Capitals Hosting 2015 Winter Classic

Opponent, location and uniform designs still unknown

The Washington Capitals officially announced this morning that the American capital will play host to the NHL Winter Classic on Thu., Jan. 1, 2015. But that's about all they revealed.

Still unknown are the opponent, location and uniform designs for the game. But in the press release on their website, the Caps said that all of this will be announced "in the coming months."

Until then, there's only speculation. I know we started this a little yesterday, but now that it's official, who would you prefer to see the Capitals face and what jerseys should the teams be wearing?

Isles Ready for First Game in Brooklyn

Photo by Joe DeLessio / New York Magazine

Special Brooklyn patch seen on jerseys in team store

For the second time, the New York Islanders will attempt to play an exhibition game at Barclays Center — their future Brooklyn home — tomorrow night.

The inaugural Brooklyn game was scheduled to take place last year during the preseason on Oct. 2. But we all remember the lockout, right? So they're trying again this weekend. Above you can see the variations of the Brooklyn logo the Isles have been using to promote the event.

Interestingly, the newer one can be seen as a jersey patch in the team merchandise store at Barclays Center. The photo was included in a New York Magazine piece by Joe DeLessio. Does this mean the players will be wearing them tomorrow?

A lot of readers have been emailing and tweeting that photo to me so I wanted to get it on the record in comparison to last year's which went unused. The biggest question: Will this be the new Brooklyn shoulder patch when the team moves? I highly doubt it.

This is a marketing logo designed for a specific event. It's essentially the same design we've seen from the Islanders art department for every special event logo over the last few years. When a new shoulder patch is designed, I'm sure it'll be something a little more creative and timeless in style.

Unrelated: Caps to host 2015 NHL Winter Classic?

I don't think it warrants an additional blog post just yet, but the Washington Post and USA Today are reporting that the Washington Capitals will host the 2015 NHL Winter Classic. According to the Post, the announcement will be made tomorrow morning. If that's the case, I'll have a blog post then with all the pertinent facts.

In the meantime, feel free to speculate. What should the Caps wear for their second outdoor game? And who should their opponent be?

When Hockey Sweaters Go Green

It's a time for green beer and greener hockey jerseys. Happy St. Patrick's Day, everyone! The only way I can think to celebrate here on Icethetics is by sharing the many green warm-up jerseys being worn around the NHL this weekend. Enjoy!

First up — alphabetically — are the Boston Bruins. On Saturday night, ahead of their game against the Capitals, the Bs skated out for warm-ups sporting a color far from their existing palette.

Photos from Boston Bruins via social media

The team shared a number of photos of these green jerseys online today. A shot of the uniforms hanging in the locker room showed up on Instagram along with another of Shawn Thornton on ice. Then on Twitter, they shared a shot of Dougie Hamilton inspecting his own green threads.

Photos from Boston Bruins official website

UPDATE (3/17): Following last night's game, the Bs added a handful of action shots on their website.

The Columbus Blue Jackets couldn't keep their Irish-themed jerseys off of social media. The team suited up in green ahead of their scoreless affair with the Coyotes on Saturday.

Photos by Alison Pegg via Twitter

Team publicist Alison Pegg was perhaps the most prolific sharer of photos, including these shots of the sweaters from the locker room and auction table. She even offered up a moving picture through Vine. Of course green was not absent from the official Twitter account of the Blue Jackets.

And Icethetics reader Dan Caron even shared some of his own photos with us on Twitter. Needless to say, Columbus' St. Patrick's Day jersey was well-covered on social media.

The Dallas Stars were entertaining as ever with their St. Patty's jerseys on Saturday night. No surnames needed. Just add some Ireland-inspired nicknames to the backs of these bad boys.

Photos from Dallas Stars via Facebook

The Stars posted a picture of every player's jersey on their Facebook page. I pulled a couple of my personal favorites to post above — "McJagger" for Jaromir Jagr and "O'Romeo" for Aaron Rome. They're up for auction starting today if you find yourself in need of one.

The Edmonton Oilers are hosting the Predators tonight and may be among those teams donning green duds during warm-ups this weekend. On Instagram, the club posted a shot of a St. Patrick's Day prize pack which includes a green Oilers practice jersey. They also shared pictures of more St. Patty's-themed team merchandise on Twitter.

Conspicuous on this St. Patrick's Day was the noticeable absence of a recent tradition of the New Jersey Devils. Since 2010, the Devils have sported a throwback jersey which featured their original colors — red and green — every year for a home game on or near St. Patrick's Day. But not this year. And they were home hosting the Canadiens last night and everything. Would've been a perfect game for it.

Beating everyone to the St. Patrick's Day punch were the New York Islanders, who celebrated in green last weekend, when they hosted the Capitals on March 9.

Photo from New York Islanders official website

The Isles posted another great photo on their Facebook page after the game last night.

Photo from New York Islanders via Facebook

The jerseys were auctioned online leading up the big game.

Photo from Ottawa Senators via Instagram

UPDATE (3/17): The Ottawa Senators also joined the St. Patty's Day celebrations with the above photo posted on Instagram this morning. I presume they'll be wearing them during warm-ups today prior to their game later against the Jets.

Photos from Ottawa Senators official website

The Sens posted a couple of photos of the players skating in green on their website.

Later today, the Pittsburgh Penguins will host the Bruins. But before they do, the players will skate a little while wearing the green practice jerseys seen below.

Photos from Pittsburgh Penguins

According to the team: "The unique warm-up jerseys feature a green skating Penguin crest with Celtic lettering and numbering — and shamrocks on each shoulder." They will be put up for online auction beginning Friday.

Photos from Pittsburgh Penguins official website

UPDATE (3/17): This morning, the Penguins shared some more shots of the green on Instagram. There's one in the locker room and another of Craig Adams on the ice. Later, they posted a few more in the game's photo gallery.

UPDATE (3/17): The San Jose Sharks have been celebrating the Irish all week. The Sharks Foundation has been coordinating auctions of these green jerseys on March 9 and 14.

Photos from San Jose Sharks via Twitter and Facebook

Just today, the team tweeted a shot of the players wearing green at a recent morning skate. They've been a bit more prolific on Facebook with close-ups of the backs of these special sweaters, showing Patrick Marleau as well as Douglas Murray and others. (Thanks to @puckguy14 for the help!)

The Tampa Bay Lightning also joined the ranks of St. Patrick's Day teams on Saturday night by warming up in green before taking on the Hurricanes. The team did share some photos with us as well.

The Bolts posted some close-up photos on Instagram and a shot of the full locker room decked out in green gear on Twitter. There are several photos of players wearing the sweaters on the team's website.

Photos from Tampa Bay Lightning official website

Thanks to everyone who pitched in with links on Twitter yesterday! Let me know if you've spotted any teams I've missed and I'll be sure to add them. I'm also working on a separate post to highlight St. Patrick's Day jerseys around the minor leagues.

UPDATE (3/17): Also joining the St. Patty's Day fray were the Washington Capitals, who hit the ice in green tonight prior to defeating the Buffalo Sabres in the nation's capital.

Photos from Washington Capitals

Earlier tonight, the team tweeted a shot of a couple of jerseys hanging up in the locker room. Later, all of the green sweaters were on display at the arena so they could be auctioned off. And for more photos, check out the game's photo gallery.

What's New in the New Season

The NHL opened its shortened 48-game 2013 season tonight with a few changes and new logos hitting the ice. So let's run down what's new in the new season.

Kings, Bruins start ugly Stanley Cup banner trend

We begin with what I consider a pretty ugly trend over the last two seasons. This afternoon, the Los Angeles Kings raised their 2012 Stanley Cup championship banner. Then each player skated out wearing that same banner as a shoulder patch.

Now that's just tacky. I'm all for being proud of an accomplishment like this, but doesn't a sweater patch go a little bit too far? Is the 20-foot banner hanging in the rafters not enough?

But the Kings aren't the only guilty party. Last year, the Boston Bruins started this awful trend by wearing their banner on their sweater as well. Just uncalled for.

Come on. We all know you won. Nobody missed the banner raising. The patch is unnecessary. Fittingly, both of these teams lost the games where they flaunted their titles. The Bruins fell to the Flyers 2-1 last year. And earlier today, the Kings were stung by the Blackhawks 5-2. Serves them right.

We'll note that the Chicago Blackhawks, after raising their 2010 Stanley Cup championship banner, did not wear any kind of gaudy patch to commemorate their commemoration ceremony. Nor the Red Wings or Penguins in 2008 and 2009. So kudos to them.

Before I wrap this up, I do want to point out that at least the Kings and Bruins weren't as bad as the AHL's Hershey Bears — who you may remember actually wore the logos of the teams they beat for championships back in 2011.

Lightning and Stars mark 20th anniversaries

Next up are a couple of sweater patches we can't argue with. First, the Tampa Bay Lightning turned 20 in 2012 — but the lack of hockey between October and December means their celebration starts a little late. But better late than never. It's a cool logo!

The Lightning's 20th anniversary patch is a simplified version of the full logo unveiled over the summer. And for what it's worth, this isn't the first time we're seeing it — just the first time it's making an appearance on the ice. The logo debuted in June at the draft.

The Ottawa Senators, who joined the NHL with the Lightning in 1992, celebrated their 20th anniversary last season while assigned All-Star Game hosting duties.

The Dallas Stars moved from Minnesota in 1993 — a year after the league expanded to Ottawa and Tampa. But they're also marking 20 years during this lockout-shortened season.

This is the first we've seen this logo. It prominently features the American Airlines Arena Center — home of the Stars — as well as the skyline of the city of Dallas. It's a pretty sharp logo even if there is a lot going on.

Here you can see it being worn by newcomer Jaromir Jagr.

Capitals reverse colors on socks

This last bit of "news" would get a big shrug from a lot of hockey fans. But not Icethetics readers. Hold everything because the Washington Capitals have changed their socks!

I think that visual aid tells you all you need to know. But just in case, they've reversed the colors. On the road uniforms, the blue is now used on the bottom half going into the skate instead of the top half coming out of the pants. The configuration is now more like what we see in the rest of the NHL.

Presumably the socks on the home uniforms will see the same change — red on top, blue on the bottom now. But we'll find out for sure when the Caps open their home schedule on Tuesday against the Jets. Unless they wear their third jersey, that is. But the next home game would be Thursday.

Did I miss any 2013 uniform changes? If so, shoot me an email or comment and I'll update this post as needed.

Caps to Sport Throwback Third in 2011-12

After years of telling us that for reasons relating to the economy, it would be unseemly for his Washington Capitals to add a third jersey, owner Ted Leonsis is changing his tune. He once said, how could he ask fans struggling to pay bills to buy another jersey? 

But that's all changed now because the Caps will join their 2011 Winter Classic opponent in resurrecting their outdoor jersey as an alternate this season. It was announced today that the sweater will be worn for 16 road games during the fast-approaching 2011-12 season. The throwback sweater is based on what the Capitals wore from their inception in 1974 until 1995.

Alex OvechkinAnyway, along with announcing the addition of the third jersey, the Caps released a schedule to tell us every night the retro duds will see action. Here it is:

• Sat., Nov. 26 – at Buffalo Sabres
• Fri., Dec. 23 – at New Jersey Devils
• Wed., Jan. 18 – at Montreal Canadiens
• Fri., Jan. 20 – at Carolina Hurricanes
• Sun., Jan. 22 – at Pittsburgh Penguins
• Sat., Feb. 4 – at Montreal Canadiens
• Sun., Feb. 12 – at New York Rangers
• Mon., Feb. 20 – at Carolina Hurricanes
• Sat., Feb. 25 – at Toronto Maple Leafs
• Sat., Mar. 10 – at Boston Bruins
• Fri., Mar. 16 – at Winnipeg Jets
• Sun., Mar. 18 – at Chicago Blackhawks
• Mon., Mar. 19 – at Detroit Red Wings
• Thurs., Mar. 22 – at Philadelphia Flyers
• Mon., Apr. 2 – at Tampa Bay Lightning
• Sat., Apr. 7 – at New York Rangers

One key difference to the uniform this season is that the Caps will wear white helmets. That'll be especially handy as they're wearing them twice in Raleigh, where the Canes will already be wearing red helmets. Wouldn't that be a sight?

I have to admit I feel silly. I've known about this third jersey thing since last week but completely forgot to include it in Tuesday's blog post. But then I've been terribly preoccupied with things outside of the Internet lately. Oops.

And I know I was giving Leonsis a hard time about going back on his third jersey philosophy, but maybe there's something to the fact that they're only wearing it on the road this year. They're not parading around in front of the home crowd with it. Sure, the fans will see it on TV but that's a different experience from seeing it live.

Also, I probably would've given him less of a hard time had the new third jersey actually been new. I, like many of you, am still waiting on a blue jersey with the Weagle on the front. Will that day ever come? Maybe if the economy ever turns around.