Entries from November 23, 2008 - November 29, 2008

Saturday
Nov292008

Holiday Weekend Updates

There's plenty of new content I'll be adding to the site this weekend (hopefully), so I'll use this post to let you know what's new.

First thing, you can now rate the logos submitted for the IceHL's Northeast Division. There are 37 eligible logos available to rate for the five teams. Some are spectacular. Some... not so much. Happy voting!

Up next, I'm planning to get the Flashback '98 logo tournament back up and running. Look for that tomorrow morning. Also hoping to launch the new Concepts section on December 1. Featured Artists will follow.

Saturday
Nov292008

Is This It For Third Jerseys?

All the new third jerseys are out. The ranking has been released. But is this really it for third jerseys?

No. We'll get to start this all over again next year but on a much smaller scale. I can tell you there are at least two teams that are working on alternate sweaters for 2009. The Minnesota Wild are to have a green (finally!) third jersey for their 10th anniversary season and the Calgary Flames already have a final design in hand — though I can't tell you what it looks like.

Thought I'd get those seeds planted early. As far as the other 10 teams, I'm hoping for third jerseys from the Rangers, Ducks and Panthers next season. I don't expect anything from the Devils, Red Wings or Canadiens. So to sum up...

  • 3rd introduced in '08 // Thrashers, Bruins, Sabres, Hurricanes, Blackhawks, Stars, Oilers, Kings, Islanders, Senators, Flyers, Coyotes, Penguins, Sharks, Blues, Lightning, Maple Leafs, Canucks
  • 3rd expected in '09 // Flames, Wild
  • 3rd status unknown, but hopeful // Ducks, Avalanche, Panthers, Predators, Rangers
  • 3rd not expected anytime soon // Blue Jackets, Red Wings, Canadiens, Devils, Capitals

Quick note on those teams categorized as "not expected anytime soon." I didn't just pull that out of thin air. Blue Jackets and Capitals management have both publicly said a third jersey is not in their near future. The Canadiens still have a couple new Centennial throwbacks for next year (who knows, one may turn into a third jersey in the future). And the Red Wings and Devils have historically never had a third jersey. I wouldn't expect that to change without warning.

That should cover everybody. Just wanted to keep you guys updated. Speaking of updates, lots coming over the course of this holiday weekend. I'll let you know what's new via the blog.

Friday
Nov282008

3rd Jersey Ranking Revealed

The Icethetics Third Jersey Ranking has been released.

See the Icethetics Third Jersey Ranking!

The ranking includes my personal views on this year's crop of third jerseys but there will be an opportunity for you to make your voice heard soon. For now, you can check out my ranking and leave your comments about it on this blog post. I'm sure it won't be all that popular.

Since you're still here, I thought I'd take a moment to talk about what lies ahead for Icethetics. Many of you have asked what place Icethetics has in the world now that all the third jerseys are out. I assure you, this site was never about that. It simply got eaten by third jersey news for a while.

In December, I fully plan on bringing Icethetics back to what it was meant to be — a place to enjoy the artistic side of hockey. On the way is the site's first concept post and a brand new Concepts section which will include a number of Featured Artists and their talents.

Logo tournaments will get back in full swing. We'll finish up the Flashback '98 tournament which has continued to be delayed. Also, the IceHL will get back on track with logo rating for the Northeast Division and voting on the final 3 for the Pacific.

Those tabs at the top of the page are going to be your best friends starting next month. The blog will likely be updated less frequently while those pages above will flourish with content. At least that's the plan.

I'm also going to be introducing a new artist to you guys who will be creating most of the graphics for the new Logo & Uniform History section that will be launching probably after the new year. He's very talented and his work will make Icethetics a resource for information in its own right. I'm very excited about this project. More on that later.

If you have any other questions about the future of Icethetics, please email me if you want a response.

Wednesday
Nov262008

Sabres Debut Third With Win

The Buffalo Sabres debuted their new third jersey tonight against the Bruins, more than two months after initially unveiling it. The retro-themed sweaters brought the Sabres a much-needed victory.

I got a few emails tonight talking about the alternate uniforms with some info worth sharing. Bill wrote in to point out that the classic logo seen on the front of the jersey is also featured on the helmets. However, on the right side of the helmet, the buffalo is actually facing the right.

You can see this here on Jason Pominville's helmet. Pominville and Derek Roy had a lot to celebrate tonight. Bill says this is the first time in franchise history that the logo has been modified this way. I'm not that familiar with the use of this logo so I can't say whether that's true, but I have no reason to doubt it.

He also pointed out that the pants for this uniform are actually shells. Notice the way the regular pants stick out in this picture of Drew Stafford.

For those of you unfamiliar with the concept, I'll explain briefly. Rather than having multiple sets of pants, players tend to have just one. That's why you always see the Sabres in blue pants whether they're wearing blue jerseys or white. (Also white pants look silly, as the Giants pointed out over the weekend.)

When third jerseys are introduced that require a different pant design, teams will use shells as a cost-cutting measure. The shell usually fits over the pants, giving the illusion that they are different. Sometimes during game action, shell will slide out of place as seen in this photo and others.

By the way, the Sabres weren't the only team wearing their third jersey tonight. Four other teams joined them, including the Sharks, Stars, Hurricanes and Lightning. Just to keep you updated, alternates are 17-17 on the season so far.

Tuesday
Nov252008

Jersey Tributes Across Canada

Hope some of you had a chance to catch my interview on NHL Home Ice this morning. I'll try to get it posted here later tonight if you'd like to take a listen. In the meantime, I've got some pictures to share of some things that went on over the weekend.

We'll go east to west, starting in Montreal. On Saturday night, the Canadiens paid tribute to Patrick Roy with the retiring of his No. 33 sweater. Down on the ice, all of players wore Roy's jersey during warm-ups. Great picture here.

At the same time, it was Wendel Clark Night in Toronto as the Maple Leafs retired honored his No. 17 jersey. Just like in Montreal, players paid tribute during warm-ups by wearing Clark's sweater.

And across the continent in Vancouver, the WHL's Giants honored the gone-but-not-forgotten Millionaires with throwback jerseys on Friday. My thanks to Sean for this photo from the game.

That's some uniform isn't it? Complete with the white pants and everything.

I saved this stuff for today because I didn't want it to get lost in the shuffle of Third Jersey Weekend. It's nice to see teams paying tribute to the past, especially with their uniforms.