Anaheim Ducks unveil new home and road jerseys

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The Ducks will wear these beginning this fall. PHOTO: Anaheim Ducks

The Ducks will wear these beginning this fall. PHOTO: Anaheim Ducks

Just hours before the draft, the Anaheim Ducks officially unveiled their new home and road uniforms — proving recent rumors true.

This morning the team started accepting pre-orders by phone. The jerseys are not yet available to purchase online.

The new home jersey is the third that debuted in 2010. The new road jersey is a white version of that.

Both feature the new style collar laces introduced with the Stadium Series jerseys last season. Also, the numbers on both sweaters are now outlined in orange instead of gold.

The Ducks just went up several rungs in my book. What do you think of the new jerseys?

As of today, the Ducks have retired the home and road sweaters they've worn since 2006.

What to Watch For at the 2014 NHL Draft

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The future of the NHL is gathering in Philadelphia this weekend. Some may go on to greatness. Some may fizzle early. But all will be available in stores this fall. That's right, so you can buy and wear them.

Did you think I was talking about future NHL players? Future jerseys, of course!

In recent years, the NHL Draft has been used as an opportunity for teams to unveil new sweaters, logos, or — in the case of the Jets — even their name! This year there should be more of the same.

What follows is a pick-by-pick preview of what to watch for on draft night.

Early picks

Don't expect anything too exciting through the first nine selections. The only potential question mark is the New York Islanders at 5th overall. But they're sure to give their pick the classic blue sweater over the Stadium Series threads. No one else has anything big on the horizon.

10 · Anaheim Ducks

All signs point to a new white road jersey being unveiled when the Anaheim Ducks welcome the 10th overall pick. Reports have stated it will be a simple reverse of the current third jersey.

On Wednesday, reddit user "ewoods3" claimed to have seen the sweater and offered up details of its design.

So I saw our new away jersey...
You guys are gonna like it!
I'll describe it roughly so I don't give too much away
White Jersey, Gold D Logo with I believe Silver? maybe? trim around it. Shoulders are black with the Mighty Ducks patches on the shoulders. Arms have a similar (maybe even the same pattern) color scheme.

Not sure what he's leaving to the imagination there, but we'll take it — assuming it's true. By the way, the Ducks also pick 24th overall so they might use that to debut the black third as the new home sweater. Just a thought.

UPDATE · Jun 27 · The rumors are true! The Anaheim Ducks unveiled their new sweaters this morning and they're just what we were expecting.

Now I'm certain we'll see them at the draft tonight.

12 · Arizona Coyotes

Two picks later, we'll get a 2011 flashback as the Arizona Coyotes officially introduce their new name. You could argue the difference is we've seen this one coming for months now. But truly, who really thought Winnipeg's NHL team would be called anything but the Jets?

The Coyotes are not changing their jerseys this year, but we will get our first look at the redesigned "AZ" shoulder patch when their draftee tries on his new threads.

UPDATE · Jun 27 · Coyotes VP of communications Rich Nairn tweeted a photo of today's draft jerseys this morning — featuring that new AZ patch.

This photo also may clear up the question as to whether the Reebok logo on the back of the neck will make a swift exit this year in favor of Adidas — or CCM, seen around much of the hockey world these days.

However, who's to say if this is a 2014-15 jersey. Could be an old one with the new patch sewn on. Just some things to consider.

16 · Columbus Blue Jackets

A few picks later we should get to see the 2015 version of the NHL All-Star Game patch on the Columbus Blue Jackets jerseys. We saw the 2013 version at the draft two years ago, but the patch was never used beyond that since the game was canceled due to the lockout.

17 · Philadelphia Flyers

Up next, the Philadelphia Flyers take the stage. I have no reason to expect them to offer their first-round choice anything but their orange home jersey. But they are hosting this year so there should be a lot of Flyer fans in the house. It could be a unique opportunity to debut that rumored new third jersey. Worth watching for.

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18 · Minnesota Wild

No new jerseys are coming to the Minnesota Wild this year, but I wanted to mention them since they've been an anomaly at recent drafts. Most teams give out their colorful home jerseys. Some do white roads. But the Wild have been using their green thirds. Will they continue?

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19 · Tampa Bay Lightning

The Tampa Bay Lightning have been teasing a new third jersey. But with such a late pick, it's not like there will be a ton of Bolts fans fixated on the proceedings. It's unlikely the team would use the 19th overall pick to reveal an alternate sweater. Still, I'd hate for us not to at least have it in the back of our minds.

Tampa also has the 28th overall pick, received in the Martin St. Louis trade.

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21 · St. Louis Blues

The St. Louis Blues are expected to introduce new home and road uniforms this summer. However, I get the feeling they'll want to make a big deal about it with their fans. So the draft in Philly would likely not be ideal. When asked recently whether the jersey rumor was even true, the team's owner said, "let's talk about that another time."

Blues draftees will probably get the current (soon to be retired) jerseys for now.

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22 · Pittsburgh Penguins

Same story as the Lightning here. The Pittsburgh Penguins pick 22nd overall, but introducing its future by giving him a new third jersey inspired by the past is the kind of thing one might expect from this team. So again, keep it in the back of your mind.

23 · Colorado Avalanche

Anniversary patches are often premiered at the NHL Draft. The only team that could conceivably celebrate a special anniversary this year is the Colorado Avalanche, who turn 20 next season after moving from Quebec in 1995. However, they marked their 10th year during the post-lockout 2005-06 season, so they may wait until 2015-16 to do the 20th — if they do it at all.

Then again, the Predators had a 15th anniversary logo last year but never used it on their jerseys. And the Capitals marked 40 years without hardly acknowledging it. And for the record, the Avs have not done any special 20th anniversary promotions or marketing for 2014-15 at this point. So yeah, this is all just complete speculation on my part.

24 · Anaheim Ducks

Again, keep an eye on the Ducks when they make their second first-round pick. This could be where we get confirmation the third jersey is receiving that full-time promotion.

29 · Los Angeles Kings

The Stanley Cup champion Los Angeles Kings select 29th due to the Devils' Kovalchuk contract punishment. But don't expect them to break out their new gold throwback jerseys just yet. Because the team started the production process late, they don't expect the sweaters to be ready until December.

However, you may recall they gave out a special non-game throwback when they hosted the draft in 2010. So you never know.

Watch the first round of the NHL Draft starting at 7 PM ET Friday night on NBCSN, TSN or NHL Network. I'll do my best to keep up with the live coverage, but I'll be working late. (Lousy day job, right?)

Original Canucks logo designer tells his story

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The Vancouver Canucks treated us to a great video today with the story of how the original 1970 logo came about.

Former graphic designer Joe Borovich is interviewed in the three-minute video about his timeless contribution to the franchise.

When I first designed the logo I was a graphic designer. I'm retired now. But at the time I was freelancing on my own. I was a hockey fan all my life and then in 1969 I heard rumors that the Canucks were coming into the NHL.

With that in mind, I decided to take some time and come up with a logo and see if I could submit it.

When you do a logo, they indicate that you should try and bring in the initial of the company and also what they do. I ended up with the initial "C" for Canucks — although a lot of people didn't see it initially — made up of the overall shape of the hockey rink with a stick going through making the "C." And of course the stick is the tool they use so I had three components there.

I worked about a week on this situation. I came up with the stick in the rink and then I applied it to the uniforms. I decided on blue and green and white. Then I took it to the Canucks office.

The Canucks resurrected Borovich's original logo and uniform design for a few nights during the team's 40th anniversary in 2010.

A modernized version of the logo has been in use on the Canucks' uniforms since 2007.

By the way, I have to credit the video producer for acknowledging the club's hilarious variety of visual identities right off the bat, saying: "Canuck fans have have quite a selection of team logos and uniforms to cheer for over the years."

That they have.

Alleged prototype Lightning jersey offered on ebay

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Here's something unexpected. A listing recently appeared on ebay claiming to offer a prototype Tampa Bay Lightning jersey from the original Reebok Edge launch. Is it true?

As we know, the Lightning were among a handful of teams to introduce new logos to go with their new Reebok threads. So it makes sense that the Bolts looked at a number of designs before settling on what they did in 2007.

The listing includes almost a dozen photos — all of which can be seen in the slideshow above. The question is, are they legitimate?

The logos seen on this jersey are clearly alternate versions of logo they ultimately went with. And the NHL shield on the neckline is spot on — something knock off artists have never been able to properly master.

There's also a tag pictured that dates the jersey to December 2006 — exactly the time teams would've been looking at prototypes for a summer 2007 launch. So if I had to guess, I'd say it's probably the real deal.

It's a rather considerable leap from Tampa Bay's actual jersey design from 2007 — specifically with regard to the sleeves and number designs, which I actually like better speaking as a Bolts fan. The team was definitely considering a wild new look. Unfortunately, it got toned down a lot and was eventually replaced four years later by new ownership.

As for the listing, the user wants $999.99 for it. Too rich for me, but it would definitely be a unique addition for a major jersey collector and/or Lightning fan.

Don't forget, the Lightning have a new black third jersey in the works for next season. So maybe there's still a chance of seeing something like this.

This is the actual Reebok Edge jersey design the Lightning went with in 2007.

This is the actual Reebok Edge jersey design the Lightning went with in 2007.

Texas Stars shine with trio of classic theme jerseys

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Our series of features looking at minor league theme jerseys picks up this week with the AHL's Texas Stars. The Stars are celebrating their fifth anniversary in Cedar Park this season.

Primary Uniforms

The franchise was actually founded 15 years ago as the Louisville Panthers, but the team shut down after two seasons. They were resurrected in Des Moines as the Iowa Stars in 2005. The name was changed to Iowa Chops for the 2008-09 season when the club became affiliated with the Anaheim Ducks. In 2009, the franchise was sold and moved to Texas a re-affiliated with Dallas.

During the 2013-14 season, the Stars wore three special theme jerseys. Before we get to those, the mini-slideshow up top will give you an idea of what the team looks like on a regular basis.

The Stars just unveiled this look last May.

Stars & Stripes Military Appreciation Weekend

November 8–9
The Stars held the first of two military appreciation weekends leading into Veterans' Day. Players were decked out in this patriotic mix of red, white and blue for Stars & Stripes Weekend. Be sure to check out all the photos above.

The special sweater was designed by Stars center Taylor Vause, who was featured here on Icethetics two years ago when he created a couple of jerseys for his WHL team, the Swift Current Broncos. Great to see Vause moving up through the ranks both in his jersey design career as well as his playing career.

The Stars wore this sweater for two games against the Milwaukee Admirals. Both were high-scoring outings as Texas won 7-4 and 5-4 on back-to-back nights.

The weekend was sponsored by Sport Clips and the subsequent jersey auction benefited the Texas Stars Foundation.

Pink in the Rink Weekend

February 21–22
Pink-infused jerseys hit the ice in Texas just last month as the Stars hosted their annual Pink in the Rink Weekend, sponsored by Cedar Park Regional Medical Center.

"Our Pink in the Rink sweater was my first stab at designing a jersey," said Texas Stars graphic designer Alisa Kessler. Her black-based cancer night jersey was among the best the AHL had to offer this season, if you ask me.

For more, see this post from Feb. 5 and this one from Feb. 24.

The theme jerseys continued to be hot for the Stars as they defeated the Charlotte Checkers on back-to-back nights, coming out on top 4-1 on Friday and taking a shootout win on Saturday.

Jersey auction proceeds benefited Breast Cancer Resource Centers of Texas.

Military Appreciation Weekend

March 21–22
Finally, this past weekend, the Stars honored the military once more with these black and white arctic camouflage sweaters. I imagine it'd be easy for the opposing team to lose track of a puck shot at a goalie's chest. Where'd it go?

"I helped design our latest Military Appreciation arctic camo jersey as well," said Kessler. "But the general concept/look didn’t change too much from last year – mostly just the color was swapped out from woodland to arctic."

Round Rock Auto Group sponsored the weekend and auction proceeds benefited the Texas Stars Foundation.

The Stars were successful again wearing special uniforms for back-to-back nights against the Oklahoma City Barons. Texas won 4-3 in a shootout on Friday and 5-3 on Saturday.

In fact, the victories helped the Stars become the first team to clinch a spot in the 2014 Calder Cup Playoffs.

In wrapping up, I have to extend a huge thanks to Texas Stars graphic designer Alisa Kessler, who was extremely helpful in putting this story together.