On-Ice Dates For Third Jerseys

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This isn't official, but I felt it newsworthy considering it could be. A reader sent me an email he says he received — from where I do not know — regarding the release dates of this season's new third jerseys. And I know how you all just love third jersey news.

The email contained information regarding the date the jerseys will make their on-ice debut as well as when retailers will get delivery. The dates differ because the teams "get a certain time frame of exclusivity." The majority of the jerseys hit the ice in November so I'll imagine I'll be pretty busy here at that time.

Carolina Hurricanes
Releases Sunday, September 21 (at Caniac Carnival)
Retailers get it Friday, September 26

Edmonton Oilers
Hits the ice Sunday, October 12 (vs Colorado)
Retailers get it Thursday, November 20

New York Islanders
Hits the ice Saturday, November 1 (vs Montreal)
Retailers get it Thursday, November 6

Atlanta Thrashers
Hits the ice Friday, November 14 (vs Carolina)
Retailers get it Saturday, November 15

Vancouver Canucks
Hits the ice Saturday, November 15 (vs Toronto)
Retailers get it Thursday, November 20

Dallas Stars
Releases Tuesday, November 18 (no game)
Retailers get it Sunday, November 23

St. Louis Blues
Hits the ice Friday, November 21 (vs Anaheim)
Retail delivery TBD

Los Angeles Kings
Hits the ice Saturday, November 22 (vs Colorado)
Retailers get it Friday, November 28

Ottawa Senators
Hits the ice Saturday, November 22 (vs NY Rangers)
Retailers get it Friday, November 28

San Jose Sharks
Hits the ice Saturday, November 22 (vs Washington)
Retailers get it Thursday, November 27

Buffalo Sabres
Hits the ice Wednesday, November 26 (vs Boston)
Retailers get it Tuesday, December 2

Tampa Bay Lightning
Hits the ice Wednesday, November 26 (vs NY Rangers)
Retailers get it Friday, November 28

Philadelphia Flyers
Hits the ice Friday, November 28 (vs Carolina)
Retailers get it Wednesday, December 3

Phoenix Coyotes
Hits the ice Friday, November 28 (vs Colorado)
Retail delivery TBD


The following teams were listed in the email without any dates: Boston Bruins, Chicago Blackhawks, Pittsburgh Penguins, Toronto Maple Leafs, and Washington Capitals. And that's where things get interesting because this is the first time we're hearing of a Capitals third jersey. But this is all the information I have on them.

I've got a couple of other notes. The dates above for the Oilers seem strange to me too but I'm just posting what I have. The Thrashers, Lightning and Sabres all had asterisks next to their names on the list but I assume the email was truncated because there were no explanations for them. So I'm not quite sure what that means.

Speaking of the Sabres, you'll note that on-ice date for their third jersey is said to be November 26 despite the fact that they've announced they will be unveiling them prior to the pre-season on September 20. We'll see if these dates continue to hold up.

That's all for now. Should I learn anything new, you can count on me to let you know.

From The Ground Up, Part 2

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We're moving forward with the fictional Icethetics-based hockey league I mentioned last Sunday. From those of you that voted, 69% are in favor of creating and branding a fake hockey league and 59% of you think it should be strictly set in North America.

Next, you're going to decide how many teams this North American-based league will have and how it will be divided up. I've created five scenarios that you can now vote on in the pollbar. They are as follows:

36 teams
2 conferences / 6 divisions
The 2 conferences will each be made up of 3 divisions. Each division will have 6 teams, meaning 18 in each conference.

32 teams
2 conferences / 4 divisions
The 2 conferences will each be made up of 2 divisions. Each division will have 8 teams, meaning 16 in each conference.

30 teams
2 conferences / 6 divisions
The 2 conferences will each be made up of 3 divisions. Each division will have 5 teams, meaning 15 in each conference.

27 teams
3 conferences / 6 divisions
The 3 conferences will each be made up of 2 divisions. Each conference will have 9 teams, meaning 4 or 5 in each division.

24 teams
2 conferences / 6 divisions
The 2 conferences will each be made up of 3 divisions. Each division will have 4 teams, meaning 12 in each conference.

I threw in the 27-team option just for something different — an odd number of teams, conferences and uneven divisions. I'm assuming most of you will just want as many teams as you can get and go for the 36 — and that's fine too.

None of it is set in stone. If you have a better idea, write it in the comments. The only thing I'd like to hold to is the maximum number of teams at 36 and minimum number at 24. I think 40 is too many and 20 is too few. Other than that, if you have a better idea of how they should be divided up, I'd love to hear it.

The poll will remain open until Saturday afternoon. Next week I imagine we'll move on to deciding which cities will get teams. Happy voting!

IHA: Special Contribution

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If you're a regular reader, I'm sure you've heard of John Slabyk and The New Blue & Gold Project. I consider his concept artwork to be of the highest caliber — considering he is a professional graphic designer.

I got an email from John today. He says he's been following along with the IHA project and despite the endless amount of work he's been doing as the Art Director for Obama for America, he managed to break away when he saw the Great Lakes Division team — the Buffalo Bison.

John's asked that his design not be included as part of the IHA Project but still wanted to share it with you guys. He says he missed working with the buffaloes and felt this was a good way to keep himself sane. He says he took some liberties with the colors and I think it's for the better.

Anyway, it's always nice to see such quality artwork turn up in my inbox to share with you guys. I hope you guys like it. Feel free to leave your comments below.

On a separate note, I wanted to point out that as part of my attempt to spend less time working on Icethetics, I won't be posting logo finalists for the Pacific Division this week. However, I will still do the polls for the finalists throughout the week. They'll just be unveiled one day at a time instead of all at once.

Official: Sabres To Unveil Thirds

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This was posted on the Buffalo Sabres' official web site on Thursday but I figured it was worth mentioning. The Sabres have officially announced their intentions to unveil a vintage style third jersey at a team event on September 20. The following was pulled directly from their site.

When the Sabres hit the ice for their first full practice of the season, fans will get their first look at the team’s new third jersey that will make its debut during the 2008-09 NHL season. The jersey features a modernization of the team’s vintage design elements, while incorporating the latest in sports uniform technology. Fans will be able to pre-order the new jersey at a kiosk in the Sabres Store.


Nothing really new but it's another official statement from the team. We've already had that date in the countdown for a while. If any of you attend the event next month and take pictures, I'd be more than happy to post them for everyone here to see.