The '09 All-Star Jerseys

I've got some great new photos of the 2009 All-Star Game jerseys. They were previously unveiled by the Canadiens — though in a picture that made making out details impossible — when they announced their Centennial plans.

The traditionalists out there will hate them, I can tell you that right now. The sleeves and even torso are asymmetrical. I think it's a refreshing change that we should get a chance to experience at least once a year. So the all-star game is perfect for that.

You'll notice there are three stars down the left sleeve of the East jersey and the right sleeve of the West jersey. On those stars are years: 1969, 1975 and 1993 — the last three times Montreal hosted the NHL All-Star Game. However, they did host the game eight times before '69. The first all-star game was in 1947 in Toronto.

These jerseys will have the player's number on the front the way last year's did — beneath the text. Oh, and while we're on last year's all-star jerseys, can I just say that these are infinitely better than those?

Maybe I'll get myself one of these red jerseys with Lecavalier on the back.

By the way, I made some updates to Third Jersey Central today. There's now a bonus section featuring news and photos for the Canadiens' Centennial jerseys, the 2009 Winter Classic jerseys and — you guessed it — the 2009 NHL All-Star Game jerseys. Be sure to check that out.

Habs Prep New Gear For Centennial

As part of their 100th anniversary celebration, the Montreal Canadiens will be wearing special Centennial Night jerseys throughout the season. Even better, players will be using special to gear to really give it that authentic look.

And by that I mean brown goalie pads.

On Tuesday, Habs Inside/Out was at practice and shot some photos of Jaroslav Halak and Carey Price breaking in their new gear.

Certainly something you don't see every day. That and the jersey on the right. IceJerseys.com has a great hi-res image of the new 1915 Centennial sweater. You can even buy one for the right price.

Speaking of Price.

The first Centennial Jersey Night was October 20 when the Canadiens beat the Florida Panthers. Basically it was just an excuse to wear their white sweater at home which is why it didn't really get a mention here. The next one will be Saturday, November 15 when they will wear the 1945 white jersey.

That's going to be a busy night, by the way, in terms of jerseys. Both the Penguins and Canucks will debut their new alternates on that night — both of which we've already seen. The Pens officially unveiled theirs this week and the Canucks' has been leaking like crazy.

However, the 1915 Canadiens sweater seen above won't make it's 21st century debut until Thursday, December 4 when the Habs face the Rangers.

Another Peek At Bolts Jersey

Remember last week when I mentioned that some unreleased replica third jerseys were being hocked on ebay? Well some of you were just cavalier enough to hand over your money for them.

One reader bought the new Tampa Bay Lightning third jersey and sent in some pictures and I have to tell you I am mighty impressed.

I love that they kept the armpit stripes. That's been a staple of Lightning sweaters since 1991 when Phil Esposito introduced the very first one. And if you haven't heard me tell the story of why those stripes are there, it's a good one.

Espo, who founded the Bolts way back when, wanted a unique element to his team's new jerseys — something that made them special. These underarm stripes are only ever seen on two occasions: either when a Lightning player scores a goal or when he's taking the Stanley Cup on a lap around the ice.

Every time I see those stripes, I get instinctively happy. I've been conditioned.

Late Night, New Stuff

I've been up late working on the site so I thought I'd point out some of the new stuff I added tonight.

First and most noticeable, there's now a calendar in the sidebar that tells you when each team will be wearing their new third jersey. The nice thing is it's downloadable so you can take it with you on your brand new G1.

The calendar is not comprehensive — yet. I've only added dates through the end of the year. I'll add more soon but some teams haven't released a schedule so we'll just have to keep an eye on them. The calendar even includes the dates for the Canadiens' Centennial Jersey Nights, by the way.

Also added a new page to the Extras element in the sidebar called Goodies. I plan to load that page down with all sorts of cool downloads. There's only one file in there right now but I think most of you will like it. It's a .zip with all 59 glass-textured NHL logo graphics from NHLToL. It's available for personal use but if you use any of them online, I just ask that you link back to Icethetics.

Those graphics have been very popular and have shown up all over the web — especially as message board avatars. I think that's cool and I thought you guys would like having access to all of them in one place.

Other stuff is coming. I think I've nearly got a solution for the way the polls will work. (Thanks to Bobby and Rye!) I anticipate Round 3 will begin on Saturday. Also more concept art is on the way. I've been so busy putting this new site together I feel like I haven't been doing much at all!

Things will get back to normal soon enough. It's still the same Icethetics you've come to know and love — just better.

Pirates Getting Starred And Striped

This is one of those times where I just have to laugh at the AHL. This weekend, the Portland Pirates will commemmorate Veterans' Day by wearing a new Stars & Stripes jersey. And you have to see it to believe it.

There really are no words for this. I'm dying to see pictures when they actually wear it in a game on Saturday night against the Philadelphia Phantoms. I will definitely post photos here at Icethetics when they're available.

For more information on this, check out the Pirates' web site.