HockeyWidgets.com

IceTime 4.0 Beta for Dashboard

2008-09-19T16:11:00.003+02:00

The new version of IceTime for Dashboard (both Leopard and Tiger) is going to be out before the season starts, however I have posted the Beta for anyone who is interested in seeing what is new as well as doing some bug hunting. It is completely stable and as of yet no major issues have been found. I am still considering whether or not a new version for Yahoo! will be made, there are a number of reasons behind this, first off the older version still functions without any problems, and two it seems that the Yahoo! Widgets platform has taken an unfortunate turn for the worst. Which makes me question the validity of further development for what was once a great thing...namely Konfabulator. If there is an interest I will certainly look into adding the new functions.

What's new:
- Unplayed games now use the fronts of the jerseys (yes after 2 years it's happened...)
- Mousing over the jerseys will show you the team's complete names and current record for the season.
- iToque is now built into the widget for those who use it, or want to make some space on their screen. Toques will be updated in the final version.
- A revised version of Cup Companion, using full size jerseys etc, is now built into the widget.
- If you have an account at JerseyDatabase.com you can display your saved jerseys as well as your calendars.
- To display mini jerseys you now only have to click on the entry, rather than entering the ID number.
- Jersey fronts and hats and can be displayed.
- A number of graphics and colors have been changed.
- There is now a calendar function (small images displayed in the schedule) that will give you tidbits of information such as Hall of Fame birthdays, days that numbers are scheduled to be retired, as well as "This Day in History" anecdotes. Simply mouse over the symbol and the information will be displayed. This feature can be turned on and off.
- If you missed the last update the standings now feature games played.
- A number of small bugs have finally been fixed...most importantly the issue with game times for different time zones.
- You can now view your team's stats from last season.
- The RSS feed now points to JerseyDatabase.com
- All jersey searches now include small image previews.

As, stated this is a Beta version, any and all feedback is greatly appreciated. More screenshots and the download can be found here:

IceTime Beta Download Page

New Fantasy Football Signatures and DB Updates

2008-08-28T15:05:00.004+02:00

FFL Signatures
In time for the coming NFL season (and it's counterpart the Fantasy Football League season) I have reworked the normal forum signatures available into a new section dedicated to Fantasy Football. These are slightly shorter and wider than the normal ones and they use a standard 8 jerseys rather than the maximum 7 used on the regular ones.

Each signature is 80px high and 600px wide, and created as a transparent .PNG file. There are currently more than 20 different backgrounds available in addition to the default version. Some include the words Fantasty Football, some don't, and a few label your players' positions.

As with the original signature maker there is a specific "collect jerseys" option that will start a session and allow you to create your signature while browsing and searching the database. When you've collected all 8 of your players simply hit the "Ready" button and you'll be taken back to the creation page.

You can find the FFL Signatures page here.

Site Updates
BR7 has, as of today, finished his massive undertaking of redoing, fixing and adding jerseys for the entire NFL. I'm not sure what the total was but I'm going to guess in the area of 4-5,000 jerseys in total. This includes the alternates as well as white jerseys originally missing from the database, as well as a number of throwbacks and anniversary uniforms.

We are planning on having all of the new players, trades and roster additions up before the season starts (hopefully). The deadline to cut teams down to 53 players is Saturday the 30th. Which will give us about a week to get them up and on the site. If we miss anyone feel free to let us know in the forum.

As per a previous post, all of the current NHL jersey fronts are know in the database. In addition arock12 has put a big dent into getting MLB jersey fronts onto the site. So far he's added nearly 100 including current and older jerseys.

The jersey fronts are located in the T-shirts/Jersey Fronts section of the site and specifically under the category of Jerseys located here. In addition searching for a team name will bring them up on the regular section of the site with the normal jersey backs. These can be used with signatures, avatars and wallpapers.

This is still a relatively new part of the site so I'm trying to improve upon the functionality of the search and display parts.

Other Stuff
The forum has had a couple small changes made. There is now an announcements section for news etc, the ranks images have been updated, jersey counts have been fixed, as well a couple of other things.

I am finally getting some work done on the tutorials that have been put aside for months. To start with will be some overall "best practice" type posts and overviews. Followed by some more detailed instructions in regards to the jerseys themselves. For now these will probably be done for Illustrator, with additional programs coming later.

Hats...

Around the world with Chad Johnson

2008-08-22T08:28:00.004+02:00

On October 26th, 2006 Chad Johnson informed the media that in honor of Hispanic Heritage Month he wanted to be referred to as Ocho Cinco - YouTube video of that event here. Three days later he showed up wearing a jersey with the new name on the back before a game with the Falcons. It was supposed to be an amusing joke, the name was simply applied over his usual nameplate and peeled off. The NFL didn't think it was all that amusing and fined Johnson $5000 for the little stunt.

Now, three years later Johnson is trying to legally change his name to Ocho Cinco...in fact he's already started the process in Florida to do just that. More here.

Personal opinion? It's Chad Johnson, the guy is a performer, if he wants to be Ocho Cinco let him be Ocho Cinco. But why stop there? There are so many other 8 - 5's to pick from. With the help of BR7, JDB.com has compiled some alternatives for COC if the Ocho Cinco ever gets boring....

Sweden

Germany

France

Portugal

Italy

Finland

Netherlands

Wales

Greece

Russia

China

Japan

Latin

Israel

Esperanto

There you are Chad, if you ever need a new alternative or want to be fined again...

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

2008-08-13T23:22:00.001+02:00

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

2008-08-07T18:37:00.003+02:00

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

2008-07-31T17:22:00.002+02:00

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

2008-05-26T11:37:00.003+02:00

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!

2008-05-23T14:50:00.008+02:00

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

2008-05-18T20:09:00.004+02:00

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

2008-05-12T14:23:00.004+02:00

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

2008-05-12T13:59:00.003+02:00

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

2008-05-09T13:20:00.002+02:00

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

2008-04-29T15:46:00.005+02:00

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.

IIHF Retro Jerseys at 2008 World Championships

2008-04-29T12:17:00.003+02:00

Despite what statistics and news coverage would have you believe there are actually people who care about the IIHF World Championships. The Swedes for one, who on a daily basis have covered the Stanley Cup playoffs in the news - not for the sake of reporting on the potential winners, but rather the potential losers. You have to be out of the playoffs if you want to be in the World Championships which will start in the coming week. (Who schedules this?)

In addition to the hype surrounding the event purely based on this year's host Canada, the IIHF is also celebrating it's 100th anniversary and what better way to do so then to bring back some of the great jerseys of yesteryear. Team's will be wearing vintage jerseys for one game during the preliminary round. These jerseys, which include Canada's infamous 1976 Canada Cup style, can be seen on the IIHF's website here: IIHF Vintage Jerseys, (also includes game times). The US will be wearing jerseys from 1960 - the first time they won the gold medal in the US. (Some great photos can be found here.

No doubt these will be popular with fans, and depending on which players actually do decide to take part in the tournament could sell pretty well. With things starting in just 3 days we should see them available for sale soon.

In the photo - yes, that is Bobby Orr and that is what Canada will proudly be wearing vs the US on May 6th.

JerseyDatabase.com BETA Released

2008-04-20T17:42:00.004+02:00

After a few months of work and a lot of testing the first version of JerseyDatabase.com is now up and available for use. It is a site much like HockeyWidgets.com although it is completely dedicated to the jerseys in the database and makes it a bit easier to browse and use the different functions available.

At the moment it is still in a Beta or testing phase as I continue to add some more features to it. One thing that will separate it from the database on this site is that you can now create an account and create lists of jerseys on-line and share them with others. This will eventually be tied to a couple of different widgets and also include the ability to make calendars etc. For the moment you can create lists etc, more is coming..

As always, any and all feedback is greatly appreciated. I have attempted to keep things as simple as intuitive as possible and hopefully this will make it an easier site to navigate and use for people trying to find particular jerseys etc.

The forum link comes back to the forum on this site, since it really didn't seem to be a good idea to create a new one as both databases are identical.

So, without further ado, check out the new JerseyDatabase.com - here.

Cup Companion 2.0 Now Available

2008-04-07T22:41:00.004+02:00

Last year there was seemingly a demand to use the sweaters for this widget rather than the beveled buttons, so this year I have done away with the confusing colored blobs and have used the same jerseys used in the other widgets for this one.

Cup Companion 2.0 doesn't contain anything that wasn't there last year, it is still just a simple way of keeping track of the different series in the playoffs. Each round shows the competing teams and the current standing in their series, clicking on them will show you the schedule for the 7 games of that series. If a game has been completed the winner will be highlighted, and the loser slightly transparent. The same principle works for the series standings, once a team wins a 4th game, the other team will be faded.

This is not live scoring, it works on the same data that powers the IceTime widget, that is to say games are updated after they have completed. Some of the games do not have official start times as of yet, in those cases I have used the most predictable time expected, once they become official I will update them.

As always, with any problems at all feel free to make a comment here or use the Contact form listed above.

You will need to update your current version to 2.0 for this years games, I expect all future seasons to work without any future updates.

Both the Dashboard and the Yahoo! Widgets versions are available here.

Lots of updates to the database...

2008-03-25T23:11:00.006+01:00

Over Easter I had a chance to fix and add a number of things in the database. There are a couple more things left to do, but the bulk is done. Here is a small run down of what's new:

Added a stats page that includes around 50 statistics from the database, including popular teams, numbers, jerseys and players. As well as most common names, counts, hits, created signatures and avatars plus more...

The "Who's New" and "Top Jerseys" pages now allow you to browse by lots of 100, so you are no longer limited to those displayed but can go backwards in forwards in the lists.

Page numbers are now implemented for search results of more than 100. This makes the loading faster and makes way for listings for teams with very large numbers of jerseys. (There will soon be nearly 2,000 Steelers players in the database.)

All search results now include a thumbnail of the jersey, this is not a smaller version of the regular sized one but a completely separate image. This make it easier to browse the results as well as increases loading times and the image quality in IE and Firefox.

You can now click on player names and team names as links to the results in the database that correspond to them. This saves having to do a new search when you find a player or team you want to see. To see the preview image of a jersey you now click on the thumbnail.

User created jerseys, of which there are nearly 3,000 now, are now clearly marked with a small orange jersey in the search results. Hovering over it will tell you the creator's name. Clicking on it will take you to their jersey page.

There are now small green plus buttons in the database that allow you to add to a jersey's popularity points in the database. Clicking on the button will add 1 point to their rank and also give the creator of the jersey positive feedback. You are encouraged to use these for jersey's you like, and especially if they are a completed request of yours.

Search result pages now include a "Sort by Popularity" and a "Sort by Date Added" button. The second will be especially helpful if you just want to know which jerseys were last added for a particular team.

Not exactly database related but the forum now includes some new icons...

Using the browse option in the database (the buttons with the jersey counts on them) will now simply show you a table of the teams available as well as the total number of jerseys for that team available. I removed the search area from these pages as well as the list of latest jerseys. This makes it more logical to use now that the number of teams have grown.

There is now a section for all of the mascots in the database. This will be continuously added to as we try and cover the more known mascots in the world of sports...

All listings of search results now include small list numbers that make it easier to see where you are in the results as well as find your way back to where you were. These will also tell you the exact rank of jersey by popularity etc if sorted that way.

Not available to everyone, but of interest to those who may want to be a contributor in the future, I have created User Control Panels for people actively making jerseys. These pages allow you to upload zip files and images, as well as enter your player's information. This greatly expedites the process for getting the jerseys actually into the database. In addition to this each person has a detailed list of the stats for their submissions as well as the ability to edit them.

I am now encouraging any future submissions to the site to first be posted in the forum in the "Feedback" section of "Making Jerseys". This is important since it gives people a chance to get some other opinions and possible help before doing an entire roster. It's never fun to redo 60 of these things if you forgot something...

www.jerseydatabase.com

This Weekend is Mascot Weekend

2008-03-19T09:54:00.003+01:00

In response to a thread in the Requests section of the forum, this Easter weekend (starting tomorrow) will be officially "Mascot Weekend" as we try to get some of the better known professional mascot's jerseys into the database.

You can help by posting images featuring the backs of your favorite team mascots in the thread here, called Mascots Section. User sabrefangoalie92 has compiled some good lists of names and numbers to go. Wikipedia has a section of pro sports mascots found here. Here is the NHL's complete list with images. And don't forget Mascotnet!.

*Image features the greatest, and most useless, invention of all time: the hot dog gun.

Become an Affiliate

2008-03-16T18:27:00.004+01:00

A lot of people contact me requesting to be able to use the jersey images from the database on their websites. In hopes of making the process a bit easier I've created an affiliate section here on the site, by becoming an affiliate you are given full permission to use any of the images on your web pages.

The section, found here, currently contains links to sites that have been featured on the widgets or in other ways have been associated with the website.

To become an affiliate simply send the image you would like used in your frame. As well as the address to your website to hockeywidgets_at_gmail.com

Where's my signature!

2008-03-10T21:54:00.007+01:00

Dear friends,

Due to the unforeseen popularity of the Signature Maker that is available on this site I am unable to host the images here anymore. The amount of information that the server was being required to process has pretty much crippled the ability to use and navigate this website. The simultaneous connections resulted in not only pages not being able to be rendered, as well as errors, but also a lack of stability when it came to the images themselves.

You can still create the signatures in the same fashion, however you will first be required to save the image generated locally to your computer (on a Mac you can simply drag it to the desktop, on a PC right click on your signature and choose to save it.) Once you have done so you can use a free image hosting site such as photobucket.com or imageshack.us to upload it to the net and use it on a forum. I'm sorry about the inconvenience but I was really left with no choice due to the amount of server errors. Since I am no longer actually hosting the images here you are free to choose whether you want the site watermark or not. I'd appreciate it, but I can't force it on anyone. At this point I think most people know where to find where the signatures come from.

Please understand that this is for the good of everyone who wants to use the signatures and for the sake of those that don't but are using the same forum.

Thanks for being understanding,
KP
HockeyWidgets.com

If you can still see your signature I suggest saving it now, as it will soon be deleted from my server.
You can read more in the forum here.

You will temporarily (the next day or two) be able to access your old signature by adding this to the address:
http://www.hockeywidgets.com/sig/old/sigs/YOURSIGNATURENUMBER.png

If it is too late to get your signature in the way named above, and you are truly in a situation where you need/must have your old signature, contact me with the image address and your e-mail address and I will try and locate it locally for you.

In Memory of Pelle Lindbergh

2008-03-10T11:57:00.005+01:00

Outside of Stockholm, about 15 minutes by subway, lies the UNESCO heritage site of Skogskyrkogården (the woodland cemetery). It is an amazing work of architecture as well as landscaping and the final resting place of some of Sweden's most famous sons and daughters. One such person is Pelle Lindbergh, who's grave in a quiet corner is not unlike the thousands of others - anonymous and unknown to most people that visit the cemetery. Only the Flyers symbol and engraved "#31" tell the tale of one of the greatest goalies Sweden has ever produced and one of the greatest the NHL has ever seen. Someone who's life was tragically ended at just 26.

He is remembered by many. Occasionally small items are left as tokens of appreciation from fans both local and far away (such as the puck in the picture.) The guest book in the information center bares an unusually high number of addresses from the Philadelphia area. It's an emotional thing to see, and one can never quite escape the thought of "what could have been" as a Flyers fan. At the same time one reflects on what was: a bronze medal winner at Lake Placid in 1980, a Vezina Trophy winner, a two-time All Star and the highest vote getter in 1986 posthumously, and loved in a city far from his home...

My brother, who was visiting from the States, and I were there last week. It's close to where I live, but when you stand there and see the name "Pelle Lindbergh" you are far away, 22 years back in time. We were kids on a bus going to elementary school where we heard the news report that shook the foundations of Philadelphia sports and made anyone at that age destined to love the sport of hockey and the Flyers for the rest of their lives. And there you stand for a few minutes and remember, and then you go...

There is an excellent website about Pelle Lindbergh in both Swedish and English that can be found at PelleLindbergh.se. It contains a great deal that cannot be found anywhere else including videos and interviews.

JerseyCal as a Windows Sidebar Gadget

2008-02-29T13:31:00.007+01:00

I have received a lot of requests to convert the widgets here into the Windows Sidebar gadget format. Unfortuately, as a Mac user, I haven't got the ability to do the development and testing that is required to convert them.

However, for those using Vista (and even XP), forum user SupaDawg has posted a step-by-step tutorial on how you can get the Flash version of JerseyCal (found here) working as a Sidebar gadget. This widget allows you to create a list of 31 player's jerseys to correspond with a given day's date. (The image to the right shows what it looks like running.)

It involves a little scripting but is very simple to do and will allow you to run the widget on your desktop. You can find the post and the instructions in the forum here.

Nice work SupaDawg, and thanks for posting that.

Contributor Run Down So Far

2008-02-28T13:50:00.004+01:00

To give some credit where credit is due, here are the people who have contributed jerseys to the database. And which one's they have made:

Remy - Who made the Montreal Carabins and Universite Laval.

Clark - Who started the making of the EIHL jerseys with the Belfast Giants (and made multiple years for them), as well as the Nottingham Panthers and the Newcastle Vipers.

Vaytch - Made the Sagueneens jerseys.

Scooter - Who added more to the EIHL category with the Coventry Blaze, Edinburgh Capitals, Sheffield Steelers and also the red/black Sabres jerseys.

Andrew - Added the Manchester Phoenix, also of the EIHL

BR7 - Who is now the official Steelers jersey maker for the site, added close to 200 or so, including the 75th anniversary jerseys and numerous players from the past.

I'll be getting up some proper user contribution pages soon so it will be easier to keep track of your work.

Signature Maker Updated

2008-02-28T13:08:00.005+01:00

I'm kind of amazed at the popularity of this thing, 1300+ signatures made in just about a week. This is the first of what will probably a number of updates.

The signature generator now features the ability to choose the number of jerseys to display, between 3 and 7. For people interested in more or less. (More than that and they are too wide, 7 is really the limit on most forums. I'd be hesitant to even go beyond 6. ) As it is, this is still pretty much a small beta project as it still has a lot of potential to be more developed with additional features and options. And, for some reason, it does occasionally hit a snag and not properly render a jersey. I haven't found the source for this, but I think it is server related.

The signature maker page is located here.

Examples for gauging width etc (not actual size):

With errors to report etc. please use the forum post found here.

NHL Trade and Roster Updates Done

2008-02-27T23:45:00.004+01:00

As of now, this minute, all of the current NHL rosters including all of the trades should be up to date in the database. In total, including some older deals and call-ups from the minors, it was over 60 new players/jerseys (x 2).

If I happened to have missed anyone please let me know.