Merry Christmas!

Time to get off the bench. I've had a couple of weeks to get comfortable in my new city and new job so it's about time to liven things up again around here. I'm declaring my moving hiatus officially over today. That doesn't mean daily updates, but certainly more frequent than they have been over the last month.

Appropriately, we'll start with some hilarious specialty sweaters from the minors.

Wranglers sport Santa suitsThe ECHL's Las Vegas Wranglers hit the ice last weekend decked out in Santa Claus-themed jerseys.

They were totally ridiculous. In a good way.

The Wranglers announced their intention to spread holiday cheer on their website, Dec. 10. The jerseys were worn Dec. 18 and 19, then subsequently auctioned off, as is standard with these things.

The key feature of the gaudy red sweaters is a big white beard that descends from the collar down to the belly. Sound familiar? The Santa suit imitation is topped off by Wranglers logos around the belt.

Santa celebrates a goal!This is the kind of thing we've become accustomed to seeing over the years in minor league hockey and there's nothing wrong with that.

Plus, it makes for a fun post on my return.

To be fair, Puck Daddy picked up this story first. I must say I'm thrilled to see the continued uptick in jersey-related posts over there. It's cool to see our favorite nerdy subject matter on a mainstream hockey blog.

I'll do my best to get to all of the news of the past few weeks as I wade through rivers of email. In the meantime, drop me a line if you notice any glaring oversights on my part. Good to be back!

Rangers Unveil Heritage Jersey!

New York Rangers Drury and Lundqvist sport the new sweaters

The New York Rangers officially unveiled their new Heritage Jersey tonight in front of fans gathered at Rockefeller Center.

Rangers unveil Heritage JerseyThe retro look comes as no surprise to anyone who saw the photo Sean Avery posted on his website in September, but we got a much better look during tonight's unveiling, as seen in above photo of Chris Drury and Henrik Lundqvist.

The new sweater, dubbed the Heritage Blueshirt by team marketing gurus, features darker and more subdued colors than the Rangers' standard palette. The blue is darker, the red is duller and the white is more... vintage.

Across the front reads NEW YORK in red, but in a font more typical of 1920s sweaters and different from what the team currently uses. The right shoulder features the 85th anniversary patch being used on the home and road uniforms this season — but in the "Heritage" color palette.

The surname runs straight across the shoulders, not arched, and the Rangers' retired sweaters numbers are stitched onto the inside hem in the back.

If you'd like to see the full photo gallery on the Rangers' website, here's a handy link. And another. Their website is filled to the brim with all sorts of pictures and other features relating to Heritage Week, which officially kicked off tonight.

I haven't managed to track down any details on whether this sweater will only be used this season or if it will be the new third jersey indefinitely. Also I don't believe a schedule has been released at this point. To be fair, I haven't looked very hard either.

One more note somewhat related to the Rangers.

Their AHL affiliate, the Hartford Wolf Pack will officially transition to the Connecticut Whale moniker effective Nov. 17. The team is promoting Saturday's game as the Wolf Pack's "last." Last we heard, the change was to happen between Thanksgiving and Christmas. Looks like they got things in order a bit early. Thanks to Alan H. for the tip!

Around the AHL, Again

Last week I said the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins would have their own post later in the week. Well that didn't happen.

The team unveiled three new specialty jerseys over a week ago, each of which pays tribute to a group of public servants who put their lives on the line every day. Photos were posted on Penguins' Twitter account.

I've also collected them here for your convenience.

Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins unveil firefighter, police and military jerseys

The firefighter-themed sweater (left) will be worn on Fri., Dec. 3 when the Pens host the Binghamton Senators, who will be wearing their police-themed uniforms that night.

The Penguins also have a police jersey (center) which will be worn once in Binghamton, presumably when the B-Sens will wear a firefighter sweater of their own. There will be one other home date for the Pens' police jersey, but no details have been announced yet.

Finally, the military jersey (right) will be worn on Sat., Feb. 26 when the Baby Pens host the Norfolk Admirals. I'll try to keep an eye on these dates so as to share game action photos at some point.

Thanks to Shawn S. for the tip on these.

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Sharks debut third jerseyThe Worcester Sharks have debuted their new 5th anniversary alternate jersey.

The new teal sweater is based on their NHL affiliate, the San Jose Sharks, with the anniversary logo on the chest. The uniform hit the ice for the first time on Oct. 23 when the Sharks hosted the Providence Bruins.

Something interesting I've noticed about Worcester's uniforms: While many AHL teams use their NHL affiliate's primary mark as a shoulder patch, the Sharks use shield version which isn't featured on any of San Jose sweaters — only the pants.

Not sure if these jerseys will be used beyond this season. Though if they are, the crest will need replacing. Maybe they can use that shield logo?

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Texas Stars' pink jerseyThe Texas Stars held their Pink in the Rink Night on Saturday.

They sported a special sweater to mark the event and unfortunately, this particular pink jersey has to be among the worst we've ever seen.

Maybe it's the shade of pink. Or the ribbon standing in for an A. Hard to be sure. And for the record, the Stars (6-3-0) lost 3-1 to the Houston Aeros (3-5-1) while wearing it. Coincidence?

If you're still interested in looking at this jersey, the Stars promoted the event with this rendering on their website for a time. My thanks to Brian G. for the tip.

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Milwaukee Admirals' pink jerseyIn stark contrast, the Milwaukee Admirals have put forth one of the best pink jerseys in recent memory.

Their Pink in the Rink Night was held Oct. 23 and they were actually successful, playing to a 3-1 win over the Abbotsford Heat. As is typical, the team is auctioning off the pink sweaters with proceeds benefiting a breast cancer research/awareness organization.

What's weird is that they have one autographed by Felicity Huffman that you can bid on. How random. (Ok, not really if you can read, but whatever.)

But back to what I was saying before. Brilliant job with this design. Sure it's pink, but it doesn't make a spectacle of itself or go out of its way to look feminine. It's still an ice hockey sweater, it just happens to be two-tone pink. Get over it.

Although maybe it's the pirate skull coloring my judgment. Also, it uses the same numbering style as the Tampa Bay Lightning did in the early days. Hm.

Thank you Kent S. for the tip.

That's really all I can muster for now. There should be another post coming soon dealing with more CHL third jerseys. Keep an eye out.

Around the AHL

Another Sunday brings another massive American Hockey League post. This particular article has been in the pipeline all week.

And I would like to start by thanking all the great readers who have contributed tips and links, as I am not the greatest at keeping track of the minor leagues on my own. But there really is a lot to get to so I'll move it along.

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Photo credit: Derek PhilipponThe Portland Pirates sported their cancer-fighting pink jerseys last night.

They did so to the tune of a 2-1 victory over the Bridgeport Sound Tigers. For a good cause and win. Who could complain?

The sweater was unveiled last month. I mentioned it on the blog because I thought the crest was a bit clever, playing on the Pirates' own throwback logo along with that of their NHL affiliates, the Sabres.

For another look at the jersey in action on goalie David Leggio, go the Pirates' website. For details on how to bid on one, also go the Pirates' website.

And my thanks to Phil K. for sending along this photo too.

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Whale Pack gets web revampThe Hartford Wolf Pack started implementing their new brand by recently revamping their website.

Later this fall — right in the middle of the hockey season — the team will take on new colors and a new name when they become the Connecticut Whale, prompting the nickname Whale Pack in the interim.

The rebranding efforts have already begun online, but the new look isn't expected to hit the ice until after Thanksgiving, but certainly before Christmas — banking on holiday shoppers and their kids, no doubt.

For the record, www.connecticutwhale.com has been reserved but doesn't yet take you anywhere. On the other hand, www.ctwhale.com works. Thanks to Jeremy M. for the tip on the web revamp.

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Moose get new road lookThe Manitoba Moose debuted a new road jersey this season.

The old black jerseys have basically been swapped out with brand new green threads. In fact, that's exactly what's happened. The jersey design remains the same with the black and green swapped.

Let's be honest. If your color scheme is that good, why wouldn't you take advantage of it? It's good to see all the black jerseys starting to disappear from hockey. (I said "starting," there's still a long way to go.)

This photo comes from the weekly photo gallery on the AHL's official website. Great way to get a look at a variety AHL sweaters in action during the season.

Ian K. actually emailed me about this more than a month ago but I somehow overlooked it — even during the Season Preview. Jeremy M. reminded me in an email this week.

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Rampage don Spurs jerseysIt finally happened. A hockey team actually wore a basketball jersey in the Age of Reebok.

All right, technically the San Antonio Rampage were still wearing hockey sweaters last night, but they were wearing a basketball logo.

It was "Spurs Night at the Rampage" for the team's 2-0 win over the Houston Aeros. Rampage players were on hand prior to the NBA's San Antonio Spurs game earlier in the week, wearing their own jerseys, by the way. (And someone has to tell me who's the guy with that crazy 'stache.)

For another look at the jersey, Ryan H. emailed in the splash page promoting Spurs Night from the Rampage's official website.

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Monarchs' new uniforms unveiledThe Manchester Monarchs are rocking new home and road jerseys this season.

I've had difficulty finding any game action photos, so we'll just have to live with the terribly-lit pictures posted on the Monarchs' website when the sweaters were unveiled earlier this month.

For a side-by-side comparison of the previous set of uniforms and the new ones, I've nabbed these renderings from the AHL's online store. Thanks to Jeremy M. again for the tip.

They're affiliated with the Los Angeles Kings so I have just one question. Why in the world would they try to look like the Anaheim Ducks?! At least the old uniforms had that crown stripe on the sleeves.

Monarchs unveil specialty sweatersBy the way, that same article I linked to earlier also revealed the Monarchs' 10th anniversary logo along with a pair of specialty jerseys that will see action this season (left).

The pink one is obviously for Pink in the Rink Night. Along with the sweaters, the ice at the Verizon Wireless Arena will be painted pink. That all goes down on Saturday, Jan. 22, 2011.

As for the black and gold jersey, I'll let the team explain in a blockquote:

On Saturday, December 4, the Monarchs will be celebrating the rich hockey history in New Hampshire with their final New Hampshire Legends of Hockey specialty jersey. The team will don throwback jerseys from the 1970s original Manchester Monarchs team when they host the Springfield Falcons at the Verizon Wireless Arena that night.

To be honest, I never knew there was another Manchester Monarchs team from the 1970s. Anyone have any information they can share?

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Now we'll wrap up this epic post where it began — pink hockey sweaters.

Rivermen unveil pink jerseyThe Peoria Rivermen unveiled their Pink in the Rink Night specialty jersey this week.

In a rather appropriate twist, the Rivermen will sport their pink-infused threads the night before Halloween, next Saturday, when they host the Oklahoma City Barons.

I'm all for breast cancer awareness and I'm not bothered by one-off pink jerseys, but there are better ways of doing this. For instance, Portland got it right.

Still, it's good that they're doing this. The jerseys will be auctioned off after the game and the proceeds will benefit Susan G. Komen for the Cure.

Thanks to Drew S. for the email tip on this jersey.

By the way, the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins have four new jerseys this year, like the Monarchs, so rather than making this post even longer the Baby Pens will get their own post later this week.

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.