Icethetics at the 2014 NHL Heritage Classic

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I'm back in Vancouver for the final outdoor game of the NHL season.

The Vancouver Canucks are hosting the Ottawa Senators at B.C. Place for the 2014 NHL Heritage Classic.

I'll be on Twitter and Instagram to share my experience this weekend and you can catch it all right here in this blog post.

So keep checking back!

By the way, due to my trip, this week's Cover Story will be delayed and new blog posts will resume Tuesday.

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Are you ready for Brett Hull Night? It's a real thing

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Down there in the Central Hockey League is a first-year team named the St. Charles Chill. You may remember them from their logo contest in 2012.

Tonight, this St. Louis Blues affiliate will take the ice looking like their NHL parent club for what they're calling Brett Hull Night.

Apart from the NHL team, what's the connection between the Chill and Brett Hull? Brett's younger brother Bart is the VP of business operations for the team. So we can probably guess where the idea originated.

Their dad Bobby will also be honored at the Heroes Night game next weekend. But it seems there aren't any special jerseys for that one.

I'm looking forward to seeing how this turns out. It's a great looking jersey. And lest we forget the Blues are rumored to be launching new uniforms next season. Just something to think about.

Checkers theme jerseys average 10 goals per game

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The AHL's Charlotte Checkers have entertained fans with a couple of unique theme jerseys in the last few weeks. And the games resulted in goal-scoring bonanzas.

On Thurs., Jan. 23 and Fri., Jan. 24, it was Race Night at Time Warner Cable Arena. The Checkers donned the race track inspired sweaters you see above, complete with a "checkered" flag. Get it? You get it.

The first game saw the Checkers shut out the Oklahoma City Barons 4-0. Not so crazy. But the following night was wild one that ended with Charlotte thumping the Barons 9-3!

Six of the Checkers' nine goals came on the power play. And the final five minutes of the game saw the teams trade three goals a span of 97 seconds. But this story isn't over. It takes a hilarious turn (for non-Checkers fans) when you scroll down.

By the way, they've posted more game photos on Facebook. And there are Flickr galleries for Thursday and Friday.

On Fri., Feb. 7, the Checkers hosted the Barons for a theme jersey night for the third time in two weeks. Though it was a very different jersey — with a very different outcome.

It was Pink in the Rink Night and the Barons wanted revenge. Which they got. The final score of this one was 8-5. Clearly the Checkers' specialty jerseys are bringing on the goals this season — averaging nearly 10 per game.

The Checkers went with primarily red jerseys with pink accents — a different take on what they usually do for Pink in the Rink. It definitely grabs the eye though.

There are more photos on Facebook. And here's another gallery on Flickr.

So which of these two jerseys is your favorite? Do I even have to ask?

Peterborough Petes unveil new uniforms for 2014-15 season

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The OHL's Peterborough Petes unveiled new uniforms on Tuesday. The updated look will be implemented next fall for the start of the 2014-15 season.

Here's some of what was in the team's press release:

The Petes will wear three different jersey designs next season. The light jerseys will feature cream colouring with black and maroon accents, the dark jerseys will feature black colouring with cream and maroon accents, and the traditional jerseys will replicate the current maroon and white jerseys worn by the team.

In a press conference that was open to the public, Vice President of the Petes Board of Directors Dave Pogue noted that “the new design is a fresh look that also incorporates the proud history of this franchise and important aspects of our past.”

“This new jersey style and colour scheme that was unveiled is fresh and exciting, but also incorporates the Petes’ heritage and tradition,” added Petes General Manager Michael Oke. “The Peterborough Petes will continue to boast one of the most recognizable jerseys and logos in all of hockey – if not in all of sport.”

The Petes said they released the jerseys now so that fans didn't see them for the first time in retail catalogs. But they will not be used in any games until next season.

Only the home and road sweaters are new. The Petes will hang onto the maroon as an alternate jersey — which is good since that's the color they're known for.

You can find more photos from the unveiling on the Petes' Facebook page.

Swatches of pink hit more AHL rinks

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A few weeks ago, we took a look at some Pink in the Rink Night jerseys used across the AHL this season. But more teams keep adding on so let's do it again!

Iowa Wild

On Sat., Feb. 15, the Wild debuted their pink uniforms as they hosted the Rockford IceHogs. They lost 5-3 before a touted crowd of more than 10,000. (Is that a big number in the AHL?)

The jerseys featured three different shades of pink. A live auction was held following the game with proceeds going to Susan G. Komen of Iowa.

The design was simple but I think it was a touch too much pink for these guys.

Hamilton Bulldogs

On the same night as the Wild, the Bulldogs also lost while wearing their Pink in the Rink jerseys. It was a 3-2 overtime nail biter against the Texas Stars.

Unfortunately, the Bulldogs didn't feel like sharing a lot of photos of their jerseys online, but I did manage to track down a couple.

All I can say is maybe tone down the "hot pink" shade a little next time around.

Texas Stars

Speaking of the Stars, they broke out their pink-infused sweaters this past weekend. But they had better luck than Iowa and Hamilton as they won in pink on back-to-back nights.

On Friday, Texas knocked out the Charlotte Checkers 4-1. Saturday's rematch required a shootout, but the Stars still came out on top 3-2.

Maybe their jerseys were more manly since they were all black. I'm not a fan of the apron-string piping, but I'd have to say this one was the best of the three.

If you're interested, you can find more photos in their Twitter feed.

More Pink in the Rink Nights

There are still more pink nights on the horizon in the AHL.

  • March 1: Springfield Falcons
  • March 21: Lake Erie Monsters

Speaking of the Monsters, they've worn some interesting specialty jerseys lately. I've grabbed some photos for an upcoming post this week.