Flyers "Unveil" Road Jersey

Richards sports new road jerseyNo one was surprised when the Philadelphia Flyers unveiled their "new" road sweater this afternoon.

Flyers captain Mike Richards was on hand at Virtua Flyers Skate Zone to model the jersey for the cameras and the crowd.

As anticipated, it's the Winter Classic throwback sweater recycled. And it's the third time in as many years that at least one specialty uniform from the big outdoor game went on to be used on a regular basis the following season. Pittsburgh and Chicago each turned theirs into third jerseys.

If you're craving more photos from today's unveiling event in Philadelphia, the Flyers website has you covered.

By the way, today's announcement means the Flyers are the third team to replace both their home and road sweaters since the league-wide Reebok Edge redesign in 2007. The Maple Leafs and Islanders already did so earlier this summer and the Sabres will join that small group tomorrow with their unveiling event.

In case anyone's keeping track.

Sabres tease third, coming tomorrow

Sabres tease new third jerseyThe Buffalo Sabres will officially unveil their new third jersey tomorrow at PuckDrop 2010.

It's also expected the club will take the opportunity to officially introduce last season's third jersey as the new home sweater — along with a brand new white version to be worn on the road.

Both the new alternate and away sweaters were leaked online earlier this month.

Still, the Sabres currently have a small teaser photo on the splash page of their website tonight. Doesn't really do much for us since we've seen the whole thing now, but if nothing else it further confirms the speculation.

If you are interested, the Sabres will be streaming tomorrow's sweater unveiling on their website starting at 11:30 AM eastern. I, for one, will be watching.

Blue Jackets third launches Nov. 26

Just in time for Black Friday, the Columbus Blue Jackets will hit the ice for the first time donning their new alternate jerseys on Friday, Nov. 26 as they go up against the Detroit Red Wings.

These details were confirmed in a posting on the team's website outlining special events and promotions for their 10th anniversary season.

The article does not detail any plans to unveil the sweater or its design prior to the game, so we may just have to wait until November to see the thing. I'll keep you posted.

Until Saturday morning, that's all the third jersey news I have for you. But I have a lot of other Icethetics-related news to catch up on all weekend, so keep checking back.

Avery Leaks Rangers Third

Rangers third revealedNew York Rangers forward Sean Avery has taken it upon himself to give us a sneak peek at his team's new third jersey.

This image was posted today on Avery's website. Looks like a pre-release photo shoot with the new alternate sweater — obviously.

Having gotten an early look at it myself, I can say that this is in fact the extra uniform the Rangers will have on hand for the 2010-11 season. You can see a patch there on the right shoulder. It's most likely the 85th anniversary logo.

I'm not sure when the team plans to hold an official unveiling for the third. They may just wait until November, like Anaheim. Or they may do it sooner. Either way, you've already gotten a chance to see it for yourself.

I'm a big fan of the color scheme, but it's no secret that personally, I would've rather seen them go with with the Lady Liberty logo from the mid-90s. What do you guys think? Hit or miss?

Sabres Jerseys Now Leaked

Sabres third jersey leakedSo this is funny. Just hours after I debunked a fake leak, the real thing is here — with 11 days until the unveiling.

Seems someone secretly snapped photos of the Buffalo Sabres' new road and alternate jerseys.

The three photos in this post are making the rounds. And while these images are new to me, I have seen the Sabres' new sweaters and this, in fact, what they look like. And if these are fake, someone has gone to a lot of trouble to mislead us. A lot.

Sabres third jersey leakedThe royal blue third jersey you should find as described in the September edition of JerseyWatch 2010, right down to the strange striping.

While the script across the chest was almost certainly inspired by that of the old Buffalo Bisons, careful observers will note that it is actually different — perhaps a simple modernization?

You'll also note the 40th anniversary logo beneath the script mark — the classic Sabres logo with 19 and 70 inside the blue circle. That leaves the door wide open for the Sabres to keep this jersey in their arsenal for years to come.

Sabres new road jersey leakedThe new road jersey also started making the rounds today. It is, as stated, a white version of the new home sweater — formerly the alternate uniform. And as some have asked, it does appear that the "silver armpits" and piping will carry over.

It also appears that neither sweater will have a shoulder patch. And neither these pictures nor the ones I saw had numbers on the jerseys which means will still don't know how they will be placed, especially on the third.

Before I wrap this up, it's important to point out that while I mistakenly used the word "confirmed" on Twitter earlier today, nothing is confirmed or official until the team makes an announcement. There's my disclaimer.

As always, check back here for jersey updates as the season gets under way.

Loose Threads: News & Notes

When jersey news accumulates, I find the blog in need of an outlet with some kind of generic title. This is first of likely many editions of Loose Threads. Just a quick rundown of anything the blog may have skipped over earlier in the week.

Flyers to "unveil" new road sweater

Claude Giroux #28They're not making a big deal about it, but the Philadelphia Flyers will "unveil" their new road jersey when training camp opens on Sept. 17.

I use the "sarcastic quotes" because it's no secret that the Flyers will be promoting last year's Winter Classic sweater to full time road jersey — as first reported by Icethetics back in January.

The Flyers confirmed the date with the following posting on their website:

On Friday, September 17 at 3:00 p.m. the Flyers will officially open training camp and unveil the new 2010 road jersey.

They don't specifically say that it will be the Winter Classic jersey — maybe in order to be mysterious to folks unlike ourselves who do not follow this aspect of the sport so closely — but I'd be shocked if they actually designed something new. Plus, readers say it's already been seen in EA Sports' NHL 11 video game as the road uniform.

Presumably, the old white jersey will disappear while the black one will continue serving as the alternate sweater next season.

Baby Penguins try on another new third jersey

WBS Penguins unveil new thirdThe AHL's Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins are redesigning their third jersey for the new season.

The new sweater was unveiled last week and the Penguins tweeted a link to this photo. Didn't realize blue was one of their colors.

Despite the color mismatch, it's not a terrible sweater overall. I like the idea of breaking the penguin out of the stripe-y circle, though the stick sticks out awkwardly.

But it does make me wonder if it might have a link to what the Pittsburgh Penguins will wear in January at the 2011 Winter Classic. Are the Baby Pens giving us a preview here? Something to think about.

By the way, earlier this month, the AHL Pens posted images of past third jerseys to their website. You can check out the 2006-07 design as well as the more recently 2008-09 alternate. See a pattern developing? Next new Baby Pens third coming in 2012.

Falcons reveal Indian throwbacks

Falcons throw back to IndiansAlso in the AHL this week, the Springfield Falcons unveiled a special throwback jersey, paying tribute to the Springfield Indians of 1936.

Here are a few details from the announcement on the team's website:

As part of their annual summer barbeque exclusively for ticket package holders and corporate partners, the Springfield Falcons unveiled the special throwback jersey they will be wearing for their first two regular season games on Friday, October 8 at Providence and Saturday, October 9 at home against Providence.

The special jersey unveiled pays homage to the 1936 Springfield Indians and will be highlighted during the American Hockey League’s 75th Anniversary weekend.

As mentioned there, this jersey will be one of a handful of throwback sweaters being worn by AHL teams to mark the 75th anniversary of the league. Also being included in the opening weekend celebration are the other five oldest AHL cities, which are Providence, Syracuse, Cleveland (Lake Erie), Hershey and Rochester.

This probably means we'll see the following throwback transformations:

• Lake Erie Monsters → Cleveland Falcons/Barons
• Providence Bruins → Providence Reds
• Syracuse Crunch → Syracuse Stars/Warriors
• and of course, Springfield Falcons → Springfield Indians

The Hershey Bears and Rochester Americans have never had any other names — nor have the cities — but they certainly have vintage jerseys I'm sure we'll see.

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And finally, in case you don't follow the Facebook page, Eric B. posted a link to photos of Marty Turco's new Blackhawks masks — seeing Turco leave the Stars is a lot like seeing Modano leave.

If I missed anything else, drop me an email and I'll update this post.

Sabres Hide Hints in Plain Sight

By far, the new Buffalo Sabres third jersey is the most highly anticipated of this year's crop. I'm sure it has to do with the "slug" finally being "salted," but it's given fans passionate about the logo a reason to be happy again.

Many are just dying to see the new sweater — unwilling to wait for the magical date of Sept. 18 when all will be revealed. No wonder the rumors are running rampant.

Time for Icethetics to join the fray. I read a lot — A LOT! — of speculation from all sorts of places. The way I see it, it's my job to wade through it all and provide you guys with the most (hopefully) accurate information. I only write about what I believe has any validity. How often have I steered you wrong?

Having said that, here's my take on Buffalo. They've been hiding hints in plain sight. Have you noticed? Look closely, as the graphic above comes from the Sabres' website splash page about ticket sales. And it's telling us a lot.

The latest, most reliable rumors say the Sabres' new alternate sweater uses these three colors: Royal blue, gold (yellow) and vintage white (dingy white). The jersey itself will be royal blue, allowing us to assume the navy blue will remain on the home sweater.

Number styling on Sabres 3rd jersey?The back — this is where it gets interesting. See the strange stitching pattern on the years (enlarged, right) in that above graphic?

Apparently, that's how the numbers will be styled on this new sweater — vintage white with blue stitching inside the numerals. A bit odd perhaps, but it's one of those cool little details you'll only notice up close.

What about the nameplate? Blue block letters on gold material — on a blue sweater. Think of it as similar to what the Flyers have done with their home and road jerseys with the untraditional nameplates.

The Sabres did tell us this one would be different.

I'm not comfortable calling it yet, but the most widely held rumors say the old Buffalo Bisons script will be emblazoned across the front of the sweater. I'm happy to wait for better details.

One final note. It appears that, unlike their past anniversaries, will not have a specially-designed 40th anniversary logo. Instead, it looks as though they're going with the classic primary logo with "1970" added inside the blue — also as seen in the image above — to mark anything celebrating their first 40 years.

I hope this will tide you guys over until either more information comes out or the jersey is revealed 24 days from now.