Third Jerseys in the 2013 Playoffs

There's been a lot of chatter on Twitter this week regarding the trio of teams that have opted to wear their third jerseys during the 2013 Stanley Cup Playoffs. For those of you not on Twitter, I present this brief blog post.

The Toronto Maple Leafs, San Jose Sharks and Minnesota Wild are all sporting their alternate uniforms when they play at home this postseason. It's certainly nothing as many teams have done it in recent years — the Sharks included. And the BlackArmor has served them well this year as they swept the Canucks.

For the Wild it was their first time in the playoffs since 2008. I say "was" because they were eliminated by the Blackhawks last night. And by the way, 2008 the only season since 1996 where no NHL team has had a third jersey. That was the inaugural season of Reebok Edge.

The Maple Leafs, I believe, have made a habit of sporting their thirds for the playoffs in recent years. Well, not "recent" as the last time they qualified was 2004. But between 1999 and 2004, their old white alternate got an extra workout in the postseason.

Should we read anything into these decisions? The Kings wore their black thirds in the 2010 and 2011 playoffs before making them their home uniform in 2011-12. But I wouldn't call that typical. The Sharks are supposedly making some changes in the fall but I doubt they'd drop the teal. And Minnesota is only looking at a new road sweater for now.

That said, I'm fairly sure the NHL only permits teams to use two jerseys during the playoffs. So if the Sharks were to win the Cup, they'd only be able to do so wearing black or white.

What's your take? Do you like seeing third jerseys in the playoffs? Or should they be reserved for the regular season only?

Send Icethetics to Dallas!

Last Friday, the Dallas Stars announced via special invitations a big event to take place June 4 — an event that can only be the unveiling of their long-awaited new logo and uniforms.

Icethetics will have live coverage of unveiling

Yours truly was on the invitation list. But I originanly said I wouldn't be able to attend given the distance between Seattle and Dallas. In the last few days, circumstances have changed. Now, I will in fact be going. I've RSVPed and everything.

That means for the first time in Icethetics history — original live reporting of a major unveiling event!

Help offset the costs and be the first to see it

Flying roundtrip between Washington and Texas isn't exactly cheap, of course, but I have booked a flight. One reader suggested that a way to offset the costs of this trip — for which I'm not really getting anything in return — would be to accept donations from the Icethetics community.

Let me start by saying I have no expectations here. This news will be all over the web on June 4, we all know that. Icethetics would be one of many sources. So why would you ever bother donating money to send me to Dallas? If that's your mindset, you probably shouldn't donate. Your money would be better spent elsewhere.

But if you're a longtime reader who's excited about the prospect of some original reporting and live coverage from Icethetics — and don't mind helping me out — this might be for you. And heck, if you donate at least $10 to help me offset travel costs, you will be among the first to see the new look of the Dallas Stars.

What a $10 donation gets you

Anyone who donates $10 or more, will get photos sent direct from the event to your inbox — before I post it on Twitter or icethetics.info. It's that simple. If you want to do something nice for the site, I want to do something nice for you.

Remember, this is NOT about buying access to Icethetics coverage. I still intend to live tweet and post extensively about the event. If you're making a donation, it's because you want to support Icethetics. In return for that support, I'll give you early access to my reporting. So instead of refreshing your Twitter feed every other minute — you'll get photos sent straight to your email.

Icethetics will be in Dallas no matter what

Whether or not any donations are made, I will be in Dallas for this event. So don't worry about whether a certain goal has to be reached to make a donation worth it. The only reason I'm accepting donations is to help offset travel costs — airfare, hotel, cabs and the like. It's a lot of money out of my own pocket so it'd be nice for a little help from the community as a whole. I'd be immensely grateful.

If you do choose to donate, you can spend any amount you'd like. But $10 is the magic number to get you "insider access" from me ahead of everyone else. Just please don't let that be your only reason for donating. If the logo or uniforms were to leak prior to the event, there would not be any refunds.

Believe me, I feel weird asking for any money at all, but the only reason I'm going is for this community. So I figure if ever there was anyone interested in helping to offset costs, it would be you guys. Thanks in advance!

To donate via PayPal, use the link in at the top of the page on the right.

Update on Wednesday · May 29 · 2013 | 1:21 PM PDT by Chris

First of all, I have to extend a huge thanks to everyone who has donated even just a few bucks. It goes a long way! Wanted to let you guys know that I've come pretty close to my goal so I'll be taking down the donation button on Friday. So if you want to make a donation and get your email on the list, do it in the next couple of days.

And thank you all again!