Canucks Unveil New/Old Sweater!

Canucks unveil throwback sweaterThe Vancouver Canucks unveiled their new throwback jersey Wednesday night at the Summer Summit event for season ticket holders. The sweater is part of the team's 40th anniversary celebration and will be worn five times throughout the 2010-11 season.

Former Canuck Orland Kurtenbach was on hand at the event to model the new sweater in front of fans. It's a replica of the original sweater worn by the Canucks during their inaugural season in 1970.

It had been widely rumored that the Canucks would have a specialty sweater to celebrate the 40-year milestone. We finally got confirmation tonight. Plus, it was also announced that on Dec. 11, the team will retire Markus Naslund's No. 19 sweater.

Sedin sports retro lookThe Canucks also used the event to officially unveil their 40th anniversary logo, which now appears in the banner of the team's website. An anniversary patch will be worn on all jerseys throughout the season.

A few things to note about the new jersey, as modeled by league MVP Henrik Sedin (right):

• Original version of stick-in-rink logo is taller than it would later be
• The captain and alternate captain's letters are unusually large
• Check out the white V inside the sleeve stripes
• The original 1970 sweaters had no nameplates and nor do those used in this photo shoot but surnames are now required as part of NHL uniform regulations

The new sweater will make its on-ice debut on October 9 when the Canucks host the Los Angeles Kings exactly 40 years to the day from that inaugural game in 1970. Though they have yet to officially confirm it, reports say the Kings will also be donning retro threads for that game.

The Canucks currently have a blue alternate sweater with the updated stick-in-rink logo. I think this retro look makes for a nice balance. There has been no word on whether the current home and road jerseys will be replaced in the future, though rumors suggest it could happen as early as fall 2011.

You can learn more about the Canucks' 40th anniversary plans by clicking here. And that's all you really need to know. I'll leave you with this shot of Kurtenbach and Sedin. Now tell us what you think of this classic sweater.

New Logos and More...

Some of you have been concerned by my lack of updates lately. Sorry, I'm just one person. And while I have been enjoying all that Super Mario Galaxy 2 has to offer, it's actually vacation prep that's been keeping me away from Icethetics. I'm out of the country all next week so hopefully this extended post will tide you over until I get back.

Anniversary logos appearing

Chris Creamer's SportsLogos.net is a resource I know many of you can't live without. Earlier this week, new NHL team anniversary logos started appearing on the message boards. Typically there are no big unveilings for these things, they just tend to come out in drips and drabs. So let's take a look.

The Vancouver Canucks celebrate their 40th NHL season in 2010-11. This mark will likely find its way onto the jersey somehow. It's a pretty standard birthday logo, although for some reason it reads as a tombstone to me, the festive ribbon notwithstanding. Maybe it's the dash between 1970 and 2010.

In any case, it's basically the stick-in-the-rink logo sans the stick, replaced by a big 40. Not the most creative thing they could've done, but creativity isn't that organization's strong suit these days. Just one opinion. It's plain.

The San Jose Sharks are turning 20 in 2011, but they're getting the festivities started a little early. You'll note that the 20 refers to how many years the team has existed not how many seasons it's played. Anyway, it's a solid logo, built on a pair of Xs with the shark in between.

It features a great use of color and type so I can't complain. It is rather wide, however. And just try to count all the triangles and partial triangles that cover the thing. Overall, thumbs up.

Lastly, the Columbus Blue Jackets will join the Wild in beginning their 10th NHL season this fall. Rumors of a cannon taking center stage on the forthcoming third jersey next season are not substantiated by this mark, which gives us an alternate perspective of the Ohio state flag instead.

For whatever reason, the waving flag just screams Civil War to me. I like it. Definitely furthers the brand of the club. So kudos to all these logo designers. Sharp work for logos that will only be in use for a single season.

Thanks to those of you who pointed them out to me.

Maple Leafs jersey changes

It should be news to no one that the Toronto Maple Leafs will don altered jerseys beginning with the 2010-11 season. And by "altered," I mean "fixed." The missing stripes will return as will a much-needed shoulder patch.

Will the Leafs wear these in 2010-11?Mike Burse of Bleacher Report offers up an in-depth look at how Leaf fashion directly correlates to Leaf success/failure. He also offers up this mock-up/concept (right, from LeafsHQ, see below) of what these new jerseys might look like.

As I've mentioned prior, no final decision has yet been made public. To this point, all we have is what team management has said. But for the record, Burse also says the Leafs have had these alterations in the pipeline since April 2009.

The article also says that a new third jersey is in the works to replace the current one, but that won't happen until the 2011-12 season at the earliest. There's a lot of history to choose from.

Whalers reincarnate

Howard Baldwin wants to bring hockey back to Hartford. NHL hockey. Whaler hockey. For those that have missed that iconic logo, he's trying to bring it all back.

Icethetics reader Gennaro Schiano writes in about the newly announced Whalers Hockey Fest which will consist of a series of outdoor hockey games to take place in February 2011. You can read more about it on Baldwin's website, WhalersSports.com.

Man, all this talk about changes to the league; will any of them happen? Will the Coyotes stay in Phoenix? Will Hartford get a team back? Will Winnipeg? Kansas City? What about new markets like Las Vegas? It's all kind of exciting.

Hopefully Whalers Hockey Fest is a big success. I'll be keeping an eye on it.

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Tampa Bay Rays in hockey sweatersBy the way, if you're interested, over the weekend the MLB's Tampa Bay Rays sported NHL jerseys on a road trip to Toronto. They had Blackhawks, Penguins and of course Lightning jerseys. Even the Bruins and Predators made an appearance.

There's more to this story and TSN has it covered for you.

Update on Friday · Jun 4 · 2010 | 8:48 PM PDT by Chris

It was brought to my attention that the above Maple Leafs jerseys were actually created by Jeff of LeafsHQ. You can see more images and his take on the forthcoming sweaters over there. Plus, as the Leafs ponder a new historical third jersey for 2011-12, Jeff has put together some concepts based on past uniforms. All worth checking out. Enjoy!

Kings Going Retro in 2010-11?

The Los Angeles Kings will sport a special throwback jersey for a handful of games in the 2010-11 season, according to LA Kings Insider blogger Rich Hammond.

Hammond wrote on his blog earlier today, answering fan questions, that the Kings would wear the purple-and-gold uniforms for as many as four games against the Vancouver Canucks, who will be celebrating their 40th anniversary season.

Kings may wear this again soonHere's the direct quote from LA Kings Insider:

mrbob25 asked: 1) Who makes the decision to wear alternate jerseys for home games? 2) Will the Kings continue with their black-purple-silver uniforms with the crown or must we witness another uniform modification/change of using the alternate "LA" unis as primary? Good to know for the fans considering an authentic jersey purchase.

Answers: 1) I'm not actually sure how they set the regular-season schedule. It is pre-determined though, because I saw the schedule, early in the season, of which games the players would wear the black uniforms in. For the playoffs, the players decided to wear the black jerseys.

2) I don’t know of any significant changes on the horizon. I think they’re staying with the black alternates, and I know that, for at least one game next season (and perhaps three more), the Kings are going to wear an old-school purple-and-goal uniform against the Vancouver Canucks, because it will be the Canucks’ 40th anniversary.

Not only is this information of prime interest to Kings fans, but Canucks fans as well. Presumably, if another team in the league (not even in their own division) is wearing a classic sweater to celebrate the anniversary, the Canucks are likely to as well. And perhaps other teams will join the fray. But all that is just speculation.

The photo above comes from Shop.NHL.com and is only meant as a reference. This is brand new information and Hammond doesn't go into specifics about the jersey itself. But since it is available in the NHL Vintage collection, it wouldn't surprise me to see it be used in this case.

If this is true and the Kings are going retro against the Canucks next season, I cannot imagine the Canucks would wear the whale. Time itself would likely implode. Think the classic stick-in-the-rink that Icethetics readers seem to have a love-hate relationship with.

Before I go, I thought I should address a Kings-related question I've been getting a lot lately. Many have asked, are the Kings giving their current thirds full-time home jersey status next season?

As Hammond says, there is no evidence for any changes to the home, road or alternate sweaters for 2010-11. The team opted to wear the black-and-silver sweaters at home throughout this postseason, but things should go back to normal next fall.

The Orca Debate

I don't mean to dwell on a topic born out of speculation, but after Tuesday's post regarding the possibility of the orca logo going the way of the dodo, my inbox was inundated. And I feel like this is the kind of subject matter that we'll hear an awful lot of different opinions on. So here are some more of them.

Hey Chris! I do believe the Orca in Canucks nation is endangered and becoming extinct, but the logo that I believe that will take its place as the primary will be the Johnny Canuck V logo, not the stick in rink.

The licensing agreement for the Orca logo is almost over, not sure exactly when, but possibly in time for next season, and the clues of the Johnny Canuck V logo becoming the primary are all over the Canucks website as well as on merchandise. I've attached a few pics to this email which lends me to believe this is true.

Matt

That's an interesting notion. A free Johnny Canuck t-shirt along with your orca jersey, perhaps so that when the orca is phased out you won't be completely left without a current Canucks logo? Just a hunch.

Here's another email regarding new upcoming merchandise.

I work at a sports store and we get all the merch catalogues early. I never thought much of it until I read the article. But after reading that I do notice that the Canucks stuff (hats, shirts, mini-sticks, etc.) has changed.

There is still stuff designed with the current logo but the new catalogues compared to the old ones do have a lot more of the non-orca logos. The stick-in-rink logo is used the most and the Johnny V and Johnny Canuck logos are popping up all over the new stuff.

There is also a lot more of the green being used as well. Not sure if this is really an indicator of a change or just a money grab though.

Adam

The money-grab idea does make sense. But is that really all it is?

This last email may just be silly, but it's worth the read nevertheless.

Take it for what it's worth, but while working a concert at the Commodore Ballroom a couple months back, a gentleman presented the local band that was on stage with a maroon Vancouver Millionaires jersey and proceeded to claim that this was going to be new third jersey for the Canucks next year — which coincidentally is the 40th anniversary. 

At first I brushed it off, but now I'm starting to see these great vintage maroon jerseys in local hockey shops. I, for one, would love to see the Canucks playing in the only Cup-winning sweaters this city has seen.

It looked great on the Giants when they wore it and I believe it'll look fantastic on the Canucks if they do as well. Hopefully this does indeed become reality.

Michael

Ridiculous? Maybe. But the Canucks never cease to surprise us with their new sweater choices — however usually for the worse.

Feel free to add to the discussion in the comments. I'm going to put it to bed as far as new posts go — at least until we start getting some concrete information. But we can bet that won't happen until at least the summer.

By the way, big day in Montreal tomorrow! A century in the making.

The Endangered Orca

I got an interesting email from a Vancouver Canucks fan yesterday. He told me about all the signs he's been noticing that leads him to believe the orca logo, introduced in 1997, may finally be on its way out.

Rather than paraphrasing what he had to say, I thought I'd go ahead and let you all read the email for yourself and make up your own minds.

Just a heads up for next season. Although I'm drawing conclusions based on current marketing efforts by the Vancouver Canucks I think we should look to expect the end of the "orca whale C" logo next season and seeing the stick-in-rink third jersey come into full time use. 

Why, you ask? First, the new ownership group renamed operations away from Orca Bay Sports and Entertainment to Canucks Sports. Second, the current third jersey is used exclusively in current marketing and branding efforts, including the team website. In fact, the players are wearing this one whenever they do public appearances, hospital visits, etc.

Third, the stick-in-rink and "Johnny Canuck" logos now dominate team store merchandise and team merchandise available throughout the province. And likely the biggest clue are the huge price reductions and promos offered through the team store encouraging people to buy the current orca whale jersey. The ads even say "orca whale jersey" in ways that clearly distinguish it from the more popular current third. Every week there's a new incentive being advertised on Vancouver sports radio from the team store to sell off this jersey. 

Will Canucks fans finally get their wish? All signs are pointing in that direction.

Dave

For the record, both the Canucks and Buffalo Sabres celebrate their 40th NHL seasons in 2010-11. Sabres brass has already talked publicly about reverting to the classic logos and uniforms from the '70s and '80s.

It's funny how these teams appear to be having mid-life crises — just like a guy who hits 40 and longs to recapture his youth with sports cars and such. It's weird in a way, you have to admit.