New Looks for a New Season

As a long summer starts winding down, we're now less than a month away from training camps across the NHL getting underway. But before that, I wanted to do a quick run-through of all the new jerseys we'll be seeing this fall. And believe it or not, I have a few surprises in store.

Edmonton Oilers

Fans have been begging for it for years, and the Oilers have responded. This new road jersey pays tribute to the original white sweater the Oilers wore from their NHL inception in 1979 to 1996.

Florida Panthers

Like the Oilers, the Panthers are fixing their uniforms as well by returning to their roots with a red home uniform. The chest and sleeve piping as also been removed from both the home and road sweaters.

Though the red sweater was unveiled at the draft, the road jersey design below is still unofficial. We know the blue piping is going away but it's not clear if the jersey will see any other changes.

Los Angeles Kings

The Kings are undergoing an identity overhaul in 2011, though they're only adding one "new" jersey. The white road sweater is based on the black alternate which launched in 2008.

Nashville Predators

The Predators are also making sweeping changes by introducing new home and road jerseys.

New York Islanders

We got our first glimpse at the Isles' new third jersey when a prototype design was leaked recently by a former team employee. But I've recently been made aware of some new details and can confirm report this is what the final version looks like. (Accidentally broke one of my own rules there. I can't "confirm" anything. That's for the team to do. However, this is an accurate representation of the final design.)

Ottawa Senators

We've known for some time that the Senators have had a Heritage Jersey in the works, meant to pay tribute to the original Senators from the 1930s for their own 20th anniversary season. You got your first look at a photocopy of the design earlier this month. This is what it looks like in color.

The shoulder patches have been the source of much of the speculation surrounding this jersey since the team itself offered up a sneak peek back in March. I can report that there are two of them, both in the shape of a shield. One reads Ottawa Senators, the other is in French: Sénateurs d'Ottawa.

Pittsburgh Penguins

The Pens will be promoting their 2011 Winter Classic jersey to alternate status this season. It replaces the light blue third which debuted at the 2008 Winter Classic.

Tampa Bay Lightning

The Lightning unveiled their new branding back in January but the jerseys still aren't available in stores. Here's a refresher of what they'll look like.

Toronto Maple Leafs

And finally, one of the worst kept secrets of the summer has been the Leafs' new third jersey. It pays tribute to the 1967 design which was only used for a few seasons. Take note of the silver inner-outline of the throwback leaf crest. Other than that, it's practically identical to the old jersey.

Obviously, the odd man out on this post are those elusive Winnipeg Jets jerseys. Plenty of you have emailed and tweeted to tell me the counterfeiters already have them. I refer you to my earlier post about phony leaks. Everyone's favorite thieves are simply manufacturing jerseys based on concept art. As I've said before, this would not be the first time. And it surely won't be the last. Be patient; don't waste your money.

For what it's worth, I can't say how close the fakes will be to the real thing as I haven't seen the final designs yet. They could be close or miles away. But since the Jets haven't scrambled to assemble a press conference on short notice, I'm guessing it's the latter. 

I also expect to have another edition of JerseyWatch posted before the end of August, but aside from one busy week, there hasn't been a lot of news this month. Hopefully this will hold you over until then.

Update on Friday · Sep 16 · 2011 | 10:40 AM PDT by Chris

Winnipeg Jets

The Jets finally unveiled their new home and road uniforms 10 days ago. Here's another look at them.

Washington Capitals

The Caps announced they will bring back their retro Winter Classic jersey for 16 road games this season.

The new season is shaping up to look pretty nice. And I don't think there will be any other new jerseys to add to this list for the 2011-12 season. You've now seen everything there is to see.

Loose Threads: Leafs, Jets and the CHL

It's been a busy week on the blog. We've seen a new logo, two jersey unveilings, and oodles of new sweater numbers for recently relocated NHLers! And there's still more to talk about. I've collected a few items for you in a new edition of Loose Threads.

Berger Talks New Leafs Third Jersey

Maple Leafs concept by Jeff Veilette / LeafsHQThe Toronto Maple Leafs will get a new third jersey next season and that's become a hot topic again.

It's been reported in each edition of NHL JerseyWatch 2011 that the Leafs will replace their current white alternate sweater with a new one. But like the old one, it will borrow from the club's past.

Howard Berger, who covered the Leafs for FAN 590 in Toronto until last month, wrote about it Thursday on his new blog, Berger Bytes. (Hm, clever.) He said it "will look very much like the jersey the club wore at Maple Leaf Gardens on May 2, 1967 — the night it last hoisted the Stanley Cup."

In other words, like this concept (right) created by Jeff Veilette of LeafsHQ in April 2010. You'll notice the distinct watermark. However, despite this, I've been getting tweets and emails telling me Berger leaked the new Leafs sweater. He hasn't.

Don't get me wrong, I fully trust that this design or something similar will basically be what the new third jersey looks like, but don't be confused in thinking that this is an actual photograph of it. It isn't.

For a little background, Berger was a helpful in providing early details of the first Reebok Edge third jersey designs back in 2008. While some of his descriptions were slightly inaccurate — which can be attributed to the low quality images he was describing — he was mostly on the money.

Personally, I was hoping the Leafs would go with the 1970s/1980s look for the new third and, admittedly, my reporting was slanted because of that. But most of the trustworthy rumors I've read have said this 1967 design will be the one. Not that that's a bad thing. We get to bring an old logo back from the dead.

Jets Prepare to Unveil New Logo

It's a sentiment I share with many hockey bloggers, but it feels so strange talking about the Winnipeg Jets in the present tense again. Strange indeed, but also true.

On Thursday, Canada's National Post reported that the Jets were close to completing their new brand and nearing the point of releasing it to the eager public. You can read the article for yourself, but if you just want the bullet points, here you go:

• Final tweaks are being made to the logo and jersey designs.
• The new Jets logo will look "dramatically different" from the old one.
• Anyone who prints anything NHL-related is breathing down True North's neck to finally release a logo. (This includes Upper Deck, who can't print trading cards yet.)
• The new Jets jerseys will be ready by the time Canucks' rookie camp starts on Sept. 11. (Probably with an unveiling a week or so before that.)

So, here's my read of the situation. We'll be lucky to see the logo by the end of July. It's possible, but knowing the way the design process tends to go, it'll be a couple more weeks yet. They don't want to rush and make a mistake with so many eyes watching. I expect we'll see the new Jets logo in early August.

As far as the jerseys, I'm anticipating late August to early September for the unveiling. This is a little trickier than the logo. Most fans are impatient and don't understand what goes on behind the scenes in a situation like this. With so many fans desperate to get their hands on a jersey, a leak would be disastrous at this point. Why? It boils down to knockoffs.

They need jerseys to sell to fans the minute the design goes public. Otherwise, they risk counterfeiters being able to throw together their cheap crap faster than Reebok can manufacture the real thing. The bottom line is they don't want someone else stealing their money. Would you?

If you don't see this as a problem, you may lack critical thinking and reasoning abilities. (Sarcasm, folks.) Just accept it and try to have a little patience. The logos and jerseys will all be out soon enough. It's like Christmas Eve right now. Why not enjoy the anticipation of it all a little bit longer?

Blazing a path to the CHL

The Central Hockey League has welcomed the Bloomington Blaze as its newest franchise for the 2011-12 season. This team is not be confused with the now-defunct Bloomington PrairieThunder, who played in the CHL last season after the International Hockey League merged with it a year ago.

Basically, the PrairieThunder folded after last season and the Blaze are a new franchise with new ownership — though they just hired the same coach. The team has not yet unveiled a logo and doesn't even have a website I can direct you to. I'll try to keep an eye on it, but it is the CHL.

Speaking of the CHL, the Rio Grande Valley Killer Bees — the only hockey team I know with five words in its name — have unveiled a new logo. And by new, I really just mean simplified. I'll leave you with a before-and-after image as I wrap up today's post.

Rio Grande Valley Killer Bees unveil new logo

Canadian NHL Uniform Ranking

In preparation for tomorrow's Hockey Day in Canada, Icethetics has been conducting a series of polls with the goal of ranking the uniforms of the NHL's six Canadian teams. It's the very definition of a popularity contest. And with 18 sweaters and more than 75,000 votes cast, the results are in. 

Rating: 8.6 (#1) 1979/2008

Rating: 8.2 (#2) 1917Coming in at No. 1 with an 8.6 rating, the Oilers' alternate sweater, a throwback to the days when things were brighter in Edmonton — both in hue and on-ice talent. Wayne Gretzky lifted the Cup four times in those colors. Now Taylor Hall hopes to lead a new crew to glory.

The Montreal Canadiens' red home uniform was a surprising and relatively distant second place with an 8.2. But it had some stiff competition. It's a look that's existed for as long as the NHL itself has. Its place among the best in well-deserved.

Rounding out the Top 3 is another blast-from-the-past retro jersey, this one belonging to the Calgary Flames. Rated by fans an 8.1, it was initially a hold-over from the Atlanta Flames after they relocated in 1980. And though the logo changed, the sweater remained the same for 15 years until the team's look evolved with black trim.

Rating: 8.1 (#3) 1980/2009 Rating: 7.8 (#4) 1970/2010 Rating: 7.6 (#5) 2008 Rating: 7.4 (#6) 1958/2008

The first white jersey to show up in the rankings appears at No. 4 and it's another throwback! Something tells me we like our Canadian teams in retro sweaters. The Vancouver Canucks are wearing their inaugural season uniform to celebrate their 40th anniversary.

Fittingly, the Canucks also take 5th place with their alternate sweater. Toronto's alternate sweater follows close behind with a 7.4 rating. (Of course we won't be seeing Beauchemin in that jersey anymore.)

Rating: 7.1 (#7) 1992 Rating: 7.0 (#8) 1941 Rating: 6.4 (#9) 1992 Rating: 5.0 (#10) 2007

The next group includes the Maple Leafs' home and road sweaters and the Habs' road threads, making these the only two teams with all of their sweaters ranked in the Top 10. Of course it also leaves one team out of the Top 10 entirely. But we'll get to the Senators shortly.

Rating: 4.9 (#11) 2007 Rating: 4.8 (#12) 2007 Rating: 4.3 (#13) 2007 Rating: 4.2 (#14) 2007

As we start moving into the latter portion of the ranking, a couple of patterns are becoming clear. For every team but one, the alternate jersey is the most popular of the set. And the colorful home jerseys are certainly preferred over the bland road whites.

But the most noteworthy bit is that even though the Ottawa Senators have three sweaters to choose from, their most popular is 14th out of 18 in all of Canada. Perhaps a change is needed in the capital city, because Icethetics readers really do not like what they have to offer.

Rating: 3.9 (#15) 2007 Rating: 2.6 (#16) 2007 Rating: 2.4 (#17) 2007 Rating: 2.2 (#18) 2008

The final group is not a huge surprise. Many have bemoaned the "practice jersey" look of the Oilers original Reebok Edge home/road set. When the throwback won fans over, it became the home sweater. Now, rumor has it, it's getting a partner in white next fall.

And readers always suspected the Senators had a terrible alternate uniform. Now we have the data to back that up. That 2.2/10 rating is an abomination. But it's also supposedly getting replaced for 2011-12.

I found there were a few more numbers to crunch. For instance, what if you average each team's jerseys? How does each team rank overall?

Unsurprisingly, the Habs averaged out at a 7.6, a decisive top finish. The Leafs were second-best with a 6.9 average uniform rating while the Canucks trailed behind with a 6.3.

The Flames' three sweaters work out to a 5.7 overall rating forcing the Oilers to second-worst in Canada with a 4.5, despite having the best individual jersey. Those other two really hurt them. Obviously the Sens sit at the bottom of the group with a meager 3.4 average.

Alternate and specialty jerseys averaged out at 5.9/10. Home sweaters were clearly the most popular with a 6.3 average compared to those road whites with just a 4.8. And the good news is that overall, fans like more than half of all Canadian NHL uniforms.

By the way, for as much as some readers complain about all the blue in the league, these results speak for themselves. Ten of the top 11 Canadian NHL sweaters have blue in them. What's your take on the results?

Update on Friday · Feb 11 · 2011 | 10:58 AM PST by Chris

Just added a new detail to the sweater stats above. In the caption of each photo you'll find the year the jersey was introduced into the NHL (followed by the year it was revived, if applicable). When you look at it that way, all of the bottom 9 uniforms are from the Reebok Edge era (2007). The Canucks' alternate is among the top group but even though it's relatively new, it's inspired by the look of the 1970s. Coincidence?

The Best Sweaters in Canada

Hockey Day in Canada. It's the day on the NHL calendar when the six Canadian teams go head-to-head with each other. It's Saturday, Feb. 12 and it means wall to wall hockey coverage on CBC. I'll be tuning in.

This year the event is being hosted in Whitehorse, Yukon and on Friday, Feb. 11, I'll be talking to the local CBC radio station about the state of hockey uniforms — including those of the Canadian clubs. So the question is, which team has the best sweaters? One way to find out. Your vote.

The polls below will remain open until Thursday night and on Friday, the results will be revealed here on Icethetics.info and on CBC Radio in Whitehorse.

Scroll down, and cast your vote for each uniform. You can rate them 1, 5 or 10. At the end of the week, all 18 sweaters will have an average score to determine how they rank. Happy voting!

Sorry, no comments on this post. Just vote!

The Problem with NHL 11

Every year EA Sports turns out an updated edition of its popular NHL video game series. And every year, a handful of Icethetics readers scour their brand new copies for uniform "leaks." I get a lot of emails, some with information that turns out to be true and some that doesn't. The same is true this year with NHL 11.

"But Chris, EA is a licensed partner of the NHL and they have access to every aspect of every NHL uniform," you say, "why shouldn't we trust them?"

Leafs jersey in NHL 11This is why.

A reader recently sent in this photo from the game, showing Tomas Kaberle in the new Toronto Maple Leafs road jersey. Only problem is that the shoulder patch is the vintage third jersey logo — not the new patch unveiled this summer.

Will this be corrected in a software update? I don't know. But it just proves to me that while EA is good at making video games, they are not necessarily an accurate source for jersey news.

Now, having said that first, another reader wrote in about a change to the Minnesota Wild's road jersey in NHL 11. According to the game, they're getting a new shoulder patch.

Wild jersey in NHL 11So how accurate is this alteration? We won't know for sure until the team says something official or until the new season begins in October.

Of course if there is something new, we may get a sneak peek later this month when preseason action gets under way. In any event, this patch does match a new logo recently posted to one of our favorite sites, SportsLogos.net.

They're usually pretty good about accuracy, but the site says nothing about this being a shoulder patch. We'll keep an eye on it as the season gets started.

This patch would replace the script logo which has been in existence since the team's name was first revealed more than 10 years ago. It was designed by Rob Leuschke who was featured in a blog post back in October.