Canada May Have a Black Third Jersey

Report: Black sweater would feature gold stripes

Take a good hard look. This jersey or something like it may be an option for Canada during the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi, according to an anonymous report.

On a tip provided by a secondhand source through 25stanley.com, I asked frequent Icethetics concept contributor Steven Grant to illustrate his interpretation of the tipster's description. While I'm not able to publish the description provided to Icethetics, I can tell you that Steven has done an excellent job bringing it to life.

Whether or not it's accurate remains to be seen. We should find out for sure on Oct. 8. That's when Hockey Canada and Nike are planning to unveil the new 2014 uniforms.

The tip actually came prior to Roberto Luongo spilling the beans publicly on the fact that Canada will have three jerseys — unless it was just misinformation. According to Wyatt Arndt, a blogger for The Province in Vancouver, Luongo said he's seen the jerseys but wouldn't comment further.

Concept artist imagines white version of leaked jersey

As all of Canada surely knows by now, the country's new red jersey was leaked via Getty Images on Thursday. With that in mind, I asked Steven Grant to illustrate that jersey as well as a white version.

From the leaked photo, it's not clear whether the white stripe across the front wraps around to the back. So for the sake of simplicity when it comes to the back numbers, Steven has cut off the stripe along the sides. He's also guessing that the glossy elements on the shoulders are maple leaves.

Steven then created an inverted white version. And to insert some symmetry into an otherwise asymmetrical jersey, Steven's white version has the lone sleeve stripe on the opposite arm. Other than that, the jersey has all the same features with the red swapped for white.

Canadians, what do you think? A black third jersey for the Olympics? How often would you want to see your team sporting it? Among these three designs, do you have a favorite?

Did Canada's Olympic Jersey Leak?

Photo from Getty Images

Photo seems to show new Canadian team jersey

We may have gotten our first look at Team Canada's 2014 Olympics jersey on Thursday night. The above photo appears to show Jonathan Toews posing for a photo wearing a never-before-seen Canadian sweater. Since the United States and Russia unveiled their jerseys last week, it makes sense that Canada won't be far off.

Screen shot from Getty Images websiteThe photo was first distributed by Getty Images, described in the caption as follows.

NEWARK, NJ - SEPTEMBER 5: Jonathan Toews of the Chicago Blackhawks poses for a photo shoot at the 2013 NHL Player Media Tour at the Prudential Center on September 5, 2013 in Newark, New Jersey. (Photo by Melynda Pilon/NHLI via Getty Images)

The photo was available for some time on Friday before being taken down by Getty. I grabbed the screen shot to the right before that happened.

This alone is decent evidence we're looking at an unreleased jersey — or something that somebody didn't want the world to see yet.

But there are other indications that it's the Olympic jersey. We can match up some of the details seen previously on the American and Russian sweaters designed by Nike.

First, you have the Nike swoosh near the right shoulder. Take a closer look and you'll notice the faux laces below the collar. That's definitely a new feature of Nike hockey jerseys — and not a welcome one if you've read the many tweets and blog comments.

Add to that all that the glossy shapes around the shoulders which I would assume are maple leaves — not unlike the stars seen on the American jerseys.

I made the case earlier on Twitter that the IOC doesn't allow corporate logos (such as Hockey Canada's) on jerseys anymore and made reference to the type element on the front. Then @Univers47 reminded me that it was featured on the 2010 jerseys as well.

All the evidence — and the timing — tells us that this is probably the Canadian Olympic jersey that will be used in Sochi this winter. It's just not confirmed yet.

Still, I know that won't stop anyone from assuming it is, so feel free to sound off in the comments. What do you think of this Nike-made Canadian jersey? Specifically, how do you feel about the asymmetry of the giant white stripe found only on the left sleeve?

Update on Friday · Sep 6 · 2013 | 6:07 PM PDT by Chris

Hockey Canada has put out a statement regarding their Olympic jerseys. From their press release:

Hockey Canada will unveil and launch the jerseys that its men's, women's and sledge hockey teams will wear at the Olympic and Paralympic Games in Sochi on October 8.

We look forward to telling the story and innovation behind the jerseys at that time.

They will be officially unveiled on Tues., Oct. 8. Mark your calendars!

Nike Unveils Olympic Team Jerseys

All images from Nike

United States gets classy new look for 2014

Nike has been using this week to unveil the hockey jerseys slated for use during the 2014 Winter Olympics. Today, they revealed the new look of the United States. Team USA will be sporting these classy numbers. They're minimalist in their overall aesthetic and very tasteful.

I particularly like how they swapped out the tired collegiate text for a beautiful new crest. Another feature of the jersey is the slogan "land of the free, home of the brave" printed inside the collar. I suppose that's just a feature for the players to see as they pull their jerseys over their head before they hit the ice. There's no other way to see it, really.

It turns out even Nike isn't immune from Reebok's "hanger effect" trend. The inside of the collar pays tribute to the years the U.S. brought home gold medals. It's a nice touch, even if it's only visible when it's hanging on a rack in a store. Still, it's probably a good reminder for the players when they walk into the locker room.

We'll wrap up with the feature that was exploding Twitter at last check. The same effect used to create the twinkling stars on on the shoulders has been fashioned into a fake lace-up collar. I guess the point is that the lace-up collars on hockey sweaters are strictly for appearances. So Nike figures, why not make them even more pointless.

But if that's the worst thing these jerseys have to offer, I think we're in pretty good shape. Some might question the lack of sleeve and waist striping — a problem I noted for the San Jose Sharks not long ago — but there's a different aesthetic to national team jerseys. They don't need bells and whistles. They need to be classy. I think Nike hit the mark for Team USA.

But wait, there's more...

All images from Nike

Russia revises uniforms for Sochi

As the host country of the 2014 Winter Olympics, Russia was first to show off its new uniforms. The designs were revealed by Nike on Monday, and once again, we get a solid pair of jerseys.

The red one features the Russian flag wrapped around the sleeves while the white one has an entirely different feel — both with lots of Russian iconography. In fact, that's addressed in Nike's media release:

Taking inspiration from Russia’s national emblem of the two-headed eagle, the jersey has been redesigned with streamlined design lines, lighter graphics and a modern neckline reinforced with Nike Flywire. The result is a lightweight, breathable jersey that moves naturally with the body, and is steeped in hundreds of years of history and heritage.

Featured on the shoulders of the red jersey are eight stars — four on each side — commemorating what Nike refers to as "past successes." A similar feature is on the white jersey but in the form of eight gold crowns on the right sleeve. But by my count, Russia/Soviet Union has only won seven gold medals in Olympic hockey. What am I missing? Anyone know what the eighth star references?

UPDATE: I was forgetting about 1992 Olympics and the Unified Team, for which Russian players suited up. That accounts for the eighth gold star/crown. Thanks to Corbin LeGrand for pointing that out.

Speaking of the white uniform, here's a look at some of the detail. That faux lace-up collar shows up again — on both jerseys, in fact. Too bad, and Nike had such a good thing going otherwise. The other thing that got some negative feedback, at least through Twitter, was the eagle wing graphics on the shoulders.

I may be in that group. It doesn't really feel like it belongs with the rest of the jersey. Especially when you see it on Alex Ovechkin. Check out these shots.

The red one looks incredibly cool. The white one... well, let's just say I hope they get to play more games while wearing red. Both designs are very Russian, but I'm partial to the red, obviously.

How about you? How do you feel about what Nike's done for the U.S. and Russia?

Olympic Observations 2010

I've been really fascinated by Olympic hockey in the last few weeks. Never used to be a fan. Didn't really care about international hockey. After having watched all or parts of every single game of the men's tournament in Vancouver, I've changed my mind.

Now that we're a day away from the games that determine who will play for the gold, I thought I'd share some observations I've made. Feel free to share yours as well.

• Pavol Demitra #38The Vancouver Connection Most teams are using the same fonts on their jerseys. Obviously, Nike was heavily involved in making all the uniforms look uniform, but I think it's strange that 7 of the 12 teams in the tournament use the same font found on the Vancouver Canucks' jerseys: United States, Russia, Czech Republic, Slovakia, Latvia, Belarus and Germany. (It's called Agency.)
• Canada's Tradition I thought it stranger still that Team Canada is the only one using traditional/standard block letters and numbers, similar to the San Jose Sharks. Interesting that 4 members of the Sharks play for Canada. Coincidence?
• Seeing Red Every team except Sweden has red in their uniforms. Seven of 12 teams have red jerseys (if you count Latvia's maroon as a shade of red). Ten of the 12 countries represented have red in their flags, which usually symbolizes courage and sacrifice — as in sprawling out in front of a Zdeno Chara slapshot. Only Finland and Sweden do not use red in their national flags.
• Another Option The United States is the only team with a third jersey. In terms of striping, it's a dead ringer for the New York Rangers' white sweater. It's meant to be a throwback to the jersey worn by the Americans in 1960 at Squaw Valley, commemorating the country's first gold medal in hockey.
• Pavel Kubina #77Czech Out the Numbers The Czech Republic uses the same number font as the Atlanta Thrashers. So Pavel Kubina's No. 77 looks the same on both jerseys. (Would've worked for Ondrej Pavelec's No. 31 too but he never saw action.) The Czechs still use Agency for the nameplate though. Only Belarus has a unique number font.
• Neutral Numbers Switzerland the Scandinavian nations, Sweden, Finland and Norway, all use a Futura-type font for their sweater numbers. The nameplates appear to be something like Akzidenz-Grotesk, if you care to know.
• Canada's Collar Modification The white stripe around the collar of Canada's new sweaters mysteriously disappeared before the first game. Graeme wrote in to say it made the collars too tight and "the players had trouble getting them on."
• Which Hossa is Which? Normally when brothers play for the same team, their first initials will be used on the nameplates. For example, on the Czech team Zbynek Michalek's jersey says Z. MICHALEK while his brother Milan's says M. MICHALEK. Same with Daniel and Henrik Sedin of Sweden. The trouble starts when you have a situation like Marian and Marcel Hossa. Oddly enough, Marian's jersey says M. HOSSA. Marcel's just says HOSSA, no initial.
• Don't You Ever Wash That? The Swedish team never wore anything but their yellow jerseys throughout their run in the Vancouver tournament. According to the IIHF, Sweden had a blue jersey available, but did not get around to wearing it before being eliminated by Slovakia in the semifinals. All other teams have worn both dark and light-colored jerseys at some point.

Here are some other non-uniform-related observations:

• Ryan MaloneRyan Has the Puck! Seven of the 23 players named to the U.S. team are named Ryan: Goalie Ryan Miller, defensemen Ryan Suter and Ryan Whitney, and forwards Ryan Callahan, Ryan Kesler, Ryan Malone and Bobby Ryan. Ryan is of Gaelic origin meaning "little king." Team Canada has yet another Ryan in Ryan Getzlaf, for a total of 8 at the 2010 Olympics.
• Too Much Tomas While scratching your head over all the Ryans, it's easy to overlook the 5 different guys named Tomas playing for the Czech Republic: Goalie Tomas Vokoun, defenseman Tomas Kaberle, and forwards Tomas Plekanec, Tomas Fleischmann, and Tomas Rolinek. Tomas comes from the Aramaic name Thomas and means "twin." The Slovaks added another with Tomas Kopecky.
• Sibling Rivalry It was cool seeing the Swedish brother-sister duo of Tobias and Tina Enstrom playing for their country. Tobias was eliminated last night. Tina still has a shot at the bronze when the women's medal games get going today.

I'm sure there's more I'm not thinking about at the moment. Did you guys notice anything interesting, jersey-related or not? Comment and I'll add some of the good ones to this post.

Update on Saturday · Feb 27 · 2010 | 9:13 AM PST by Chris

If you haven't been reading through the comments, here are a few things worth noting that Icethetics readers have brought up.

• Seeing Double?The Vancouver Connection, Redux Bando makes an interesting observation. Is it a coincidence that Germany's dark jersey is nearly identical in design to the black one the Canucks wore from 1989 to 1997? Check out the striping. It's awfully similar. Or maybe we're just seeing what we want to see.
• Canada's Type Dallas, who works at a jersey shop, commented on the lettering font used on Team Canada's jerseys. Earlier, when I said it was similar to the Sharks' I was speaking in general terms so as to draw attention to the large number of San Jose players on the team. But more specifically, Dallas tells us the numbers and letters are actually the same as what the Oilers and Stars currently wear.
• Ruutu vs. RuututRuutut? Tom added a funny image to the discussion. I don't think this was seen by American viewers, but on TSN it was pointed out that prior to one of Finland's games (I'd assume the first one), Tuomo Ruutu skated out onto the ice for warm-ups with his name mispelled, RUUTUT. His brother Jarkko, however, had the correct spelling. Obviously, it should've said T. RUUTU. Chalk it up to seamstress error.

Thanks to everyone who contributed observations!

Luongo Debuts Canada Mask

Roberto LuongoWith the NHL on hiatus for two weeks, we're all turning our attention to the Vancouver Olympics this month. One of the most exciting things for Vancouverites has to be seeing your Canucks' goalie backstopping his nation's team.

Icethetics reader Matt sent in this image of Roberto Luongo's new Team Canada mask. No reason to lose the Canuck theme after all, right?

It's very well-designed mask and I'm excited to see it in action tomorrow when Canada takes on Norway at 7:30 PM EST (on CNBC in the U.S.).

Just before that will be the first men's hockey game of these Winter Games when the U.S. battles Switzerland at 3 PM (on USA Network).

If the women's matches have been any indication, these will be very high scoring games in favor the North American clubs (sorry Europe).

Ryan Miller's USA maskAnd not to be outdone by the Canadians, here's a look at Ryan Miller's very American goalie mask.

Rich sent in this photo from The Times Herald in Port Huron, Michigan. That link takes you to a great article on the work put into creating this mask, which was designed by Ray Bishop.

It's nice to get an early look at some of what we'll see in the coming weeks up in Vancouver.

That reminds me, in case you hadn't read my note on the Jerseys page, I will be adding Olympic jersey galleries as games start getting underway. It's a slow process but I'll get to all 12 countries in time.

Also, I just got an email from a reader asking about a goalie mask gallery to go with all the jersey galleries. I think that's a great idea! However, I have my hands a little full with these jersey galleries and I haven't even gotten to home and road sweaters yet. It'll happen... eventually.

Update on Tuesday · Feb 16 · 2010 | 7:47 AM PST by Chris

Evgeni Nabokov's Russia maskIcethetics reader Colton just sent in a great link to even more first look photos of Olympic goalie masks. Here (right) is a shot of Evgeni Nabokov's Russian headgear.

I highly recommend stopping by inGoal Magazine for a look at Marty Brodeur's mask and many others, including Henrik Lundqvist, Jonas Hiller, Marc-Andre Fleury, Tim Thomas and Tomas Vokoun.

They've also got photos of the masks designed for women's team goalies Kim St. Pierre and Shannon Szabados of Canada. All worth checking out.