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

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?

Capitals Hosting 2015 Winter Classic

/

Opponent, location and uniform designs still unknown

The Washington Capitals officially announced this morning that the American capital will play host to the NHL Winter Classic on Thu., Jan. 1, 2015. But that's about all they revealed.

Still unknown are the opponent, location and uniform designs for the game. But in the press release on their website, the Caps said that all of this will be announced "in the coming months."

Until then, there's only speculation. I know we started this a little yesterday, but now that it's official, who would you prefer to see the Capitals face and what jerseys should the teams be wearing?

Isles Ready for First Game in Brooklyn

/

Photo by Joe DeLessio / New York Magazine

Special Brooklyn patch seen on jerseys in team store

For the second time, the New York Islanders will attempt to play an exhibition game at Barclays Center — their future Brooklyn home — tomorrow night.

The inaugural Brooklyn game was scheduled to take place last year during the preseason on Oct. 2. But we all remember the lockout, right? So they're trying again this weekend. Above you can see the variations of the Brooklyn logo the Isles have been using to promote the event.

Interestingly, the newer one can be seen as a jersey patch in the team merchandise store at Barclays Center. The photo was included in a New York Magazine piece by Joe DeLessio. Does this mean the players will be wearing them tomorrow?

A lot of readers have been emailing and tweeting that photo to me so I wanted to get it on the record in comparison to last year's which went unused. The biggest question: Will this be the new Brooklyn shoulder patch when the team moves? I highly doubt it.

This is a marketing logo designed for a specific event. It's essentially the same design we've seen from the Islanders art department for every special event logo over the last few years. When a new shoulder patch is designed, I'm sure it'll be something a little more creative and timeless in style.

Unrelated: Caps to host 2015 NHL Winter Classic?

I don't think it warrants an additional blog post just yet, but the Washington Post and USA Today are reporting that the Washington Capitals will host the 2015 NHL Winter Classic. According to the Post, the announcement will be made tomorrow morning. If that's the case, I'll have a blog post then with all the pertinent facts.

In the meantime, feel free to speculate. What should the Caps wear for their second outdoor game? And who should their opponent be?

NHL 2013-14 Third Jersey Schedules

/

The Carolina Hurricanes have new home and road sweaters this season, but that doesn't mean they're losing the popular black third jersey. In fact, they recently released a schedule that outlines the 12 games in which they'll be wearing it. 

The Canes will wear black 11 times at home and once on the road toward the end of the season. It'll make its season debut on Sun., Oct. 13 for an afternoon game against Phoenix.

Additionally, the Hurricanes point out that fans will get to see the new road jersey at home a couple times this year.

They'll sport white at PNC Arena when they host Tampa Bay on Fri., Nov. 1 and against Columbus on Sat., March 29.

I plan to add more third jersey schedules to this blog post as I come across them. Let me know if you spot any — specifically the Sabres' as I'd love to know when that one debuts!