There are some things about the uniforms that I don't like. Just a few. I don't like that the collar tie is the same color as the jersey. No contrast there. And I don't like the wordmark on the pants. Or the wordmark at all. I don't mind them using a wordmark on the pants, but I just don't think this particular custom font works well. It doesn't feel as modern as I would've expected.

So there you have it. My view on the Jets' new uniforms. Some of you will agree, others will not. 

Store Leaks New Sens, Leafs Jerseys

Finally, I have photos of unreleased jerseys that I'm able to share with you. A reader wrote in today to tell us that the Buffalo Sabres' team store at the First Niagara Center (formerly HSBC Arena) is already selling Premier version of the Ottawa Senators and Toronto Maple Leafs forthcoming jerseys.

First, here's the Sens' Heritage Jersey which, the team announced the other day, will be officially unveiled on October 1. You get to see it now.

Ottawa Senators' Heritage Jersey leaked / icethetics.info

And as previously reported here, you can see it bears bilingual shoulder patches. A recent photo released by the team had us questioning whether that would actually be the case.

The other unreleased sweater on the store's rack was the Leafs' new throwback third. Take a look.

Toronto Maple Leafs' new third jersey leaked / icethetics.info

One detail previously reported here on Icethetics was the silver inner-outline inside the crest. You can just barely make it out in this photo. We're looking at photos taken by a cell phone camera in what's not the best lighting conditions. I've done my best to tweak these photos.

So now that you have something more than my renderings to look at, have your opinions changed on these two sweaters? Are they at all what you were expecting/hoping for?

Update on Tuesday · Sep 20 · 2011 | 5:59 PM PDT by Chris

I've been enjoying a nice, long four-day weekend, and as such have also been keeping my distance from the internet. But I thought I'd check in with some updates on Saturday's leaked jerseys.

First, it seems every media outlet in the universe has picked it up. Which is cool. Nice to see Icethetics getting a few extra mentions around the web. But most notably, both the Senators and Maple Leafs have been forced by the media to react the leaked designs.

On Sunday, the Ottawa Senators posted an article on their website that confirmed their new Heritage Jersey had been prematurely revealed online. Yeah, sorry about that. But some of us don't like waiting and an opportunity presented itself. 

The Sens are not blaming Icethetics or even the store where the photos were taken. They're placing the blame squarely on Reebok, as they should. The jerseys were simply shipped out too early. NHL teams launching new uniforms are supposed to get a five day window of exclusivity in their own market from the day of unveiling — which should be Oct. 1–5. So it was a mistake. A big one.

The Senators are still planning the "official" introduction to fans at Puck Drop on Oct. 1. But in the meantime, they did reluctantly offer some details about the design:

“While we are very disappointed to have our new jersey revealed in this manner, we are pleased to see the early comments from fans are extremely positive,” said Jeff Kyle, Senators vice-president of marketing. “We believe that this jersey will be a top seller in the National Hockey League this season, especially as fans learn the story behind how it was designed.

The heritage jersey pays tribute to the early Senators teams that won 11 Stanley Cups and was one the franchises that founded the NHL in 1917. The early Senators were considered the NHL’s first dynasty, with accomplishments so great that in 1950, sportswriters voted the Ottawa club as the team of the first half century in Canada.

“We have spent over two years developing this uniform and one of the most interesting aspects is that we did it in conjunction with a Senators fan,” added Kyle. “We look forward to telling the story of how a fan helped us develop a uniform that incorporates elements of the early Senators teams into what we feel will become a truly iconic symbol of Senators hockey.”

I do look forward to the story of the fan who helped develop the uniform. If they're talking about the guy I think, then we know him as Jacob Barrette. It's certainly been years in the making for him.

Then yesterday, the Toronto Star took the other photo to the Toronto Maple Leafs for comment. They also confirmed the design and expressed disappointment at not being the first to show it to their fans.

Additionally, the Star learned that the jersey will be "officially" unveiled during their regular season opener on Thursday, Oct. 6. It's not clear if they plan to wear them for that game against the Montreal Canadiens, or simply show them to fans that night. If I had to guess, I'd say they're wearing them.

Here's what the team told the Star about the leak:

"Yes, the Leafs organization is aware that its third sweater was unexpectedly revealed," Rajani Kamath, MLSE’s director of corporate communications, said on Monday. "While our organization is disappointed that we did not have the first opportunity to reveal our third sweater, we are looking forward to ‘officially’ introducing it to our fans later."

On a personal note, I think the Sens' Heritage Jersey looks fantastic. I wouldn't want to see it more than 15 times a season, but it's definitely a great alternate uniform. So well done to them. With the Leafs, I like the design of the new third, but it's just not different enough from the home jersey to satisfy me. Not much they can do about that though if they wanted to revive something from their past.