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.

First Look: Senators Heritage Jersey

This one is an Icethetics exclusive! We've known for some time that the Ottawa Senators will launch a Heritage Jersey for their upcoming 20th anniversary season. Folks, here's your first look at it.

Take your first look at the Senators' new Heritage Jersey / Icethetics

An Icethetics reader was kind enough to pass along the above image along with several others I'll get to in a moment. I'm playing the anonymous card here so as to keep from getting anyone in trouble. So I guess you'd have to call it a leak.

Now what are we looking at exactly? I'm told the above image originates from a Senators alumnus. It's black and white because it's a photocopy, but I think it's safe to say you can mentally replace the grey with red. It's part of a packet that outlines the club's grand plans to celebrate its heritage this season. And the plans sound just as great as this uniform looks!

I'll get to all of it shortly but first, the jersey design itself. It's very close to the concept Jacob Barrette designed some years ago. The key difference is the striping around the waist. Plus, the above image fully lines up with the sneak peek the team showed us back in March, right down to the new shield logo on the shoulder — though we're not getting a good look at it in this image, obviously.

My take? Absolutely brilliant. This is precisely what the Senators needed to do with a Heritage Jersey. They recognized that and executed it deftly. I can only imagine how good it will look in action this fall. I'm a huge fan. And to be honest, I can't imagine we'll hear from any true dissenters. Who could really dislike this? It will be the perfect replacement for one of the ugliest third jerseys in the NHL.

What I've cropped off the top of the photo for aesthetic purposes is the following text: "New Heritage Jersey" in bold at the top; followed by "Worn at all 11 home heritage games and 2 national broadcast away games."

Now onto the rest of the packet. As I said, it basically talks about what the team is planning for this season in terms of marketing. Below you'll find transcripts of the photos I received. (Rather do it this way than posting a bunch of blurry photos. Spelling and grammatical errors attributed to original text.)

---

The Game Everything starts with the game and we'll celebrate the game over the entire season as well as having specific focus on some key areas for 10 games.

• All-Star — games leading up to All-Star game recognize Ottawa All-Stars, All-Star moments
• Legends Nights — Orr, Howe, Potvin, Lemieux, Yzerman
• Team Canada 72 — Henderson, T. Esposito, Cournoyer
• Women's Hockey — Cassie Campbell
• World Juniors — 2009 Gold Medal win
• Minor Hockey — tell the stories of the passion that kids have for the game, recognize the volunteers that give so much to our game. Bell Capital Cup.

Heritage Other heritage elements will include:

• Jerseys worn for away game in Montreal and Toronto on National TV. Have team travel by train in heritage look (fedoras) and sell packages for fans.
• Hockey Hall of Fame displays at Scotiabank Place at NHL All-Star Fanfest and at Governor General's Residence (leading up to and during All-Star)
• Citizen special pages tied to each heritage game
• Tickets for heritage games designed with heritage look/images
• New heritage merchandise location at section 328

In Arena

• Opening Week — luncheon with 92-93 team at Aberdeen Pavilion
• Opening Night — celebrate 92-93 team
• Game Nights — 20th Anniversary, Heritage, The Game
• Fan and player stories — game, team
• Interior / Exterior Exhibits and Installations

20th Anniversary 4 Key games to highlight significant moments in the modern era. Programming to include pin or handout, alumni/VIP appearances, luncheon, special merchandise.

• 1992-93 Team — Boschman, Marsh, Turgeon, Brady, Shaw, Archibald, Lamb, Loewen, Smail, Sidorkiewicz, Rumble, Peluso, Murphy, McBain
• First playoffs — Duchesne, Tugnutt
• Wayne Gretzky's last game in Canada
• 2007 Stanley Cup Finals

---

That's what has been sent to me — unofficially, of course. Sounds like there's a lot for Sens fans to get excited about this season — their new sweater especially. I can't get over how great it is that an NHL team is actually doing something that all of us jersey geeks have been hoping for.

The two road games in which the Senators will sport the Heritage Jersey are against the Maple Leafs and Canadiens. A quick glance at the schedule tells us the Sens are in Toronto on Oct. 8, Nov. 12 and Jan. 17 and in Montreal on Jan. 14, Mar. 14 and Mar. 23. 

Their home opener is on Oct. 11 against the Minnesota Wild, which is when the Heritage Jersey is likely to make its game debut. That should be the first of 13 total games in which it will be used during the 2011-12 campaign. I'm guessing the full schedule will be released at a later date.

If you've got questions, feel free to ask, but I've pretty much exhausted my knowledge on the subject with this post. If it's not here, I probably don't have an answer to give. I suspect my inbox will start filling up with concepts based on the above image, so it won't be long before you'll be able to see it in full color.

---

Related: Check out these Senators concepts from early March. I think you'll find Tex Fischer's is the closest to the striping pattern seen in the actual design. But they're all very similar to the real thing.

Update on Tuesday · Aug 2 · 2011 | 9:54 AM PDT by Chris

I've got some replies to questions that have come in via email, Twitter and the comments below.

Heritage defined This Heritage Jersey has nothing to do with the Heritage Classic outdoor game. NHL commissioner Gary Bettman has already said there will not be one this season. "Heritage," in this sense, refers to the Senators' 20th anniversary celebration during the coming season. In fairness, it's not only about their own two decades of existence but the old Ottawa Senators from the 1920s as well.

Vintage white Back in March the Senators gave us a sneak peek at the new sweater. From the photo, it appeared to be true white, not this beige color that's been called "vintage" white. But then we were looking at a projector screen image so I can't say the colors were spot on. Then more recently, I was told that it would be vintage white on this uniform. Once again, nothing has been made official yet, so I can't speak with any certainty. And the above image is black and white, so that doesn't tell us anything.

If you have any other questions I can answer, I'll do so here.

Sharks Announce 3rd Jersey Schedule

We're still months away from the start of the season, but the San Jose Sharks have already announced third jersey dates for the 2011-12 season. They'll wear it 15 times, all at home, mostly on Thursday nights.

The black sweater was launched in 2008 under the nickname BlackArmor during a brief sponsorship agreement with Seagate. The Sharks wore it for home games throughout their 2011 Stanley Cup playoff run.

Patrick MarleauHere's the new schedule from the team's official website:

• Thurs., Nov. 3 – vs Pittsburgh Penguins
• Thurs., Nov. 10 – vs. Minnesota Wild
• Thurs., Nov. 17 – vs. Detroit Red Wings
• Thurs., Dec. 1 – vs. Montreal Canadiens
• Thurs., Dec. 8 – vs. Dallas Stars
• Thurs., Dec. 15 – vs. Colorado Avalanche
• Fri., Dec. 23 – vs. Los Angeles Kings
• Thurs., Jan. 5 – vs. Columbus Blue Jackets
• Thurs., Jan. 19 – vs. Ottawa Senators
• Thurs., Feb. 2 – vs. Dallas Stars
• Fri., Feb. 10 – vs. Chicago Blackhawks
• Thurs., Mar. 1 – vs. Buffalo Sabres
• Thurs., Mar. 15 – vs. Nashville Predators
• Thurs., Mar. 22 – vs. Boston Bruins
• Sat., Apr. 7 – vs. Los Angeles Kings

The Kings and Stars will each face the Sharks in black for two of their three visits to San Jose. Five of the 15 games are against Eastern Conference foes.

Of course, as the team's website notes, the above schedule is subject to change. And not that you care, but in the odd case that you wanted a quick link back to the Sharks' 2010-11 third jersey schedule, here it is.

Thrashers Retire Third Jersey

Thrashers retire 3rd jerseyAfter three long seasons, the Atlanta Thrashers have mercifully announced they are retiring their football basketball third jersey.

Blueland Blog, an arm of the Thrashers' official website, posted the news today and added that the team will NOT wear a third jersey at all in the 2011-12 season. Blogger Ben Wright wrote:

Some fans loved them, and others weren’t big fans. Whether you were a fan of the red third jerseys or not, they were unique, but their time has come to an end.

After launching in the fall of 2008 and being worn for three seasons as an alternate home jersey the red Thrashers jersey is being retired. The Thrashers will return to the basics next season and stick with their regular home and road uniforms with no third jersey in 2011-12.

Were you a fan? Will you miss it?

I may not be a Thrashers fan. But as someone with an appreciation for hockey uniforms, I think it was a wreck. But that wasn't always the case.

When it was first unveiled on Oct. 8, 2008, I wrote, "this is a great jersey if you can look past the front of it. I like sleeves, the logo element on the shoulders and the striping looks great. I just can't quite get past the text and the giant number on the front."

I still mostly stand by that. I like slightly oversized shoulder patches and the stripes on the sleeves. And I was always on the fence about the socks and the odd elements on the sides of the jersey.

But after years of seeing it over and over again I've been unable to reconcile the front of that uniform. It's just not what a hockey uniform should look like. Not that I'm any kind of authority on that. I'm a fan like anyone else. And coloring outside the lines is usually a good thing.

I just won't miss this one. Will you? Will you miss the Thrashers having a third jersey option? Should they take another stab in 2012-13 or stick with two for a while?

---

Related: Atlanta Thrashers jersey gallery

Senators Confirm New Third Jersey

The Ottawa Senators held their fan forum call today and use thed opportunity to officially confirm their intention to launch a brand new "heritage" third jersey to mark their 20th anniversary season in 2011-12.

Taking a page out of the Buffalo Sabres' book, the Sens' new sweater will be a throwback to a team that existed long before they did. The team's owner, president and general manager were all on the call and also discussed the 2012 NHL All-Star Game.

Here are some of the relevant details from their website:

2011-12 season: The Senators will celebrate the club’s 20th anniversary in the National Hockey League throughout the whole season. Celebrations will highlight the Senators and city of Ottawa playing host to the 2012 NHL All-Star Game and Weekend, as well as recognize the 11 Stanley Cup-winning teams of early-era.

Senators heritage jersey: The Senators will introduce a new third jersey, a heritage jersey in recognition of early-era teams.

2012 NHL All-Star Game and Weekend: Senators full- and half-season seat owners, renewing by March 31, will receive priority access to tickets for the all-star game. New purchasers will also have access.

They offered no specific information on the design of the new alternate sweater, but based on the mention of "early-era teams," I think we can make a few good guesses. You know where to send your concept art.

Update on Wednesday · Mar 2 · 2011 | 5:28 PM PST by Chris

Sens concept / Jacob BarretteThis might be a good time to point out some previous Icethetics posts that have some relevance to today's news.

• In August 2009, we held a poll between the Senators' current third jersey and Jacob Barrette's concept design (right). Guess which one got 88% of the vote.
• A couple months ago, Ottawa's AHL farm club in Binghamton sported the barber-pole look with "vintage white." It was not pretty. Worse (if possible) than Calgary's Winter Classic threads.
• Also in January, the Ottawa Sun speculated on an "O" jersey for the Sens next season.
• Perhaps most noteworthy, both the barber-pole and the Barrette jersey designs have appeared on the Sens' official website in the past. I'm referring to an artist rendering of the O Store at ScotiaBank Place from 2009.
• And lastly, memories... If you want to get all nostalgic on the now "old" Ottawa third jersey. Remember when it first leaked?

That's all I've got for now. Anything else would just be speculation.

Update on Thursday · Mar 3 · 2011 | 11:39 AM PST by Chris

The story continues today with more speculation on the design of Ottawa's new third jersey.

Senators O T-shirt / Joel HouleFirst, one reader pointed out that the Senators are actually selling a T-shirt that looks and awful lot like Barrette's concept jersey (see above).

Even if it doesn't end up being the new sweater, it's at least nice to know that design is available on officially licensed merchandise. And don't mind the ignoramuses who say it looks like a zero. They're just trying to goad Sens fans.

Second, The 6th Sens blog picked up on a radio interview that revealed some new information on the actual design of the new uniform. Sens president Cyril Leeder was asked for details. He actually gave some:

Looking to see whether Leeder would disclose any hints about the sweaters or keep those cards close to his chest, Lloyd asked, "Are we going to see some kind of barber-pole ... old-school [look]?"

Leeder replied, "Well, you'll definitely see a barber-pole. ... The original barber-pole was the Ottawa Senators jersey so it's definitely going to be part of the design.

"We've actually got the prototype sitting right in the office next to me here and we think it's a sharp jersey. It's really going to be a great jersey and a good testament and tribute to the teams that started hockey here in this city. And really ... the first dynasty in the NHL was the Ottawa Senators."

We keep talking about the B-Sens barber-pole jersey and Barrette's design as though it has to be one or the other. The way I see Leeder's comment, why can't it be a mix of both?

Ottawa 67's / Blitzen PhotographyHe says the barber-pole will be "part of the design." That means the entire jersey doesn't have to be covered in stripes — maybe just the sleeves?

If that sounds familiar to you, you're probably a fan of the OHL's Ottawa 67's who currently wear a sweater quite similar to that description.

Personally, I'm pulling for this look as I just can't stomach another jersey covered in bad stripes — especially one that will see action up to 15 games a season.

I've always thought CHL teams have some of the best uniforms in hockey (and I can't wait to try to put together their jersey galleries). And while the 67's jersey isn't my favorite, it would be a solid choice for a Sens alternate.

One reason I say that is because of its similarity to the team's current black third. And that could be a good thing. While Icethetics readers may not like it, it's apparently very popular among people who spend money on jerseys in Ottawa.

Still, I can't help but worry we'll be disappointed by the Senators — as it's happened all too often in the past.

What do you guys think? Would the 67's jersey be a good look? The barber-pole? Barrette's jersey? Or should it be something entirely new and original?