Monday Morning Variety

I have a bunch of things to mention this morning so I figured I'd condense it all into one post this morning.

• The Atlanta Thrashers never unveiled their new third jersey or anything of that nature at their event over the weekend. An email that went out to fans said they'd get to see "a new look" but I guess that could mean anything. There are new players, new coaches and the new Blue Crew. Take your pick.

• Greg at Puck Daddy came across a fascinating uniform-related bit of information regarding a women's team that played in 1916.



They were called the Edmonton Swastikas. The post is definitely worth a read.

• I've added some new features to the blog over the last few days. Our Rebranding The NHL series now has its own sidebar element. Currently you can vote on the secondary color Matt will use for his Blues logos.

There's a Shoutouts section where I thank the folks who've been kind enough to mention Icethetics elsewhere. There's a new Tag Cloud, with my thanks to Frivmo. And by now you've noticed the Design Opportunities section has yet to be filled in. I'm still working on that one.

That does it for now. Later in the day I've got polls coming plus lots of concept art based off of yesterday's third jersey rumors. 1:13 PM: Check that. I had to take my computer in for repairs today so we'll have to hold off on the jersey art until tomorrow. The polls will be up, no problem.)

All 18 Third Jerseys Described!

I know! Described! Woo-hoo! Nothing like words instead of pictures. Seriously though, Howard Berger of Hockey Buzz is about to become our best friend here at Icethetics. He's claimed to have obtained photos of "most NHL third jerseys for the up-coming season."

He's described them in great detail on his blog which is where you should read all about them. But for the purposes of keeping all the third jersey news in one place, see the giant block quote below.

Atlanta Thrashers
The club will introduce a dark red jersey with the word “THRASHERS” on the front, just above the player’s uniform number, which will appear on both sides of the design. A broad white stripe will adorn each arm of the jersey with a dark red number in the stripe. A broad white-and-dark blue stripe will run down the sides of the jersey.

Boston Bruins
The Bruins will unveil an all black jersey with the club’s alternate logo on the front – a black bear with the word "BRUINS" above it in a semi-circle. Two gold stripes will appear on the arms, with gold numbering above the stripes and on the back.

Buffalo Sabres
The Sabres will bring back their original road jersey — the blue design with the round "cross-sword" logo on the front, and the three gold stripes on the arms and the bottom of the jersey. It’s the uniform the Sabres’ first GM/coach, George (Punch) Imlach, requested; a design similar to that which Imlach's Maple Leafs had from the 1967 playoffs through 1969-70. And, it’s the jersey Buffalo wore during road games from the beginning of the franchise in 1970-71 to the end of the 1995-96 season. Beginning in 1996-97, the Sabres switched to a black, red and white uniform, and completely redesigned their logo. Another redesign occurred prior to the 2006-07 campaign, with the team returning to its blue and gold color scheme.

Carolina Hurricanes
The Hurricanes will introduce a black third jersey, with red and white trim – different than their customary red home uniform with the black and white trim. Each arm will sport red and white angular stripes. The bottom of the jersey will feature a narrow white stripe and a thicker red one. In between, will be 10 white stars. The club’s red logo on the uniform front is placed within a white triangle, presumably to honor the famed Research Triangle that dominates the Raleigh-Durham area.

Chicago Blackhawks
The Blackhawks will return to the predominantly black third jersey they have worn in recent years. A white stripe flanked by two red stripes will appear on each arm, and at the bottom of the jersey. A wide red stripe is featured at the tip of each arm. The traditional Blackhawks Indian-head logo appears, as usual, on the front.

Dallas Stars
The Stars' third jersey is simple… a white uniform with the word "DALLAS" crowned on the front, atop the jersey number, which appears on both sides. Parallel dark-green and black stripes appear on each arm. There are no stripes at the bottom of the jersey.

Edmonton Oilers
The Oilers are going back to their glory days with the predominantly blue jersey Wayne Gretzky, Mark Messier et al wore on the road while winning five Stanley Cup titles between 1984 and 1990. Orange shoulder piping will re-appear, along with a broad orange stripe at the tip of each arm. Two white stripes flanking an orange stripe are on the arms and near the bottom of the jersey. The original round Oilers logo, with the orange oil drip and blue team name, is on the front.

Los Angeles Kings
The Kings will unveil a predominantly black jersey with the letters "LA" inside a pencil-point logo on the front. Broad white stripes will adorn each arm. A thin white stripe will run horizontally on each side of the jersey, just beneath the shoulder. There are no stripes at the bottom of the uniform. The color purple — widely evident in the Kings' primary jersey — will likely be featured in the number outlines of the alternate, though the photo copy I have doesn’t clearly show it. A better idea would have been a reprise of the Kings’ original purple and gold uniforms from 1967, but the club marketers are apparently not bent on tradition.

New York Islanders
The Isles are going back to their original road jersey from 1972-73, when they joined the NHL along with the Atlanta Flames. It is a royal-blue base, with broad orange and white stripes on the arms and at the bottom of the jersey. The uniform numbers — as they appeared during the club’s inaugural season — are orange with white trim. Player names will also be orange. The Islanders switched to white jersey numbers after their dreadful first year in the league; when they compiled a 12-60-6 record… worst, to that point, in NHL history.

Ottawa Senators
A dramatic change in the Senators' third jersey will see a predominantly black uniform with the word “SENS” angled upward on the front. A fashionable red stripe will run from the arm pits, down the side of the jersey, to its base, where the stripe turns inward. A pair of narrow red and white stripes will adorn each arm, and the very bottom of the jersey. It's quite a sharp design.

Philadelphia Flyers
The Flyers are also going for tradition, bringing back the predominantly orange jersey the club wore at home when it joined the NHL in 1967-68. White shoulder piping will again run the length of each arm, with orange numbers trimmed in black. A large black stripe is affixed to the tip of each arm. A broad white stripe adorns the bottom of the uniform. The Flyers’ stylized "P" black logo with the orange dot is on the front.

Phoenix Coyotes
The Coyotes will unveil an all-new design… a predominantly black jersey with a leaping desert-red coyote as the front logo. A large, dark-red stripe will run down the side of the jersey, broadening at the base. A similar dark-red stripe, only smaller, is affixed to the latter half of the arm, beyond the white numbers.

Pittsburgh Penguins
Kudos to the Penguins for staying with the jersey the club wore during the Outdoor Classic in Buffalo last Jan. 1st. It’s a replica of the home jersey the Penguins wore starting in 1968-69, their second year in the NHL: Predominantly light-blue in color, with broad white stripes trimmed in dark blue on the sleeves and uniform base. A large, dark-blue stripe is at the tip of each arm. The neckline is dark-blue with the lace-up feature. The dark-blue, circular Penguins' logo is on the front.

San Jose Sharks
Though the photo I have is a bit grainy, the Sharks will wear a predominantly black third jersey with aqua and white stripes on each sleeve. The back number is white. The traditional Sharks' "biting-stick" logo is on the front.

St. Louis Blues
Another significant change. The Blues will introduce a dark-blue alternate jersey with a white stripe trimmed in black on the sleeves and uniform base. The club’s traditional "blue-note" logo appears within a circle on the front of the jersey, with the city’s famous Gateway Arch in the background. It will also have the lace-up feature.

Tampa Bay Lightning
Also completely different. The Lightning will introduce a predominantly dark-blue alternate with the word "BOLTS" angling downward in white on the jersey front. A narrow white stripe is featured above a broad black stripe at the uniform base. Grey and white stripes are on each arm, and the latter half of the sleeve, to the tip, is black.

Toronto Maple Leafs
Rather than producing an entirely new design – as many NHL clubs have done — the Leafs' alternate jersey will be identical to the one the players have worn, on and off, since 1998: A replica of the club’s white road uniform from the mid-1960s, with the 35-point, blue maple leaf logo on the front; blue shoulder piping, and two blue lines on the arms and near the bottom of the jersey. A thick blue stripe encircles the tip of the sleeve. The neck has the lace-up feature prominent in the 1960s and early-'70s.

Vancouver Canucks
The Canucks are going back to their inception in 1970-71 by bringing back the predominantly blue road jersey the club wore. At the bottom of the jersey – and on each arm – is a broad green stripe flanked by a pair of white stripes. The club’s original “hockey-stick-in-a-rink” logo is outlined in green and white on the front.

I can't wait to start seeing these sweaters in photographs!

CHL Logo Champion

Congrats to the Knights!
With 49% of the vote, the logo of the OHL's London Knights has been declared the best the CHL after defeating the WHL's Broncos and the QMJHL's Huskies. Nearly 1,700 votes were cast in the final poll of the tournament which began at the now deceased ToHL. Thanks to all who voted!

As with the Huskies, I won't be able to have the banner up for a little while, but rest assured it's on my to-do list.

As you know, the NHL Center Ice Tournament will be starting on Monday. You can read up on the tournament and see the new bracket now.

IHA Atlantic Finalists Unveiled!

Over the past couple of weeks I've been inundated with logo submissions for the IHA project. Some of them are top-notch, professional grade logos, others... not so much. But after going through all of the logos sent in, I've narrowed down three finalists for each team in the Atlantic Division. You'll begin voting on them this week but for right now, have a look at the competition.

ATLANTA FIRE


NEW YORK AMERICANS


PHILADELPHIA TITANS


PITTSBURGH MINERS


WASHINGTON STARS


I've left off credits here for a couple of reasons which I won't get into. However, if your logo is featured here and you would like a credit, drop me a line via email and let me know and I'll be happy to add it. Otherwise, I plan to wait and credit the logos that win for each team.

Polls will start going up on Monday to decide which logo should be used for each team. I was going to let this be a surprise but I'll go ahead and tell you anyway. Along with each poll, I'll show some of the logos that were submitted but didn't make the final cut for one reason or another. So if you sent in a logo but it's not among those above, it may still be posted on Icethetics this week.

By the way, I've tried to weed out any logos with elements stolen from actual professional sports team logos, but if I've missed anything be sure to let me know. I've got backups to put in for most teams as far as the polls go.

Now I'd like to hear what you guys think of these logos. Post your comments and critiques below!

UPDATE (5:21 PM): It seems as if the IHA project is nothing if not controversial. A number of readers are concerned that the second Atlanta Fire logo above is too similar to the old Atlanta Flames logo. My opinion is that it's different enough to be considered original but yours is the only opinion that really counts as far as I'm concerned so I'm doing a quick reader poll here to gauge the general feeling on this. It'll be open until tomorrow at noon.

Center Ice Bracket Is Here!

The Center Ice Tournament bracket is ready to go. You can already see it in the sidebar. Or see a larger image below. Clicking on either bracket will take you to the full version.



I've made some adjustments as you'll notice. My favorite is no more pop-ups. I never did like that. I've also changed the layout of the bracket to help with the amount of space it takes up. Hope you guys like the changes. I know in the past I haven't been the best at keeping the bracket up to date but I'm going to try to turn over a new leaf with this tournament.

In case you missed it, further details can be found by clicking here. The tournament begins on Monday!

Blues, Blackhawks & Blue Jackets

Hope you guys are psyched for the Center Ice Tournament. I've been busy getting that prepared but in the meantime I did promise you concept art. Today's theme is the Central Division.

First up, the Blues — in an assortment of different colors.



These logos have a very different feel to them as well because of the hand-drawn look. The NHL has never really done anything like this. Also, there's a jersey to go with them.



But back to a more simplistic approach, what about a striping pattern on the jersey that alludes to the Gateway Arch?



Here's an interesting wordmark.



Next is my favorite subject, as you know, the Blackhawks. The designer tells me he came up with this logo around the time the Senators first introduced their 3Dish logo. You give the Indian head a quarter turn and he might look something like this.



I like it a lot — maybe not as a logo, but just in general. Plus, remember this logo? Somebody put it on a jersey.



Not bad at all.

We'll finish things up here with the Blue Jackets. Here we're replacing the hat with a cannon on the secondary logo.



And here's a variety of color patterns for Columbus' jerseys.



Nothing really jumps out at me (in fact, it took me a minute to notice they were all different).

Don't forget, tomorrow you'll get your first look at some of the logos designed for Project: IHA. I can't wait to post them and get your feedback. Plus the Center Ice Tournament bracket will make it's debut. So there's a lot you won't want to miss.

Center Ice Tournament

It's been a long time since we've had a full-fledged logo tournament underway here or on NHLToL. In fact, in the 26 days Icethetics has been up and running, we haven't had a single one aside from finishing up the CHL tournament. So today I'm announcing the first tournament here on Icethetics — it's the Center Ice Tournament.

Your vote will help determine which NHL arena has the best center ice design. The criteria you use to cast your vote is entirely up to you. You just have to pick which one you like better for whatever reason you choose.

There are 30 teams and each one will be included in the tournament. This means two teams will get first-round byes. They have been randomly selected as has the bracket which you will get a peek at tomorrow. But all 30 graphics are ready to go and in no particular order, here they are.






The original ice graphics were created by CanuckFanatic92 at hockeydownloads.com.

They are as close to accurate as I could find. They generally reflect last year's designs so this is what you'll be voting on regardless of whether anything has changed for next season. I recognize that teams celebrating special anniversary or hosting the all-star game tend to use special designs but I'm going with just the standard looks here. If you notice any major inaccuracies, best to point it out right away, though I can't say for sure whether I'll be able to make any changes.

BRACKET You'll get your first look at the new bracket tomorrow and the tournament will begin on Monday. It's going to run basically the same as any other tournament we've done in the past. I think it's been a fairly effective system and you guys already know how it works so what's the sense in changing it?

POLL LENGTH The only major adjustment will be to the number of days a poll remains open. It was previously five days but I'm now cutting that to four. The majority of the votes are cast within the first two or three days anyway.

SCHEDULING A new poll will be posted every day in the first round. For later rounds, polls will be scheduled so that they can be posted on consecutive days. We will have a few days off between rounds as the tournament progresses, but I prefer not to have days off within rounds, if possible.

LAYOUT The individual polls will also have a new layout. If you've voted recently on the CHL championship poll you'll know what I'm talking about. The logos will now be arranged vertically and alongside the radio button you use to make your selection. The logos will also appear in random order when you load the page.

If you've got any questions about this tournament, feel free to ask by emailing me or leaving a comment. Remember, I'll reveal the bracket tomorrow and the voting will commence on Monday. And just because I enjoy teasing you, I'll tell you which poll will be first: Predators vs Bruins.