2008-09 NHL Third Jersey Mock-Up Images Part 2

Part 1 can be found here.


The much rumored return of the "third jersey" seems ready to become fact for the 2008-2009 NHL season. Images abound on the net featuring cell phone images, cryptic color changes and actual statements from teams. However the best information yet dropped on the hockey world (or at least those that take an interest in what the player's wear) has come from HockeyBuzz's Howard Berger who recently posted vivid descriptions of images he has seen of both the front and backs of the jerseys.


The complete post by Berger can be read here.


In the spirit of this site I've done my best to create images based on the descriptions given, some are more informative than others. The following are my interpretations accompanied by the text from HockeyBuzz...as well as some thoughts. This is part 1, the rest will come in a follow up post.


Los Angeles Kings

"The Kings will unveil a predominantly black jersey with the letters �L A� inside a pencil-point logo on the front. Broad white stripes will adorn each arm. A thin white stripe will run horizontally on each side of the jersey, just beneath the shoulder. There are no stripes at the bottom of the uniform. The color purple � widely evident in the Kings� primary jersey � will likely be featured in the number outlines of the alternate, though the photo copy I have doesn�t clearly show it. A better idea would have been a reprise of the Kings� original purple and gold uniforms from 1967, but the club marketers are apparently not bent on tradition. "
- This is kind of up for grabs regarding the use of silver over purple and the shoulder patches. It sounds like what they are going for is the Gretzky era jerseys with some hints of the current ones. As long as they don't do silver numbers and names on a white jersey again things should be ok...


Ottawa Senators

"A dramatic change in the Senators� third jersey will see a predominantly black uniform with the word �SENS� angled upward on the front. A fashionable red stripe will run from the arm pits, down the side of the jersey, to its base, where the stripe turns inward. A pair of narrow red and white stripes will adorn each arm, and the very bottom of the jersey. It�s quite a sharp design."
- Mehh...sharp design but just plain awful use of the team's name on the front. I'm not sure if the Senators have been around long enough (disregard the old team...) to throw a nickname on their jersey. The Canadiens never put Habs on theirs...


San Jose Sharks

"Though the photo I have is a bit grainy, the Sharks will wear a predominantly black third jersey with aqua and white stripes on each sleeve. The back number is white. The traditional Sharks� �biting-stick� logo is on the front."
- Seen these before? Yes, well...there back. Just when you thought it was safe to go in....nevermind. These actually do look good on the ice - just don't use arched names and the old numbers...otherwise we've got the Minnesota Wild two teams in one thing going on. Seriously, keep it simple and stick with the basic block numbers you've gone back to, they make you look like a hockey team not a merchandise machine.


St. Louis Blues

"Another significant change. The Blues will introduce a dark-blue alternate jersey with a white stripe trimmed in black on the sleeves and uniform base. The club�s traditional �blue-note� logo appears within a circle on the front of the jersey, with the city�s famous Gateway Arch in the background. It will also have the lace-up feature."
- I hope to god they have more going on on the front of these then they do on the back, or at least have some unmentioned shoulder patches. These are a huge wild card for St. Louis, they may look great...or they may crash and burn. I still haven't figured out why a team with the Blues history didn't op to resurrect something from the 70's.


Tampa Bay Lightning

"Also completely different. The Lightning will introduce a predominantly dark-blue alternate with the word �BOLTS� angling downward in white on the jersey front. A narrow white stripe is featured above a broad black stripe at the uniform base. Grey and white stripes are on each arm, and the latter half of the sleeve, to the tip, is black. "
- Oh you thought "Sens" was bad...how about "Bolts". Not digging that at all. In fact since I don't live in Florida I've never even heard someone call the Lightning that. Alas...I'm not the target audience or on the team so I guess it doesn't matter. None the less one can't help thinking that it really is...well...a bit silly. The jerseys themselves may however end up looking better than either the home or away jerseys simply due to the fact that they are using dark blue.


Vancouver Canucks

"The Canucks are going back to their inception in 1970-71 by bringing back the predominantly blue road jersey the club wore. At the bottom of the jersey � and on each arm � is a broad green stripe flanked by a pair of white stripes. The club�s original �hockey-stick-in-a-rink� logo is outlined in green and white on the front."
- Correct me if I'm wrong here...but isn't that the Canucks current home jersey? Maybe they'll take away the shoulder patches or change the font, but it's still nearly identical. Maybe we're talking about the V-sleeved jerseys, in which case things just got a little more interesting.


Montreal Canadiens

The Canadiens are celebrating their 100th anniversary this year and rumor has it that they will be sporting not 2, not 3, but 4 different jerseys this year. Considering the team, despite being around since before the Titanic sank, has changed their uniform style very little over the last century. This is my bet on what we're going to see:





That would be the one other jersey style they wore for I believe 2 years. However, Maurice Richard was on the team at the time so....As for the last one, who knows. I'm guessing they are going to go with something that truly represents the age of the team. That style was used during the 30's.


There you have it, my versions based on the descriptions available. Now all one has to do is sit back and wait...and see how completely off everyone was.

2008-09 NHL Third Jersey Mock-Up Images Part 1

The much rumored return of the "third jersey" seems ready to become fact for the 2008-2009 NHL season. Images abound on the net featuring cell phone images, cryptic color changes and actual statements from teams. However the best information yet dropped on the hockey world (or at least those that take an interest in what the player's wear) has come from HockeyBuzz's Howard Berger who recently posted vivid descriptions of images he has seen of both the front and backs of the jerseys.


The complete post by Berger can be read here.


In the spirit of this site I've done my best to create images based on the descriptions given, some are more informative than others. The following are my interpretations accompanied by the text from HockeyBuzz...as well as some thoughts. This is part 1, the rest will come in a follow up post.


Atlanta Thrashers

"The club will introduce a dark red jersey with the word THRASHERS on the front, just above the player's uniform number, which will appear on both sides of the design. A broad white stripe will adorn each arm of the jersey with a dark red number in the stripe. A broad white-and-dark blue stripe will run down the sides of the jersey."
- I could be way off here, who knows if they'll be shoulder patches and the number may use either yellow, dark blue or even light blue edges. Anyway you look at it this is a departure from the Thrashers norm, and could actually end up looking pretty good on the ice...except for maybe that thing about the numbers appearing on both sides of the front.


Boston Bruins

"The Bruins will unveil an all black jersey with the club’s alternate logo on the front – a black bear with the word “BRUINS’ above it in a semi-circle. Two gold stripes will appear on the arms, with gold numbering above the stripes and on the back. "
- Video and images of these surfaced a couple of months ago, whether they are what the team will actually wear remains to be seen. The fact that these are "all black" really brings nothing to the table, what does is the use of the teams new alternate logo. It will be interesting to see how these turn out...and whether or not Boston straightens out their issues with the text and numbers which seem to vary between 2 and 3 different colors. If these are in fact simply "gold", then we might have something that really looks good. Nice to see a team go with the less is more option...something the Bruins did not do with the Pooh Bear jerseys.


Buffalo Sabres

"The Sabres will bring back their original road jersey the blue design with the round cross-sword logo on the front, and the three gold stripes on the arms and the bottom of the jersey. It's the uniform the Sabres first GM/coach, George (Punch) Imlach, requested; a design similar to that which Imlach's Maple Leafs had from the 1967 playoffs through 1969-70. And, it's the jersey Buffalo wore during road games from the beginning of the franchise in 1970-71 to the end of the 1995-96 season. Beginning in 1996-97, the Sabres switched to a black, red and white uniform, and completely redesigned their logo. Another redesign occurred prior to the 2006-07 campaign, with the team returning to its blue and gold color scheme."
- According to Disengaged in the forum, these will be the same blue as the current set and feature silver accents. I'm all for this, I'm not a fan of the overly complicated Buffaslug jerseys, I think you'll see sales of these probably go through the roof - which is what Reebok and the NHL are probably banking on. You'll also see more of that trend in the rest of the teams listed here.


Carolina Hurricanes

"The Hurricanes will introduce a black third jersey, with red and white trim � different than their customary red home uniform with the black and white trim. Each arm will sport red and white angular stripes. The bottom of the jersey will feature a narrow white stripe and a thicker red one. In between, will be 10 white stars. The club's red logo on the uniform front is placed within a white triangle, presumably to honor the famed Research Triangle that dominates the Raleigh-Durham area."
- It was inevitable, the Hurricanes have never had a third jersey and now that they do it is...black. I was hoping for the grey color they have to work with, but what can you do. This image could be way off, it will depend on how much of a departure from their standard look it actually is. As for the ten stars - no they were not the 10th state admitted to the Union (they were the 12th). They were however the 10th state to secede from the Union. They are now the 10th most populous state. Maybe it's because they just finished their 10th season in the NHL. Who knows, it's a round number and maybe just looked good.


Chicago Blackhawks

"The Blackhawks will return to the predominantly black third jersey they have worn in recent years. A white stripe flanked by two red stripes will appear on each arm, and at the bottom of the jersey. A wide red stripe is featured at the tip of each arm. The traditional Blackhawks Indian-head logo appears, as usual, on the front."
- No surprises here...at all. These have always been popular and will no doubt continue to be even in Edge form. It would have been great if they had gone with one of their older jerseys, even the one they wore during the 75th anniversary season, but I don't think these will receive any negative responses from fans of the team.


Dallas Stars

"The Stars third jersey is simple" a white uniform with the word DALLAS crowned on the front, atop the jersey number, which appears on both sides. Parallel dark-green and black stripes appear on each arm. There are no stripes at the bottom of the jersey."
- Not sure on the shoulder patches, or the numbers here. I would assume black with green trim. Yes, I can hear you Texas...boring. These are a little (say a lot) too much like the current Stars' away jerseys. Why they opted to do this rather than utilize more of the green is anybody's guess. One has to conclude that they tried a number of different things before coming to the conclusion that this looked the best. I hope that when these are officially unveiled that there is something interesting about them that was some how overlooked, as they stand I don't understand the reason for a third jersey if all you do is exchange one color.


Edmonton Oilers

"The Oilers are going back to their glory days with the predominantly blue jersey Wayne Gretzky, Mark Messier et al wore on the road while winning five Stanley Cup titles between 1984 and 1990. Orange shoulder piping will re-appear, along with a broad orange stripe at the tip of each arm. Two white stripes flanking an orange stripe are on the arms and near the bottom of the jersey. The original round Oilers logo, with the orange oil drip and blue team name, is on the front."
- Beats the living pulp out of what they are wearing as their main jerseys. Depending on how these look with the new fabrics they could be really sharp. No doubt people will buy more of these than the current dark blues.


New York Islanders

"The Isles are going back to their original road jersey from 1972-73, when they joined the NHL along with the Atlanta Flames. It is a royal-blue base, with broad orange and white stripes on the arms and at the bottom of the jersey. The uniform numbers as they appeared during the club's inaugural season are orange with white trim. Player names will also be orange. The Islanders switched to white jersey numbers after their dreadful first year in the league; when they compiled a 12-60-6 record worst, to that point, in NHL history."
- It is interesting that the Islanders chose these, rather than the almighty Cup era jerseys, but they did wear these once before a couple of years ago. The team's 40th anniversary is also coming up in a couple years and this could be a nod back to those. The one thing that could completely kill these is if the Isles finish dead last in the league this year...


Philadelphia Flyers

"The Flyers are also going for tradition, bringing back the predominantly orange jersey the club wore at home when it joined the NHL in 1967-68. White shoulder piping will again run the length of each arm, with orange numbers trimmed in black. A large black stripe is affixed to the tip of each arm. A broad white stripe adorns the bottom of the uniform. Number on the back is white. The Flyers stylized P black logo with the orange dot is on the front."
- (Speaking as a Flyers fan) I love these, and if I ever buy a Flyers jersey it will be this one and not one of the other two. I am part of the "Flyers should be orange" group, and the return of a historic jersey is exactly what one could have hoped for. Images of these have been tossed around the net that show these, and they have been both confirmed and denied. Why the white nameplate? Originally many teams only had names on their home jerseys, however televised games during the 70's would occasionally have both teams wearing the player's names. A lack of orange nameplates meant that the Flyers used the white ones they had. It could have been terrible, but it actually looked good. (At least that's the way I heard it...)


Phoenix Coyotes

"The Coyotes will unveil an all-new design a predominantly black jersey with a leaping desert-red coyote as the front logo. A large, dark-red stripe will run down the side of the jersey, broadening at the base. A similar dark-red stripe, only smaller, is affixed to the latter half of the arm, beyond the white numbers."
- If you want to see the leaping Coyote just look around the web... I'm not sure how close these will be to what comes out. I would personally want to put red around the numbers, but since Phoenix is one of the few teams that use no trim, maybe it's better to stick with that. I'm guessing the Arizona state patch will still be present, and not the Coyotes primary logo...since that would by coyote overkill.


Pittsburgh Penguins

"Kudos to the Penguins for staying with the jersey the club wore during the Outdoor Classic in Buffalo last Jan. 1st. It's a replica of the home jersey the Penguins wore starting in 1968-69, their second year in the NHL: Predominantly light-blue in color, with broad white stripes trimmed in dark blue on the sleeves and uniform base. A large, dark-blue stripe is at the tip of each arm. The neckline is dark-blue with the lace-up feature. The dark-blue, circular Penguins logo is on the front."
- No surprises here, and I think the Penguins have made a smart decision by adding these as a third jersey. They looked great during the Winter Classic and were obviously popular. If you haven't seen enough people wearing the Crosby version of one of these, prepare yourself for the onslaught of Malkin ones this fall.



Look for LA, Ottawa, San Jose, St. Louis, Tampa Bay and Vancouver in the next post. And maybe some thoughts on the 4 jerseys Montreal is planning on wearing next season...

Part 2 can be found here.

iPhone and iPod Touch Wallpaper Maker

I added a new creation tool for use with the jersey database over on JerseyDatabase.com for creating custom wallpapers for the iPod Touch and iPhone. It works in the same fashion the avatar and signature makers work, simply select the background you want to use and enter the player ID for the jersey you want to use and hit the Generate My Wallpaper button.

The wallpapers are generated at 320 x 480 pixels, which is the standard size both devices use. Once your image has been created and displayed you can simply save it to the desktop and import via iTunes, or if you are using your iPhone or iPod to view the page you can press and hold them image and you'll be given the option to save it to the device. From there you can directly set it by going to Settings/General/Walllpaper.

At the moment there are 14 different backgrounds to choose from, but I am planning to add more in the not too distant future. If anyone is interested in making some feel free to contact me and I can send you a template.

You can find the page for creating these here.

The Jersey Database Has Officially Moved

For a long list of reasons I have moved the jersey database that was a large part of HockeyWidgets.com to it's own website: JerseyDatabase.com. The new site is wholly dedicated to the jerseys and includes the new Wiki pages and more. By separating the two site I will better be able to concentrate on the content of each individually. HockeyWidgets will be dedicated to the widgets themselves, JerseyDatabase the jerseys, only the forum will remain connected to both.

For now there are still a lot of reminders and referring links on this site about the move, eventually these will be removed so if you have bookmarks please update them.

With any issues or problems please see the Forum or contact me.

JerseyDatabase.com Wiki Contest - With Prizes!

With the release of the new site as well as the new Wiki pages, what better way to get people active than to have a little contest. Starting today there will be a contest where the person with the most entries as of July 1st, 2008 will receive a couple of books (and a great deal of gratitude!)

The contest is open to everyone, all you need to do is start an account on JerseyDatabase.com and start adding information for your favorite teams and players. There will be a list with the standings if you want to know where you rank in the runnings.


The winner will receive a copy of Sports Illustrated 50 Year Anniversary as well as their choice of either The Baseball Book or the The Football Book. All three books are ca. 300 pages long and filled with hundreds of photographs. (See the links to Amazon.com for more information.) Needless to say if you care about sports they'll be of some interest.

For more details see the contest page here.

Best of luck to everyone and thanks for helping make JerseyDatabase.com a better place!


/KP

Introducing Jersey and Player Wikis

As of today a whole new feature has been added to the jersey database located at JerseyDatabase.com. You can now read more about the jerseys, get links, see images and videos, as well as see an overview of all the jerseys and jersey styles for a player and team available in the database. There is a lot to of work to get done to bring things up to speed, but anyone and everyone is welcome to help by adding information, links, videos and images of their favorite players and jerseys. Simply login or create an account at JerseyDatabase.com and you'll have the ability to add to the Wiki pages. As soon as your entries have been checked they will be posted (more than likely within an hour or less).

To access a player's Wiki page simply click on this button next to a player's jersey thumbnail in the database. On this page you'll find a link for adding to that player's information.

For the moment the following information is available:
- Information specific to a player for a number and team
- External links for player (including stats and biographies)
- External links for leagues and events
- External links for teams
- Videos featuring the player specific to the jersey
- Videos featuring a team in a specific jersey
- Information about the specific jersey
- Images of the jersey from webshots.com or similar, with links
- External links to images of a specific player's jersey
- Complete list of all jerseys in the database for the player
- Complete list of different jersey styles for a team in the database

It is my hope that over time the database and the Wiki pages will give people a great place to search and find information about how players, teams, numbers and jerseys are all tied together.

Braydon Coburn: 50 Stitches After Getting Hit By Puck

This isn't too pretty to watch, and will no doubt fuel an even stronger debate about mandatory visors in the NHL, but this is footage of the Flyers Braydon Coburn getting a shot above the eye from a Malkin deflection via Hal Gill. It took 50 stitches to close the cut and indications are that no bones were broken. Chances are Coburn will be on the ice again tomorrow night when the Penguins and Flyers play in Philadelphia...

Video of Finland's Non-Goal Vs. USA

Finland and the US played yesterday in the IIHF World Championships and one of the more interesting highlights to come out of the game was a non-goal that Finland scored through the side of the net. (The come from behind win by Finland and large fight at the end of the game was also interesting.)

What is most amusing about the goal, scored by Ville Koistinen, is not that it went through the side of the net, but rather that it was actually reviewed by the refs and allowed to stand.

You be the judge:


If you said "No", then you are in agreement with the IIHF who acknowledged this following the game. They also dismissed the goal judge in question for the rest of the tournament. I'm not even going to consider what the reaction would have been if this had happened in the Stanley Cup Playoffs...

The Battle of Pennsylvania 2008

Not since Gettysburg has a battle of this proportion taken place within the borders of the Keystone State. (Well, at least not since last time the two teams met in the Stanley Cup Playoffs.) Starting tonight a state united by common laws, a common name, and a common wealth, will stand divided as the West and the East go to war with one another.

Yes, the rather subdued of late instate rivalry between the Flyers and Penguins will more than likely be re-awoken over the coming weeks as both teams vie for the right to represent PA in the Finals.

Now, if you had to put money on this (and I mean a lot of money) I imagine you'd follow the advise of the analysts, bloggers, newspapers, oddsmakers, and probably even the dude next door who doesn't follow hockey and go with the Penguins. They've cleaned house so far in the playoffs, they have what's-his-Crosby and Malkin and Hossa and Fleury and a bunch of other guys who you've heard of. They won their division and had a number 2 seeding in the Eastern Conference. Mathematics points out the obvious: they win more games.

But, in sports it's never that easy. Especially in hockey were on any given night any team can beat any other team. And the Flyers have thus far proven that they have the uncanny ability to defy the assumptions of the press and even the defeatist mentality of their own fans. Squeaking into the playoffs, second to the bottom of the Atlantic Division, and seeded number 6 they beat Washington (which they weren't supposed to do and even more amazing did it in game 7 on the road.) Following that they did the more unthinkable and disposed of number 1 ranked Montreal in 5 games. The disbelievers will point out that Montreal beat themselves, but the fact remains that the Flyers are not golfing yet and the Canadiens are shining their clubs.

There you have it, the expected-to-win Penguins against the how-did-they-get-there Flyers. If the Penguins win in 4 the pundits will merely nod their heads. If the Flyers win in 7 they'll be the cinderella team that battled their way to the finals...and probably end up on the cover of Sports Illustrated. But, first they'll actually have to play at least 240 minutes of hockey against each other.

The Math
How do these two teams actually stack up statistically?
I was going to list off a bunch of percentages and have a graph of some nature here, but suffice to say that Pittsburgh is ahead on just about all of them. Except for the small fact that the two teams met each other 8 times during the regular season and Philadelphia won 5 of the 8 games. (62.5%) Which, technically makes all other stats devoid of merit.

The Cities
Moving on to the more important aspect of the Battle of Pennsylvania. How do Pittsburgh and Philadelphia stack up? Here are some comparisons for those not familiar with the Quaker State's two largest cities.

Population (Metro):
Philadelphia: 5,823,233 +1
Pittsburgh: 2,870,776

Year Founded:
Philadelphia: 1682 +1
Pittsburgh: 1758

By Whom:
Philadelphia: The Swedes +1
Pittsburgh: The French

Elevation:
Philadelphia: 39 ft.
Pittsburgh: 1,223 ft. +1

Number of Bridges:
Philadelphia: Less than 446
Pittsburgh: 446 +1

Highest Temperature Recorded (in Fahrenheit):
Philadelphia: 104 +1
Pittsburgh: 101

Lowest Temperature Recorded (in Fahrenheit):
Philadelphia: -7
Pittsburgh: -19 +1

Percentage of people who voted for Bush in 2004:
Philadelphia: 19.3% +1
Pittsburgh: 42.1%

Number of Major Sports Championships:
Philadelphia: 5
Pittsburgh: 12 +1

Very Slanted Totals:
Philadelphia: 5
Pittsburgh: 4

Conclusion: Too close to call...will depend entirely on the quality of the referees, the ice, and the goaltending.

NHL Players in the 2008 World Championships

If you need a reason to watch the World Championships then I'll give you one: Alexander Ovechkin. The following is a list, country by country of NHL players who are on preliminary team rosters for the IIHF World Championships. The games start May 2nd, official roster lists must be handed in on May 1st.

Canada

Cam Ward
Pascal Leclaire
Mathieu Garon
Dan Hamhuis
Jay Bouwmeester
Brent Burns
Duncan Keith
Steven Staios
Mike Green
Ed Jovanovski
Derek Roy
Patrick Sharp
Eric Staal
Chris Kunitz
Jonathan Toews
Kyle Turris
Shane Doan
Jason Chimera
Martin St. Louis
Ryan Getzlaf
Rick Nash
Sam Gagner
Jason Spezza

Czech Republic

Tomas Kaberle
Filip Kuba
Jan Hejda
Zbynek Michalek
Ladislav Smid
Karel Rachunek
Patrik Elias
Karel Rachunek
David Krejci
Tomas Fleischmann
Radim Vrbata
Martin Hanzal
Ales Kotalik
Jiri Novotny

Denmark

Frans Nielsen

Finland

Karri Ramo
Ville Koistinen
Joni Pitkanen
Mikko Koivu
Olli Jokinen
Tuomo Ruutu
Ville Peltonen
Sean Bergenheim
Jussi Jokinen
Niko Kapanen

France

Cristobal Huet

Germany

Dennis Seidenberg
Christoph Schubert
Marco Sturm

Russia

Denis Grebeshkov
Dmitri Kalinin
Maxim Afinogenov
Ilya Kovalchuk
Alexander Ovechkin
Alexander Semin
Sergei Fedorov
Alexander Radulov

Slovakia

Branislav Mezei
Lubomir Visnovsky
Marcel Hossa

Slovenia

Anze Kopitar

Sweden

Erik Ersberg
Mikael Tellqvist
Magnus Johansson
Niclas Wallin
Alexander Edler
Anton Stralman
Nicklas Backstrom
Marcus Nilson
Robert Nilsson

Switzerland

Martin Gerber
Jonas Hiller

United States

Craig Anderson
Tim Thomas
Keith Ballard
Tom Gilbert
Tim Gleason
Matt Greene
Paul Martin
Mark Stuart
James Wisniewski
David Backes
David Booth
Dustin Brown
Adam Burish
Jeff Halpern
Patrick Kane
Phil Kessel
Peter Mueller
Patrick O'Sullivan
Zach Parise
Jason Pominville
Drew Stafford
Lee Stempniak

Belarus, Italy, Latvia, and Norway do not have any NHL players listed at the moment. As stated this can all change up till the 1st of May.