Heritage Classic Logo Surfaces

Photo from Noah Kallner (via Twitter)

Logo for 2014 event is remarkably similar to 2011 version

The logo for the 2014 NHL Heritage Classic surfaced on Twitter last night. Noah Kallner tweeted the photo above, which shows a Heritage Classic t-shirt emblazoned with the never-before-seen mark.

The logo is remarkably similar to the one belonging to the last Heritage Classic which took place in Calgary in 2011. If you need a refresher on what that logo looked like, here you go.

On first glance, they look exactly the same but for the skyline in the center. But the eagle-eyed will note a few more updated details — the ribbons, the frame, etc. I'm actually very happy about this. It'd be easy to say the league wasn't be creative by retooling an old design, but it was such a beautiful design to begin with. I'm glad it's getting a second life in Vancouver.

The 2014 NHL Heritage Classic takes place Sun., March 2 at B.C. Place in Vancouver, B.C. between the Vancouver Canucks and the Ottawa Senators. No official word on the jerseys yet, but it's rumored the Sens are working on a light version of their black Heritage Jersey introduced in 2011.

If that's the case, the Canucks could break out their Millionaires sweaters again.

It's possible this could be my last blog updated for a little while. I'll be on vacation until the beginning of August with very little web access. I'll try to keep up with Twitter so make sure you keep an eye there.

Update on Wednesday · Jul 24 · 2013 | 7:00 PM PDT by Chris

Image from Hockey Rumors & Trades (via Facebook)

And there's a French version, too!

This afternoon we got a better look at the details of the logo when the French version was posted on Facebook by a page called Hockey Rumors & Trades. I'll say it again. This is a really sharp design!

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.

Hockey Talks Across Canada

Canada's seven NHL franchises are taking part in a mental health initiative throughout the month of February. Among other things, it involves the players wearing special helmet decals for select games throughout the month. Each team will host a Hockey Talks game night, led by the Vancouver Canucks back on Feb. 1.

The Toronto Maple Leafs picked up the torch the following night on Feb. 2.

Last Wednesday, it was the Montreal Canadiens doing their part on Feb. 6.

The next night, on Feb. 7, it was Hockey Talks night for the Winnipeg Jets.

The other three teams will host their Hockey Talks nights next week, beginning with the Calgary Flames on Thursday, Feb. 20.

The Edmonton Oilers follow up with their hosting duties on Feb. 21.

And finally, things wrap up in Canada's capital city on Feb. 23 when the Ottawa Senators host the Leafs for the final Hockey Talks game night of the month.

By the way, take a close look at each of these seven logos. They're not as generic as they seem. The type is all set in the same font the Vancouver Canucks use for their wordmarks and jerseys. And the hockey stick in the middle, it's from the Canucks' secondary logo.

I know this campaign has a lot to do with Rick Rypien, so it makes sense the Canucks marketing team would take the lead on designing the logos. It's just interesting to see Canucks branding incorporated into that of all the other Canadian clubs.

Not that any of that matters. This is an important issue and it still would be regardless of any silly logos. It's nice to see Canadians trying to take care of their own. We could learn a thing or two about that down here.

The Sens' Unused 20th Anniversary Logo

Last season, the Ottawa Senators celebrated 20 years in the NHL. But they also used the occasion to look back on the history of pro hockey their city. They did so by recognizing a team from the early 20th century that shared their name with a special heritage uniform — designed by fan Jacob Barrette.

Now Jacob is back with some more insights into his involvement with the Sens last year. He tells me that the club commissioned him to design a 20th anniversary logo — one they unfortunately didn't use in the end. Take a look.

It's very unfortunate this logo got left in the dust. It's absolutely perfect. Here's what Jacob tells me about the design:

Because they were celebrating their 20th but also celebrating their whole history last season, I was asked to incorporate modern and vintage elements, with the Senators current logo as the main one (i.e. not the =O=). So the background of the logo is from this 1909 Stanley Cup holders poster.

That may be the coolest part. Take a look at the poster from which he took his inspiration.

Why, Ottawa? Why?

To jog your memory, here's what they actually used last year.

Just doesn't have that vintage feel, does it?

Senators Unveil Heritage Third Jersey

Senators unveil Heritage third jersey / Senators

Today, the Ottawa Senators officially unveiled their new Heritage Jersey, their alternate sweater from here forward. The new look syncs up with the leaks that have trickled out this summer, as the team previously confirmed.

The uniform design is a clever mix between modern aesthetics and the classic sweaters worn by the original Ottawa Senators club a century ago. While those early uniforms had stripes from top to bottom, nowadays, we see that as a rather garish look. So it's been simplified to a black jersey with wide stripes of red and "vintage white" around the chest, sleeves, waist and socks.

Jacob Barrette, the fan who helped develop the jerseyIn the past, I've maligned the overuse of this "retro" shade of white — meant to evoke aging fabric — but in this instance, it works very well. And regarding the question of whether it actually is off white, let me quote the team: "The uniform features the club’s official colours of black red and white, with the heritage jersey using an antique white that reflects uniforms of the past."

Senators Heritage Jersey photo gallery

Possibly the best part about this whole uniform is that it was a fan's concept that got the ball rolling on it.

The Senators not only credit graphic designer Jacob Barrette with helping to develop the uniform, but even included him in their press releases. In paying attention to their fans this way, I think the franchise just made a bunch of new fans here among Icethetics readers.

And I'm one of them. Bravo!

Unlike Barrette's concept, which featured the 2D version of the Senators logo introduced in 2007, the shoulder patches of this jersey are modeled after the "World's Champions" patches that the old Sens would sport after winning one of their many Stanley Cups.

Each patch reads "Ottawa Senators," but while the one on the right shoulder is in English, the one on the left is in French. Would that make this the NHL's first bilingual uniform?

If you haven't seen it yet, I recommend watching the video the Sens produced. It goes into detail about the history of the original uniform and how this one was developed. There's even a shot of Icethetics in it!

They show the third jersey poll we held a couple years ago. (It pops up at the 1:35 mark if you're looking for it.) Unfortunately they've framed out the name of the site. Still, Icethetics gets its first reference on an NHL team's official website, so I'll take it.

Daniel AlfredssonOne last thing. The Sens also released a 13-game schedule for the Heritage Jersey. Several of the dates are quite different from the partial schedule I posted back in August.

• Thurs., Oct. 13 – vs. Colorado Avalanche
• Sun., Oct. 30 – vs. Toronto Maple Leafs
• Fri., Nov. 4 – vs. Montreal Canadiens
• Wed., Dec. 14 – vs. Boston Bruins
• Fri., Dec. 16 – vs. Pittsburgh Penguins
• Tues., Dec. 27 – vs. Montreal Canadiens
• Tues., Feb. 7 – vs. St. Louis Blues
• Sat., Feb. 11 – vs. Edmonton Oilers
• Fri., Mar. 2 – vs. Chicago Blackhawks
• Wed., Mar. 14 – at Montreal Canadiens
• Fri., Mar. 16 – vs. Montreal Canadiens
• Sat., Mar. 17 – vs. Toronto Maple Leafs

With four games on the schedule, it's the Habs who will face this jersey most often. They won't get to see the Sens' standard red at all, in fact. And the only time Ottawa will sport the Heritage look on the road will be in Montreal. So how about that.

Now that you've seen the new alternate uniform in full, has your opinion changed from the first leak of the design? I'm of the opinion this is the best sweater the Sens have ever worn. Am I on my own there?