Islanders GM Talks Jerseys, Logo

How about a little news that's not about Dallas or Carolina? On Monday, New York Islanders general manager Garth Snow spoke with members of the Islanders Booster Club as part of a Q&A session. Jesse from IslesNation wrote up a piece detailing the discussion, which included some jersey and logo talk.

Special sweaters to be worn for all Stadium Series games

Snow confirmed that all teams participating in next winter's Stadium Series, including the Islanders, will all have specially designed jerseys for their outdoor games. (We've already seen the uniforms that will be worn by Detroit and Toronto for the actual Winter Classic.)

"Our focus regarding jerseys has been to come up with an outdoor jersey," Snow said, according to IslesNation. "It won’t be too much different than what we wear now but every team has a different jersey that they wear for it."

It even sounds like the design is done and a prototype has been produced. Snow went on to say he's seen it: "I can say from the pictures of it, it’s a sharp jersey. I think everybody will like it, but it won’t be drastically different from what we wear now."

Does that mean we'll get a standard Isles jersey with retro beige replacing white? I hope not. Or is it possible we'll get a "fauxback" style design instead?

For a recap, click here to see the six outdoor match-ups we're supposed to get in 2014. The NHL has confirmed all but the Senators-Canucks game in Vancouver.

Isles may get new third jersey in Brooklyn

Snow was also asked about whether the Islanders' regular uniforms would change when the club moves to Brooklyn to play at the Barclays Center in the next couple years.

"I'm not gonna get into the whole Brooklyn situation," Snow said. "To my knowledge, it'll be all the same jerseys and colors. Will there be a new third jersey? Probably."

That's a new one but not altogether surprising. The black jersey has not been received well by fans. I can only imagine that's translating to lousy sales. But I'm only guessing. If the Isles debut a new third when they move, that opens the door for a lot of possibilities. What would you like to see?

Snow ended the jersey/logo conversation by saying: "The information I have is that we’re going to keep the same logo, the same history."

True, you can't get rid of your history. But it's good to hear they're not planning to change the logo — though I wouldn't mind seeing a new crest on a Brooklyn third jersey.

Lots to discuss. Now that we know we're getting outdoor jerseys for everybody, what do you hope to see? And how can the Isles come up with a new third that everyone will like? Is that even possible?

Update on Friday · Jun 14 · 2013 | 1:56 AM PDT by Chris

Islanders CEO Brett Yormark on Prime Time Russia (via YouTube)

CEO also speaks on potential Brooklyn rebranding

A few readers pointed out an interested interview given by Islanders CEO Brett Yormark a couple weeks ago. Yormark was interviewed by Neil Harvey on an English-speaking Russian news program called Prime Time Russia on June 3.

You can watch the full 16-minute interview on YouTube or allow me to summarize the salient parts. Harvey asked Yormark asked about a possible rebranding of the Isles after the club moves to Brooklyn in 2015. Here's his response:

They don't have a lot to do with the Nets. Although in many respects, we will apply some of the same branding models. With the relocation of the Nets from Jersey to Brooklyn, to what we're gonna look to do with the Islanders when they come to Brooklyn. That will happen for the 2015-16 season.

So over the course of the next couple years we'll start that effort of transitioning the brand to Brooklyn. And to the extent that we can look to "Brooklyn-ize" them, which is certainly something that we will consider.

But that was rather general. What does "Brooklyn-ize" mean anyway?

Neil Harvey interviews Isles CEO Brett Yormark on Prime Time Russia

So Harvey got a little more specific.

Harvey: That's a lot for you to oversee. Is that definite that the branding will carry through to the hockey team? So you'll be looking to bring in the Brooklyn colors, the black and white?

Yormark: It's something that we're considering. We've engaged in some meaningful research. Focus groups, both in Brooklyn and Long Island to understand the desires of the hardcore fan that's been with the Islanders for many, many years. But we also need to understand what the new fan base for the Islanders would like to see in Brooklyn. And my job is to make sure that we can marry the hardcore fan base and the new fan base and to do appropriate branding that speaks to both.

We haven't made any decisions yet but I think it's fair to say that black and white are the colors of Brooklyn. So to the extent that we can weave those colors into the current color scheme of the Islanders, I think that might make some sense.

Harvey: To what extent will these be separate entities? Or is this basically going to be one sporting organization with a basketball team and a hockey team as well?

Yormark: We aspire to be a sports entertainment company so we will not look at the Islanders or the Barclays Center or the Nets as separate and apart from each other. The question is how to we create synergies? How do we create scale? How do we establish some influence in the marketplace that's different than today?

So we're gonna look at it from one big lens versus three different lenses and I think that's the best way to approach it.

He wasn't just implying a change to black and white, he practically said it outright. Naturally, that's the kind of notion that can create a lot of angst within the Islanders' existing fan base. Angst which manifested itself in the form of angry tweets.

To which Yormark replied:

@mselss @IslesFan_Ben @JKLUBER @islandermania I promise you we will do the right thing. Islanders fans will be happy. I am listening.

— Brett Yormark (@brettyormark) June 8, 2013

What he means by the "right thing" is unclear. But this is a point at which being vague makes sense. He's not going to come out and say they're not changing anything if they focus groups could end up recommending otherwise. But what Long Island-based focus group would suggest a change?

I'm curious to see where all this goes. I really hope they don't go the Kings' route.

New Look for Islanders by 2014?

There was a fascinating report in the New York Post last week. Apparently, the New York Islanders are looking into the possibility of a complete rebrand to accompany their move to Brooklyn in a couple years.

Artist conceptsThe changes would include a brand new color scheme — and probably a new logo, though they aren't that far along in the process it seems.

The sports marketing brain trust at Barclays Center is weighing a change in the team’s royal blue, orange and white team colors, sources said.

Barclays Center, which will take over the business operations of the team when it moves from Nassau County as soon as 2014, is currently holding separate focus groups of Islanders fans and Brooklynites, sources added.

A member of one group told the Riverhead News-Review earlier this month he was asked to rate a new team jersey without any orange, one that looked like the old Brooklyn Dodgers uniform — blue and white.

The focus groups will be done in about 45 days — and then team owner Charles Wang will be updated, a source said.

You may recall that when the move to Brooklyn was announced last October, Wang said the branding of the club would not be changing. Guess this is one of those "never say never" things.

Also worth noting is that they previously announced the move to take place in time for the 2015-16 season. Now it's sounding like that could be moved up a year to 2014-15.

Barclays Center CEO Brett Yormark is leaning toward a recommendation that the team, which has the worst attendance in the National Hockey League, undergo a complete rebranding, the source said.

Yormark is encouraged by his efforts at rebranding of the Nets upon landing in Brooklyn from Newark. Team colors were changed to black and white. Attendance rose from a league-worst 13,961 to 17,187 per game, and jerseys, which hadn’t cracked the top 10 in popularity, finished No. 4 this past season.

Yormark ... said, “The colors black and white are the new badge of honor in Brooklyn. The question is, can we weave that into the [Islanders] color scheme, and create a connection to the fans here in Brooklyn?”

Of course the article points out that the organization isn't dying to grab Nets fans so much as keep their own existing Long Island fans.

What does all of this mean? Could those concept artists envisioning the Isles in black and white really have been on to something? What do you think?

When Hockey Sweaters Go Green

It's a time for green beer and greener hockey jerseys. Happy St. Patrick's Day, everyone! The only way I can think to celebrate here on Icethetics is by sharing the many green warm-up jerseys being worn around the NHL this weekend. Enjoy!

First up — alphabetically — are the Boston Bruins. On Saturday night, ahead of their game against the Capitals, the Bs skated out for warm-ups sporting a color far from their existing palette.

Photos from Boston Bruins via social media

The team shared a number of photos of these green jerseys online today. A shot of the uniforms hanging in the locker room showed up on Instagram along with another of Shawn Thornton on ice. Then on Twitter, they shared a shot of Dougie Hamilton inspecting his own green threads.

Photos from Boston Bruins official website

UPDATE (3/17): Following last night's game, the Bs added a handful of action shots on their website.

The Columbus Blue Jackets couldn't keep their Irish-themed jerseys off of social media. The team suited up in green ahead of their scoreless affair with the Coyotes on Saturday.

Photos by Alison Pegg via Twitter

Team publicist Alison Pegg was perhaps the most prolific sharer of photos, including these shots of the sweaters from the locker room and auction table. She even offered up a moving picture through Vine. Of course green was not absent from the official Twitter account of the Blue Jackets.

And Icethetics reader Dan Caron even shared some of his own photos with us on Twitter. Needless to say, Columbus' St. Patrick's Day jersey was well-covered on social media.

The Dallas Stars were entertaining as ever with their St. Patty's jerseys on Saturday night. No surnames needed. Just add some Ireland-inspired nicknames to the backs of these bad boys.

Photos from Dallas Stars via Facebook

The Stars posted a picture of every player's jersey on their Facebook page. I pulled a couple of my personal favorites to post above — "McJagger" for Jaromir Jagr and "O'Romeo" for Aaron Rome. They're up for auction starting today if you find yourself in need of one.

The Edmonton Oilers are hosting the Predators tonight and may be among those teams donning green duds during warm-ups this weekend. On Instagram, the club posted a shot of a St. Patrick's Day prize pack which includes a green Oilers practice jersey. They also shared pictures of more St. Patty's-themed team merchandise on Twitter.

Conspicuous on this St. Patrick's Day was the noticeable absence of a recent tradition of the New Jersey Devils. Since 2010, the Devils have sported a throwback jersey which featured their original colors — red and green — every year for a home game on or near St. Patrick's Day. But not this year. And they were home hosting the Canadiens last night and everything. Would've been a perfect game for it.

Beating everyone to the St. Patrick's Day punch were the New York Islanders, who celebrated in green last weekend, when they hosted the Capitals on March 9.

Photo from New York Islanders official website

The Isles posted another great photo on their Facebook page after the game last night.

Photo from New York Islanders via Facebook

The jerseys were auctioned online leading up the big game.

Photo from Ottawa Senators via Instagram

UPDATE (3/17): The Ottawa Senators also joined the St. Patty's Day celebrations with the above photo posted on Instagram this morning. I presume they'll be wearing them during warm-ups today prior to their game later against the Jets.

Photos from Ottawa Senators official website

The Sens posted a couple of photos of the players skating in green on their website.

Later today, the Pittsburgh Penguins will host the Bruins. But before they do, the players will skate a little while wearing the green practice jerseys seen below.

Photos from Pittsburgh Penguins

According to the team: "The unique warm-up jerseys feature a green skating Penguin crest with Celtic lettering and numbering — and shamrocks on each shoulder." They will be put up for online auction beginning Friday.

Photos from Pittsburgh Penguins official website

UPDATE (3/17): This morning, the Penguins shared some more shots of the green on Instagram. There's one in the locker room and another of Craig Adams on the ice. Later, they posted a few more in the game's photo gallery.

UPDATE (3/17): The San Jose Sharks have been celebrating the Irish all week. The Sharks Foundation has been coordinating auctions of these green jerseys on March 9 and 14.

Photos from San Jose Sharks via Twitter and Facebook

Just today, the team tweeted a shot of the players wearing green at a recent morning skate. They've been a bit more prolific on Facebook with close-ups of the backs of these special sweaters, showing Patrick Marleau as well as Douglas Murray and others. (Thanks to @puckguy14 for the help!)

The Tampa Bay Lightning also joined the ranks of St. Patrick's Day teams on Saturday night by warming up in green before taking on the Hurricanes. The team did share some photos with us as well.

The Bolts posted some close-up photos on Instagram and a shot of the full locker room decked out in green gear on Twitter. There are several photos of players wearing the sweaters on the team's website.

Photos from Tampa Bay Lightning official website

Thanks to everyone who pitched in with links on Twitter yesterday! Let me know if you've spotted any teams I've missed and I'll be sure to add them. I'm also working on a separate post to highlight St. Patrick's Day jerseys around the minor leagues.

UPDATE (3/17): Also joining the St. Patty's Day fray were the Washington Capitals, who hit the ice in green tonight prior to defeating the Buffalo Sabres in the nation's capital.

Photos from Washington Capitals

Earlier tonight, the team tweeted a shot of a couple of jerseys hanging up in the locker room. Later, all of the green sweaters were on display at the arena so they could be auctioned off. And for more photos, check out the game's photo gallery.

Weekend Odds & Ends

Brighten your Monday with these uniform musings from the second weekend of the NHL season.

The Tampa Bay Lightning have updated their third jersey and officially retired their old logo. The Bolts hit the ice on Friday night in the alternate sweaters which now feature their new primary logo on the shoulders. And because they're celebrating their 20th anniversary this season, that patch has been added as well.

Speaking of new jersey patches, the San Jose Sharks debuted the memorial logo that honors the team's original owner, George Gund III. The only problem is that the Sharks' uniforms are already pretty cluttered, so there's not a whole lot of room for an extra patch. It's worse for the captains and alternate captains, as you can see with Joe Thornton's jersey.

Nominations for the best-looking hockey games of EVER. I know which one Don Cherry is voting for.

No, the St. Louis Blues weren't that excited about the arrival of new teammate Wade Redden on Sunday night. The players all wore No. 6 jerseys during warm-ups to honor St. Louis sports legend Stan Musial. Unfortunately, numbers had to be added to the front of the jerseys to identify the players. Something we never want to see again.

While we're on the subject of unique warm-up jerseys, Icethetics reader Alec Dominguez wrote in to let us know that the Florida Panthers have been wearing "7th man" nameplates recently.

This photo of Alex Kovalev was taken prior to Thursday night's game against the Senators.

Each player wears his own number. It's just the nameplate that's there to honor the patient fans who endured three months of idiocy in the form of the NHL's fourth lockout in two decades.

Hey, bright side. At least they acknowledge they're trying our patience. I figured they would just ignore it.

By the way, if you've noticed any uniform changes or unique warm-up sweaters I've managed to overlook, please drop me a line. I'll either update this blog post or start a new one.

And finally...

This is one of the weirdest things I've seen so far this season. On their website splash page, the New York Islanders are promoting their game on Super Bowl Sunday with a football helmet featuring their logo. It's just wrong. Flat out wrong.

Update on Tuesday · Jan 29 · 2013 | 9:51 AM PST by Chris

This isn't from the weekend, but it's in the same vein as the Panthers' story above. On opening night, Jan. 21, the Columbus Blue Jackets came out for warm-ups all wearing the same jersey. It was No. 1 with "THANK YOU FANS" across the back. See? They still like our money us.

But I kid. These jerseys were actually pretty cool, a nice gesture from the team. And during the game, the jerseys were raffled off to fans.

Thanks to Dan Caron for the tweet tip. Find more photos on the team's website.

New York Islanders Moving to Brooklyn

The New York Islanders announced today that they will be moving to Brooklyn, New York and playing their home games at the Barclays Center beginning in the 2015-16 season — after their lease at the Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum expires.

Barclays Center hockey seating chartOf note to Icethetics readers is the fact that the colors, name, logo and uniforms will be remaining the same. In other words, the club will not be named the Brooklyn Islanders. (Then again, the move is still three years away and who knows what could happen between now and then.)

The Barclays Center is actually not ideal for NHL hockey so I was a little surprised by the announcement. The arena holds on 14,500 for hockey when most other "state-of-the-art" buildings seat about 20,000. Naturally, it seems like it will have to mean higher ticket prices and a need for higher attendance.

Not unlike Seattle's much-maligned Key Arena, the Barclays Center wasn't really designed with hockey in mind. And when you replace a basketball court with a hockey rink, you lose a lot of seats at one end. Not much you can do about that, I guess.

But it gives me hope Seattle can put a team in the Key until new arena is built. I'd be all for that!

What do you think of this announcement by the Islanders? And what do you think of the fact that the 40-year-old name and logo will remain the same?