Is This the Isles' New Third Jersey?

Picked up on a story from Puck Daddy this afternoon. Seems they may have found a potential leak of the New York Islanders' new third jersey set to debut this fall.

The image below, uploaded to Flickr yesterday, comes from the account of a user named roblgraphicd. And as Greg Wyshynski points out in his blog post, the Isles currently employ a graphic designer by the name of Robert Lawlor Jr. The account includes any number of samples of Islanders design work. You can draw your own conclusions.

So the question is this: Are we looking at the Islanders' new black third jersey?

Is this the New York Islanders' new black third jersey or just a concept? / Flickr

From the designer:

2011-12 Season will be the first in which the Islanders take part in the NHL Alternate Jersey program. Featuring modern panels and a somewhat retro type treatment, the jersey also includes the 40th Anniversary logo as a shoulder patch.

First off, he's forgetting that the current home jersey started out as an alternate jersey in 2008. And that they actually had an orange third from 2001 to 2007. So it won't be the first time by any stretch. Second, there's nothing retro about this jersey. It's all super-modern. And not in a good way.

The most prevalent rumors this summer have put the Isles in a black alternate sweater this fall. But more recently, as I wrote in the July edition of the NHL JerseyWatch, I was told that the primary color would be blue and the jersey would feature grey and orange trim. Can't say if that's true or not.

Even if this is not the final design, the fact that it seems to come from a graphic designer who works for the Islanders tells us at the very least it could be a prototype considered by the team. That in itself is newsworthy on this blog. We always enjoying seeing concepts from the pros.

Now if you want my thoughts, I'm of two minds on this. On one hand, it's just nuts enough to be an actual NHL jersey. On the other, I would've hoped the Islanders' had learned their lesson about insane jersey design. This is way too trendy for its own good. Wordmark on the front. Mismatching nameplate on the back. Black. And for what's worth, the design seems to be based in part on the Phoenix Coyotes' third jersey template.

When the Isles launched their Reebok Edge jerseys in 2007, they were quite ugly. They've since rectified the problem by going back to their roots with beautiful throwbacks. But I guess somebody at the top still wants the Isles' to have at least one oddball uniform in the arsenal. And this would surely do the trick.

I can't give you a definitive answer on its legitimacy. I can just show it to you and let you make up your own minds until I have something more concrete to report. And once again, excellent find by Puck Daddy!

Update on Thursday · Aug 4 · 2011 | 12:46 PM PDT by Chris

Quick follow-up. As pointed out in the comments, it seems the Robert Lawlor Jr. in question has suddenly had his name removed from the business directory of the Islanders' website. As proof that it was there before, I managed to grab this screenshot of that portion of the page.

I really hope no one lost a job over this. And I'm not sure what this action says about the supposed "leak." Either 1) the guy posted something online that he shouldn't have and got the sack, or 2) he's a former employee who posted a concept online and when it got the team's attention, they finally remembered to take his name off the online employee roster. However, that assumes the name Robert Lawlor Jr. is tied to the "roblgraphicd" Flickr account, which hasn't been fully established yet. Though there is more evidence...

If you click on the "New York Islanders" set on his Flickr account, the user's employment is described. Looks like he just began working for the team last October and was still working there until now. Here's a copy of the text in case it disappears later as well.

New York Islanders
October 2010-Present

Design creative materials to support teams needs. Developed print and web marketing, as well as all team specific graphics for Nassau Coliseum, Islanders Team Stores and ice rinks affiliated with the organization.

SELECT ACCOMPLISHMENTS INCLUDE
Successful completion of 2011-12 season Islanders Yearbook undertaking role of sole designer. Utilized 2D barcodes to procure quicker fan engagement for promotions and ticket offers. Developed a streamlined photo editing and archiving process. Adaption of design elements across various projects strengthening brand. Mentored design internship participants, assessing skills and developed roles for each within department.

Reference: Erik White
Creative Services Manager

For the record, the Isles' online business director does indicate an Erik White as the creative services manager. Again, I don't know what any of this means exactly, but there are at least some more details for you to digest.

Update on Thursday · Aug 4 · 2011 | 1:17 PM PDT by Chris

And now the jersey design is gone from the Flickr account. Again, still not proof of anything.

Update on Thursday · Aug 4 · 2011 | 2:18 PM PDT by Chris

The Islanders have now officially commented on the apparent third jersey leak via Twitter.

@NYIslanders: That is one of the 3rd jersey designs we are considering. At the appropriate time we'll announce the #Isles official 3rd jersey.

So now we know it's at least a prototype the club is looking at. Whether or not it's where they land remains to be seen. They didn't specify when the official announcement will take place.

The Big Bad Draft Recap of 2011

I can't remember the last time an NHL draft yielded so many new jerseys. Eight different teams used the 2011 NHL Entry Draft in St. Paul to showcase something new. So settle in, there's a lot to cover.

Oilers Go Full-On Retro

1 Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, 19 Oscar Klefborn, 62 Samu Perhonen, 92 Dillon Simpson

After 16 years, the Edmonton Oilers once again look like they did when they entered the NHL in 1979. The Oilers used the first overall pick in the draft to select Ryan Nugent-Hopkins as well as to unveil their new retro road sweater — which now matches their home uniform, with the colors reversed.

This is exactly what Edmonton fans wanted and I'm happy to see them get it. The jersey looks fantastic! On the team's website, Oilers president Patrick LaForge said, "We listened to our fans and know they will be happy to see the set complete with the new road vintage jersey." Truer words were never spoken.

The Oilers also announced that the previous road jersey is officially retired. And while they didn't say so specifically, it's likely the navy and copper third jersey will remain in use next season.

Seeing Red in South Florida

3 Jonathan Huberdeau, 64 Vincent Trocheck, 76 Logan Shaw, 87 Jonathan Racine

Earlier this month, the Florida Panthers launched their "We See Red" marketing campaign — an effort to return to the franchise's color roots. This weekend, it culminated with the reveal of their new red home sweater, which was given to each of their 2011 draft picks.

The Panthers didn't do an all-out redesign with this jersey, but more of a color swap. The sleeves are now blue, but there is no piping on — a refreshing change of pace from the old jersey. So that's a big plus. All in all, I think this is easily the best jersey in the Cats' arsenal at this point.

But that's not to say it's perfect. The elbow striping is an element of the Reebok Edge template that I just don't like. Maybe if it went all the way around the arm. I also think gold piping would've looked sharp and added contrast between the red and blue on the sleeves. But these are not dealbreakers.

I don't yet know about the fate of their other jerseys. I would assume the white road uniform will remain unchanged. They could use the old home jersey (the blue one) as a third jersey, but I think the blue alternate they already have is superior. So I'd bet the old home sweater is retired.

On Behalf of the Winnipeg Jets...

78 Brennan Serville, 7 Mark Scheifele, 119 Zachary Yuen, 157 Jason Kasdorf

The new Winnipeg franchise used the occasion to announce their new name — or should I say old name? The Winnipeg Jets are once again an NHL team. How about that. Unfortunately, while the team had a name ready to go, they couldn't say the same about a logo and jerseys.

Each of their draftees were given generic black jerseys with the NHL shield on the front. Rest assured, this will not be the uniform of the Jets come the fall. True North chairman Mark Chipman has said it may be a while before we see the new uniforms and logo.

Illegal Curve tweeted some details from Chipman yesterday. He said they wanted to have a prototype jersey ready for the draft, but were worried about knockoffs showing up before they were able to put official merchandise on sale. So production time is likely the reason we'll have to wait to see the new branding.

The team has also said that the colors "won't be completely different" from the old Jets. I take that to mean possibly a darker shade of blue and the addition of a third color such as silver. So another red and blue team, then. Fun. I may sound bitter, but at least the Thrashers and their too many colors were unique.

Earlier today, TSN's Darren Dreger tweeted, "I haven't seen the Winnipeg Jets new logo or sweater design, but I'm told it's very impressive." I'm sure it is. And I'm sure a lot of money is being spent to make sure of that. To be honest, I hope it doesn't leak so as to avoid the knockoff issues.

New Bolts Get New Blues 

148 Nikita Nesterov, 27 Vladislav Namestnikov, 178 Adam Wilcox

The Tampa Bay Lightning unveiled completely redesigned blue and white uniforms back in January. This weekend, they handed them out to their new draft picks in St. Paul.

There is one element of the jerseys that has changed since we last saw them at the January press conference. The numbers now feature an inner black outline after enough Bolts fans complained about the lack of black in the new threads. (I wasn't one of them.)

As much as I've praised these new sweaters, I was disappointed by one thing I noticed this weekend. Based on the previous pictures I've seen, I thought the blue was a lot lighter than it is. Turns out it's basically identical to the Maple Leafs' blue. Really not happy about that. Don't get me wrong, I'm still buying one, but I was hoping Stevie Y would do something to make us stand out.

Predators Decide to Simplify

38 Magnus Hellberg, 52 Miikka Salomaki

The Nashville Predators didn't have a pick in the first round this year due to the Mike Fisher trade, so we had to wait a day to see their new road jersey. As the NHL draft picked up with Round 2 this morning, the Preds gave the new sweater to their draftees, who became the first players to wear them.

While both new jerseys were sort of leaked on Thursday, we learned they weren't the final versions. Today we can play spot the differences. The biggest one (and only one that I could spot) would be the left shoulder which featured the word NASHVILLE in small text. On this version, it's only seen on the back of the collar. Everything else is basically how we first saw it.

Prior to the jersey leak, the new logos were officially unveiled, so I won't spend anymore time discussing them. I did want to note, however, that the new guitar pick logo is only used on the right shoulder of the road uniform. I suspect it will be the same on the gold home jersey.

Kings' Worst Kept Secret is Official

49 Christopher Gibson, 110 Michael Mersch

The Los Angeles Kings will have a new road uniform next season and their 2011 draft picks became the first to sport it for cameras today. (Like Nashville, they lacked a first round pick.) And for what it's worth, it was the worst kept secret of the year. We first saw this jersey way back in October!

Well a version of it, anyway. An Icethetics reader snapped a photo of what appeared to be prototype jerseys in Luc Robitaille's office at the Kings' practice facility before last season even started. To be fair, though, there's an L.A. pee wee team that's been wearing something similar for a while now.

They're nice. That's really all I can say. By dropping the purple from their palette, I think the Kings have done themselves a disservice. But the new jerseys aren't bad. But for the waist stripes, this new road sweater nearly matches the black and silver alternate the Kings have been wearing for a couple of years. It will become the new home jersey.

The old black and purple home sweater will become a third jersey and the old road sweater will be retired.

Isles, Sens Add Patches to Mark Special Occasions

5 Ryan Strome, 127 Brenden Kichton, 21 Stefan Noesen

The New York Islanders have created a new 40th anniversary shoulder patch while the Ottawa Senators will wear an All-Star Game patch for the 2011-12 season. The new add-ons were first spotted on the teams' first round draft picks on Friday night.

This is our first time seeing the Islanders' new 40th anniversary mark and I'm still waiting to get a better look. So far the above pictures are the best I've seen. The Isles entered the league in 1972 with the Atlanta Flames, but Calgary tends to only recognize the Calgary years with their anniversary logos.

Ottawa hosts the 2012 All-Star Game next season but the logo was first unveiled way back in September. The Senators are also celebrating their 20th anniversary, but it seems that logo will be trumped on the jersey this season. Perhaps they could change it after the All-Star break?

---

If you've made it this far into this post, you're clearly the kind of person who will be interested in the following minutia. I'm talking about the breakdown of what jerseys were handed out by teams to their draftees.

• 21 teams gave colorful home jerseys to their draftees, 1 of which was seen for the first time (Florida).
• 7 teams gave white road jerseys to their draftees (Buffalo, Colorado, Edmonton, Los Angeles, Nashville San Jose and Vancouver), 3 of which were unveiled at the same time (Edmonton, Los Angeles and Nashville).
• 6 teams gave jerseys that have never been used in a game before, one of which will never be used in a game (Winnipeg).
• And 1 team gave an alternate jersey to its draftee. And that would be Minnesota. Perhaps a privilege of being host of this year's festivities.

I hope that answers all of the jersey- and logo-related questions you had about this year's draft. If it doesn't ask in the comments and I'll do my best to answer.

Isles in Black and Other Rumors

I've never been a fan of writing blog posts based on pure speculation with no independent confirmation. Unfortunately, it's May and that's all I have for you at the moment. (The summer should be more fruitful.) So let's dive into the latest rumors.

The most ridiculous thing I've heard yet is that the New York Islanders could launch — are you sitting down? — a black third jersey next fall. Right.

Icethetics readers Jeremy and Marco have linked us to a thread at HFBoards.com in which a user claimed to have a friend at a sporting apparel store with inside information. Honestly, don't we all?

To properly dissect his assertion, let's have a look at the original post.

I stopped into my friend's store ... he sells NHL jerseys, other sports too, but has alot more NHL then anything else. ... Anyway, I was discussing with him about jersey changes for next season, he showed me the reebok catalog ordering book he gets and the Kings, Predators, Panthers and Lightning (already unveiled) are all getting new home and aways, while the Sens, Thrashers, Penguins are all getting new alternates.

...the Islanders are getting a third jersey and he said the jersey will be Black. Apparently they made up 5 different proto-types and all 5 were black jerseys. I was kind of suprised because the Islanders dont have any black in their team colors, so I am kind of afraid that it could be awful.

The mind-numbingly awful grammar aside, there are a few things wrong with this. First, I'm suspicious about Reebok already sending out unreleased uniform designs to retailers. Not impossible, but unlikely. But more importantly, under no circumstances would Reebok include team prototypes in retail planning information.

So it seems as if someone's trying to take us for a ride. I can certainly see the Islanders doing something as silly as creating a black third jersey. But where this "friend" is getting his information is suspect. Either he's making things up to appear to be "in the know" or the person who posted this is.

Guess we won't know for sure, though, until the Isles show it to us.

It's looking more and more like the Nashville Predators will be sporting gold next season. (According to unnamed sources, of course.)

Back in February, a team ticket rep apparently told a reader that a yellow sweater design was being tested. A week later, the club sent out season ticket renewal forms — which were primarily yellow — confirming a new jersey was in the works.

More recently, the unveiling of Pekka Rinne's new mask showed us a logo we've never seen before. Now, we supposedly have new rumors to support these things.

An Icethetics reader — not wanting to be named — again cites a "friend" who works for the team as indicating the following:

• New home and road jerseys are slated for 2011
• Home jersey will be unveiled at the 2011 NHL Entry Draft (June 24 in Minnesota)
• Road jersey will be unveiled in July
• Home jersey will be "yellow/gold"

Again, all speculation at this point. And more rumors doesn't make it more true. But now you know what I know when it comes to unconfirmable information.

Kings redesign website without purple / LAKings.com

Last item of the day relates to the Los Angeles Kings, who have almost completely rid their website of the color purple. This fuels the belief that the Kings will swap their home and alternate jersey and add new threads for the road.

Again, not new information but just one more thing that points in the same direction. In March, Kings official blogger Rich Hammond did confirm that a white version of the black alternate would be employed for road games beginning in 2011-12.

If anything, the one new element included in this new look for the Kings is the crown logo sans purple. It's been previously seen only inside the third jersey crest, not standing alone as it now is on the website banner.

Hat tip to Eric P. for bringing the Kings' web redesign to my attention.

Canadians Heart Stripes

It's been a week since the last blog update, so it's time for a nice long one. Let's take a trip across Canada and try to figure out why the natives like stripes so much. We start in the capital city. The blog's been a little Ottawa-heavy these days, but that's where the news is.

Ottawa 67's dark uniform / Robert LefebvreThe OHL's Ottawa 67's — not the Senators — have announced they will unveil a new dark uniform on Friday. They're bringing back the old barber-pole look from just prior to the Age of Reebok.

According to Reebok, the "high-tech" Edge uniforms were not conducive to the top-to-bottom striping the 67's were known for. So they switched to this (right) and fans weren't very happy with that.

Now, it's apparently "technologically possible" so they're bringing them back once again. Details from the team's website:

The Ottawa 67’s will return to their roots next season by wearing the barber pole jersey/socks as their “dark” uniform. The team was forced to temporarily switch from the barber pole to a solid colour prior to the start of the 2009-10 season when the OHL adopted the new Reebok EDGE jersey.

At the time, 67’s Owner and Governor Jeff Hunt pledged that his team would return to the barber pole design as soon as it was technologically possible, and that time has now arrived.

“The barber pole jersey is synonymous with 67’s hockey,” said 67’s Owner and Governor Jeff Hunt. “It’s the jersey of Denis Potvin, Doug Wilson and Bobby Smith. It’s the jersey of our Memorial Cup winning teams. And it’s fantastic to finally be able to return to it and give our fans the look they’ve been asking for.”

The jersey will be unveiled to 67’s fans at the Rona Centre on Friday evening, just before the start of their game against Niagara at 7:30 PM. Great seats for that game are still available.

Binghamton Senators' barber-pole jerseySo that's cool and I'll get pictures on the blog tomorrow. If any 67's fans in attendance feel like sharing a picture, everyone here would be grateful.

The AHL's Binghamton Senators recently sported the full stripes — though not in the Reebok Edge cut (right).

But that's not all. Now we bring it back to the NHL club. Icethetics reader Dan P. emailed in about what the change-up for the 67's might mean for the Ottawa Senators in 2011.

Given the conversations regarding the Sens jersey changes, this news could likely have an impact as it probably rules out a complete return to the straight barber poles... not likely that two teams in the same town sport the same jersey.

While I can't think of a specific example to refute Dan's claim, I don't see why that necessarily has to be the case — especially if it's just an alternate for the Sens. It might be cool to have that connection with the junior club in town.

Still, let's say Dan is onto something and the Sens wouldn't go full-on barber-pole. Team president Cyril Leeder has said that the barber-pole design will be part of the new third jersey. So that brings me back to the above jersey the 67's have been wearing since 2009. I think it would work perfectly for the Senators and it will no longer be in use by the 67's.

So that's that put to bed for the time being.

Here's an interesting one. Remember my April Fool's joke in 2008? It was about the NHL dropping Reebok Edge jerseys and turning to Project Runway for redesigned uniforms. Maybe it was just crazy enough to be true.

ESPN The Magazine asked fashion designer Tommy Hilfiger for his take on the uniforms of the most historic teams in major sports for their Style Issue (March 21 edition). He tried his hand at the Yankees, Lakers and Cowboys before turning to the Montreal Canadiens.

Tommy Hilfiger gives the Canadiens a new look / ESPN The Magazine

Here's what Hilfiger had to say about his Habs' redesign:

I wanted to go in a different direction than the current Canadiens uniforms, which are solid colors. We loved the idea of taking the traditional rugby stripe and incorporating it into a hockey uniform. The tie at the neck area allows a wider opening for putting on and taking off the jersey over all the pads. The zigzag stitch along the front is one of the strongest stitches that can be applied to a garment to withstand pulling and tugging. It gives the uniform a cool twist, but it's functional, too. There has to be a balance.

I like the rugby stripes much better than the barber-pole the 67's are talking about. But it would be hard to see the Habs in a uniform that didn't bear the CH. If you're so inclined, you should check out Hilfiger's other redesigns.

This next item relates to Canada, but not stripes. Chris Creamer tweeted a link to a story saying the sale of the WHL's Chilliwack Bruins  is "70% done" — meaning it's looking like they'll be playing in Victoria next season.

And it apparently relates to the possibility of the Phoenix Coyotes moving back to Winnipeg if they can't sort things out in Glendale, Ariz. This pretty much sums it up: "With the impeding collapse of the Phoenix Coyotes in Glendale and their move to Winnipeg in the cards, it is imperative to the WHL that they move into the Victoria market before the Vancouver Canucks affiliate, the Manitoba Moose does."

I don't know all the ins and outs of this story, but I do know the ECHL is already in Victoria with the Salmon Kings — and they're affiliated with the Canucks and Moose. I guess it'll be interesting to see what new team names and logos we end up with next season when all of this gets worked out.

By the way, I have an extra-long Winnipeg Jets concept post in the works for tomorrow. Thanks to all the artists who've submitted their work!

Islanders 2001—2007 / Getty ImagesAnd now to drop my Canadian theme altogether, we'll move on to the subject of the New York Islanders  and their new third jersey.

In a video blog on NYI Point Blank, Chris Botta addressed a reader's question. He says the Isles will indeed launch a new alternate sweater for 2011-12.

The reader asked what we're all thinking by pointing out that the Islanders already "got it right" with the new white sweater this season. So why risk a "fishsticks" ordeal?

The simple answer: money. As Botta points out, if the club adds a new jersey, even if it has a fisherman on the front, fans will buy it. And the Isles would like to have their money.

Botta had no details to offer on the design, but did say he was working for the club when the orange jersey was launched. He liked it. Personally, I'm not a big fan, but it is different and we have seen worse. Much worse.

Thanks to Andy F. for sending along the link. 

New York, New York

All three Empire State teams have third jerseys on the horizon. Some sooner, some later. We'll start with the Sabres, who I glossed over last week as word came down while I was busy packing for my trip.

Sabres to unveil third jersey Sept. 18

The Buffalo Sabres announced last week that a new third jersey will be unveiled on September 18.

The new sweater is meant to celebrate the team's 40th anniversary and will make its official introduction at Puck Drop 2010, the team's 2010-11 season kickoff party.

Specific details of the design were not made available, but the following description was included in the press release on the Sabres' website:

The Sabres will unveil the team’s new 40th anniversary third jersey at an open practice that morning. This classically-designed uniform is a tribute to not only the history of Buffalo hockey, but early NHL jersey designs. The 40th anniversary jersey will now serve as the team’s alternate jersey.

Fans will be able to purchase the 40th anniversary jersey in the Sabres Store beginning that day. The team is also scheduled to take part in a scrimmage following the jersey unveiling.

That's all we really have to go on at this point, so let's break it down. It's described as a "classically-designed uniform" that's a "tribute to not only the history of Buffalo hockey, but early NHL jersey designs." That all but confirms some sort of textual element as the primary feature of the sweater. Those old-timey hockey sweaters were always using words over symbols.

Concept art by A.J. BloomquistPair that with the part about the history of Buffalo hockey, and a picture starts to emerge. Rumors have swirled for a long time that the Sabres may look to their AHL predecessor, the Buffalo Bisons, who played from 1940 to 1970. This concept (right) probably best exemplifies what we're likely to see based on the above release.

Having said that, it goes against the description leaked to Icethetics back in March. But a lot can change in that amount of time. Luckily, we only have less than a month to wait before we see it.

And of course, we can't talk about Sabres jerseys in 2010 without talking about the standard home and road sweaters. It's practically a foregone conclusion that the "Buffaslug" is dead. However, he still appears on the team's website so I'll hold off on calling it just yet.

That being said, we're expecting last season's third jersey to be the new home sweater while a white version of it will be worn on the road. We've said this over and over. My guess is that this will be made official as sort of an "oh, by the way..." type of thing at the Puck Drop event.

If I hear or see anything before then, you know where to find it. And by the way, this expectation that I "should" have a "leak" by now... laughable, folks. We'll see the jerseys when we see them. What's the rush?

Rangers' third rumored to arrive in November

SNY Rangers Blog said on Tuesday that the New York Rangers will unveil a new alternate jersey in mid-November. The writer cites an anonymous source for the approximate release date and offered no details on the design.

Possible designs for Rangers 3rd jersey?However, if you've been keeping up with JerseyWatch 2010, you already know that Bleacher Report blogger Greg Caggiano claimed in March to have seen a mock-up. He says it will be almost identical to the current home jersey except that RANGERS is replaced by NEW YORK in diagonal text running down the front.

The rest of us are hoping the "Lady Liberty" jersey from the '90s makes some sort of comeback. That was truly a cool sweater — regardless of whether the statue is technically in Jersey or not.

And let's not bee too closed-minded here. It's entirely possible that the Rangers could come up with a totally new sweater design. Likely? Maybe not. But certainly possible.

Islanders plan third jersey for 2011-12

Now that the New York Islanders have fixed their jersey design failures by reverting to their original design twice since 1997 — they're going to mess with it again.

A new article posted yesterday on the Isles' website follows a day in the life of the team's director of retail operations, Terry Goldstein. It's a fun read for jersey geeks like us. Among other things, Goldstein says work began in April on the design of a new alternate sweater which will launch in 2011 — assuring that Icethetics will never ever run out of content. Ever.

He's a little cocky...

“As the Director of Retail Operations, my design ideas are the ones that help create new player jerseys and the different items found in our Team Stores,” Goldstein said. “In the past six years, every Islanders apparel item that you have seen our players or our fans wear at the games, on television or in print has began with my ideas.”

...but at least now we have a legitimate scapegoat for the striping atrocity that was the Islanders' original Reebok Edge uniform. Mike Milbury is still to blame for Fishsticks.

As we all know by now, the Isles are returning to their original colors and uniform design, featuring that classic royal blue and orange combination. It's nice seeing bright colors making their way back into the NHL. Now to the part of the article about the upcoming alternate uniform.

By returning to the team’s original colors, the Islanders now have only two jerseys for this coming season and Goldstein is looking to create a new third jersey for the 2011-12 season.

“The planning started 4 months ago to re-introduce a third jersey. We currently have a committee of people that are deciding on the style,” Goldstein said. “We have all types of designs. We’ll make samples of the jerseys, then make the final decision. This will become part of what you see on the ice in the 2011-12 season.”

With the way things have been trending lately, I shudder to think the final design may be some scripty text. But next season is still a long way off.

Meantime, the article also includes this gem:

More than 15 months ago, Goldstein started working to create a camouflage practice jersey for this coming season. The Islanders will debut the practice jersey on the ice for pre-game warm-ups, prior to facing off against the Flyers on November 6 in honor of Military Appreciation Night. Once the pre-game skate is over, fans will have the opportunity to bid on the jerseys with the proceeds going to the Wounded Warriors Project.

“Tied in with the warm-up jerseys, we are creating four other military camouflage items for our team stores,” Goldstein said. “We are going to have a John Tavares camouflage shirt, a hat and a generic shirt. We are trying to create some fun items that we have never done before.”

Dude, over a year for a camouflage warm-up jersey? Really? Anyway, if you want to know more I recommend giving it a read.

And yes, I have minor league jersey news to get to as well. But that'll be for another day. I have to go to work some time.

Update on Thursday · Aug 19 · 2010 | 9:56 PM PDT by Chris

Quick follow-up to this post. Icethetics reader Jeremy M. pointed out to me that it seems Reebok has redesigned the standard NHL practice jersey. All 30 teams now have replicas for sale. I've posted pictures in a brand new Jersey Gallery.

Of course the "Buffaslug" is nowhere to be found on the Sabres' new jersey, but what's interesting is that the Lady Liberty logo is on the Rangers' practice jersey! An awesome sign of things to come perhaps? 

Even if they don't end up using it on the new third jersey, I'm at least glad to see it's not completely dead. Also worth noting is that the Canucks are using their secondary logo, the modernized "stick-in-rink," while the Predators going with the simplified version of their primary mark — introduced on the third jersey, and expected to be on the new home uniform.

That is all.