Caps to Sport Throwback Third in 2011-12

After years of telling us that for reasons relating to the economy, it would be unseemly for his Washington Capitals to add a third jersey, owner Ted Leonsis is changing his tune. He once said, how could he ask fans struggling to pay bills to buy another jersey? 

But that's all changed now because the Caps will join their 2011 Winter Classic opponent in resurrecting their outdoor jersey as an alternate this season. It was announced today that the sweater will be worn for 16 road games during the fast-approaching 2011-12 season. The throwback sweater is based on what the Capitals wore from their inception in 1974 until 1995.

Alex OvechkinAnyway, along with announcing the addition of the third jersey, the Caps released a schedule to tell us every night the retro duds will see action. Here it is:

• Sat., Nov. 26 – at Buffalo Sabres
• Fri., Dec. 23 – at New Jersey Devils
• Wed., Jan. 18 – at Montreal Canadiens
• Fri., Jan. 20 – at Carolina Hurricanes
• Sun., Jan. 22 – at Pittsburgh Penguins
• Sat., Feb. 4 – at Montreal Canadiens
• Sun., Feb. 12 – at New York Rangers
• Mon., Feb. 20 – at Carolina Hurricanes
• Sat., Feb. 25 – at Toronto Maple Leafs
• Sat., Mar. 10 – at Boston Bruins
• Fri., Mar. 16 – at Winnipeg Jets
• Sun., Mar. 18 – at Chicago Blackhawks
• Mon., Mar. 19 – at Detroit Red Wings
• Thurs., Mar. 22 – at Philadelphia Flyers
• Mon., Apr. 2 – at Tampa Bay Lightning
• Sat., Apr. 7 – at New York Rangers

One key difference to the uniform this season is that the Caps will wear white helmets. That'll be especially handy as they're wearing them twice in Raleigh, where the Canes will already be wearing red helmets. Wouldn't that be a sight?

I have to admit I feel silly. I've known about this third jersey thing since last week but completely forgot to include it in Tuesday's blog post. But then I've been terribly preoccupied with things outside of the Internet lately. Oops.

And I know I was giving Leonsis a hard time about going back on his third jersey philosophy, but maybe there's something to the fact that they're only wearing it on the road this year. They're not parading around in front of the home crowd with it. Sure, the fans will see it on TV but that's a different experience from seeing it live.

Also, I probably would've given him less of a hard time had the new third jersey actually been new. I, like many of you, am still waiting on a blue jersey with the Weagle on the front. Will that day ever come? Maybe if the economy ever turns around.

Loose Threads: Jets, Pens, Avs & Sens

I'm working on a huge Icethetics side project right now that should be released in the next few weeks. So while there are a number of things to cover today, I'm going to make this post quick.

Jets Hold Real Jerseys a Week

Young Jets get practice unisWinnipeg Jets players took the ice competitively for the first time yesterday in the Young Stars Tournament, though not wearing their new jerseys as we expected. Instead they donned practice jerseys with some extra patches sewn on.

So after weeks of listening to the team say the new uniforms had to be unveiled before the tournament so the players could wear them, we still have to wait a week to see them in action.

The following comes from the game recap on the Jets' official website:

The young stars did not debut the new Jets sweaters, instead wearing practice jerseys. The Winnipeg Jets will wear their new jerseys for the first time on September 20th against Columbus.

We've waited this long. What's another week?

Some of you have written in asking about the sock design — as if that could single-handedly change the entire look of the uniform. But as you can see in this photo, the sock stripes appear to match the sleeve stripes from the real uniforms.

Is that a good thing or a bad thing? I'm surprised that a week after the jersey was unveiled, only one person has asked what I think of it. Don't get me wrong, you'll still get my take eventually — just not yet. I was going to write something up last week but I'm holding off to see the jerseys in action before I dive in with my critique. It may surprise you, actually. May.

For now, though, I have a couple of third jersey schedules to share.

Penguins Officially Announce New 3rd

We've kind of taken for granted all summer that the Pittsburgh Penguins would be switching their third jersey to their most recent Winter Classic sweater. It was never really official until today.

The Pens said in the release that fans told them "they love the new look, the new shade of blue, and the blending of different eras of Penguins hockey." Based on what I've read from Penguins fans on this site, it sounds to me like you've been telling them you love the black and gold from the late 1980s. But they can't seem to hear that for some reason.

Sidney CrosbyNo matter. I think it's a great looking uniform. And  came the schedule for the new third jersey in the 2011-12 season. We'll be seeing it for 12 home games:

• Sat., Oct. 15 – vs. Buffalo Sabres
• Thu. Oct. 27 – vs. New York Islanders
• Tues., Nov. 15 – vs. Colorado Avalanche
• Fri., Nov. 25 – vs. Ottawa Senators
• Tues., Dec. 27 – vs. Carolina Hurricanes
• Fri., Jan. 6 – vs. New York Rangers
• Sat., Jan. 7 – vs. New Jersey Devils
• Fri., Jan. 20 – vs. Montreal Canadiens
• Sat., Feb. 11 – vs. Winnipeg Jets
• Sun., Feb. 12 – vs. Tampa Bay Lightning
• Wed., Mar. 7 – vs. Toronto Maple Leafs
• Thu., Mar. 22 – vs. Nashville Predators

Nice spread over the course of the season. I like that they're wearing them on a couple of back-to-back nights, and of course, against my Tampa Bay Lightning. That'll be one good-looking hockey game.

There's another third jersey schedule floating around out there...

Avalanche Set 2011-12 Third Jersey Dates

The Colorado Avalanche recently posted the game schedule for their blue alternate jersey, which will be entering its third season in use.

Interestingly, they even included details about the design that I don't remember reading when it was unveiled in 2009. They include information about the designers and prototypes. Have a read:

The third jersey design is a collaboration of ideas from the Colorado Avalanche (including Kroenke Sports Enterprises Creative Imaging), the National Hockey League and Reebok. ... Two rounds of sweater prototypes were tested and ran on ice before the final version was made.

Milan HejdukNow here are the 12 home dates in which the sweater will see action during the coming season:

• Fri., Oct. 28 – vs. Edmonton Oilers
• Wed., Nov. 2 – vs. Phoenix Coyotes
• Wed., Nov. 23 – vs. Vancouver Canucks
• Fri., Dec. 2 – vs. St. Louis Blues
• Tue., Dec. 13 – vs. San Jose Sharks
• Tue., Dec. 27 – vs. Winnipeg Jets
• Wed., Jan. 18 – vs. Florida Panthers
• Thu., Feb. 2 – vs. Minnesota Wild
• Mon., Feb. 27 – vs. Anaheim Ducks
• Sat., Mar. 10 – vs. Edmonton Oilers
• Tue., Mar. 20 – vs. Calgary Flames
• Thu., Apr. 5 – vs. Columbus Blue Jackets

The Panthers will be the only true Eastern Conference team to see the Avs sporting blue this year. They have Stanley Cup Final history together. (Though I guess strictly speaking, the Jets are still in the East for this year.)

One final item for today...

Sens Give Another Glimpse of Heritage

One final item for today. A reader tweeted a link to a page on the Ottawa Senators website, offering the new Heritage Jersey for sale without really showing it to us.

From what I can tell, this is the same photo that was used in the team's own sneak peek way back in March. Only difference is now we get it in full color without any distortion from projector screens or compressed Flash video.

First, you can see that vintage white is, in fact, in use. And second, the shoulder patches seem to contradict my earlier report which said that they were bilingual, English on the right shoulder, French on the left.

I'm staring at a photo (which I can't show you until after the official unveiling) that clearly shows one patch is in French, so what's the deal? One of two things: either 1) there was a change made between this photo and that one, or 2) we're actually looking at two jerseys laying side-by-side in this photo. It's hard to tell for sure on that.

Meanwhile, the Senators say the Heritage Jersey will be available on Oct. 1, meaning the official reveal will have to take place on or before that date. I'll be keeping an eye on it, obviously.

Update on Wednesday · Sep 14 · 2011 | 11:55 AM PDT by Chris

And with a definitive answer to question above, today the Senators announced that the Heritage Jersey will be unveiled on Saturday, Oct. 1.

Specifically, it will be shown to fans at the Puck Drop event at Scotiabank Place. Even more specifically, the unveiling itself will happen at 10:30 AM.

If you've been keeping an eye on the blog, you already know what the jersey will look like, but I'm definitely looking forward to seeing how it looks on the players.

I'll be sure to share pictures with you that morning. And to any Sens fans that will be in attendance, feel free to send along any photos of your own.

Winnipeg Jets Uniforms Unveiled

Winnipeg Jets officially unveil uniforms / Jets

They're here. The Winnipeg Jets officially unveiled their uniforms today. I don't really have a lot to say on the matter at this point. Give me a day or two and I'll get back to you with my thoughts on it.

Back of new Jets jerseys / CBCThe unveiling ceremony was held this morning at 11 AM central at 17 Wing in Winnipeg and was well-attended by local media. You can read more details about the design in the club's official release.

A few pictures have started turning up on Twitter, so that's all I have to share at the moment. I'm sure it won't be long before we have something more official from the team.

Both jerseys feature a unique double-striping pattern on the sleeves that hasn't been seen before on Reebok Edge jerseys in the NHL. The number and letter styles are also new are very modern.

Like I said, I'll get into my analysis later in the week when I have a little more time to dedicate. For now, feel free to share your thoughts on the new jersey designs. I'm sure we're all curious to see how they're being received.

Update on Tuesday · Sep 6 · 2011 | 10:27 AM PDT by Chris

Now a closer look at those new Jets threads.

Home jersey

Road jersey

Now what do you think?

Aeros Unveil New Uniforms

Aeros unveil new jersey / AerosThe AHL's Houston Aeros unveiled new uniforms today which include a further integration of their brand with their NHL affiliate's.

The updated sweaters were unveiled at a press conference today and pictures were posted on the team's Facebook page. They're already getting great feedback from fans. Lots of compliments and excitement.

Here are some direct links to the original photos they posted:

• Home jersey
• Road jersey
• Alternate jersey

Because of the way the jerseys are laid out in these photos, it's difficult to make out some of the details. The white and green jerseys look like hybrid Reebok Edge templates while the the third jersey is a reversed version of the Wild's.

The Aeros have even modeled their alternate logo off of the Minnesota Wild's. Now we know what their green jersey would look like in white. Not a bad look but I prefer their current white sweater. It's the only one that retains any of their original look from 2000.

But back to Houston. Their previous home and road jerseys, matched those sweaters the Wild used when they joined the league 11 years ago. They were nice, but I can see the Aeros wanted to advance their own brand a little. Still, there's no question the alternate was inspired by Minnesota's.

I think it's a nice mix of originality and paying tribute to their parent club. What do you guys think of them?

Now a couple of quick NHL-related stories...

Blackhawks dropping 3rd jersey in 2011-12

The Chicago Blackhawks will not be sporting a third jersey at all this season, according to ESPN Chicago.

This information was previously reported on the blog but it's worth noting that others are now reporting it as well. Here's an excerpt from Monday's "mailbag" post on the Chicago Blackhawks Report by Jesse Rogers:

Q: I cannot wait for the season to start. Do you know if the Blackhawks will ever bring back the black alternate jerseys or are they sticking with the Winter Classic alternate look again this year? -- Andrew (Chicago)

A: The answer is neither. The Hawks are going with just two jerseys this season -- the home red and road white.

Apparently, the Hawks front office weren't huge fans of the 2009 Winter Classic jersey which had been adopted as a third in 2009-10. Personally, it was my favorite Blackhawks jersey. I'll be sorry to see it go. Still, we got two good years out of it and that's better than none.

Kings to wear four jerseys during 2011-12

We also have more confirmation from the Los Angeles Kings on the four uniforms they'll be wearing throughout the 2011-12 season. That's right, four.

Yesterday on the LA Kings Insider blog, Rich Hammond laid out the Kings' new wardrobe for fans. He confirmed the old black-and-purple home jersey will now be the new alternate and the vintage purple-and-gold sweater will get a reprieve after we spent most of the summer thinking it was a goner.

Kings COO Chris McGowan told Hammond that the throwbacks will be worn on three occasions during the upcoming season. He didn't specify which games. I recommend a read of that post, but if you're too lazy to click, here are a couple of interesting excerpts:

McGowan: “We’re introducing a new look, but in a way we’re not. The look has already been introduced, with the alternate jersey, the black version of it with the L.A. crest on the front. So we simply just produced a reversed version of that, in white, because of positive feedback from multiple people that are involved with the jerseys, including our fans, our ownership group, the players, the NHL, Reebok. … Then we will still keep the purple elements in our organization. Not primary, but we still want to keep them because there are people who like the purple part of the Kings brand.”

Also, McGowan talked about the players' input on the new look.

Question: I’d heard that the players actually voted to wear the black jerseys in the playoffs the past two seasons. Is that true? Did that factor into things?

MCGOWAN: “They did vote. If you notice, the last two years we wore the black jerseys in the playoffs. You want the players being comfortable with what they’re wearing, and you want them to like what they’re wearing. They didn’t dislike our old jerseys. They just simply liked the alternates better. Then we started showing them mock-ups of what a reverse, a white version, of that would look like. We did the camera tests and the designing of it. You could just see it in their eyes, that that’s the one they want to wear primarily. They definitely played a part in the decision. ..."

Nice to hear the guys who wear the uniforms actually get to have a say in them. Though I worry what the league would look like if the players got to make every uniform decision. Perish the thought.

That's all for now. I know the Winnipeg Jets jerseys are still at the top of everyone's mind. Shouldn't be more than a couple of weeks now.

Update on Friday · Aug 26 · 2011 | 12:33 PM PDT by Chris

Here's a closer look at those new Houston Aeros jerseys.

A little too much piping for my tastes, but overall a very sharp new set.

Piece of Jets Uniform Revealed

Photo tweeted by Blake WheelerAs we wait for the Winnipeg Jets to unveil their new uniforms, it seems Blake Wheeler is there for those dying for a leak.

Today, the Jets forward tweeted a photo of what are presumably his new uniforms pants. They're dark blue with the alternate wordmark which was officially unveiled a month ago by the team.

The photo was posted today at about 1 PM Central time to Wheeler's Twitter account, @BiggieFunke:

Here it is...What do you guys think? http://lockerz.com/s/132236390

We still haven't seen the jerseys yet despite the numerous reports of leaks. I'll say it again. Any online retailer claiming to be selling the unreleased jerseys is a fraud. That's really all there is to it.

And you don't have to believe me. The Jets have repeatedly stated that the alleged "leaks" are "not even close" to real thing. This article from Sun Media goes into detail with the club's management.

Here's a good excerpt regarding the third jersey questions:

The Winnipeg Jets will have only two uniforms this coming season: home and away.

Although it’s become common over the past several years for NHL and other pro sports teams to don third jerseys for some games, it doesn’t look like the Jets will follow suit, at least not this year.

“There will likely not be a third alternate jersey this year, just due to the process of getting the main two done,” said Scott Brown, director of communications for True North Sports and Entertainment, which owns the Jets. “We’re going to hopefully focus on the main logos and the main jerseys.”

As far as when you'll be able to get your hands on the actual jerseys, you have more waiting to do:

“The authentic jerseys won’t be available until October, and replica jerseys likely not until November. That comes from the manufacturer,” said Brown. Nevertheless, photos purporting to be leaks of the new Jets jerseys have been circulating on the Internet for weeks.

Brown said a common one showing a dark blue jersey with the main plane logo in the middle is “not even close” to legitimate. The same goes for any other supposed sneak previews.

Over the weekend, I posted graphic representations what all of next season's jerseys will look like, even the unreleased ones — except the Jets. They're the most tightly-guarded jersey designs in history, I think. I'm very impressed with True North, Reebok and the NHL for keeping this under wraps until they're ready.

Speaking of fakes...

Fake Leafs Third Hits the Web

Fake Maple Leafs jersey / LeafsHQThis morning, Jeff of LeafsHQ posted a photo of what appears to be the Toronto Maple Leafs' new third jersey (right). I can assure you this is a counterfeit job.

Even if I hadn't already seen the real jersey myself, it would be quite obvious that this is a phony. I suppose over time you get pretty good at spotting the red flags. For example, the Reebok vector on the sleeve will not be on any new jersey in 2011.

But since I'm able to tell you which details are wrong, I will. First, and most obvious is the crest. On the real jersey, it's a modernized version of that 1967 logo. There's a silver inner-outline and more spacing between the letters in TORONTO.

The top and bottom stripes on the sleeves and waist are thicker here than they should be, and the piping around the wrists doesn't exist on the actual sweater.

Obviously, we're looking at the work of a counterfeiter who's read multiple online reports of the fact that the Leafs' new third will resemble the 1967 jersey. So while this design is on the right track, it's still all wrong. Just thought you should know.