Loose Threads: Jets, Pens, Avs & Sens

I'm working on a huge Icethetics side project right now that should be released in the next few weeks. So while there are a number of things to cover today, I'm going to make this post quick.

Jets Hold Real Jerseys a Week

Young Jets get practice unisWinnipeg Jets players took the ice competitively for the first time yesterday in the Young Stars Tournament, though not wearing their new jerseys as we expected. Instead they donned practice jerseys with some extra patches sewn on.

So after weeks of listening to the team say the new uniforms had to be unveiled before the tournament so the players could wear them, we still have to wait a week to see them in action.

The following comes from the game recap on the Jets' official website:

The young stars did not debut the new Jets sweaters, instead wearing practice jerseys. The Winnipeg Jets will wear their new jerseys for the first time on September 20th against Columbus.

We've waited this long. What's another week?

Some of you have written in asking about the sock design — as if that could single-handedly change the entire look of the uniform. But as you can see in this photo, the sock stripes appear to match the sleeve stripes from the real uniforms.

Is that a good thing or a bad thing? I'm surprised that a week after the jersey was unveiled, only one person has asked what I think of it. Don't get me wrong, you'll still get my take eventually — just not yet. I was going to write something up last week but I'm holding off to see the jerseys in action before I dive in with my critique. It may surprise you, actually. May.

For now, though, I have a couple of third jersey schedules to share.

Penguins Officially Announce New 3rd

We've kind of taken for granted all summer that the Pittsburgh Penguins would be switching their third jersey to their most recent Winter Classic sweater. It was never really official until today.

The Pens said in the release that fans told them "they love the new look, the new shade of blue, and the blending of different eras of Penguins hockey." Based on what I've read from Penguins fans on this site, it sounds to me like you've been telling them you love the black and gold from the late 1980s. But they can't seem to hear that for some reason.

Sidney CrosbyNo matter. I think it's a great looking uniform. And  came the schedule for the new third jersey in the 2011-12 season. We'll be seeing it for 12 home games:

• Sat., Oct. 15 – vs. Buffalo Sabres
• Thu. Oct. 27 – vs. New York Islanders
• Tues., Nov. 15 – vs. Colorado Avalanche
• Fri., Nov. 25 – vs. Ottawa Senators
• Tues., Dec. 27 – vs. Carolina Hurricanes
• Fri., Jan. 6 – vs. New York Rangers
• Sat., Jan. 7 – vs. New Jersey Devils
• Fri., Jan. 20 – vs. Montreal Canadiens
• Sat., Feb. 11 – vs. Winnipeg Jets
• Sun., Feb. 12 – vs. Tampa Bay Lightning
• Wed., Mar. 7 – vs. Toronto Maple Leafs
• Thu., Mar. 22 – vs. Nashville Predators

Nice spread over the course of the season. I like that they're wearing them on a couple of back-to-back nights, and of course, against my Tampa Bay Lightning. That'll be one good-looking hockey game.

There's another third jersey schedule floating around out there...

Avalanche Set 2011-12 Third Jersey Dates

The Colorado Avalanche recently posted the game schedule for their blue alternate jersey, which will be entering its third season in use.

Interestingly, they even included details about the design that I don't remember reading when it was unveiled in 2009. They include information about the designers and prototypes. Have a read:

The third jersey design is a collaboration of ideas from the Colorado Avalanche (including Kroenke Sports Enterprises Creative Imaging), the National Hockey League and Reebok. ... Two rounds of sweater prototypes were tested and ran on ice before the final version was made.

Milan HejdukNow here are the 12 home dates in which the sweater will see action during the coming season:

• Fri., Oct. 28 – vs. Edmonton Oilers
• Wed., Nov. 2 – vs. Phoenix Coyotes
• Wed., Nov. 23 – vs. Vancouver Canucks
• Fri., Dec. 2 – vs. St. Louis Blues
• Tue., Dec. 13 – vs. San Jose Sharks
• Tue., Dec. 27 – vs. Winnipeg Jets
• Wed., Jan. 18 – vs. Florida Panthers
• Thu., Feb. 2 – vs. Minnesota Wild
• Mon., Feb. 27 – vs. Anaheim Ducks
• Sat., Mar. 10 – vs. Edmonton Oilers
• Tue., Mar. 20 – vs. Calgary Flames
• Thu., Apr. 5 – vs. Columbus Blue Jackets

The Panthers will be the only true Eastern Conference team to see the Avs sporting blue this year. They have Stanley Cup Final history together. (Though I guess strictly speaking, the Jets are still in the East for this year.)

One final item for today...

Sens Give Another Glimpse of Heritage

One final item for today. A reader tweeted a link to a page on the Ottawa Senators website, offering the new Heritage Jersey for sale without really showing it to us.

From what I can tell, this is the same photo that was used in the team's own sneak peek way back in March. Only difference is now we get it in full color without any distortion from projector screens or compressed Flash video.

First, you can see that vintage white is, in fact, in use. And second, the shoulder patches seem to contradict my earlier report which said that they were bilingual, English on the right shoulder, French on the left.

I'm staring at a photo (which I can't show you until after the official unveiling) that clearly shows one patch is in French, so what's the deal? One of two things: either 1) there was a change made between this photo and that one, or 2) we're actually looking at two jerseys laying side-by-side in this photo. It's hard to tell for sure on that.

Meanwhile, the Senators say the Heritage Jersey will be available on Oct. 1, meaning the official reveal will have to take place on or before that date. I'll be keeping an eye on it, obviously.

Update on 2011-09-14 18:56 by Chris

And with a definitive answer to question above, today the Senators announced that the Heritage Jersey will be unveiled on Saturday, Oct. 1.

Specifically, it will be shown to fans at the Puck Drop event at Scotiabank Place. Even more specifically, the unveiling itself will happen at 10:30 AM.

If you've been keeping an eye on the blog, you already know what the jersey will look like, but I'm definitely looking forward to seeing how it looks on the players.

I'll be sure to share pictures with you that morning. And to any Sens fans that will be in attendance, feel free to send along any photos of your own.

Ducks 3rd Jersey Schedule 2011-12

Just like last season, I'm hoping to compile third jersey schedules from around the NHL here on the blog. We've already taken care of the Sharks and have a partial schedule for the Senators. You can access them from the Quick Links box in the sidebar.

Today, we have a look at the sophomore season of the Anaheim Ducks' alternate uniform. The schedule comes to us by way of a reader named James who tells me he got it from his season ticket representative.

Jason BlakeThe Ducks' 2011-12 third jersey calendar includes 15 games, four of which take place away from the Honda Center this season. Take a look:

• Sat., Oct. 8 – vs. New York Rangers (Stockholm)
• Fri., Oct. 14 – vs. San Jose Sharks
• Fri., Oct. 21 – vs. Dallas Stars
• Fri., Nov. 11 – vs. Vancouver Canucks
• Fri., Nov. 25 – vs. Chicago Blackhawks
• Fri., Dec. 2 – vs. Philadelphia Flyers
• Sat., Dec. 17 – at Winnipeg Jets
• Fri., Jan. 6 – vs. New York Islanders
• Fri., Feb. 3 – vs. Columbus Blue Jackets
• Fri., Feb. 10 – at Detroit Red Wings
• Tues., Feb. 14 – at Minnesota Wild
• Sun., Feb. 26 – vs. Chicago Blackhawks
• Fri., Mar. 2 – vs. Calgary Flames
• Fri., Mar. 16 – vs. Los Angeles Kings
• Sun., Apr. 1 – vs. Edmonton Oilers

For the game on Oct. 8 in Stockholm, the Ducks are noted as the "home" team, so technically the jersey will be worn for 12 home games. Ducks fans, it looks like your best bet to see the thirds in action will be pretty much any Friday night game at the Honda Center.

If you've seen a third jersey schedule posted on any team websites or can get the inside scoop from your ticket rep, feel free to share it with us.

Winnipeg Jets Uniforms Unveiled

Winnipeg Jets officially unveil uniforms / Jets

They're here. The Winnipeg Jets officially unveiled their uniforms today. I don't really have a lot to say on the matter at this point. Give me a day or two and I'll get back to you with my thoughts on it.

Back of new Jets jerseys / CBCThe unveiling ceremony was held this morning at 11 AM central at 17 Wing in Winnipeg and was well-attended by local media. You can read more details about the design in the club's official release.

A few pictures have started turning up on Twitter, so that's all I have to share at the moment. I'm sure it won't be long before we have something more official from the team.

Both jerseys feature a unique double-striping pattern on the sleeves that hasn't been seen before on Reebok Edge jerseys in the NHL. The number and letter styles are also new are very modern.

Like I said, I'll get into my analysis later in the week when I have a little more time to dedicate. For now, feel free to share your thoughts on the new jersey designs. I'm sure we're all curious to see how they're being received.

Update on 2011-09-06 17:29 by Chris

Now a closer look at those new Jets threads.

Home jersey

Road jersey

Now what do you think?

Jets Jerseys Coming 9/6

Just past noon in Winnipeg today came the tweet we've all been waiting for.

It's true. After much waiting, the Winnipeg Jets will finally unveil their new home and road uniforms to the world in just four days — on Tuesday, Sept. 6. The team's tweet gave no other details about the event, but other media outlets were able to fill in the blanks.

The Winnipeg Free Press reports the unveiling will take place at the 17 Wing Winnipeg base in St. James. The connection to the Canadian Air Force is lost on no one, of course. The article didn't specify the time, but I've read 11 AM Central, for those interested.

RCMP bust jersey counterfeitersBut believe it or not, as far as I'm concerned, that wasn't the most exciting Jets jersey news of the week. Apparently, the RCMP busted up a ring of counterfeiters! Good for them!

It probably goes without saying, but if you were one of the misguided souls who gave your money to criminals, you probably shouldn't count on getting what you paid for.

One weird thing about the bust. RCMP said there were 40 jerseys and said they were worth $12,000. That's $300 a piece if your math skills are failing you. My guess is they're basing that figure not on what the counterfeiters were charging but on what the real authentics will likely cost. Rounded up.

Anyway, as I've pointed out many times before, True North has already said the uniforms look nothing like this and I take them at their word. After all, when the logo leaked, rather than denying it, they quickly threw together a press conference to officially unveil it.

I get the feeling the actual jerseys aren't going to be what anyone was expecting. But we'll find out for sure on Tuesday morning, won't we?

One more jersey to vote on

For the last few months, I've been conducting a series of polls to determine a ranking of NHL uniforms used during the 2010-11 season. In that time, you've voted on all the jerseys for all 30 teams. Except for one, as I discovered when trying to put together the final ranking.

I left out the Calgary Flames' Heritage Classic jersey because I actually set up the Canadian teams' polls just prior to the outdoor game in February. I feel I can't assemble a comprehensive list without a vote on this, so take a look and rate it 1, 5 or 10.

For what it's worth, there's no point to holding a poll for the Montreal Canadiens' Heritage Classic jersey as it was practically identical to their road jersey.

And sorry for the delay on this. The good news is it should be put to bed just in time for the Icethetics Season Preview in a few weeks! Can you believe it's already September?!

Royals unveil new home, road jerseys

Reading Royals unveil new uniforms / FacebookThe ECHL's Reading Royals will sport a new look for the 2011-12 season.

The new sweaters were revealed on the team's website and Facebook page back on Aug. 22. (What? I've been busy.) 

The Royals are affiliated with the Bruins and Maple Leafs but their new uniforms look rather borrowed from a team with which they share a state (the Flyers) and a team which they share a color scheme and similar identity (the Kings). Weird, right?

Still, these are solid hockey uniforms. Let's be honest, you could pick worse teams to emulate. Like almost any fellow ECHL team, for example. So my kudos to the Royals!

Knights bring back the green

OHL Knights new third jerseyThe OHL's London Knights unveiled a new green third jersey on Tuesday. And it looks absolutely stunning. Dallas Stars, are you paying attention?

The new jersey was revealed at a press conference introducing the newly acquired Max Domi — yes, that would be Tie Domi's kid. And what more is there to say about it really? It's just awesome. And a shame no one in the NHL aside from the Wild will be wearing anything like it.

You can read more details about the acquisition of Domi and see video of him trying on the new threads right here.

In other news, I have some links that some readers have shared to further share with the rest of you:

• Brock B. writes in to tell us about the WHL's Lethbridge Hurricanes officially changing their logo. They've been using it on an alternate jersey, but it's getting promoted this season. And it's a blatant rip-off of the Washington Capitals' look. For shame, Lethbridge. Hurricane Watch
• John W. wants us to know that just because there's no Heritage Classic this season doesn't mean hockey fans north of the border won't be treated to some high quality outdoor hockey. The Hamilton Bulldogs will host the Toronto Marlies in the elements this winter. TSN
• And finally, I don't have a link for this, but The Hockey News published its annual NHL logo ranking this week. Naturally, Chicago tops the list. Surprisingly, the Canadiens were No. 3 and the Jets were way too high at No. 8. (It got 4% of the overall vote but that's clearly a soft number.) The Lightning's new logo was dead last. Who do I see about that?

A New Season of IceHL!

If you love Icethetics and you love fantasy hockey, this is where those two worlds collide. For newer readers, the IceHL is a fantasy hockey league created from the ground up by Icethetics readers. They decided everything from cities to names to logos. Last season, for the first time, readers took ownership of 20 teams in an online fantasy league. And we're doing it again.

Sign up for an IceHL team now!

If you want in, click on the IceHL tab at the top of the page (or the link above), read the rules, and apply to get a team of your own for the 2011-12 season. We're looking for 17 new owners this season. Good luck!

And before you ask. I'm skipping the August JerseyWatch update. I have nothing new to report until the Jets unveil their uniforms. And that should happen in the next week or so.