Mining the NHL Rumor Mill

We've done enough minor league coverage over the last week. Time to get back to our roots now. There are couple items to address, though primarily rumor.

Word on the street is the Philadelphia Flyers will be the first to break out their Winter Classic sweaters for a second game in the same season.

Claude Giroux #28According to Flyers beat writer Ryan Bright, the white sweaters worn last Friday will get another shot, this time at tonight's indoor game when the Flyers host the Maple Leafs. He said so on his Twitter account yesterday.

Just so we're clear, I haven't read anything official on this from the Flyers yet. (If you have, drop me a line.)

The rumors have been flying since before this jersey was even unveiled that it would become Philadelphia's new road sweater — being a light version of the alternate (now home) jersey launched last year. But I didn't expect to see it back so soon.

To date, only one team from each Winter Classic has gone on to use their jersey in some form on a regular basis. Since we can bet on the Flyers here, will the Bruins break the mold and carry over their awesome gold jersey as a third for 2010-11?

By the way, don't forget that jersey galleries are available on Icethetics for the last two Winter Classics. Take a look and be sure to rate them.

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The rumor mill continues with the Ottawa Senators.

First, let's set it up. You'll recall in August that speculation was rampant that the Sens would be dumping their new "SENS" third jersey in favor of Jacob Barrette's Heritage sweater.

Senators Heritage jerseyWe later held a poll here at Icethetics asking readers to choose between the current alternate and the vintage design. It yielded a predictable result after more than 4,800 votes.

Now Icethetics reader Nevill is writing in with some thoughts on the future of the white road jersey.

I was at the Sens game against the Avs [last week] and noticed that their road white jerseys were discounted down in mass quantities at all the team stores and kiosks.

The retail chains around town are also selling the road whites up to 60% off, too, which leads me to believe that changes may be coming as soon as next season.

The vintage look is more apparent than ever at Scotiabank Place right now and I wouldn't be surprised to see new jerseys in the fall.

Nor would I, but considering this new uniform set debuted only in 2007, it might be a little too soon for wholesale changes. Either way, it's safe to say we're keeping the Senators on the radar for JerseyWatch 2010. Something is definitely going on in the capital city.

Wolves Test Powder Blue Waters

The minor league jersey news just keeps coming, this time out of the AHL.

The Chicago Wolves honored their everyday heroes on Saturday night with special Police & Fire Forces jerseys, which feature special shields on the shoulders.

Peter Mannino #33And yes, they're the same powder blue color that's been sweeping the NHL. It started with the Pittsburgh Penguins recapturing their youth, wearing their original colors at the Winter Classic in 2008, then later as an alternate sweater. Then the Panthers hopped on the bandwagon this season adding the hue to their new third jersey.

A couple of pictures of the jerseys in action were available on the Wolves' web site so I grabbed them to share with you.

I don't think they look awful, but I do think the red is too bright. You've got a really bright blue jersey so your accent color should be muted a bit — or at least that's my two cents. But that's what you get designing a jersey in-house.

Brett Sterling #29I might've gone with something closer to the Wolves' own brand of maroon instead of that bright red. But then again it is fire engine red, so maybe I'm out of line.

This shot of Brett Sterling offers an even better look at the sweater. You can even click to enlarge it slightly.

The jerseys must have brought Chicago good luck because they beat the Peoria Rivermen 3-2 in a shootout before a record crowd on January 2.

Chris Chelios #7They're probably hoping for more luck as this won't be the last the Wolves will wear these sweaters. They'll be used on three more occasions this month before being auctioned off for charity.

Fans will see them next on January 9, 10 and 17 — all home games. You can read the full release on the Wolves' web site.

By the way, how weird is it that Chris Chelios is playing in the minors? I guess I just thought he retired, but it turns out he declined an NHL offer just last month to keep playing for the Wolves. The guy's pushing 50 and he's just doing what he loves. No pressure, just having fun.

Before I go, I will leave you with this photo of the new powder blue jerseys hanging on the rack — straight from the aforementioned release.

Thanks to Reilly for passing along the info!

Update on Wednesday · Jan 6 · 2010 | 12:06 AM PST by Chris

How I do love the minors. Daniel writes in with a quick note regarding his Bossier-Shreveport Mudbugs who also paid tribute to their local cops and firefighters this past weekend.

John DeCaro #1The Mudbugs play in the Central Hockey League and I'm not even kidding when I tell you Saturday was Guns N Hoses Night. Here's the actual release from their web site:

Join us Saturday, January 2 for "Guns N Hoses Night" as the Mudbugs play their first home game of 2010.

Guns N Hoses Night is when we recognize law enforcement officers and firefighters from all over the Ark-La-Tex with a special night themed around their service.

The game will even feature a tug-o-war between police and firefighters at intermission, and the 'Bugs will wear specialty jerseys that will be auctioned off to the fans after the game.

Not that any fan would necessarily want to own one. But a good cause is a good cause. And a tug-o-war was involved. That's what I really want to see pictures of. In theory, the firemen should be the easy victors.

Anyway, you can see more photos of this special sweater in action by clicking here. Thanks again to Daniel for the link.

Kings' Throwback Reigns

Following in the footsteps of the previous post, there's another minor league jersey worth mentioning from a couple of weeks ago.

The Ontario Reign, ECHL affiliate to the Los Angeles Kings, wore a special, one-time throwback jersey as a tribute to the big club. It was a replica of the black Kings jersey which debuted to Californians along with the arrival of Wayne Gretzky in 1988.

Reign throwback nightThe primary Kings logo from that era has been modified into a Reign logo. But at a glance, it looks exactly like what the Great One wore after the big trade.

The Reign's current secondary logo was converted to silver and black and placed on the shoulders. It really is quite a jersey. And I couldn't wait to see what it looked like on the ice.

Lucky for us, this sweater was worn on December 18 when the Reign faced the Las Vegas Wranglers. (They even won in a shootout.) So there are a few pictures available — albeit low quality from the team's web site.

Shawn Germain #5 in action in the L.A. throwback Goalie Curtis Darling #29 wearing the specialty sweater