Tonight's post is in reference to a link I offered up yesterday on Twitter. If you haven't had a chance to check it out yet, take a look.

Depicted there are seven Minnesota Wild jersey concepts purported to be actual prototypes for an alternate sweater the team put forth in focus groups way back in 2001.

At that time the Wild had barely played a season but team management was already looking into the possibility of a third jersey. It would be 2003 before the Wild actually debuted one, but it was on their radar even then. And if you look at image #3 in the linked gallery, it's nearly the same design but with the green and wheat swapped and without the alternate shoulder logo.

Alternate jersey #3

Without vouching for the veracity of these unverified images, what's interesting to me is that prototypes #1, #2 and #6 all feature a script across the front of the jersey. Two days ago, Wild beat writer Michael Russo of the Star Tribune said he'd seen pictures of the new alternates, they're green, and the team name is written in a script across the chest.

Alternate jersey #1

Try to imagine the red swapped with green. Could we be looking at an earlier version of the Wild's upcoming third jersey? And if so, what do you think? Does the script suit the classic look Minnesota strives for? Or does it fall flat and ruin the club's aesthetic?

One thing I want to make note of that makes me question whether these are legitimate prototypes. If you look closely at the shoulder patches on both of these designs, the logos are upside down. A simple mistake for a design firm on unofficial artwork? Perhaps, but it's worth pointing out anyway.

Later tonight, I'll try to throw together a green version of Alternate jersey #1 so we have a better idea of what we're seeing.