Penguins unveil long-awaited throwback third jersey

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How long have Pens fans been begging for a return to that classic shade of yellow from the team's early years? Today, they got their wish.

The Pittsburgh Penguins officially unveiled their new black third jersey for the 2014-15 season this morning at 9:19 AM — on 9/19.

The jersey was revealed in a video posted online by the Penguins. You can watch it here:

The design is a direct callback to the black sweaters worn by the team from 1986 to 1992 — made famous by Mario Lemieux and Co. with back-to-back Stanley Cups. Coincidence?

The new sweater will be worn 12 times this season beginning Oct. 22 against the Flyers. The full schedule can be found in the Icethetics Calendar.

t's a gorgeous design and stands out in a way that Vegas gold never could. I was expecting a yellow jersey, but perhaps this is for the best. I sure wouldn't want to see the league overrun with that color.

Plus, it seems black jerseys are trying to make a comeback. We'll see a new one from the Tampa Bay Lightning next Saturday. And what about the Flyers?

Anyway, from here, I could see the Pens adding a white version and returning to this look full time. If that happens, would you complain?

What do you think of the Pens' new third?

Splash image from Penguins website

Lightning share another third jersey teaser photo

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A week after the first teaser photo and 10 days from the unveiling, the Tampa Bay Lightning have revealed another sneak peek of the new third jersey.

Today's photo, similarly framed to the first, gives us a look at Stamkos from the left. It appears the shoulder patch from the primary uniforms will carry over. But because the photo is not in color, it's tough to tell whether the patch will be blue or black.

It's also tough to tell much else from either photo. But the countdown is on now to Sat., Sept. 27 when the Bolts will officially reveal the jersey at Fan Fest.

Speaking of Fan Fest, I have big news! I'm going!

I'm off to Tampa next weekend where I plan to live tweet the big jersey reveal. I'm also working to get an interview with someone from the team who was involved in the design process.

That'll be an exciting weekend for sure, but don't forget we have two big jersey unveilings taking place before then.

This Friday, we'll finally get to see the Penguins' new alternate uniform. And next Tuesday, the Capitals will show off their new Winter Classic threads.

Keep an eye on Icethetics. Things are heating up!

Get ready for 7 amazing minor league jerseys this season

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They're as certain as death and taxes. Theme night jerseys in minor league hockey. And the 2014-15 season looks promising with a handful of sweaters we won't want to miss. I've combed promotional schedules around the AHL and ECHL to find these seven gems.

Among them: a pair of NBA-themed jerseys, a pair of sitcom-themed jerseys, and a jersey based on a mathematical constant. So you should keep reading this.

Reign take the crown

From Stanley Cup champion to ECHL novelty, the Los Angeles Kings' crown takes a mighty fall from grace as the Ontario Reign celebrate affiliate night.

The Reign will sport these Kings-inspired jerseys on Sat., Oct. 25. But even these simply can't compete with the most epic Kings' affiliate jersey of all time. The AHL's Manchester Monarchs wore a replica of L.A.'s infamous 1996 third last February.

A jersey about nothing

The Bakersfield Condors have surely seen their share of oddball theme jerseys — including the time they dressed like convicts on Rod Blagojevich Night in Las Vegas. But this season the ECHL club is honoring the classic sitcom Seinfeld.

On Sun., Nov. 16, the Condors will skate out sporting Jerry's famous puffy shirt. Because who wouldn't want to dress like a pirate? The club is going all out with this Seinfeld Night. Instead of player surnames, the back of each jersey will feature the name of a character from the show.

It may sound silly, but nights like this actually do a lot of good. The Condors, owned by the Edmonton Oilers, tout that they've raised almost $900,000 for local charities over the team's history. And that's not nothing.

Duh-nuh duh-nuh, BATMAN!!

The Caped Crusader will skate in Toledo on Sat., Nov. 22. Prepare for Heroes Night from the ECHL's Toledo Walleye, who will sport Batman-themed sweaters for the game. And to make things even more fun, their opponent, the Evansville IceMen, will wear villain jerseys!

I'll be looking forward to the release of those jersey designs. But until then, take a trip down memory lane and check out the "Gotham City Crusaders" jerseys worn by the CHL's Tulsa Oilers in 2012.

But I get the feeling the Walleye's jerseys will be more Adam West than Christian Bale.

Hardwood to hockey: Charlotte

A couple weeks ago, visitors to the Concepts page were treated to a collection of hockey sweater designs for the NBA's Charlotte Hornets by Justin Wiltron. They were a huge hit and one of the highest-rated concepts of the year.

But that little fantasy will become a reality on Sat., Nov. 29 when the AHL's Charlotte Checkers celebrate Hornets Night with special jersey inspired by the local basketball franchise. I don't mean to say the Checkers are using Justin's designs — just that we're going to see an actual Hornets hockey jersey soon.

The Checkers even released a version of their logo in Hornets colors. All we can do is hope their jersey is half as cool as the ones Justin designed.

Cosby sweaters on ice

December will be dotted with the traditional ugly Christmas sweaters, but they've got nothing on the sweaters the Huxtable family made famous in the 1980s. On Sat., Jan. 24, the Toledo Walleye will grab our attention again with Cosby Sweater Night!

The Walleye have yet to release images of their Batman or Cosby jerseys, but I can't wait to see what they come up with. The concepts alone present a world of amazing possibilities. I'm betting the charities benefiting from the auctions will be well taken care of.

Hardwood to hockey: Cleveland

Another NBA franchise will get the hockey sweater treatment as Cleveland's Lake Erie Monsters celebrate Cavaliers Night on Sat., Feb. 7. That night, the AHL club will give away what promises to be a hilarious bobblehead of a Cavs player in a Monsters jersey.

And wearing number 3.14159265359...

Pi Day. It's that thing your math teacher pretends is some kind of fun holiday. Or maybe just an excuse to bring pies to school. Really, it's the ratio of a circle's circumference to its diameter. And it always equals about 3.14 — or what one might read as March 14 on the calendar.

It's particularly "interesting" this year because the next two digits in the sequence are 1 and 5 — 3.1415 (if you're not rounding), or March 14, 2015. So the ECHL's Evansville IceMen are cashing in with Pi Day jerseys!

This is a new one even for me. I truly have no idea what a Pi Day jersey looks like. So I'll be eager to see what the IceMen come up with. Meantime, I'd love to post some concepts if you have any bright ideas.

Look for another blog post like this closer to the season after more minor league teams announce special jersey nights! 

Kings announce dates for gold Legends Night jersey

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Bit late to the party, but last week the Los Angeles Kings announced their 2014-15 promotional schedule which includes three Legends Night dates. The Kings will don their new gold throwback jersey for those games.

In the spring, the Kings said they would transition to the gold version of their "Forum blue" retro jersey this season. But because of a delay in the process, the jersey wouldn't be ready until the latter half of the year.

We now know this sweater will see its first action on Thurs., Feb. 12, 2015 when the Kings host the Calgary Flames. They'll be honoring Barry Melrose.

The other two Legends Night dates are Tues., Feb. 24 and Sat., March 7. All are now in the Calendar.

Los Angeles Kings throwback jersey, 2015—

Two NHL arenas get new names, new logos

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When they take the ice this fall, the homes of the Arizona Coyotes and Tampa Bay Lightning will have new names. And on Wednesday, the logos for both buildings were revealed.

In Glendale, Jobing.com Arena becomes Gila River Arena — with Gila River Casinos buying the naming rights through 2023. This is the "first federally recognized Tribal naming rights deal with a sports venue that houses one of four major professional sports leagues in the country."

Meanwhile, the Tampa Bay Times Forum was renamed Amalie Arena. The naming rights were picked up by Tampa-based Amalie Oil Company.

If you've never heard of it, you're part of a big club. I'm from Tampa and I've never heard of it. But that's their problem. They want better name recognition and buying up sports arena naming rights is good for that.

And for the record, it's pronounced like "family," not the weird French film.

Neither of these names or logos are especially interesting. But the jokes are okay.