Does Isles' Black Era End Today?

TV broadcaster says 2011 third jersey is done

Interesting jersey developments came today during the New York Islanders telecast. During the first period of their game against the Blues, play-by-play announcer Howie Rose said this match-up may be the final hurrah for the widely despised black third jersey.

For the video-impaired, here's the transcript:

Howie Rose: It may well be that the fans are getting some good news today. This could be the last time that the Islanders wear these sartorial atrocities known as the black alternate jerseys.

These schmattas might finally go away for good once the Islanders unveil their nifty Stadium Series jersey for the game against the Rangers Wednesday night at Yankee Stadium.

And you know, you can even hear… there's a discernible groan when the Islanders hit the ice either for warm-ups or before the game wearing these things. I know some of the fans have bought them.

Butch Goring: And they don't win either, Howie.

HR: 7-12-4, says Eric Hornick in these things that thankfully may well be consigned to the scrap heap in just a couple of hours.

One thing to note. Rose seems to suggest the Isles' Stadium Series jersey has not been unveiled yet. Of course we know it was back on Nov. 26. But this news jibes with what Chris Botta said recently.

That's now two sources saying the Stadium jersey will replace the black as the Isles' alternate uniform. Botta said by 2015, but Rose made it sound like the change could happen sooner.

Thanks to Layton O'Neil for the Twitter tip!

Update on Saturday · Jan 25 · 2014 | 12:38 PM PST by Chris

But wait! There's more!

Another Twitter tip from Dave C. pointed out that the jersey will be worn for additional regular season games after its Stadium Series debut this week. Coming back from the last commercial break of the first period, Rose talked specifically about the new sweater.

Again, if you can't watch the video, check out the transcript:

HR: Now that is a great looking alternate jersey. The Islanders are going to wear those for the first time at Yankee Stadium this week. And we'll be seeing them — so we understand — a few times throughout the rest of this regular season.

That's a third jersey I think the fans are really going to take to. So [we'll be] seeing a lot more of that.

What do you think? Do you prefer the blue or black? (I think I can probably guess.)

Update on Sunday · Jan 26 · 2014 | 5:35 PM PST by Chris

Another update, this time in the form of a Chris Botta tweet:

NHL exec: #Isles have approval to wear Stadium Series jersey at Coliseum. Will probably wear for 2 games before end of season.

— Chris Botta (@ChrisBottaNHL) January 26, 2014

The more, the merrier, I say.

All 7 Stadium Sweaters Revealed

Screen shot via NHL

Promotional email seems to confirm Devils throwback

An email sent out by the NHL Store in New York City shows the seven jerseys that will be worn for the 2014 NHL Stadium Series. And interestingly, it includes a photo of a non-game version of the New Jersey Devils' 2010-launched throwback sweater.

Check out the screen shot above, courtesy of Icethetics reader Ryan Holmes. We know it's a "non-game version" pictured because since 2007, every NHL game jersey has featured that little NHL shield on the collar. No exceptions.

Of course a game version does exist. The Devils have worn it a couple of times in recent years for St. Patrick's Day games. But because this graphic doesn't show us the exact jersey the team will wear, we're still left to wonder whether they've really avoided the chrome crest catastrophe.

I'd say one of our New York-area readers should pop into the store and snap some photos for us, but in all likelihood the jersey pictured is probably the one you'll find on the shelf. It just won't be the one the Devils wear at Yankee Stadium on Jan. 26.

All that aside, what do you think of seeing all seven of them together? Should be easier to compare and contrast now.

Rangers, Hawks Reveal Stadium Jerseys

Photos from New York Rangers

Rangers set to sport white at Yankee Stadium

The New York Rangers unveiled their NHL Stadium Series uniform today. And if you read last night's blog post, you weren't surprised by what you saw.

Our first taste came by way of a goofy video starring Dan Girardi. He enters the Rangers locker room to scope out the new jerseys hanging in the stalls. He's then horrified to find that in his stall is a Yankees jersey — not again! Yuck, yuck, yuck. No.

For a white jersey, it's pretty slick. White jerseys tend to be bland, if you ask me, so I was impressed by how this one turned out. (Not so much with Pittsburgh.) I really like the sleeve striping. It's a style not seen with any other team and it's uniquely New York.

Photos from New York Rangers

On seeing the full uniform, one of the comments that was repeatedly expressed on Twitter was how much it reminded folks of the Hartford Wolf Pack — the Rangers' AHL affiliate. Well, yeah. The Wolf Pack's original uniforms were modeled after the Rangers' Lady Liberty jerseys in 1997.

In other words, they're not copying a minor league team so much as digging into their own recent history a little. Personally, I wish they would've gone a little farther.

This was the perfect opportunity to resurrect the Statue of Liberty logo that graced the team's third jersey for 10 great years between 1997 and 2007. The perfect opportunity! One game, not intended for throwbacks. Plus in terms of striping and colors — navy blue, specifically — this jersey was tailor-made for Lady Liberty.

Like I said, it's not a bad jersey, but I might've actually paid for one myself if it had that logo on it. (A Brad Richards one, of course!)

Photos from Chicago Blackhawks

Chicago goes "back in black" for outdoor game

The Chicago Blackhawks caught us by surprise this morning when they suddenly announced plans to unveil their Stadium Series jersey later in the day. Two hours later came a teaser photo. Two hours after that, we got the whole jersey. (They just beat Sharking at its own game. Remember Hurricaning and Sabering?)

Like the Rangers, the Hawks gave us a cheesy video — this one set to the first 20 seconds of AC/DC's "Back in Black." The music plays under behind-the-scenes video of Patrick Sharp and Andrew Shaw sporting the new sweater for a photo shoot.

Once again, though, last night's post previewed this look. The Hawks are essentially bringing back their black third jersey from the late '90s. It was a good one. The biggest difference here is in the striping.

Photos from Chicago Blackhawks

Some will no doubt bemoan the half-stripes on the sleeves. But for whatever reason, I think it works here. Those colors really are striking. The only thing I'm still not sold on is the whole angled thing. Will it really make a difference in terms of visibility, as all the marketing mumbo-jumbo claims?

But there is one thing I really dislike about this jersey. It's front and center.

Compare this screen-printed mess with the traditional stitching of a Blackhawks crest. You're right, there is no comparison. If Reebok is trying to cheapen their product, they're on the right track. Good luck getting anyone to drop $300 on something that looks like it came out of an ink-jet. I hope this doesn't become a trend.

For now, I'll chalk it up to the rush job. As we heard from L.A. Kings management, these jerseys were all pumped out within a matter of months by the same design team. That's just asking for a poor product. Hopefully future events like this will be better planned.

Your turn to weigh in! What do you think of these new sweaters?

Stadium Series: What's Left?

Rangers to unveil Stadium jersey Friday afternoon

The time has come to catch up on the three remaining NHL Stadium Series jerseys that have yet to be released. I'm now able to share with you some details about what's to come.

To begin, the New York Rangers announced this afternoon that they will unveil their outdoor jersey on Friday afternoon. It's been rumored it would come this week. Now it's official. Word is, the release will happen online around 3 PM ET via their website. I assume we'll get some photos and a nice video — like the other teams have done.

Fan snaps sneak peek of jersey ahead of unveiling

But you don't have to wait until tomorrow to get your fill of pre-release details.

Photo by Reddit user SMIRTLE

For one thing, a photo of the jersey was leaked tonight by Reddit user "SMIRTLE," who wrote: "At MSG for a basketball game and happened to pass by a gift store where the unreleased winter classic [sic] jerseys are lying on the floor!"

He obviously meant Stadium Series, not Winter Classic. But the point is, you can see parts of the jersey from his cell phone shot. A nice little sneak peek.

New sweater includes mix of past jersey features

As it happens, I was able to get a look at the full front and back of the Rangers' Stadium Series jersey today. So I'd like to give the diehards an idea of what to expect tomorrow.

Photo (left) by @CJ_Matthews

The jersey features elements of each of the above uniforms previously worn by the Rangers. I'll explain with some bullet points. 

• It's white. (That's obvious from the leaked photo.)
• The Rangers' tradition of diagonal text running down the chest continues. But instead of "RANGERS," it says "NEW YORK." (That design was used back in the early '80s as well as for a 9/11 tribute sweater.)
• In this case, "NEW YORK" will be blue, outlined in silver and red. It's been chrome-ified.
• The color scheme harkens back to the Lady Liberty third jersey from the 2000s. That is, the navy blue and silver are back. No royal blue on the jersey.
• Also, the sleeve striping is based on that NYR sweater. In this case, a thin red stripe lies between two thick navy blue ones with some white space between them. (That's also visible in the leaked photo.)
• The template most closely resembles the Ducks' jersey. Navy blue on the shoulders and down the sides with one solid blue stripe at the base. The new lace-up collar style.
• The Rangers' shield logo is featured on the left shoulder. The Stadium Series patch on the right.
• The name and number style matches what we saw on T-shirts last month. (And on the white version of the Lady Liberty jersey above.)
• The back numbers are elongated and the sleeve numbers are angled.

One more note. You may recall the Rangers — despite playing on their "home field" at Yankee Stadium — are designated as the "visiting team" for both outdoor games. Their opponents, the Islanders and Devils will count these as "home" games. And as is standard, the road team wears white while the home team dons their dark uniforms.

I can't imagine I've left any stone unturned here, but if you have any questions, feel free to ask. Or, you know, just wait until tomorrow afternoon.

Devils fight back against Stadium Series modernization

Speaking of the New Jersey Devils, they are the one team I don't have solid information on. But in this case, I trust the rumors. And you probably will too once I lay it all out.

Knowing as we do Lou Lamoriello's stance on jerseys — that is, the Devils wear red, white or, begrudgingly, a throwback and NOTHING else — it's no surprise to hear that New Jersey will apparently be sporting their red and green retros this winter.

They've been used on or around St. Patrick's Day in recent seasons since 2010.

Photo from New Jersey Devils (2010)

This goes against the decidedly modernized jersey designs being implemented for the Stadium Series. And it's speaks to Lamoriello's sweater conservatism in a big way. Was he able to fight back against the powers at Reebok and the NHL?

But there's a twist. Even if the colors and striping survive, it sounds like we're still getting that chrome crest. There are some battles you just can't win, I suppose. I'm eager to see how it all comes together. The Devils have not announced a public unveiling date yet.

Neither have the Blackhawks.

UPDATE 12/20 (10:34 AM): The Blackhawks tweeted this morning that they're "gearing up for a special unveiling this afternoon!" So it looks like we'll get the Rangers' and Hawks' jerseys around the same time — today.

Hawks bringing back black for Stadium Series

Here's one we should've seen coming. Instead of a red Stadium Series jersey for the Chicago Blackhawks, they'll actually be wearing black. (That's going to be one dull-looking game at Soldier Field, I'm afraid to say.)

As far as the design itself, there's good news and bad news. I'll start with the bad. The template lives on and it does some unpleasant things to one of the game's most universally loved sweaters. The good news — it's still kind of a throwback and it's one of the best-looking Stadium jerseys!

Remember the Hawks' black third jersey? It debuted in 1996 (like the Burger King and Wild Wing monstrosities, in fact) and lasted until the Age of Reebok in 2007. It was brought back the following year in the Edge cut before being replaced by the 2009 Winter Classic jersey.

It's back! Imagine this jersey on the new Stadium Series template. It doesn't totally ruin it, but it does make it less awesome. The stripes don't wrap completely around the sleeve and there's no black space at the very bottom of the jersey. Then there's the chrome thing. And the angled and elongated numbers.

The classic yellow "C" patch is emblazoned on the left shoulder — although I believe it was spared the chrome treatment. Of course, the Stadium Series patch is on the other shoulder. The new modern collar laces are also in play here. They're white.

This one will easily be the least-hated jersey among traditionalists who dislike the new-fangled template. And I'd say it was the best thing the Blackhawks could've hoped for given the parameters of it.

Which of the three jerseys are you looking forward to most?

Penguins Unveil Stadium Sweater

Jersey utilizes same template as others from Stadium Series

Just as they promised, the Pittsburgh Penguins unveiled their 2014 Stadium Series jersey this afternoon. Compared with the other Stadium sweaters we've seen so far, this one is the most similar to its team's existing uniform set.

No alternate colors. No alternate logos. Just more of the same. Only slightly different.

Photos from Pittsburgh Penguins

I will say I like the black and Vegas gold better as distinct stripes than as amorphous splotches across the sweater. So I'll give them points for that. And I won't take away points for the similarities to the other Stadium Series jerseys. Reebok wants a template. Reebok gets a template. Hard to fight that battle.

But at least we got another new collar design. No laces for the Pens.

Photo from Pittsburgh Penguins

Where I will take away points is that crest. Combine the silly chrome Photoshop effect with the screen printing process and all you can do is shake your head. At no point should professional hockey players be wearing anything screen printed on their sweaters. And I think that's just a universal law.

Here's a look at the back from a few different angles.

Video stills from Pittsburgh Penguins (composite)

I haven't seen a really great shot of the pants and socks yet, but what we have seen suggests it won't be a big deparature from what the Islanders, Kings and Ducks are doing.

The Penguins visit the Chicago to play their third outdoor game on March 1 at Soldier Field. By the way, we're still waiting to hear when the Blackhawks will show us their Stadium look. (No way they'd share the spotlight with Pittsburgh.)

So what do you think of the newest Penguins jersey? And what do you expect from the Hawks?