Jersey News You Can Use

We're going to continue our run of weird minor league jersey news in just a minute — and trust me when I tell you this one's a doozy — but first I have a few NHL items to get to.

The Boston Bruins wore their Winter Classic jerseys yesterday afternoon (January 23) in front of the indoor home crowd as they faced the Ottawa Senators.

Bergeron #37 and Alfredsson #11Interestingly, going into that game the Bruins hadn't won a home game since the Winter Classic itself when Marco Sturm netted the overtime winner. Yesterday, the jersey did not, in fact, bring good luck and simply extended the Bs' losing streak.

Anyway, watching this game only cemented the notion in my head that these gold sweaters need to Boston's third next season. They look incredible — especially when compared with the current black alternates.

They have what may well be the best home/road jerseys in the NHL. To have such an awful third is just below them. Fingers crossed, Bruins fans!

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The Flyers also wore their Winter Classic jerseys in front of their fans in Philadelphia when they hosted the Toronto Maple Leafs on January 6.

Schenn #2 and Hartnell #19They looked great as well but I think it's a foregone conclusion that these will be given regular use as the club's road jersey beginning next season. Hopefully then we'll get to see it without the Winter Classic patch.

It's strange they wore that patch for a normal regular season game but it may just have been to indicate to fans that this was a special sweater, and isn't yet ready for full-time use.

And if it is used on the road next year, I sincerely hope they fix the nameplate. It works on the orange ones, but not the white ones.

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As part of their 100th anniversary celebrations, which have been going on since the beginning of the 2008-09 season, the Montreal Canadiens are scheduled to wear historic jerseys every so often throughout the year.

According to a Special Events calendar handed out to fans at the beginning of this season, last night was a scheduled Centennial Jersey Game. The Habs should've worn their red 1910-11 jersey against the Rangers. But they did not! (I posted the schedule back in October.)

I'm a little confused as to why this change was made. I haven't read anything about it, but if there are any Habs fans out there who have, please fill us in. Meantime, we'll just have to keep an eye on them and see if they make up for missing this one.

For the record, I've got a few jersey galleries in the pipeline for the Habs' centennial sweaters. Expect to start seeing them this week.

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Now onto the minors. Two things.

What in the world is going on in Las Vegas?! The ECHL's Wranglers have become notorious for bizarre specialty jerseys and that streak will continue when they dress like — that's right — girl scouts!

Wranglers' girl scout jerseyAccording to the ECHL's web site, the Wranglers will wear these (right) Girl Scouts-themed sweaters on March 12 when they host the Bakersfield Condors.

Looks like they've earned their wrangling badge.

To be fair, there will be a silent auction and a portion of proceeds will benefit the local Girl Scouts organization. But isn't there some kind of line these men have crossed by agreeing to wear these to a professional hockey game?

Now normally I'd go into more detail with something like this, but Greg Wyshynski at Puck Daddy has already taken the liberty. He's got details from the Girl Scouts and even a television commercial about Girl Scout Night at Orleans Arena. But my favorite part is when Greg refers to the puck as a "thin mint." Do read it.

My thanks to Jeff for pointing this story out to us.

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And finally, Mark writes in regarding his hometown Albany River Rats of the AHL. There could be some drama here ripe for JerseyWatch 2010.

I'll let him tell you rather than trying to paraphrase.

While I have not seen anything online about this, word is that the Albany River Rats have been sold and will be moving to Carolina next season. Seeing as how I have never seen them over 50% capacity, I can see why.

So that's an interesting development. The River Rats have been in upstate New York for two decades. They were the Capital District Islanders from 1990 to 1993.

But here's the real deal as far as what's been reported by more legitimate media outlets. The News & Observer in Raleigh says that the River Rats currently have a four-year deal in place in Albany. It ends after this season. The report goes on to say the following:

Hurricanes management in the past has expressed a desire to have an AHL team closer to Raleigh and in North Carolina, if possible. 

Hurricanes general manager Jim Rutherford said Thursday [January 21] that he would neither confirm nor deny that the move to Charlotte will be made.

Rats owner Walter Rabb has said he would be willing to sell the AHL team but only if the franchise remained in Albany. But it appears the franchise will be sold and moved to Charlotte.

If this happens, it'll be interesting to see what it means for the ECHL's Charlotte Checkers. Canes Country reports that Checkers owner Michael Kahn may well purchase the River Rats in order to bring them to Charlotte, but does not go on to say what would become of the ECHL franchise.

The Charlotte AHL team could be named the Checkers if that franchise is disbanded or sold. If you trust Wikipedia — and I don't know why anyone wouldn't (wink, wink) — another name being considered is the Charlotte Beach Rats.

Mining the NHL Rumor Mill

We've done enough minor league coverage over the last week. Time to get back to our roots now. There are couple items to address, though primarily rumor.

Word on the street is the Philadelphia Flyers will be the first to break out their Winter Classic sweaters for a second game in the same season.

Claude Giroux #28According to Flyers beat writer Ryan Bright, the white sweaters worn last Friday will get another shot, this time at tonight's indoor game when the Flyers host the Maple Leafs. He said so on his Twitter account yesterday.

Just so we're clear, I haven't read anything official on this from the Flyers yet. (If you have, drop me a line.)

The rumors have been flying since before this jersey was even unveiled that it would become Philadelphia's new road sweater — being a light version of the alternate (now home) jersey launched last year. But I didn't expect to see it back so soon.

To date, only one team from each Winter Classic has gone on to use their jersey in some form on a regular basis. Since we can bet on the Flyers here, will the Bruins break the mold and carry over their awesome gold jersey as a third for 2010-11?

By the way, don't forget that jersey galleries are available on Icethetics for the last two Winter Classics. Take a look and be sure to rate them.

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The rumor mill continues with the Ottawa Senators.

First, let's set it up. You'll recall in August that speculation was rampant that the Sens would be dumping their new "SENS" third jersey in favor of Jacob Barrette's Heritage sweater.

Senators Heritage jerseyWe later held a poll here at Icethetics asking readers to choose between the current alternate and the vintage design. It yielded a predictable result after more than 4,800 votes.

Now Icethetics reader Nevill is writing in with some thoughts on the future of the white road jersey.

I was at the Sens game against the Avs [last week] and noticed that their road white jerseys were discounted down in mass quantities at all the team stores and kiosks.

The retail chains around town are also selling the road whites up to 60% off, too, which leads me to believe that changes may be coming as soon as next season.

The vintage look is more apparent than ever at Scotiabank Place right now and I wouldn't be surprised to see new jerseys in the fall.

Nor would I, but considering this new uniform set debuted only in 2007, it might be a little too soon for wholesale changes. Either way, it's safe to say we're keeping the Senators on the radar for JerseyWatch 2010. Something is definitely going on in the capital city.

JerseyWatch 2010

The NHL has really started to understand the value of marketing hockey jerseys over the last few years. They know that fans like us like whatever is new (or not so much) and that even if we don't spend the money ourselves, we build the invaluable buzz needed to get others to do so.

I mention this because, not since the years before and after the lockout have we seen all 30 teams wearing the same logos and uniforms in back-to-back seasons. In a way, it's what's kept Icethetics in business (and probably the league, too). That's five straight years with at least one team getting a new logo or jersey — or both — including the upcoming 2010-11 campaign.

Now that all of this season's new sweaters are out, the aim of JerseyWatch 2010 is to keep us all on the same page as far as what's new for next year. And we begin with Howard Berger. Berger became the first to leak descriptions of all 18 third jerseys when the program was re-launched in the Age of Reebok, 2008. Now he's at it again.

According to his most recent blog post, six NHL teams will be donning new or altered uniforms in 2010 — some of which we already knew, some we didn't. He says a "league merchandizing source" is his mole. Whether it's the same person as before, who knows? But you have to admit he was pretty accurate the last time.

First, here's what Howard knows. Later in the week, I'll write up a summary of everything else we know.

The Buffalo Sabres will lose primary mark that's served them since 2006. Unaffectionately referred to as the "slug" by fans, the ambiguous logo is finally going by the wayside.

Taking its place in all likelihood will be the classic logo that's as old as the team is (seen to the left). Evidently, the current third jersey (a veiled throwback) will become the new home sweater and a white version now in the works will be worn on the road.

This has been no secret as the organization's managing partner Larry Quinn has stated on a number of occasions that this will be the case. Sabres fans may rejoice.

The only real question: Will they introduce a new third jersey? I doubt it.

Perhaps the biggest surprise from Berger's post is with regard to the Nashville Predators. While he has no details on the look, he does say the Preds will "be making a significant alteration to [their] original design."

That original design had been worn by the team since their inception in 1998 — up until the Age of Reebok. Is it too much to think something along the lines of the new third jersey could be in the cards?

Berger also mentions the change could be even more dramatic if the team is relocated. But I think he's just being dramatic.

It's no secret the New York Islanders are hoping for a return to their glory days by returning to the jerseys that won them a handful of Stanley Cups.

They'll be following the Sabres in promoting their third jersey to full-time use and adding a white version for away games. Consult the AHL's Bridgeport Sound Tigers for an idea of what that would look like. Just try to see past all the jersey advertising.

Oddly enough, while Berger doesn't have the details on this one, NYI Point Blank blogger Chris Botta does. Saturday night, he wrote a short post saying the white version is currently in the works. I have no reason not to trust him, but we haven't heard official word from the Isles on this yet.

The Philadelphia Flyers will become the third team in as many years to give their Winter Classic jersey an extended stay beginning in 2010-11.

No surprise here, but the Flyers, who this season made their orange third jersey the new home sweater, will take the white version of it, being worn this New Year's Day, to be worn on the road. This seems to be the era for throwbacks. I think the '90s killed uniform creativity. Or something.

By the way, as I read Berger's take on the Flyers, I have to wonder whether he's an actual hockey writer as he mentions the "Outdoor Classic" and misuses the term "piping." Still, he was pretty much on the money last time.

The powder blue third jersey the Pittsburgh Penguins introduced originally in the 1960s then later brought back for the inaugural Winter Classic has apparently run its course as a third jersey (after just two seasons).

This isn't news as I've mentioned it previously here on Icethetics. But now Berger is saying it too. So there's that. He also points out, as we know, that the Pens will still have a blue-infused third jersey for 2010 — it just won't be this one.

At last we've reached Berger's own team, the Toronto Maple Leafs, who are making some alterations their home and road jerseys for 2010-11. The third will remain the same.

Added to the blue and white sweaters will be the much-missed horizontal waist stripes. There was no reason to get rid of them and every reason to bring them back. Berger also says the "TML" shoulder logo, introduced in 2000, will also make a comeback. I could take it or leave it.

Coming soon to JerseyWatch 2010, the Vancouver Canucks and possibly the Ottawa Senators. I'll have a summary later in the week. 

Winter Classic Windfall

If you've been following the comments in the previous post today, then by now you're aware of what I'm posting tonight. If you steer clear of the comments as I do, it's time to catch up on the big news of the day and it's all about the 2010 Winter Classic.

First, the Philadelphia Flyers officially unveiled their new jersey for the outdoor game.

Keeping in step with the previous four Winter Classic participants, the Flyers will don a classic look that harkens back to their earlier days. Unsurprisingly, it is simply a reversed version of the orange jersey introduced as an alternate last year. (It will become the new home sweater this season.)

Flyers players shoot at a wall of ice to reveal the jersey

Daniel Briere, Simon Gagne and Braydon Coburn were on hand today to reveal the new design by shooting pucks at a wall of ice that concealed it. The three Philadelphia skaters then modeled the sweaters for photos.

Briere, Gagne and Coburn model the Winter Classic threads

Interestingly, the biggest talker with this unveiling wasn't even the design itself — which had been rumored expected for months. From the comments and emails I read, many people could not get over the black nameplate on the back of the white sweater.

Notice the black nameplate on the white sweater...

Personally, I don't mind it. It fits well in context with the orange jersey (which features a white nameplate). It opens the door to making this the new road jersey in the near future. I know many of you are hoping for that. Maybe an orange nameplate would've been better, but black will certainly be more legible.

I recommend checking out the full photo gallery on the Flyers' web site.

The surprise of the day? The Boston Bruins third jersey was leaked online! And no, not at the hands of Icethetics. (Surprisingly.)

In fact, I'm actually not sure where this picture originated. But it clearly shows Tim Thomas wearing a yellow jersey the Bruins have never used before. (Much better than yesterday's poor excuse for a leaked image.)

Take a look.

Is Tim Thomas wearing the Bs' new Winter Classic sweater?

There's little doubt in my mind that this is the real thing — the Bs' brand new Winter Classic sweater. We'll get official word on that next Thursday when it is unveiled at the State of the Bruins event.

As far as the source of this image, the closest I could find was The Boston Sports Network blog. But I am not certain. Please correct me if I'm wrong. I certainly don't want to credit the wrong source.

Anyway, that wraps up today's big Winter Classic news. Just 110 days until the big event!

Flyers to Reveal Classic Sweater

The Philadelphia Flyers will unveil their 2010 Winter Classic jersey this Friday at 2 PM in a rather unusual way. Three players will shoot pucks at a block of ice concealing the new sweater. I'm looking forward to seeing that.

The information comes from this article on Philly.com. The Flyers are also confirming the unveiling date and time via their official web site. As always, count on Icethetics for pictures as soon as I can get them posted. (I'm starting a new job on Thursday so it may be a little tricky getting this stuff posted immediately on Friday.)

Thanks to Andrew for the tip. No word yet on when to expect an unveiling in Boston.