Friday Variety

I'm normally not one to complain, but if you guys knew the week I've had in terms of technology fails, you'd sit down on the floor and cry. I mean grown men. On the floor. Sobbing. It's been that bad.

Only now do I finally have my new wireless router cooperating with my new MacBook Pro — and I say that with fingers crossed. Without going into boring details, the bigger problem with all of this was that every time something stopped working, it meant spending what little free time I had fixing it.

But I'll be back this weekend making loads of updates across the site. A lot has been going ignored while I was troubleshooting — concept art, logo news, and yes, the IceHL.

Live Chat Returns This Weekend

The first thing I want to mention is that I'm bringing back the Live Chat! We haven't done one of those since last November. It's well overdue. I don't have an exact time, but I'll let you know when I do. It'll probably be Saturday afternoon. I'll post a reminder in the sidebar as well as make an announcement on Twitter.

We can talk about whatever you guys want. I'm also going to use it as a platform to unveil the IceHL's New York Guardians logo. It was a tight race. Drop by if you want to hang out and chat. I'll also answer any questions you may have.

Twitter Mailbag Moves

This week only I'm moving the Twitter Mailbag to Saturday. There were a lot of great questions and mentions this week that I want to talk about, but I want to get to some other stuff today. So if you'd like to tweet any questions, now is your chance. Be sure to include @icethetics.

Wolf Packs Wants Your Jersey Designs

In case you missed it, the AHL's Hartford Wolf Pack are holding a fan jersey design contest.

After a very successful first year, the Wolf Pack Specialty Jersey Design Contest is back! We had hundreds of great entries last year and had a blast choosing the winner. Be creative and have fun because we loved all the different ideas that fans had. The winner of this year’s contest will receive a personalized jersey of their design along with tickets to see them worn by the team! During the TBA game, the jerseys will be auctioned right off the player’s backs! This year’s auction raised over $10,000, which benefited the March of Dimes organization.

On their web site, the Wolf Pack has a jersey template you can download and the email address you need to send your artwork to. Fans have until September 1 to get their entries in.And if you want instant gratification, send your design to Icethetics at the same time and it may just show up on the site.

Following Up on the Ice Flyers

The SPHL's newest member, the Pensacola Ice Flyers, unveiled their coma-inducing logo two weeks ago at a fan event in north Florida. I had some comments.

Now we have "official" word from the team on why they went with the logo with the fewest votes in an online poll — the worst one. Via Twitter, Icethetics reader Mike posed the following question to the minor league club.

mburmy @PcolaIceFlyers I know the poll was for 'entertainment only,' but WHY did you HAVE to use the LAST-place entry?"

To which the Ice Flyers' Twittermaster replied:

PcolaIceFlyers @mburmy Thanks for the comments... there were some copyright concerns and it was the best logo to modify and adapt for our use.

I buy the first part. Copyright issues are always a concern when you ask fans to design things. However, it was "the best logo to adapt for our use"? Seriously? I think I should just not talk about it anymore. At least now we have some closure on the subject.

Concept Art

My inbox tells me you guys have been longing for the return of concept art to the site. I had hoped the IceHL would fill that void. Yet all of that is artwork that's been floating around for months. So I am aiming to bring the occasional concept post back to the site via the Concepts section, accessible at the top of the page.

Until I can make time for that, I'll give you something here. When USA Hockey announced it would be unveiling new Olympic jerseys later this month, I asked you guys to send in your own concepts. Here is one by Mike Ivall.

I've also got a bunch more Ducks third jersey concepts. I'll either make a new post on the Concepts blog with all of them or I'll start posting them on Twitter — which is easier for me. Which do you guys prefer?

Anyway, I think I've taken up enough of your time with this post. Got any questions or comments? You know where they go.

Twitter Mailbag III

The Twitterers continue to ask questions so I will continue to answer them for all to read. And there are a lot this week so let's get to it.

HBAdventure @icethetics haha Twitter mailbag is a hilarious title for some reason [Jul 24]

I enjoy the irony.

danfranko @icethetics I'll nominate the Caps black jersey for worst ever. and the Pens space-aged Penguin (former 3rd) with grey and yellow stripes. [Jul 24]

I believe danfranko is talking about Ugliest NHL Jersey Ranking that we'll be doing soon. One day this week I'll write up a post to begin accepting nominations. We did Worst NHL Logo back in the day on NHLToL and we all know who won that one (Mighty Ducks' third) so I can't wait to see how this one turns out.

electrocraze421 @icethetics http://bit.ly/D7Sgw Interesting to note that the old Nucks' and Bruins' logo are used in this ad found on the Leafs' home page. [Jul 26]

Actual ad from Maple Leafs' official web siteInteresting you should point that out. I thought this ad was a little perplexing as well. You'd think if anyone would have updated logos it would be NHL teams themselves.

The ad to the right has been running on the Maple Leafs' official web site. Of the 12 teams in it, three changed their logo in 2007 as part of the Age of Reebok overhaul — Ottawa, Vancouver and Boston.

They got the Senators right. However the Senators made more sweeping changes to the logo. The Canucks merely changed colors and the Bruins made only slight modifications to the "B" and the spokes.

Wonder if they'll have it fixed in time for the launch of their new web site this summer.

holdthemap @icethetics Chris Smith's design is delightful. when are the major leagues going to start picking up on these designs [Jul 26]

IceHL fans have proven they really like Chris' logo designs by making his work a finalist for 14 out of 30 teams. If certain teams, who shall remain unnamed (*cough*DUCKS*cough*), were to hire some of the IceHL's graphic designers, the NHL would look a lot different.

By the way, this is the perfect opportunity to remind you to make sure you get your votes in this weekend if you haven't already done so. Today is the last chance to vote on the Boston Colonials logo. The rest will be closing over the next several days.

The next new logo poll will go up on Monday, featuring the Winnipeg Winterhawks. Until then, I'm planning individual Artist Spotlights for the weekend. You can access the IceHL section anytime via the tab at the top of the page.

TheGoalieGuild Everyone should check out @icethetics... one of my favorite sites to check out!! Great stuff and very interactive. [Jul 26]

Icethetics got a few shoutouts from The Goalie Guild over the weekend so it's only right they get one back. It's a nice site, dedicated to goalies. They've got some awesome pictures and links as well as an interesting blog. Worth a read if you're a goalie or you like goalies.

CazaCreations @icethetics forgot to weigh in on the site redesign - love it, just like everyone else! The colour scheme is awesome. Logo, better than ever [Jul 27]

Glad to hear you guys are still enjoying the redesign. I keep getting emails from folks asking where I got the template. That's high praise and I appreciate it. The new look of Icethetics is entirely my own.

blinkfink182 @icethetics Are you going to release the poll results as the polls close or all at once at the end? (So excited, this is awesome) :) [Jul 30]

Ah, back to the IceHL. I will be releasing the results within a day or two of when the poll ends. Each poll is open for seven days so you can do your own calculations based on when it was posted. The Colonials were first and therefore the poll ends today, however because I'm out of town (and away from my computer) all this weekend, it may be Monday before results are available. I'll do my best to get it done sooner.

TJSharky @icethetics Are there any teams who didn't overhaul their jerseys when RBK took over that are now considering it? [Jul 30]

I think that ship has pretty much sailed. However, some teams are slowly converting their third jerseys (introduced last year) to full-time duty — the Flyers and Oilers, for example. Other than that, minor changes may be made here and there but major overhauls are probably over for a while. If you're looking for new jerseys, look to the alternates. More are coming this fall.

eromain @icethetics I heard the 60 teams from the OHL/QMJHL/WHL are converting to the Reebok Edge uniforms? Do you plan on covering them? [Jul 30]

That is true, the Canadian junior teams will be switching over this season. I am happy to cover the unveilings but if you guys thought I was bad at following the minors, this is worse. As long as Icethetics' awesome readers continue to forward me news on the CHL, it'll find its way to the blog.

AvsHkyPodcast @icethetics Any timeline on the Avs' thirds? Us fans need somthing to get excited about in Denver. [Jul 31]

Guess being an Avalanche fan is rough when they're not always winning Stanley Cups and so forth. Unfortunately I don't yet know of any sort of timetable for the release of Colorado's third jersey. I would expect, as with most teams, that we'll see something in time for training camp or the preseason.

brettface @icethetics how much do you know about the jerseys for this upcoming Winter Classic? [Jul 31]

Not a thing, really. I've been getting emails a lot this week asking if I know what the Bruins and Flyers will be wearing at Fenway Park. At this point, no decision has been made public, if one has even been made. That aside, the second question I keep getting is "What do you think they'll be wearing?" That usually comes along with a concept somehow incorporating the Philadelphia Quakers.

Here's my opinion on that: Last year's Winter Classic made many think that the New Year's Day jerseys have to be more than just special, that they have to be drastically different. But look at Pittsburgh and Buffalo in 2008. In each case, these teams have simply gone back into their own history for a throwback uniform they haven't worn in a while.

The Penguins and Sabres went back to the '70s. The Blackhawks and Red Wings have an even longer past and were therefore able to dig even deeper. But this notion that the Flyers should wear Quakers uniforms simply because they had the same colors or were based in the same city makes no sense. They were two completely separate franchises. It's like the Wild wearing North Stars throwbacks.

The argument is made that the Red Wings actually wore Detroit Cougars jerseys. The difference is that it was the same franchise. Founded in 1926, the Cougars became the Falcons in 1930 and after just two seasons settled on the Red Wings. But since then, there has been no significant change to the Wings' uniforms. In order to make sure they had something special for the game, they had to go back further.

The Quakers existed for a single season in Philly after a failed five-year stint as the Pittsburgh Pirates. The Wings had an 82-year history to draw on — with multiple former names. If you ask me, the Flyers will simply opt for a white version of their new orange jersey.

The Bruins will be a little more interesting, having that extensive past and many old uniform designs to consider. If they want to be draastically different, they'll find an old brown sweater, otherwise it'll be black with a gold (unspoked) "B" on the front. But of course it's all still speculation.

Keep an eye on Icethetics for any new information and be sure to follow along on Twitter.

Twitter Mailbag II

The Twitter page appears to be even more popular this week, so I'll continue with a series I'm now calling the Twitter Mailbag. Last week I posted and responded to a bunch of folks on Twitter who had interesting questions or comments. Here's Part 2.

In the past week, Icethetics has added over 120 new followers and reached the 80-update plateau (as soon as I tweet about this post). Now I know I could simply reply to folks via Twitter, but 140 characters doesn't really allow me to express myself or share with the rest of Icethetics' readers.

So let's dive right in.

AvsHkyPodcast @icethetics The new page looks really sharp.
[Jul 19]

Thanks! I've actually been hearing that from a lot of readers. It's the most well-received site redesign in the history of Icethetics/NHLToL. So I'm glad you guys like it. I know I do. I just got tired of all the white in the previous layout.

OMJason @icethetics Nice. I'll pretend the colours are a shout out to the Oilers and hope that they don't suck this year. [Jul 19]

Keep pretending. However, dark blue/aqua/orange is my favorite color combination so it was hard to design a look around any other scheme. Enough about me now.

6rick6 @icethetics who do you think will produce the worst third this season. My bets on the Preds [Jul 21]

We could discuss this one all day long. I think a better question is: Who has the most potential for disappointment? To that I'd answer Minnesota. I have the highest hopes for them, bringing the first green jersey into the Age of Reebok. But it's a very delicate situation, because if done wrong it could be a major letdown. As far as who will produce the worst, I'm mostly concerned about Florida and Colorado. Despite the alleged leaks, I have faith in Nashville.

HBAdventure @icethetics I'd love to see some concept art...
[Jul 22]

Me too! Whenever I get solid artwork, it goes straight up on Twitter. If you guys have anything to submit, you can find my email address at the top of the page. I'm currently working on plans for future expansion of the Concepts section of the site. The current incarnation is a little bare and stale. So many projects, so little time.

KevinY5 @icethetics You should totally show the Ugliest all-time uniforms, also [Jul 22]

Who wants to have a vote? I'm game. This week, the NY Daily News published an article declaring the Red Wings' the best uniform in all of sports. Let's give it a week and I'll start taking nominations for the worst in the history of hockey. Then we'll work out a ranking system to see whose was really the worst.

electrocraze421 @icethetics btw. thanks for the post on that las vegas wranglers jersey. you should do spotlights on lesser known minor league teams! [Jul 23]

I'm all about it. I think what we did last week was fun. Send in some more pictures of North American hockey uniforms in action and let's see if we can't work out where it came from. And as you can see from my coverage of the Pensacola Ice Flyers and Quad City Mallards, I'm trying to pay a little more attention to the minors these days.

fFiordalisiJR @icethetics ....wow...you're right dude, that has to be the hockey logo i have ever seen and i witnessed the Isles' "fisherman" logo. ouch!! [Jul 24]

Speaking of the Ice Flyers, I believe fFiordalisiJR is writing in response to that monstrosity. But I don't think the fisherman logo even compares to Pensacola's. At least that was a logo. This is a T-shirt design. Literally.

Finally, my thanks go out to Sean_Leahy, CazaCreations, yalebot, rwhickok, dwr508 and RLDhockey for your support via re-tweets and FollowFriday suggestions. It's folks like you helping to get the word out that will keep Icethetics going for a long time to come.

As always, get in touch by adding @icethetics to your tweets and check back again next Friday for another edition of the Twitter Mailbag.

Twittering Away

As most of you know, just a few weeks ago, I set Icethetics up with its very own Twitter account. It was all new to me but I thought it would serve as a quick and easy way to keep you guys updated. So far, so good.

The first tweet was June 25. Now, 328 followers and 55 updates later, I figured I'd take the time to reply to some replies. Some are questions, some are not. Maybe it will make an interesting blog post. Let's find out, chronologically.

PricelessNick @icethetics Hey Chris Do you have any updates on the change in jerseys for the sabres Anniversry year. I heard they were switchin to the 3rd [Jun 27]

Founded in 1970, the Buffalo Sabres' 40th anniversary is right around the corner, and while I'm sure a large number of fans would love to see the third jersey on a more permanent basis, I haven't heard anything that would lend truth to that rumor. In fact, it's the first time I'm even hearing such a rumor.

Wishful thinking, maybe.

coryodonnell @icethetics suggestion: For ur picture posts, try http://pikchur.com Great picture sharing service..like it much better than Twitpic. [Jul 1]

I'll definitely look into that. I'm new to Twitter so I'm still learning the ropes. Seems like there are so many options out there. How do you know what's best?

Skullnuck @icethetics :'( ohlund is gone from canucks.... sooo depressing... im mad now [Jul 1]

Skullnuck, I'm really sorry for your loss. I know how you feel. It happened to me when Brad Richards got traded. Hopefully, Mike Smith will be what we need. Unfortunately, you got no compensation for Ohlund.

n8stwit @icethetics Why the checkerboard pattern on the bottom and sleeves? [Jul 2]

I think n8stwit is referring to the images I posted of the alleged Nashville Predators third jersey design. It's a very good question, but one I don't have the answer to. Still, I say we wait until seeing something official before worrying too much.

lance_bradley @icethetics Any word on when CHL teams will be releasing their RBK Edge redesigns? [Jul 3]

That's a great question, Lance. Once again, I'm answerless. But I'm posting it in case someone out there does know and can provide some dates or links. When will CHL teams start unveiling their new Reebok EDGE uniforms?

mburmy @icethetics Hopefully the IceHL is coming back too! (If you forgot the links, I'll send 'em over) [Jul 4]

The IceHL will be coming back soon! I'm working on plans to get it re-launched within the next couple weeks. We are going to see this project through, without a doubt. (And mburmy, I have no idea what links you are talking about.)

kskopek @icethetics Followed those links lost a couple hours ! Thanks [Jul 4]

The links to which kskopek is referring send you to The Hockey Uniform Database and NHL Patches.info. Those two sites can really kill a day if you're not careful.

electrocraze421 @icethetics http://bit.ly/whatjerseyisthis the black one. it looks weird. do you know which teams it is? [Jul 11]

What the heck is that black jersey?All right, electrocraze421, I'm going to use the context clues in this picture to help you try to figure it out. Going in, all I have is the picture and what you've written.

At first glance, it's obviously a minor league. The Toyota ads on the back of the jerseys give that away. The group of cheering fans wearing Los Angeles Kings jerseys leads me to believe this game is in California.

If you look in the first row, there's a fan wearing an Ontario Reign jersey. Definitely an ECHL game. You can clearly see Andrew Martens and Jon Francisco in a group hug celebrating.

So your question becomes, who are the Reign playing? When I clicked on your bit.ly link, it takes me to the original image on the Press-Enterprise's web site, a publication based in Riverside, California.

Inside the URL is a date, October 26, 2008. Now it's easy. Who did the Reign play on October 25? According to the ECHL's official web site, it was the Las Vegas Wranglers and the final score was 4-1, Ontario.

A quick search of the Wranglers' web site turns up a slew of pictures, including a white version of this black sweater. Further research indicates that these are the road and home jerseys and that the team wears a red-infused uniform as an alternate. And in case you were wondering, wearing No. 7 and the alternate captain's "A," that's defenseman Sean Owens.

So there's your answer.

And on that note, I'm done. If you have any questions or comments, Twitter references are always welcome. I'll try to do something like this once a week or so if you guys are interested. And for those without Twitter accounts, you can still follow along with Twitter Updates in the sidebar right here on icethetics.info.

Now on Twitter!

The obligatory Icethetics Twitter account is now active. Feel free to follow. I intend more frequent updates there than on the blog here at least while news is slow. You can also expect more than a few concept art posts over there. I'll be adding a widget to this site so you'll never even have to leave.

Visit twitter.com/icethetics and never miss a thing!

Update on Friday · Jun 26 · 2009 | 12:32 PM PDT by Chris

Off to the right side of the page you can now find Icethetics' Twitter updates. Handy for those uninterested in getting a Twitter account. Keep an eye on it. I'm updating it all the time, even when I don't have anything new for the blog.