Rangers Unveil Heritage Jersey!

New York Rangers Drury and Lundqvist sport the new sweaters

The New York Rangers officially unveiled their new Heritage Jersey tonight in front of fans gathered at Rockefeller Center.

Rangers unveil Heritage JerseyThe retro look comes as no surprise to anyone who saw the photo Sean Avery posted on his website in September, but we got a much better look during tonight's unveiling, as seen in above photo of Chris Drury and Henrik Lundqvist.

The new sweater, dubbed the Heritage Blueshirt by team marketing gurus, features darker and more subdued colors than the Rangers' standard palette. The blue is darker, the red is duller and the white is more... vintage.

Across the front reads NEW YORK in red, but in a font more typical of 1920s sweaters and different from what the team currently uses. The right shoulder features the 85th anniversary patch being used on the home and road uniforms this season — but in the "Heritage" color palette.

The surname runs straight across the shoulders, not arched, and the Rangers' retired sweaters numbers are stitched onto the inside hem in the back.

If you'd like to see the full photo gallery on the Rangers' website, here's a handy link. And another. Their website is filled to the brim with all sorts of pictures and other features relating to Heritage Week, which officially kicked off tonight.

I haven't managed to track down any details on whether this sweater will only be used this season or if it will be the new third jersey indefinitely. Also I don't believe a schedule has been released at this point. To be fair, I haven't looked very hard either.

One more note somewhat related to the Rangers.

Their AHL affiliate, the Hartford Wolf Pack will officially transition to the Connecticut Whale moniker effective Nov. 17. The team is promoting Saturday's game as the Wolf Pack's "last." Last we heard, the change was to happen between Thanksgiving and Christmas. Looks like they got things in order a bit early. Thanks to Alan H. for the tip!

Rangers Sweater Leaks — Again

Rangers' jersey leaked againIf there were any doubts before, let them certainly be quashed now.

Icethetics reader Sean (presumably not Avery) sends in photos of the New York Rangers new Heritage Jersey he found hanging on a store shelf.

I won't mention the name of the store where the pictures were taken as I'm not interested in getting anyone in trouble. But there were a number of them hanging on the rack (right).

And to be fair, these are pictures of the youth version of the jersey. But you get the idea. It's further proof of the sweater's "retro" design, which will be officially unveiled this Friday — in just two days.

The way the Rangers have been promoting the Heritage Jersey, I'm not sure if it's also going to serve as a third jersey for any indefinite amount of time. It looks good so I'm hoping it sticks around a while.

Back of new Rangers jerseyThis jersey was first leaked by Sean Avery back in September. What we didn't see in his lone photo were the details, such as the number and lettering styles.

We've got that covered now (left). And if you're also interested in seeing the special design on the inside of the collar, look no further. It reads "Established 1926" on the back.

Again, these are youth sweaters, so the collar design and jersey material don't match actual Reebok Edge specs, but all the critical design details should be accurate.

Just in case there's any question, I'm told the name and number outlines are in vintage white, not true white. And it appears the number font is the same as the home and road sweaters without the shadow effect.

Despite this pre-release look at the Rangers' newest jersey, I'm still looking forward to seeing it on a player in a game. I'm sure we all are.

Sens, Flames Unofficial 3rd Skeds

A couple of Icethetics readers sent in third jersey schedules for the Senators and Flames. While I've been unable to independently verify them, they have been accurate to date.

We have multiple news items related to the Ottawa Senators alternate sweater, which will apparently see action tonight against Atlanta. There's an unofficial 10-game schedule, plus a possible brand new jersey.

First, the third jersey schedule comes from Sens fan Jason G., who tells me his season ticket agent provided the following home dates:

• Thu., Oct. 28 - vs Florida
• Tue., Nov. 9 - vs Atlanta
• Wed., Nov. 24 - vs Dallas
• Sat., Dec. 4 - vs Buffalo
• Mon. Dec. 13 - vs Atlanta
• Sat., Jan. 8 - vs Tampa Bay
• Tue., Jan. 18 - vs Anaheim
• Tue., Feb. 15 - vs NY Islanders
• Tue., Mar. 1 - vs Boston
• Thu., Mar. 17 - vs New Jersey

Ironically, the only team that will face the Sens in black this season more than once is the only team that has an equally bad, if not worse, alternate uniform — the Thrashers.

Remember, though this schedule was obtained through the team, it's not official until it comes through the team's PR people.

The other item comes from my favorite kind of source — the anonymous kind. (Sarcasm, for those unfamiliar.) I'm told the Senators have been doling out free third jerseys with ticket purchases lately.

"When I inquired about whether or not they'll be launching a vintage third or heritage [jersey]," the source explains, "I was greeted with a smile...but no official answer."

That doesn't tell us much but it was in my inbox and thought it worth sharing. Next season marks the Sens' (and Lightning's) 20th anniversary (1992-2012). Could they have a new alternate sweater in the works to celebrate?

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Additionally, we have an unofficial third jersey schedule for the Calgary Flames. Again, I haven't been able to independently verify it, but four of the dates have already passed and game photos show the sweater was indeed used on those nights.

Icethetics reader Jeff T. sent along a link from the Calgarypuck Forums, in which a user called A Money offered up the schedule without citing its source. It features the following 12 home games:

• Sun., Oct. 10 - vs Los Angeles
• Sat., Oct. 16 - vs Edmonton
• Sat., Oct. 30 - vs Washington
• Wed., Nov. 3 - vs Detroit
• Wed., Nov. 17 - vs Phoenix
• Sat., Dec. 18 - vs Minnesota
• Fri., Dec. 31 - vs Colorado
• Wed., Jan. 26 - vs St. Louis
• Wed., Feb. 9 - vs Ottawa
• Sun., Mar. 6 - vs Nashville
• Sat., Mar. 12 - vs Vancouver
• Wed., Apr. 6 - vs Edmonton

The user also points out the Flames were scheduled to wear their white road sweaters in front of the home fans on Thursday, Oct. 28. Which they did.

And if I'm being honest, the above picture is from last season, before the design was converted to a Reebok Edge jersey. But the only thing that's really changed is the collar and the hemline — and the 30th anniversary patch.

Although the dates are unofficial, I'm adding both schedules to the sidebar calendar.

Rangers to Reveal New Sweater

The New York Rangers have announced their plans for Heritage Week, part of their 85th anniversary celebrations this season, including the launch of their new third jersey.

It all starts Friday evening at Rockefeller Center when the Rangers unveil what they're calling their "Heritage Jersey" — the new alternate uniform that will be worn occasionally throughout the 2010-11 season. This event will take place at 6:30 PM eastern.

Avery in the Heritage JerseyAt the same time at the NHL Store in New York City will be another Rangers Heritage Jersey Event, where fans will be able to purchase the new throwback sweater for the first time. And just so we're not forgetting, we actually have seen this jersey before. Sean Avery leaked it.

Heritage Week continues through the weekend when the new sweater becomes available for fans to purchase at Madison Square Garden during Sunday's game when the Rangers host the Edmonton Oilers at 12:30 PM eastern. That's a 9:30 AM puck drop for west coasters (of which I am soon to be one).

According to the official Heritage Week schedule on the Rangers' website, the new Heritage Jersey will make its official on-ice debut on Wednesday, Nov. 17 when the Rangers host the Boston Bruins.

So there you have it. I meant to post this last week but you wouldn't believe how all planning to move can eat up your day. Thanks to everyone who emailed in about it.

As for the jersey itself, I'm eager to see it in action for the first time this weekend. I'm sure the cell phone quality photo we've had for a couple months now doesn't do it justice.

Canucks Jersey Sked is Here

The Vancouver Canucks released a schedule detailing when their two special sweaters will be used during the 2010-11 season.

In addition to the third jersey introduced in 2008, the Canucks will sport a throwback jersey to celebrate 40 years in the National Hockey League. The new sweater debuted on opening night at Rogers Arena when the Canucks hosted the Los Angeles Kings for the 40th anniversary night.

Icethetics reader Kevin wrote in yesterday with the link via Twitter. I'm not sure how long this schedule has been posted on the Canucks' website, though. The alternate will be worn on nine occasions while the vintage sweater gets a total of five games.

First, the full third jersey schedule as follows:

• Fri., Oct. 22 - vs Minnesota
• Sat., Nov. 20 - vs Chicago
• Sun., Dec. 5 - vs St. Louis
• Tue., Dec. 28 - vs Philadelphia
• Fri., Jan. 7 - vs Edmonton
• Sat., Jan. 22 - vs Calgary
• Mon., Feb. 7 - vs Ottawa
• Sat., Feb. 26 - vs Boston
• Sat., Apr. 2 - vs Edmonton

Interestingly, the month of March seems to be the most popular for third jerseys around the rest of the league. Vancouver doesn't plan to wear anything special then.

Now, the short retro jersey schedule:

• Fri., Oct. 9 - vs Los Angeles
• Tue., Oct. 26 - vs Colorado
• Sat., Nov. 6 - vs Detroit
• Sat., Dec. 18 - vs Toronto
• Tues., Feb. 22 - vs Montreal

Obviously, four of the above dates have already past but better late than never, right?

I also have unofficial third jersey schedules for the Flames and Senators. Those will be going up as soon as I can find a moment to spare.