A full NHL JerseyWatch update should be posted within the next two weeks. But there are several items I wanted to touch on briefly right away so we're all on the same page.

Sabres' new third jersey coming Friday, could be gold

A short headline with a lot of new information to digest. But it's true. Yesterday, the daughter of Buffalo Sabres Terry Pegula briefly took over the team's Twitter account for a Q&A session. Among other things, Kelly was asked for details on the forthcoming third jersey.

To which she replied:

I don't know what "sneak glimpse" means exactly, but it sounds like we're getting a look at the jersey on Friday. Will it be prospects modeling it for us? We'll see.

Following that tweet, I heard from a source I trust that Buffalo's new sweater will actually be gold, rather than the blue we've come to expect. Hence the eye-grabbing background color in the graphic above. Is it true? Guess we'll find out in a couple days.

This jersey will replace the royal blue alternate the Sabres wore for two seasons to mark their 40th anniversary. In their four decades, the team has worn blue, navy blue, white, black and red jerseys. But never yellow. That seems to be Nashville territory. Can the Sabres do it without looking like a copycat?

Wild to reveal new road jersey at Minnesota State Fair

Last week, Minneapolis Star-Tribune beat writer Michael Russo let us know that the Minnesota Wild will unveil their new white road sweater at the Minnesota State Fair. He tweeted:

If you're curious, the Minnesota State Fair takes place Thurs., Aug. 22 through Labor Day, Sept. 2. So that's a 12-day span. But obviously late August is a good bet. I'll keep you posted as I learn more.

2014 Heritage Classic announced for Vancouver

The NHL officially announced today something we've all known for a while now. The 2014 Heritage Classic will be held at B.C. Place on March 2 as the Vancouver Canucks host the Ottawa Senators.

I haven't seen the full logo anywhere yet, but the text treatment above has been making the rounds online. It at least gives us a bit of an insight into the type style. That's something, right? Hopefully we won't have to wait long for the full version.

Islanders not changing for Brooklyn. Really!

Chris Botta feels the need to keep reminding us that Charles Wang has no intention of changing the New York Islanders' logo or uniform when the team moves to the Barclays Center in Brooklyn in the next couple years. That's probably because of all the conflicting reports.

Last month, Isles CEO Brett Yormark was seen on the Internet talking about realigning the club's brand with its new location. He never said anything specific but it's easy to read "changes are in store." But every time he says something like that, Wang, the owner, fires back about how the existing identity isn't going anywhere.

But reading between all the lines — and there are a lot of them — everything seems to be leaning toward a third jersey change. The current black one is widely disliked (at least on the Internet) and could easilly be replaced with something more "Brooklyn-ized" by 2014 or 2015.

The Sharks could've been the Oakland Blades

Yesterday, the Silicon Valley Business Journal had an interesting piece on the genesis of the San Jose Sharks' identity from the early '90s. The writer spoke with sports consultant Matt Levine, who was brought on in 1989 to help develop the club's branding.

Levine talks about why the colors are teal and black, how S.J. Sharkie was born, and the significance of the triangle from which the shark protrudes in the logo. But more importantly, he explains that the franchise was almost based in Oakland and a name-the-team contest yielded Blades at the preferred moniker.

I highly recommend reading the story.

That's all. Looking forward to the unveiling of the Sabres' third jersey on Friday. 'Til then!