Isles To Get "Entirely New" Jersey?

The New York Islanders will unveil their third jersey on October 27, according to the team's official web site.

As part of the announcement, the Isles have indicated that "they will have an entirely new look" when they first take the ice with it against the Canadiens on November 1. This is not what we've been hearing. All the rumors have pointed to a throwback blue sweater — which obviously wouldn't be entirely new.

Interestingly, the countdown clock is back on their site. I wrote about it when it first appeared two weeks ago. It was quickly replaced with a countdown to the Isles' home opener. Here's a look at their site today.

You can also read the statement on the new third jersey.

You might have noticed that in the top right-hand corner of newyorkislanders.com, there is a clock counting down to 7 p.m. on Saturday, November 1. On that night, when the Islanders take the ice against the Montreal Canadiens, they will have an entirely new look—donning a brand new “Third Jersey.” But the Isles will be wearing more than just a new jersey. For the first time since 1996, the Islanders will skate in a game wearing a completely new uniform—including a new jersey, pants, helmet, gloves, and socks.

The new uniform—which will be officially unveiled on October 27—will serve as an alternative to the ones the Islanders wear at home, and will be worn 15 times during the 2008-09 season.

“Looking back at the Islanders uniform history, I noticed that there had been no change in the total Islander player uniform since 1996 and seized the opportunity to bring our fans a great new look,” said Terry Goldstein, the Islanders Director of Retail Operations. “During the past 15 months, I have worked very closely with our Head Equipment Manager Scott Boggs to engineer the change in the player equipment to coordinate with the new uniform."

In addition, the Islanders will introduce a special edition of the game puck which will only be used when the players wear the new uniform.

This marks the eighth time since the Islanders entered the league in 1972 that the team has made a significant change to their jersey or complete uniform. The last time the Islanders played in a “Third Jersey” was in 2006-07 when the team donned an orange jersey for a number of home games.

So we'll keep an eye out for this "completely new uniform" on October 27. The sidebar countdown has been updated to reflect this new information.