Canada's Olympic Jersey Set Leaks

Photo from Reddit user "justacanuck88"

Photo from retail store appears to show all three

Exactly two weeks before the planned unveiling date, a photo of Canada's three new Olympic jerseys has surfaced online. The photo above was posted to Reddit by "justacanuck88" who wrote, "The new Canadian Olympic Jersey's [sic] just came in. What do you think?"

I'm packing for my trip, so I have to post and run. In the meantime, answer the guy's question in the comments. What do you think? I'm saving my commentary for Oct. 8 when the jerseys are officially released.

12 Preseason Letters to NHL Teams

I'm about to step away from Icethetics for quick vacation to the Big Apple. So I put together this blog post to hold everybody over until I get back. And as an homage to Jimmy Fallon — whose show my wife and I hope to catch while in NYC — I've prepared preseason thank-you notes to 12 NHL teams.

Dear Anaheim Ducks,

Thank you for celebrating your 20th anniversary by making all your players wear an ugly patch. They'll never think twice about it. But I will die a little inside every time I see it.

Dear Viktor Fasth,

Thank you for this kickass mask. I eagerly await watching you wear it on October 13.

Dear Boston Bruins,

Thank you for turning 90 in style. Some people may not appreciate your simplistic anniversary logo, but I admire how it blends brilliantly into your brand and bears the six stars that signify your Stanley Cup championships. Here's to another six Cups and the next 90 years.

Dear Buffalo Sabres,

Thank you for proving to the conspiracy theorists that your new third jersey isn't a hoax by including it in your new media guide this year. And don't listen to all the haters. You have to have a little fun with your third jersey, or else what's the point? So let's give it a year or two and then try something else. Also, thanks for putting the captains' patches on the shoulder instead of the chest. Gives everybody a little something to freak out over.

Dear Carolina Hurricanes,

Thank you for looking just as generic as I expected in your new jerseys. It means I don't have to eat my words. Also, thank you for playing a red/white scrimmage so I only had to look up one photo.

Dear Dallas Stars,

Thank you for looking positively stunning in your new uniforms. It's about as good as a hockey team can possibly look. Like I told the Hurricanes, I appreciate not having to eat my words. In particular, thank you for bringing more green to the NHL. I'm forever grateful.

Dear Detroit Red Wings,

Thank you for wearing straight nameplates during the preseason. It's a huge burden off your equipment staff, who don't have to worry about cutting custom arches for more than 60 guys, two-thirds of whom won't even be with the team in a week. Also, it helps keep my email and Twitter stream filled with questions about why you're changing your uniform. Just like every September.

Dear Los Angeles Kings,

Thank you for changing the wordmark your players wear on their helmets. Sure, it may seem like the most innocuous thing in the world, but to some, you might as well have changed your colors to pink.

Dear Minnesota Wild,

Thanks for rocking those ravishing new road jerseys. Wouldn't change a thing.

Dear Montréal Canadiens,

Thank you for adding accent marks to your jersey nameplates. I'm sure Daniel Brière and other French speakers can appreciate it better than I can. But mainly, thanks for not posting any preseason game photos to your website. I really like having to scour dozens of video clips to find a clear, legible shot of this most minor of uniform changes.

Dear Nashville Predators,

Thank you for changing your socks and pants. You know what I always say: If there's room for blue, there's room for gold. (Admission: I've never said that before.)

Dear New York Islanders,

Thank you for wearing your special Brooklyn patch during your special Brooklyn game. I know it won't be long now before Brooklyn becomes your permanent home and you wear a permanent Brooklyn patch. Until then, I'll treasure this special Brooklyn patch from this special Brooklyn game. Brooklyn forever. Brooklyn.

Dear San Jose Sharks,

Thank you for going on that diet this summer. The weight you lost really shows. Really.

Sincerely,

Chris from Icethetics

Update on Monday · Sep 23 · 2013 | 9:55 AM PDT by Chris

It was inevitable in a post this long that I'd overlook somebody. Thanks to Twitter friend @JoeyLeizerowitz for reminding me I'd missed this one.

Dear Florida Panthers,

Thank you for wearing the Dos Equis logo on your sweaters this season. You may not be the most interesting team in the world, but at least you have bubble gum and two decades of history to look back on. Sorry for forgetting about you.

Sincerely,

Chris from Icethetics

IceHL Yearbook Coming Soon!

Third edition to be released Tuesday, Sept. 24

Thought I'd take a quick break from the NHL beat today to talk about Icethetics. After months of work, the IceHL 2013 Yearbook is nearing release. The digital version will be available to download on Tues., Sept. 24. Normally, I'd keep news like this to the IceHL Blog, but the yearbook is big enough that I think it warrants a brief mention up front.

For those unfamiliar with the project, the IceHL is a fantasy hockey league created here at Icethetics by the community. Back in 2008, we selected cities, team names and designed logos — all by popular vote — creating our ideal league from the ground up. In the last five years it has continued to grow. And for the last two, I've encapsulated all things IceHL in a digital yearbook.

If you want to learn more about the project and can't wait until Tuesday, you can download the IceHL 2012 Yearbook now. (That page also has a link to the 2011 yearbook — the inaugural edition.)

There are also plans to make the 2013 yearbook available in print — so you can own a piece of Icethetics history! The price will probably be about $25. That's not set by me but rather the printing company. I'll have more details on Tuesday. However, the PDF version will always remain a free download.

While we're talking IceHL, if you play fantasy hockey on ESPN, you may have noticed an update in the way the game is branded.

ESPN Fantasy Hockey implemented a new logo over the summer. You can see it on the IceHL EAST League Office page. Same with the IceHL WEST League Office. Of course you can see it anywhere on ESPN's fantasy website, but I just wanted to squeeze in a plug for the IceHL fantasy leagues.

There's also this simplified version of the logo that appears in the banner of the Fantasy Hockey site. It brings a new aesthetic to ESPN's fantasy sports, which makes me think the other fantasy games are in for branding overhauls as well. For now, though, it appears hockey is the only sport with the new logo treatment.

In case you can't remember what the old Fantasy Hockey logo looked like, here you go.

I'd say the new look is certainly an upgrade. What do you think of it? Let's be honest, it's fantasy hockey on ESPN, so do you really care?