NHL JerseyWatch 2014: September Edition

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We've seen a lot of new sweaters since the last NHL JerseyWatch 2014 report and there are still more on the way. In fact, I'm traveling to Tampa this weekend to cover the Lightning's third jersey unveiling myself. So let's get caught up on everything we know so far.

Ducks

On June 27, the Anaheim Ducks revealed new home and road threads for the 2014-15 season.

The new home jersey is a modified version of the third that debuted in 2010. A matching white away jersey saw its first game action during the preseason this week. See photos in the slideshow above.

We will once again be seeing that original Mighty Ducks logo 82 times a year since it now appears on both shoulders of both jerseys. Nostalgic Anaheim fans will be excited about that.

Anaheim Ducks primary uniforms, 2006—2014

As is often the case, when new jerseys arrive, old jerseys are retired. These dull, wordmark-marred monstrosities are officially a thing of the past.

Coyotes

Also on June 27 — NHL Draft Day — the team from Phoenix made a splash, officially changing its name to the Arizona Coyotes.

As part of the name change, the club introduced new secondary and wordmark logos. The shoulder patch on the jerseys now reads "AZ" instead of "PHX."

In addition, the Coyotes' black third jersey has been retired. But that doesn't mean they're completely wiping away the Phoenix era. Far from it, in fact.

The club's original 1996 jersey will return for at least one special game this season.

The Coyotes announced "Throwback Night" is scheduled for March 5, 2015, when we'll get to "watch the team play in one of the franchise’s original uniforms." Of course they're cryptic about which one just to keep us guessing.

Which one do you want to see? Vote in the poll. 

Since they'll be hosting the Vancouver Canucks, I'll be keeping my fingers crossed we see both teams in 1990s throwbacks.

Coyotes jerseys, 1996—2003

Throwback pant shell by Warrior / Photo origin unknown

Kings

The Los Angeles Kings will defend their Stanley Cup championship clad in gold for a handful of games late in the 2014-15 season.

The news was revealed way back in March by LA Kings Insider writer Jon Rosen, who shared this graphic as a preview of what's to come.

Kings Legends Night uniform, 2015—

The team has been wearing purple throwback jerseys for special Legends Night games going back to 2010. They'll continue paying tribute to those original uniforms while they transition to the brighter gold version this season.

It'll be a long wait, though. The first Legends Night game is slated for Feb. 12, 2015. Two more are planned for Feb. 24 and March 7.

For those of you that loved the "Forum blue," don't despair. The Kings are two years away from celebrating their 50th anniversary. I bet it'll be back.

Islanders

At least one of the 2014 NHL Stadium Series jerseys will survive into 2015, chrome crest and all. The New York Islanders have designated those outdoor duds as their new third jersey this season.

In related news, the Isles' widely disliked black third jersey was officially retired. It made its curtain call on March 23 in a 2-0 shutout win over Columbus.

This will be the Islanders' final season playing at the Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum and a special commemorative patch was created. It will be worn on the right shoulder of the jerseys this year. Take a look at it in the slideshow above.

The team will move to the Barclays Center in Brooklyn next year and it's possible a new third jersey is in the works for that. Isles CEO Brett Yormark keeps talking about a black-and-white sweater.

In all likelihood, the Isles will be back here for NHL JerseyWatch 2015.

Flyers

On Sept. 20, the Philadelphia Flyers unveiled their new third jersey, confirming rumors about the return of their 2012 Winter Classic sweater.

The unveiling came out of nowhere last Saturday morning without any big build-up or hype.

The Flyers announced a list of 10 home games and two road games where there jersey will be worn. It'll be seen for the first time since 2012 on Sat., Oct. 11.

However, it won't be the first time seen indoors — despite what I may have said previously. The jersey made its debut outdoors on Jan. 2, 2012. But the Flyers did use it one more time for an indoor game on Feb. 11, 2012 — against the Rangers once again.

The Rangers will see that jersey two more times this November, including a game at the Garden.

Penguins

Legions of Pittsburgh Penguins fans everywhere were beside themselves last Friday upon seeing Sidney Crosby sporting the same jersey Mario Lemieux wore while lifting back-to-back Stanley Cups.

On Sept. 19, the Pens unveiled their new third jersey — a modernized version of the black sweater the club wore between 1988 and 1992. Most notably, it marks the return of classic Pittsburgh gold.

The new look will be worn for 11 home games and once on the road this season. We'll see it for the first time on the ice on Wed., Oct. 22.

An alternate like this paves the way for new home and road jerseys in the future, not unlike what we're seeing with the Ducks.

Blues

Like the Ducks, the St. Louis Blues unveiled new home and road uniforms this summer. We got our first look during a special fan event on Aug. 25.

The team returned to a more traditional jersey design — similar to what they wore prior to the Reebok redesign of 2007.

Gone is the unsightly apron-string piping. Back are the horizontal waist and sleeve stripes. And remaining unchanged is the classic Blue Note on the chest. They know better than to mess with that.

Let's take one last look at the old sweaters before consigning them to the scrap heap for eternity.

St. Louis Blues primary uniforms, 2007—2014

The Blues' navy-colored third jersey, which launched in 2008, will remain unchanged.

Over the last two weeks, the Tampa Bay Lightning have been preparing us for the unveiling of their new third jersey by offering up a few teaser photos.

The pictures don't show much apart from the fact that the uniform will be black. Many Lightning fans are excited for that to return, myself included.

The Bolts will reveal the new jersey at Fan Fest this Saturday, Sept. 27. I will be in attendance to share exclusive photos. Yes, I'm excited!

My flight leaves Friday morning so I'll arrive in time for the preseason game against the Stars. I'll let you know if I spot anything around the arena.

Be sure to follow me on Twitter at @icethetics for the latest updates from my trip.

In the meantime, the Lightning have released their third jersey schedule if you're interested.

Tampa Bay Lightning third jersey, 2008—2014

Regardless of what we see this weekend, we have seen the last of the blue Bolts jersey.

Capitals

The Washington Capitals will be the lone NHL club with a special anniversary patch this season. The team marks four decades with the logo seen above.

But that's not all the Caps are up to this season...

Winter Classic

On Tuesday, the NHL revealed the logo for the 2015 NHL Winter Classic along with the uniforms to be worn by the Capitals, who will host the game at Nationals Park in D.C. on Jan. 1.

The uniforms caught fans by surprise, as most expected to see the red 1970s throwback. Instead, the team opted for a completely new sweater design that honors the city's pre-Caps hockey history.

Absent from the proceedings this week was any mention of what the Chicago Blackhawks will wear on New Year's Day.

Photo from Washington Capitals

The logo representing the team on signage around the ballpark was their standard primary mark — rather than any sort of retro design. We'll have to wait a little longer to find out what they have in store. No unveiling date has been set yet.

By the way, the Blackhawks will become the first NHL franchise to play outdoor games in back-to-back seasons, having hosted the Penguins in the NHL Stadium Series last year.

Stadium Series

The San Jose Sharks will make their first outdoor appearance in the 2015 NHL Stadium Series when they host the Los Angeles Kings.

Unfortunately, there's nothing new to report on the league's other outdoor event at this point. We only know of the one game so far — which doesn't really make a "series."

No jerseys, no special logos. All we know is that on Feb. 21, 2015, the two clubs will meet at the new Levi's Stadium in Santa Clara, Calif., home of the NFL's San Francisco 49ers.

But rumors still abound. It's believed the NHL has more up its sleeve for the Stadium Series.

Possibilities include the Canadiens and Bruins at Gillette Stadium and even the Avalanche and Red Wings at Coors Field — the perfect place to revive Colorado Rockies hockey sweaters.

Looking beyond this season, it's been reported the Minnesota Wild will host an outdoor game in 2016 while the Winnipeg Jets are expected to have the Heritage Classic the same year. But all that is for next year's NHL JerseyWatch.

All-Star Game

In July, we learned the NHL may introduce neon green and black jerseys at the 2015 NHL All-Star Game in Columbus, Ohio.

Reebok's spring 2015 catalog spilled the beans on that bit of info. The document showcased designs for various apparel such as hats and T-shirts. The player shirts, specifically, featured the striking color scheme as well a chrome version of the All-Star shield.

The league has yet to officially unveil any jersey designs at this point. But since the game is set for Jan. 25, 2015, it could be a while.

For now, the Columbus Blue Jackets will wear an All-Star Game patch on their jerseys this season, as seen in the photo above.

Reebok T-shirt design for 2015 NHL All-Star Game

Final Thoughts

This should be it for the speculative portion of NHL JerseyWatch 2014. The next update will be in October or November once all of the new uniforms for this season have been made public. (I can't imagine anything will come after the Black Friday shopping rush.)

Once we've seen everything, we can talk about the best and worst of the season.

In the meantime, how do you think it's all shaping up?

Capitals unveil all new 2015 NHL Winter Classic uniform

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The Washington Capitals surprised us by opting against their original red jersey for the 2015 NHL Winter Classic. In fact, the sweater they unveiled this morning at Nationals Park is unlike anything the franchise has ever worn.

As you can see in the photos above, the Caps went with a look that's much older than the team itself. But according to the press release, they're celebrating all of D.C.'s hockey history.

The primary color for the Capitals’ Winter Classic uniform is vintage deep red to symbolize hockey’s deep roots in Washington.
The stripes on the shoulders, waist and legs bring in elements of Washington professional hockey jerseys from the 1930’s, predating the Capitals’ formation in the 1970s.
A large “W” on the front of the jersey is offset in blue to contrast the white Capitals wordmark and features a silhouette of the Washington Monument, offering a unique look never seen before in franchise history.

I love seeing teams introduce new jerseys, so I am a big fan of this design. As much as I would've liked the red throwback, I still would've found it a bit lazy.

More than that, this is a great design. It incorporates historical elements and looks like no other NHL sweater. What's not to love?

One element I like is the many nods to the Washington Monument. The middle of the W and and all the As have it — even the alternate captain's patch.

So much about this jersey is incredible. I swear it's like something I've seen on the Concepts page before. Now that I mention it, we should really revisit a couple designs by Nick Sample and Brian Brideau. Those guys were obviously on to something.

By the way, Dump 'n Chase has an interesting read on the uniform's yearlong design process.

2015 NHL Winter Classic logo

Also revealed today for the first time was the 2015 NHL Winter Classic logo itself. It's a solid design and even has a bit of a holiday feel which will fit in perfectly leading up to the big game.

Conspicuously absent from this morning's unveilings was the uniform the Chicago Blackhawks will wear on New Year's Day. 

Photo from Washington Capitals via Twitter

Signage around the ballpark clearly showed the Hawks' current primary logo rather than any kind of retro version like the one they used at Wrigley Field in 2009. Is that just a placeholder until they can stage a reveal of their own? Or will their jerseys simply feature that logo?

We'll have to wait a little longer to find out. The Blackhawks have not yet set an unveiling.

Until then, what do you think of the Capitals' new Winter Classic jersey?

Fuzzy leaks precede Caps' Winter Classic jersey unveiling

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In a matter of hours, the Washington Capitals will unveil their uniforms for the 2015 NHL Winter Classic. But we have a preview of a some branding elements already.

First, the Capitals are celebrating their 40th anniversary this season and will wear a patch on their uniforms to mark the occasion. You can see a couple of photos that showcase it on the right.

The logo was first unveiled two weeks ago. It's already being worn on jerseys during preseason games in the last several days.

Then this morning, in a Facebook post reminding us of tomorrow's event, the Capitals gave us our first official look at the text treatment for the 2015 Winter Classic branding.

Notice how they've worked in the stars above the word "Classic" calling back to the Caps' original logo and uniform designs.

It's pretty much par for the course on Winter Classic wordmarks. I'm more interested in seeing the full logo, which I presume we'll get tomorrow during the ballpark press conference.

But the most intriguing details came this morning by way of leaked photos on the blog RMNB (Russian Machine Never Breaks).

The photos appear to show Nationals Park — the site of Tuesday's unveiling and the Jan. 1, 2015 game — decked out in Winter Classic branding, including the special Blackhawks and Capitals logos.

They're blurry cell phone images, yes, but they seem to show a Capitals logo unlike anything we've ever seen before — which is becoming more commonplace for the Winter Classic in recent years.

They used to simply dig into a team's history for a classic jersey and logo. But we've seen the Red Wings and Flyers among others come out with completely new designs for the outdoor game.

So what sort of Capitals logo are we looking at here? We won't have to wait much longer. The Capitals will reveal all on Tuesday at noon ET.

Drop by Icethetics for full coverage.

Flyers adopt 2012 Winter Classic jersey as new third

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The rumors started by reporter Dave Isaac a month ago are true! The Philadelphia Flyers announced today they're bringing back their 2012 Winter Classic jersey as a new alternate uniform this season.

Flyers 2012 Winter Classic jersey

This afternoon's reveal couldn't have been better timed, by the way. I just got through writing up a blog post this morning discussing some recent rumors. 

A photo recently surfaced showing Mark Streit wearing this jersey. But it was taken last year and therefore not directly related to this year's announcement. Just a timely coincidence.

Going back to Aug. 26, Dave Isaac, Courier-Post, mentioned seeing the players practicing in Winter Classic gear. That's where the real story began. And it turns out he was right on.

The Flyers also released their third jersey schedule. It's comprised of 12 games, including two on the road. The jersey's first indoor appearance will take place on Sat., Oct. 11.

The full schedule can be found in the new Icethetics jersey Calendar.

What do you think? Are you happy they went with this design? Or were you hoping for something new?

Behind the rumor: Is this the new Flyers third jersey?

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Flyers 2012 Winter Classic jersey

Nothing propagates a bad rumor quite like the absence of any real information.

With the Penguins' third jersey unveiling now behind us, we turn to the other Pennsylvania club. The Philadelphia Flyers also have a new alternate on the way, but they've been extremely tight-lipped about it this summer. We don't even have an unveiling date at this point.

The first "official" mention of the jersey came Monday in a line at the end of a press release about game promotions:

The team will also wear a third jersey for select home games to be announced.

This lack of facts keeps the rumor mill churning. Part of what I do here at Icethetics is attempt to draw a line between the believable and the baseless when we have little to go on. And there's a big leap being made in the latest rumor.

Trouble is, this particular rumor is not a hard one to believe. The Flyers have a history of being very conservative with their branding, so it makes sense they might look to their recent history — the 2012 NHL Winter Classic — for their next sweater design.

In the last week or so, this photo of Mark Streit has been making its way around the web alongside assertions that it's a leak of the Flyers' new third. Let me say it is not a leak.

That said, Streit became a Flyer last summer and wasn't with the team for the 2012 Winter Classic. So why would he be wearing the jersey unless it was new?

Let's start with the origin of the photo. It did not come from the Flyers. And it is not new. It's the product of EQ Images from a series of photographs published in June 2013.

So what is EQ Images? From their "About Us" brief:

EQ Images was founded in 2002 as a pure sports picture agency. Since 2008, we also report on politics, economy, culture and society. We supply Swiss newspapers, magazines, electronic media, agencies, clubs, and Armed with our photos.

Naturally, Swiss media might be interested in updated photos of a Swiss NHL star joining a new team. So EQ arranged a shoot distributed the photos to their media partners.

A quick search of their website turns up the 14 photos above, all dated June 20, 2013, which alternate between the Winter Classic sweater in question and the Flyers' current road jersey — originally the 2010 Winter Classic design, in fact.

So why put Streit in a jersey he'd never wear in a game? 

Fair point there. But I have no reason to believe the Flyers ever even contemplated a new third jersey last year. (I do tend to hear about these things.) Still, just because I didn't hear about it doesn't mean it didn't happen.

But that's the big leap in logic I was talking about. Maybe the Flyers were thinking about it, but there's no foundation for such a notion. Not even an inkling of a rumor like that last summer. So that's where I have trouble.

Obviously a middle ground exists between "100% confirmations" and baseless rumors. (That's what "possible rumors" actually means.) If a rumor has a basis in reality, I'm all ears. If it just now came out of your brain, I may or may not be all that interested. Nothing personal, I just hear it a lot.

But let's say the Flyers were considering a third based on the Winter Classic jersey last summer. Why would they tell only EQ Images and no one else? Not even Reebok.

That still leaves us at the original question, wondering why Streit would be wearing that jersey in the first place. The photographer was Peter Eggimann. Perhaps he would know best. Maybe someone could track him down and ask. There could be any number of reasons. For now, it's a mystery.

THE VERDICT
Will the Flyers bring back their 2012 Winter Classic jersey as a third this season? It's very possible. Is this photo of Mark Streit proof of that? Absolutely not. They are unrelated.