Sneak Peek At Thrashers Third

The Atlanta Thrashers have officially announced via their web site that they will be unveiling their new alternate uniform to season ticket holders tomorrow night at the 2008 Face Off Event.

The even takes place from 6 to 9 PM so the unveiling will happen somewhere in that timeframe. The announcement also lists the 14 games during which the new third jersey will be worn. In addition, the Thrashers will take this opportunity to publicly name their alternate captains.

But you don't think I'd leave you with so little, do you? Think back to the day before the St. Louis Blues unveiled their new third jersey. Remember the sneak peek pic that turned out to be right on the money?

My friend, the Reebok mole, has more to share. Behold what may well be the new third jersey for the Atlanta Thrashers.

I'm not crazy about the text and giant numbers on the front, but for some reason, I love that bird head logo on the shoulders. I like large shoulder patches. I also like the way the white stripes work around the sleeves.

This is a sharp jersey if you can forgive the front of it.

For what it's worth, this graphic is of slightly better quality than the Blues one was. But of course there's nothing like looking at pictures of the actual jersey over a rendering like this. I'll wait and make final judgments when I see photos tomorrow night.

By the way, I'm rescheduling the Live Chat for tomorrow to 11:30 PM EDT if you feel like dropping in. (This is 12 hours later than I previously said.) This way we can talk about all of the third jerseys unveiled this week as well as what's to come.

Oilers Unveil Third Jersey!

The Edmonton Oilers became the sixth team to unveil their third jersey for the 2008-09 season. They did so today by launching a beautifully produced seven-minute video on their official web site.

The jersey is similar to the blue sweater worn prior to 1996 with a few slight tweaks. The collar has been changed and the 30th anniversary logo will be on the right shoulder. Here you can see the captains wearing their new duds.



And here's another great photo from the team's web site.



The video delves into the history of Oilers sweaters and it's explained that the fans were very much a part of the process of choosing the final design for this third jersey. Overall the video is very much worth watching whether you're an Oilers fan or not.



Even Todd McFarlane gets a shoutout. Funny, I just wrote a post about him yesterday.

Luongo Wears Captain's 'C'

I've gotten a ton of emails about this over the past week. Vancouver Canucks goalie Roberto Luongo was named captain of his club a week ago. Well that's big news by itself but here's the catch. Goalies aren't permitted to wear the "C" on their jersey.

So how did he get around that rule? That's where it becomes Icethetics news. He put it on his mask.

As you know, Luongo won the goalie mask tournament at NHLToL back in June. I'm considering doing one of those every year. But I'll wait until playoff time. I think I enjoyed that tournament the most out of any we've done.

By the way, the Oilers' third jersey will be up here shortly.

New Oilers Jersey Coming Today

The Edmonton Oilers will be unveiling their new third jersey today at 10 AM — noon here in the east. And they haven't been shy about letting folks know about it.

It's all over their web site.



They would also like to remind you to return to their site at 10 for the unveiling, which I'm guessing they will stream live. I'll have pictures up as soon as possible.

No Live Chat for this one. We'll do that tomorrow at 11:30 AM in anticipation of the unveiling of the Atlanta Thrashers third jersey. I don't know the specific time for that, but I'm assuming it'll be in the morning or early afternoon.

Flashback '98: The Next Round

We're now 13 days into the Flashback '98 Logo Tournament and things are just starting to get interesting. With the preliminary round complete, we've determined each team's best logo. The first poll for the next round goes up tomorrow.

If you need a refresher, here are the 27 logos that have made it into the bracket.








The bracket will be posted tomorrow along with the first poll. Some interesting things to note here. In three instances, the secondary logo was picked over the primary and in three other instances, the third jersey logo was selected.

I'm intrigued by the voters' choice to take Buffalo's secondary. Apparently a lot of folks disapprove of the "goat head" logo. Carolina doesn't surprise me what with all the recent hubbub over the Canes' new third jersey and, well, the Kings use that as their primary logo now for a reason.

As for the Rangers, Senators and Maple Leafs, each of which will enter third jersey crests into this competition, it's no surprise. The Lady Liberty logo is by far the best thing the Rangers have ever worn. The Sens logo here was the breeding ground for their current primary and the Leafs — people like vintage.

The first match-up of the tournament will feature the Oilers and the Avalanche.

Maple Leafs Unveil Third Jersey!

The Toronto Maple Leafs unveiled their new third jersey today for the 2008-09 season at the launch of the Leafs Nation Mobile Fan Zone to kick off Blue & White Week.

The Leafs showcased the new duds without as much fanfare as some of the other teams have done this summer. Images grabbed from a video posted on the team's web site offer a first look at the sweaters.



It's exactly what we expected. No surprises. The same as what they wore prior to the Rbk EDGE era. The team made no indications of when the jersey will first hit the ice.

If you'd like to see the video in full, it's right here.



I'm really liking the way teams are offering embed links for their web videos. Makes it easier for me to show them to you.

So there it is!

No News Yet From Leafs

It's almost 6 PM in the east and we have yet to hear anything from the Toronto Maple Leafs regarding a third jersey announcement. I'm as confused as anybody since a lot of different things seemed to indicate today being the day — not the least of which being a schedule from Reebok.

I'll keep an eye out for the rest of the night and I expect emails from you guys should you hear anything first. But it's not looking good. There isn't even a mention of a third jersey on the Leafs' web site.

However, tomorrow is the unveiling date for the Edmonton Oilers' third jersey and they do have a graphic on their web site promoting the event.



That just leaves the Atlanta Thrashers on Wednesday and there still isn't anything official coming from them. Hmmm...

Maybe Reebok's having a little fun with us. Reebok, you kidders, you.

What Makes A Good Logo?

I was perusing some old issues of The Hockey News this morning. They're from almost a decade ago when I used to have a subscription. I was looking at the logo rankings for 1999 but something stuck out. I came across an article that has just as much relevance here at Icethetics today as it did then.

Todd McFarlane, creator of Spawn, is a great artist and a huge hockey fan — the essence of Icethetics. For those who don't know, he designed the Edmonton Oilers' third jersey logo you see on the left.

McFarlane was interviewed for this piece I was reading and was asked what he thought would make a good logo. So he came up with five guidelines. You can read the article below.

There's something about the Huntington Blizzard's logo that gives Todd McFarlane a chill.

Turnabout is fair play because McFarlane has been giving readers of Spawn comic chills for years. The Calgary-born artist has created a multi-million dollar entertainment and production industry sparked by his skill at drawing riveting images.

So, who better to evaluate logos than McFarlane? A self-professed hockey fanatic, he jumped at the chance to offer his two cents in THN's seventh annual minor pro hockey logo ranking.

In discussing the logos, McFarlane spawned five guidelines:

• Cartoony characters with hockey paraphernalia are silly. "A Solar Bear with RayBans? A Stingray with a stick? Why not have a Pirate with a knife instead of a stick in his mouth? So many of these logos would've been better if you get rid of the stick."


• The primary logo should be clean and uncluttered with words. "I'm pro image. Keep the city and nickname in the secondary logo or on a shoulder patch. The words are bigger than the icon in a lot of cases."


• Ditch the cartoon characters. Consider the audience. "Two groups of fans attend games: children and adults. Kids are outnumbered five to one and it's the adults who buy the merchandise. They're more likely to buy if it's a cool logo. Plus, it's hard to determine what's cool for kids. What's cool for a seven-year-old is definitely not cool for a 12-year-old."


• If you have to sell out and go with an animal caricature, "pick something menacing. Not a fish or a bird or a puppy. Be intimidating. Or at least be regal rather than dumpy."


• The logo should be big and bold. "You should be able to distinguish it even from the nosebleeds or on TV from your couch. Too much detail just adds to the clutter."

—Brian Costello

By the way, I'd link to this article if I knew it existed somewhere else in cyberspace. I literally retyped it from the old worn newsprint where I read it.

So, all you graphic artists out there, keep these tips in mind, not only when designing logos for the IceHL, but in all your future designing ventures.

Now, I'm not done with McFarlane yet. THN got him to make a best/worst list of minor pro logos for the 1999-2000 season. That would include the AHL, IHL and ECHL. I've built graphics so you can see the logos and make your own judgments.

McFARLANE'S BEST: Huntington Blizzard (ECHL), Hamilton Bulldogs (AHL), Houston Aeros (IHL), Johnstown Chiefs (ECHL), Hartford Wolf Pack (AHL), Chicago Wolves (IHL), Louisville Panthers (AHL), Florida Everblades (ECHL), Pee Dee Pride (ECHL) and Michigan K-Wings (IHL).




McFARLANE'S WORST: Greenville Grrrowl (ECHL), Toledo Storm (ECHL), Dayton Bombers (ECHL), South Carolina Stingrays (ECHL), Saint John Flames (AHL), Hershey Bears (AHL), Mississippi Sea Wolves (ECHL), Trenton Titans (ECHL), Jackson Bandits (ECHL) and Mobile Mysticks (ECHL).




I wonder what he'd say about the Stingrays today and how his best/worst lists may have changed in the last 10 years.