Possible News About Wild Third Jersey?

I got an email from a reader named Jerry about possible new third jersey designs for the Minnesota Wild. Apparently the team held a fan appreciation day in St. Paul on Thursday and there were staff members walking around doing surveys with fans about new alternate sweaters.

Jerry said they had about six to eight designs to choose from and that they were not allowed to take pictures — probably because of sites like this one. Anyway, I asked him to describe the designs for you guys. Here's what he said.

OK, I'll try my best to remember

Two designs were just text: Minnesota and Minn, each had the North Star symbol for the dot in "i," the colors were green or wheat (single color).

One design had the letter "M" in the same font of the Boston Red Sox's "B" with the Wild colors orbiting the M, the color was red or green (the same for the following).

One was super-stretch "W" with Wild background etch in the "W."

The remaining two were morphing the Wild logo into "M" and "W."

That's what I can think off right now,

hope this can help!

If anyone would like to design concepts based on these descriptions, I'd love to post them. I'd also appreciate if anyone else who might have attended could confirm these descriptions.

And if you've got any tips or possible news on third jerseys, you can email me at nhllogos@gmail.com.

Sharks May Get Black Third Jersey

The San Jose Sharks held their "State of the Sharks" event on Tuesday night. It's essentially an informational session for fans. Sharks President and Chief Executive Officer Greg Jamison addressed the question of a third jersey for next season.

There is a good chance it will be black. It is still being decided on. I can tell you we get input from the fans, staff and the players. The players were very involved in the jerseys for this year. I think the third jersey will be very neat.

That's the same as the rumors that have been going around, so no big surprise. You can see the rest of the story right here.

Thanks to Ben in Sacramento for the tip.

Confirmed Third Jerseys For '08

According to a Canadian retailer, 18 NHL clubs have confirmed third jerseys for the coming season. I will not divulge my source here because this is just for fun and no one needs to be losing their job over it. If you're skeptical, there's nothing wrong with that.

Anyhow, with the disclaimer out of the way, below are the teams with "confirmed" third jerseys for next season, in alphabetical order.

• Atlanta Thrashers


• Boston Bruins


• Buffalo Sabres


• Carolina Hurricanes


• Chicago Blackhawks


• Dallas Stars


• Edmonton Oilers


• Los Angeles Kings


• Minnesota Wild


• New York Islanders


• Ottawa Senators


• Philadelphia Flyers


• Phoenix Coyotes


• San Jose Sharks


• St. Louis Blues


• Tampa Bay Lightning


• Toronto Maple Leafs


• Vancouver Canucks

Obviously there are discrepancies here from earlier rumors involving the Pittsburgh Penguins. The last thing we heard, by way of the Tribune-Review, was that the club was seeking permission to get third jerseys featuring the powder blue design worn at the Winter Classic in January. Either they were denied by the league or the information I have here is incomplete.

Now, aside from the Pens, this list meshes perfectly with the big list I posted a month ago. I suggest reading that post for information regarding possible design rumors that have been floating around.

Rumors: The Big List | All third jersey news

If pictures become available prior to official unveilings, I'll be sure to have them posted for your perusal.

Kings Getting New Thirds In November

Got an email from a reader this afternoon regarding a new third jersey for the Los Angeles Kings. Blogger Rich Hammond has word that the new sweater will be introduced in November incorporating "several looks from the past." Apparently all season ticket holders will receive one. You can read more at Inside The Kings.

Flyers Leak Thirds?

Got a bunch of emails today from readers under the impression that possible photos of the Philadelphia Flyers' new third jersey have leaked. And you know how I love rumor mongering. Still, I'll indulge.



From these horribly lo-res pictures (I'm assuming taken by a cell phone from the late '90s), they look a lot like what we were hearing — vintage look in orange. It's hard to say but I'll try to provide better photos when I see some.

In the meantime, speculate away!

By the way, if you're looking for the Freak Out post, give it one more day. I've got lots of good stuff but it'll have to wait until tomorrow.

LFV Day 3: Possible Sens Preview?

LIVE FROM VANCOUVER!

My Vancouver trip is nearly half over as of tonight. Makes me kind of sad. By the way, the comments in the last post are absolutely hysterical. And I do mean that in every sense of the word. If you're looking for a good laugh, allow me to direct your attention there.

Anyway, on to the real subject of this evening's post. I got an email from a reader wondering whether we might have a preview of a possible Ottawa Senators third jersey on our hands. He sent me the photo along with the following email.

Hey Chris, hope you are enjoying your canadian getaway, lets get down to business, I happen to have a brother who has a friend who playes "AAAA" hockey at the Bantam level, and his team is the senators...interestingly enough the teams jerseys are gold with "Senators" across the front a la Rangers. Here is a picture of these jerseys, and judging from your "rumor" these might be similar to the new Ottawa jerseys. I am in the midst of putting this onto an RBK template so you can get a better look at it.

Now here's the picture he's referencing.



Obviously, this isn't the real thing, but perhaps it's a hint of what's to come? Only time will tell for sure, but even if you just look at it as nothing more than concept art, it still paints an interesting picture.

And while we're on the subject of alternate Sens jerseys, here's another gold one.



That's all for now. I'm going out to dinner tonight so I've got to get ready. I might have some more concept art for you when I get back.

Live From Vancouver!

I landed in Vancouver a few hours ago. I'm pretty sure I never want to leave. Anyone know if anybody's hiring or any good apartments? Anyway, I wrote this post up while I was on the plane just so I'd have something for you guys tonight. I'm pretty beat. Seven hours on a plane isn't something I'd want to do on a regular basis.

So it's all about concept third jerseys, as it happens. With the rumors swirling over what all the new sweaters might look like, many of you have sent in your work. Let's look.

First up, the St. Louis Blues have discussed plans to introduce a navy sweater with a new logo incorporating the Gateway Arch. Well I've been sent a handful of various attempts at such a design.



That one's simple enough. Oddly, these next two are based off the Vancouver Canucks striping pattern.



Both of those are quite unique. This one as well.



One of my favorites is this one. I like how silver replaces the yellow. That's what a third jersey should be if you ask me.



I'm not so sure about all the text on it, however. But this isn't all about the Blues. We've got the Thrashers and Hurricanes too.



Also the Minnesota Wild.



When I first read it, I didn't like the idea, but that particular jersey design doesn't look half bad.

This last design isn't based on rumor so much as just wishful thinking by a Senators fan.



That's all I've got for tonight. I'll try to get something posted tomorrow afternoon, but the likelihood is it won't be until after the game tomorrow if at all. Going to see the Canucks and Predators down the street at GM Place.

Note: The time stamps will be Pacific time as long as I'm in Vancouver.

Rumors On Alternates

I've gotten several emails about a message board post propagating rumors about the new crop of third jerseys to be introduced for the 2008-09 season. With few reports being confirmed by the actual teams, I thought these might at least be interesting enough to discuss here. They may even produce some new ideas for concept art.

Atlanta Thrashers
Word is the new sweaters will incorporate more maroon like the original dark jerseys. I don't know if this means the sweater itself will be maroon or rather navy more along the lines of that original jersey.

Boston Bruins
We've actually seen the black jerseys already which will feature the BRUINS version of the secondary logo found on the shoulders of the current jerseys. The jersey features the primary logo on the shoulders. Of the two "finalists" we saw, one includes a gold stripe around the bottom while the other does not.

Buffalo Sabres
This isn't really news, but the Sabres will supposedly return to the blue vintage sweaters like the ones they wore last year. We've heard that there's the possibility of some slight alterations, but I wouldn't expect much.

Carolina Hurricanes
Rumor has it the new 'Canes third will be black with the secondary logo on the front. You know the one with the tropical storm flag blowing in the wind. Sounds pretty good. I'd like to see a mock up. One would also expect to see the primary logo on the shoulders.

Chicago Blackhawks
Supposedly, the 'Hawks will resurrect the black sweater they've been wearing as a third jersey for years. No surprises here but I can't say I wouldn't be disappointed if they didn't attempt to make a few tweaks to it.

Dallas Stars
Interestingly, rumor suggests that the new Stars alternate will be a white version of the current black one. You know, with DALLAS written across the front. I'm a fan of one jersey like that. But let's not start in with turning the NHL into the NBA.

Edmonton Oilers
We're being told it's a vintage design with laces at the collar. That sounds absolutely amazing, especially when compared with the travesty visited upon the Oil this season. But this could just be wishful thinking.

Los Angeles Kings
We're speculating that the Kings will return to the purple sweater from last season with the coat of arms logo. Of course the author of the rumors being discussed here suggested the jersey may be black. We'll have to see, but my money's on purple.

Minnesota Wild
You'd think they can't go wrong with a green sweater, but then word is it will have MINNESOTA plastered across the front a la the New York Rangers or Colorado Avalanche. That may not sound impressive, but the Wild have a history of creating vintage-looking thirds that are really killer. I'll hold my judgment until I see it.

New York Islanders
Evidently we should expect a vintage design. Something I'm surprised they didn't go with when unveiling their new Rbk EDGE sweaters over the summer. I'm not really disappointed the orange won't be making a comeback.

Ottawa Senators
I hope this rumor isn't true. Apparently they're going with a gold sweater — you read that right — with SENS written across the front. I don't know if this is more in the vein of the Stars or Rangers. Time will tell. But just let it not be gold. I wouldn't even wish that on the Stars.

Philadelphia Flyers
The team has already told us to expect an orange sweater. What they didn't mention is whether it will be an altered version of the current design or a vintage throwback. Rumor suggests the latter.

Phoenix Coyotes
Opting for a new alternate logo, it sounds like they may be going with a full-body coyote on the front of a black sweater. I think a black jersey will go well with the brick/sand color combination. This one I'm looking forward to seeing.

Pittsburgh Penguins
The team has all but confirmed already that they'll go with the same design they wore for the Winter Classic two months ago. You can't really go wrong with that one. Vintage quality at its finest.

San Jose Sharks
We're likely looking at a black version of the current uniforms. I know a lot of folks dislike the orange. I personally don't mind it. However, how cool would it be if they went with a black/grey/white jersey with some teal piping/lining? And I'll go ahead and put my vote in for the full-body shark like you see on the shoulders of the current sweaters.

St. Louis Blues
We know all about St. Louis already from the team higher-ups. They're talking about a navy sweater with a brand new logo featuring the Gateway Arch. In fact, I have some great concepts to share later with this logo alteration in mind.

Tampa Bay Lightning
The rumors I'm reading scare me because, as a Lightning fan, I'd hate to see this happen. Supposedly the new third will be navy (so far so good) with BOLTS written across the front (there's where you lose me). Sounds an awful like what's going on with the Senators. Read above.

Toronto Maple Leafs
Likely a white vintage design will make its way onto the backs of Leaf players. Probably with the old leaf logo as well. This wouldn't surprise me and sure wouldn't disappoint. Looking forward to it, as a matter of fact.

Vancouver Canucks
It's rumored that a vintage design — I'm guessing blue — is in the works. I like the stick-in-the-rink jerseys as much as anybody, but I would not be surprised to see a completely new design with the newly introduced Johnny Canuck logo. It's a chance that's too good to pass up for a team in the midst of a serious identity crisis.

By the way, that leaves 11 teams without third jersey rumors here. In case you're wondering, those teams not accounted for are the Devils, Rangers, Canadiens, Panthers, Capitals, Blue Jackets, Red Wings, Predators, Flames, Avalanche, and Ducks (who frankly, could really use one).

That's all I've got for you tonight. I've got concept art based on the rumors for the Wild, Blues, Flyers and others, but I'll save that for later on. I'll try to get it posted this week while I'm on my trip.

In the meantime, allow your imaginations to run wild and, you know, feel free to play around in Photoshop and send me whatever you come up with. I can post it here and who knows, maybe you'll even guess correct.

Bruins Show Third Jersey "Finalist"

I got a few emails from readers tonight regarding the NESN broadcast of the Bruins-Penguins game. Apparently, they showed what's being called a "finalist" for a third jersey to be worn, I'm assuming, next year.

Here's an email I received about it:

NESN just showed one of the "finalists" for the Bruins third jersey next year. It was a black jersey with a thin gold stripe on the very bottom of the jersey, white, black and gold stripes on the elbow. The secondary logo is the primary and the spoked "B" is the shoulder logo.

Evidently, the Penguins broadcasters mentioned it to, according to this email:

While watching the Pens-Bruins game on Thursday, the Pens announcers made reference to the Bruins practicing in new jerseys that they intend to use next season. I have no photos but I thought that you could know about this.

The best part is one person even sent in a mock-up of what he saw. He says he's unsure about the collar and which logo was used (Boston or Bruins), but the uniform apparently looks a little something like this.



At least it's not yellow, right?

If anyone happened to record the game on NESN, perhaps you can send a screengrab my way so I can post it here. In the meantime, this appears to be a decent possibility for a Bruins alternate jersey for the fall. I'll post more as I find out.

UPDATE (2/29 4:33 AM): Got one more concept for the Bruins' new third from a reader, based on the NESN broadcast. Check it out.



I'll post more as I get it.

UPDATE (2/29 2:20 PM): Turns out someone did record last night's Bruins game and now there's video posted on YouTube. See the third jersey finalists for yourself right here.



UPDATE (5/4 8:13 PM): Because I'm slow I just realized that video above has been removed from YouTube. If anyone knows where another copy might be available, please let me know so I can embed a new link. In any event, someone was smart enough to grab freeze frames from the clip before it disappeared.



It's better seeing the video, but what can you do? At least you're getting a glimpse of what might be.

1000 Posts!

That's right, this post I'm writing here is my 1,000th! I began this blog on May 9 and as of today, it now has a thousand posts. I'm very proud and as always, I'm more than appreciative of you guys for continuing to drop in. Obviously, you all are the reason I keep doing this. So as a thank you, I have some third jersey news.

Well, it's not so much news as concept art. It's all the ideas we've had for next season's new third jerseys... visualized! I'll begin with our friend Gary who's emailed in every other week or so since way back in October. He came up with designs for most of the teams we're expecting to see thirds from in the fall.



Vancouver's all right. Needs more of a forest green. Chicago, San Jose and Ottawa are pretty much what I'd expect. I like the 2D logo on the Sens jersey. Nice touch. We already know the Blues will have a new logo for their third. The desert scene didn't work out to well for the Coyotes last time so I doubt they'll try it again. And I like the idea of using the Hurricanes' secondary logo as the crest.



The Islanders and Lightning designs meet expectations, but the rest are a little out there if you ask me. I can't see the Kings bringing back the gold anytime soon. They'll probably stick with silver and black. The Stars sweater is interesting but could use some work. I like the green. Speaking of green, I can't imagine the Wild using that wordmark as a crest. I'd expect to see the bear head and a much cleaner design more along the lines of the current road jersey.

Among that list but not included in Gary's designs were Thrashers and Maple Leafs. Other readers came up with some good designs for them. First, a white version of Atlanta's home sweater.



It's nice but I can't see the Thrashers adding another white jersey — especially as an alternate. As for the Leafs, we've got a lot to consider.



When you think Toronto third, you automatically think vintage/retro/throwback. These fit that bill quite well.



Anyway, I also had a lot of submissions dealing in black. For instance, take the Senators jersey above, painted on Cory Stillman.



Also a black version of a jersey with the new Johnny Canuck logo.



And a black Stars sweater with the Texas state logo.



Personally, I'm more a fan of this green version.



And finally, we'll look at a team who hasn't said a word about a third jersey in the future, but one for which it could work unbelievably well — the Washington Capitals. Imagine a uniform set that looked like this.



Now those are some nicely designed jerseys.

Remember, if you've got some quality work you'd like me to post, send it along to nhllogos@gmail.com.

Some Unconfirmed Third Jersey News

I got an email earlier in the week that I was unable to post until now. It was from a reader who wrote in that a Reebok representative has apparently confirmed which teams will be wearing third jerseys next season. I'll say right off that neither I nor this reader can completely vouch for the veracity of this information, but having said that, I see no reason not to put it out there anyway as mere speculation.

The list includes the Sabres, Oilers, Flyers and Blues, which we've already heard rumors about. However, it doesn't include the Penguins who are apparently looking to don the retro jerseys they wore at the Winter Classic.

The rest of the list shapes up like this, in alphabetical order:

• Atlanta Thrashers


• Boston Bruins


• Carolina Hurricanes


• Chicago Blackhawks


• Dallas Stars


• Los Angeles Kings


• Minnesota Wild


• New York Islanders


• Ottawa Senators


• Phoenix Coyotes


• San Jose Sharks


• Tampa Bay Lightning


• Toronto Maple Leafs


• Vancouver Canucks

From that list, all but four had third jerseys last season. One would assume most of them would stay the same.

Boston, Toronto and Vancouver wore retro threads. An obvious choice to keep. Vancouver switched back to their original colors this season. However, the introduction of a new Johnny Canuck logo leads me to wonder whether they might head in that direction for an eventual discontinuation of the whale altogether. But that may just be wishful thinking.

Chicago, San Jose and Ottawa simply wore black versions of their standard jerseys. Seems to me they'd probably do something similar with new thirds. Also, Carolina has never had a third but black seems like a smart option. And since introducing their new colors and logo, the Coyotes have yet to try out a third. But if they do, you might see it in black as well.

I wouldn't be surprised to see the Kings and Islanders stick with last year's thirds. They utilized different colors, and a different logo in Los Angeles' case. Minnesota made their red third into their regular home sweater this year but the green may well make a comeback if they go with an alternate.

Dallas' most recent attempt at a third left a lot to be desired so we might see something completely different for them. Or we might just see a green jersey with "STARS" written across it in white. Also, Atlanta recently converted its original third to the current home jersey, so I'm not sure what to expect from them. Perhaps something in dark blue reminiscent of their early days?

And finally, there's my Lightning. Very few people liked Tampa Bay's blue third with rain drops, waves and lightning bolts on the arms from the late '90s. I was one of them. But I wouldn't expect to see anything like that if we do end up with an alternate next year. I would expect to see a nice blue sweater though.

Enjoy the speculation. As hard facts become available, you can count on me to have them posted right here at NHLToL.

So if you guys want to start coming up with concepts of what you think next year's crop of third jerseys might look like, go for it! Email them to me and they may well find their way onto the blog.

Sabres Getting A Third?

A reader sent in this link to a story about the uniforms for the Winter Classic. In it, Buffalo Sabres Managing Partner Larry Quinn suggests that the team will be wearing a retro third jersey in the future. He doesn't say specifically it would be worn next season but we do know several teams will have thirds beginning in the fall. I'm going to go ahead and add it to the sidebar with an unspecified date.

Blues Third Jersey Coming This Fall

Good news for Blues fans hoping for a third jersey next season. The St. Louis Post-Dispatch's Bernie Miklasz wrote today that team has apparently confirmed it.

Blues Chairman Dave Checketts, honored at the Sold on St. Louis awards luncheon on Wednesday, announced that the Blues will introduce a navy-based third jersey next fall featuring a new logo incorporating the Blue Note and the Gateway Arch on the front.

So as soon as the design is available, which likely won't be until late this summer, I'll post photos.

This news had me thinking. We've heard a number of teams including the Flyers and Oilers reference possible third jerseys for next season. I'd like to keep a running list here on the blog of teams that have announced a new third jersey for 2008-09.

To make things easier on me, I'd like to get you guys involved if you're interested. Email me or write a comment on this post any time you see a reference to a potential new third jersey for next year. Cite a credible source too. I can't accept "my best friend's uncle's mother's cousin works in a pro shop and told me so" as a source.

This list now exists as a sidebar element. Enjoy!

UPDATE (2/17 5:20 AM): Just wanted to add that back in December, I posted concept art for the Blues in the form of a third jersey that incorporated the Blue Note and Gateway Arch on a navy sweater. You can find it at the bottom of this post if you're interested.