First Look: See the 2015 NHL Stadium Series jersey designs

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The 2015 NHL Stadium Series game at Levi's Stadium in February between the Sharks and Kings will introduce an all new uniform style. The designs have yet to be officially unveiled, but details have made their way to Icethetics.

This afternoon I received a photo which appears to show the jersey the San Jose Sharks will wear for that big outdoor game a couple months from now in Santa Clara. However, I'm not able to share that photo here on the blog at this time. (UPDATE: Now I can share it!)

Instead, I've engaged the enormous talents of concept artist Matt McElroy, whose brilliant work appears frequently on Icethetics. (He's also contributed amazing work to our fantasy league — the IceHL. This season he's even a GM.)

I gave Matt all the necessary details and asked him to assemble a rendering of the jersey.

San Jose Sharks 2015 Stadium Series jersey // rendering for Icethetics by Matt McElroy

The design may ring a bell if you were paying attention to Twitter last night.

What I saw in the photo lends credence to a report yesterday from Mayor's Manor regarding the design of the Los Angeles Kings' 2015 Stadium Series jersey. The site included its own rendering from another regular Icethetics concept contributor, Justin Cox.

Based on that report in combination with the Sharks photo and an Instagram tease from the Team LA store, reported here Monday, I'm confident that the Kings' jersey will look like this.

Los Angeles Kings 2015 Stadium Series jersey // rendering for Icethetics by Matt McElroy

Eagle-eyed readers will pick up on the fact that the wall of the new Team LA store in that Instagram photo is painted just like the jersey, grey on top and white on the bottom with a thick black stripe through the middle. What a clever teaser that turned out to be!

Again, I am confident in these renderings based on the information and photos I've seen. I wouldn't post it here if I weren't. But nothing's official until it's official. So, you know, don't go getting the designs tattooed on your forehead just yet.

For those who just want to wait on official information, the Team LA store will be the site of the Kings' jersey unveiling on Tues., Dec. 16. I also understand the Sharks should unveil theirs sometime before that. No word on an official date just yet.

Finally, I have to offer a huge thanks to Matt McElroy for creating the visuals for this report!

So what do you think of these half-and-half Stadium Series jersey designs?

Is this what the 2015 NHL All-Star jerseys will look like?

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Images from WinCraft.com

It appears we're getting a sneak peek at the jerseys being worn at the 2015 NHL All-Star Game hosted by Columbus in January.

WinCraft is a company that makes and sells sports collectibles, including pins. As of Tuesday evening, their website features two products billed as "NHL All-Star Game collector pins."

The graphics associated with those items look like stylized hockey sweaters. In this case, they appear to be the not-yet-released jersey designs for the next NHL All-Star Game.

Stick-tap to @MasonAnimation for catching this!

Evidence comes from previous sneak peeks.

Over the summer we got our introduction to the design aesthetic for the 2015 All-Star Game when Reebok released its Spring 2015 planning catalogue to retailers. It was our introduction to the new neon green and black color scheme as well as the new chrome version of the NHL shield.

About a month later came a photo of a practice jersey featuring that chrome crest.

At this point, it's probably safe to say we can fill in the blanks on what the jersey will look like. No word yet on when the NHL will officially unveil it, but the game is now 54 days away — so it the wait shouldn't be much longer.

What do you think of what the NHL has cooking for the next All-Star Game?

Kings prepare to unveil jersey for 2015 Stadium Series game

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We're just two weeks away from seeing the jersey the Los Angeles Kings will wear for their 2015 NHL Stadium Series game.

The Team LA Store shared a photo on Instagram Monday night indicating "the big unveiling" is set for Tues., Dec. 16.

We've got some BIG things to be excited about! 12.16.14 #ThisIsBIG

A photo posted by TEAM LA (@teamlastore) on

This news comes just a week after the Kings' video production crew, Kings Vision, tweeted a photo to get some buzz going.

Photo from @KingsVision via Twitter

Why would they need that short-lived 1996 third jersey to do make a video about their new Stadium Series jersey?

There's no chance the jersey seen in the photo will be seen on the ice in February. First, that would defeat the purpose of a tease. And second, this is the original from almost 20 years ago — clear from the jersey material and collar style.

So could the Kings have a replica of that "Burger King" jersey in the works? Maybe.

My best guess is that the final video will show a series of past Kings jerseys leading up to the reveal of the newest one.

But let's not forget that the Manchester Monarchs, the Kings' AHL affiliate, wore that jersey last season as part of a theme night.

The Kings played in the NHL Stadium Series last season. They hosted the Anaheim Ducks at Dodger Stadium wearing grey.

This season, they will visit the San Jose Sharks on Feb. 21 at Levi's Stadium, home of the NFL's San Francisco 49ers.

The Sharks have yet to announce an unveiling date for their jersey.

Kings' 2014 Stadium Series uniform

Kings' 2014 Stadium Series uniform

Dallas Stars reveal road to rebrand with loads of concepts

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About 18 months ago the Dallas Stars unleashed Victory Green upon the world. Now we're finally getting the whole story on how it came to be and what might have been.

The team released a video today that explained the process and included something to please every Icethetics reader — loads of concept logos and jersey prototypes. Check out some still frames from the video below.

It's fascinating to see how many options the Stars went through before ending up where they did. It sounds like many within the organization, lead by TV color analyst Daryl Reaugh, were eager to see the team go blue to match the other pro sports teams in Dallas — the Cowboys, Mavericks, Rangers and even MLS's FC Dallas.

In the end, the Stars decided to pave their own path, not only sticking with green, but introducing their own custom shade of green — Victory Green. The video talks about the NHL encouraging the Stars to stay green so they could own the color.

Perhaps the league forgot about the Minnesota Wild, who also wear a lot of green. And it's funny when you think about it because Minnesota itself is the only reason the Stars wear green today. The North Stars wore it and the franchise chose not to change the logo after relocating in 1993.

In fairness to the Stars, theirs is a much lighter green than the Wild's, of course. But that Minnesota connection cannot be denied. Here's the full video.

If you want more to read on the Stars' rebrand in 2013, I wrote a three-part review after being invited by the team to cover the unveiling event last year. I got the chance to speak with Stars broadcast/creative AVP Jason Walsh, who spearheaded the rebrand project.

So what do you think of the many concepts above? Any that stand out to you? Did they make the right call ending up where they did?

Canucks freak out Vancouver with green fashion jersey

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Photos: @canucksstore via Instagram / @QuinnMellCobb via Twitter

The Vancouver Canucks made waves by introducing an eye-catching new product to their team store this week — a green fashion jersey featuring a Johnny Canuck crest.

Let's start by defining "fashion jersey" for the uninitiated. The first thing to know is that it is not a game jersey. You won't see the Sedin twins wearing it on the ice. It is produced solely as a piece of team merchandise no different from a hoodie or T-shirt emblazoned with a club logo.

It's difficult for many Icethetics readers to understand fashion jerseys because we tend to want the real deal or nothing. So these threads are generally targeted to a younger crowd less interested in tradition and more interested in what looks "cool."

In fact, there's a popular line of fashion jerseys out right now from Reebok called Cross Check. They're dark grey with black stripes and an accent color.

Screen shot from Shop.NHL.com

Those are very obviously not game jerseys.

So the reason for all the commotion in Vancouver is that this green jersey is manufactured to look like the Reebok Edge Premier (replica) version of a game jersey. Leading to the obvious question: Are the Canucks going to wear these at some point?

Instinct tells me no. This is probably more of a fan marketing strategy than an effort to rebrand the franchise on the ice. Having said that, if they sell well, anything is possible.

By the way, Icethetics has showcased green Johnny Canuck jersey concepts in the past. Last year, Rob Sulava created one that feels quite similar to what's hanging on a store shelf in Vancouver right now. And another design from Ben Macdonald in January even uses all the same logos.

I praised the use of the full body Johnny Canuck logo in those concepts, but seeing it here in the real world — not really a fan. Just looks out of place. I'll still push to see the V logo front and center at some point, though. And I'm absolutely convinced the Canucks should introduce a green jersey option immediately. What are they waiting for?

What do you think of this jersey? If you're a Canucks fan, will you buy one?