Third edition to be released Tuesday, Sept. 24

Thought I'd take a quick break from the NHL beat today to talk about Icethetics. After months of work, the IceHL 2013 Yearbook is nearing release. The digital version will be available to download on Tues., Sept. 24. Normally, I'd keep news like this to the IceHL Blog, but the yearbook is big enough that I think it warrants a brief mention up front.

For those unfamiliar with the project, the IceHL is a fantasy hockey league created here at Icethetics by the community. Back in 2008, we selected cities, team names and designed logos — all by popular vote — creating our ideal league from the ground up. In the last five years it has continued to grow. And for the last two, I've encapsulated all things IceHL in a digital yearbook.

If you want to learn more about the project and can't wait until Tuesday, you can download the IceHL 2012 Yearbook now. (That page also has a link to the 2011 yearbook — the inaugural edition.)

There are also plans to make the 2013 yearbook available in print — so you can own a piece of Icethetics history! The price will probably be about $25. That's not set by me but rather the printing company. I'll have more details on Tuesday. However, the PDF version will always remain a free download.

While we're talking IceHL, if you play fantasy hockey on ESPN, you may have noticed an update in the way the game is branded.

ESPN Fantasy Hockey implemented a new logo over the summer. You can see it on the IceHL EAST League Office page. Same with the IceHL WEST League Office. Of course you can see it anywhere on ESPN's fantasy website, but I just wanted to squeeze in a plug for the IceHL fantasy leagues.

There's also this simplified version of the logo that appears in the banner of the Fantasy Hockey site. It brings a new aesthetic to ESPN's fantasy sports, which makes me think the other fantasy games are in for branding overhauls as well. For now, though, it appears hockey is the only sport with the new logo treatment.

In case you can't remember what the old Fantasy Hockey logo looked like, here you go.

I'd say the new look is certainly an upgrade. What do you think of it? Let's be honest, it's fantasy hockey on ESPN, so do you really care?