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.

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.

Predators Mulling Mustard Again?

One way or another the Nashville Predators will have new uniforms next season. And now, it sounds like they could be considering making yellow a big part of the new look.

Previous reports had the Preds dropping the orange and gold from their color scheme entirely and going with their present third jersey look full-time. Then just this week I received an email from a Nashville fan named Philip.

Predators T-shirt / PhilipHe writes:

I talked with my Preds ticket rep today and he confirmed a new jersey. The jersey is not going to be white like everyone thinks. It will be yellow and have the current logo. He was one of the testers for it and said it's really cool.

Currently in the Preds pro shop they are selling yellow T-shirts that will look like the jersey. I have been wondering why they were selling these but it all makes sense now.

Philip sent in this picture of the yellow shirt being sold in the team store. He tells me its been on the shelves about a month.

It's not uncommon to see team's make T-shirts based on the jersey — the jersey color with the crest on the front. Some you can even buy customized with a name and logo. But most notably, they all have the NHL shield just below the collar, similar to where it's placed on the sweaters.

This yellow T-shirt has that NHL shield below the collar. It's not definitive proof of anything, but paired with the report from the ticket rep, it makes things a little more interesting.

If this is the case, there are two things of note: 1) the logo wouldn't be changing, and 2) is it possible we could finally see a team without a white jersey? The Preds could certainly get away with wearing yellow on the road with all the dark home jerseys in the league. And it wouldn't be the first time either. In the Kings' early days, they never wore white.

And you may recall the Predators previously wore a mustard-colored third jersey from 2001 to 2007. It was retired when Reebok commandeered the NHL's uniforms. But it wasn't quite as bright as the T-shirt in question.

What does this mean about changing the home jersey? Couldn't say. It's all up in the air at this point as we don't have all that much to go on. Just rumors for now.

Classic Look on Tap for Lightning

We recently learned from Reebok that the Tampa Bay Lightning will be one of a number of teams getting new uniforms in 2011. But according to a St. Petersburg Times article, maybe we should be expecting a complete rebrand!

In this morning's paper, Bolts beat writer Damian Cristodero confirmed that the team has submitted paperwork to start the ball rolling on uniform changes for the 2011-12 season.

Also today, in his Lightning Strikes blog, Cristodero revealed new details and speculation about the upcoming changes, including dropping black from the color scheme and the possibility of a new logo. But rather then paraphrasing, I'll let him tell you:

Here is what you might expect when the uniforms are unveiled, perhaps as soon as this week:

The primary colors apparently will be blue (close to what is used now with the third jersey) and white. Sounds as if the color black, which has been the team's prominent color, and the silver trim will be gone. The logo on the home jerseys is expected to be just a prominent lightning bolt without the words Tampa Bay that are used now.

The road jerseys are expected to have the lightning bolt and the words Tampa Bay, though no immediate word on how the design will look. It is believed there also will be the classic strings at the front of the collar.

It also is unclear whether the third jersey will be retained as its color is believed to be so close to that of the home, dark jersey. Anyway, sounds as if GM Steve Yzerman had a lot of input into the details or at least into the idea of trying to create a classic look that will endure for a long time.

I completely agree with that assessment. It indeed sounds as if Yzerman is trying to make the Lightning look like the Red Wings — only blue instead of red. Not that I have a problem with that. One thing the team has never had is a look that will "endure for a long time."

As a Lightning fan, I'm skeptical about the idea of dropping the black and silver. I know the Wings have gotten away with nothing more than red and white for decades, but I'm not sure a monochrome look is the best thing for the Bolts. But I trust in Stevie Y.

I know it's all conjecture, but I'm a fan of almost everything Cristodero has written. The simple design, the lace-up collar, and the idea of dumping the "BOLTS" third jersey. I'm also eager to see a crest that doesn't have any text on it for the first time in 19 years — though I'm happy for the road jersey to still say Tampa Bay (as long as we steer clear of the Stars' look).

However, what shocked me about this article is where Cristodero says that the new uniforms could be unveiled as early as this week! As we know, teams usually wait until the summer to launch new sweaters, if for no other reason than to keep selling current inventory.

And this is also worth pointing out:

Neither the NHL nor the Lightning, which last changed its logo before the 2007-08 season and added a third jersey for 2008-09, would confirm changes are coming. But it makes sense a new ownership group, with principal Jeff Vinik and minority owner and CEO Tod Leiweke, would want to rebrand the franchise.

Announcements from the team are expected soon, perhaps as early as this week, concerning business and fan initiatives and what is believed a renovation of the St. Pete Times Forum.

Sounds like things are getting exciting in Tampa! Obviously, I'll be keeping a close eye on all this. But I think I may have picked the wrong year to leave Florida.

More Talk of Changes for Cats, Sens

In the days following the inaugural JerseyWatch 2011 post, a couple of mainstream media outlets have picked up on NHL uniforms changes set for 2011. And they're providing some new details for us.

George Richards of the Miami Herald says he's also heard red is returning to the Florida Panthers. He was prompted by the Icethetics post to share on his blog, On Frozen Pond, some of what he's heard from the players and team officials.

I wrote, regarding the Panthers forthcoming new home and road uniforms, that all we have is speculation. "You want speculation?" Richards wrote, "You got it!"

Panthers 2003-2007 / On Frozen PondSo since he was kind enough to quote me, I'll quote him so you can have a perspective from someone who covers the team:

At least five players have said they had heard the reds were coming back. Bill Torrey, Dale Tallon and Mike Santos have all alluded to their return. 

This is a big turnaround from the summer when it appeared that everything was going to the Michael Yormark-favored JetBlue uniforms.

So what are the Panthers going to do? Again, it's just speculation. But I wouldn't be surprised to see the Panthers keep their traditional color scheme for home and away — with a new logo, or just a modified one — with the third jerseys sticking around for Chevy/Ford/Pontiac Fridays.

And I think everyone could live with that.

Although ... Was talking with some friends last night as we watched the replay of the Atlanta game and the Panthers current dark blue home jerseys have finally worn on me. I dig them. I liked the blue alternate when they came out in the late 1990s and I think it's a good look today.

I wouldn't mind the Panthers going to white-dark blue-red as their three jersey combos and dropping the Tampa Bay JetBlue Rays look completely.

But I don't see that happening.

Nor do I. And look, we're not going to win every jersey battle. Sometimes we'll take what we can get. And if it means getting the Panthers back in red, we'll take it.

As long as they stay at the bottom of the Southeast Division.

The Ottawa Sun is reporting, independently, that the Ottawa Senators will indeed have a new look next season.

They say the Sens will launch a new third jersey as part of their 20th anniversary celebration, which will include hosting duties for the 2012 NHL All-Star Game. I hadn't considered that in my original post but it does make sense.

This was the paper's only speculation on the design:

While their alternative black third jersey has been a success, they might be looking at a design that includes a stylized 'O.'

They don't specify the basis for this speculation but, to be fair, this is a widely held assumption.

And by the way, if the Sens are turning 20, that means the Lightning are too. Perhaps the new home and road jerseys expected in Tampa have to do with the special anniversary as well. I'm sure we'll find out soon enough what both teams plan to take into their third decades of NHL hockey.

And on an unrelated note, I've just come to the realization that I've been following my Bolts for more than 18 years now. When did I get old exactly?