Watch The Canucks' Cryptic Video

Remember that cryptic Vancouver Canucks video I mentioned last week? Now the team has posted it on their web site. It indicates Saturday as a special date for... something.

You can also watch it right here on Icethetics and it's just as cryptic as ever.

It says, "Who else suffered rejection for an NHL franchise but never quit? Who else turned a symbol of surrender into a passionate tradition copied all across sports? Who else survived the insults of the Flying 'V', the plate of spaghetti, and the skate going down? Find out October 25th at General Motors Place."

The thing that flashes up for a few frames at the end is a 7.

We're not quite sure what it means exactly, but some have suggested it's the planned unveiling of the new third jersey — which Icethetics leaked. So what do you think the 7 means and what do you think the video means?

Comment with your conspiracy theories.

A Jersey Joke

I would venture to say it's relatively uncommon to find comedy in hockey jersey numbers — I'm not talking Freak Out Friday here. But the Minnesota Wild have come up with an ad campaign that I thought was funny.

It's centered around the return of forward Andrew Brunette. He walks into the locker room and asks equipment manager Tony DaCosta if he can have his old number back. DaCosta tells him James Sheppard has it. He asks for 25. Eric Belanger. Brunette sarcastically asks for 825. An awkward pause ensues. Now, you've gotten this far, you might as well just watch the video.

In case you were wondering, Brunette did get his No. 15 jersey back. Sheppard's got 51.

And I know this isn't news, but I thought it was funny and wanted to share.

Oilers Unveil Third Jersey!

The Edmonton Oilers became the sixth team to unveil their third jersey for the 2008-09 season. They did so today by launching a beautifully produced seven-minute video on their official web site.

The jersey is similar to the blue sweater worn prior to 1996 with a few slight tweaks. The collar has been changed and the 30th anniversary logo will be on the right shoulder. Here you can see the captains wearing their new duds.

And here's another great photo from the team's web site.

The video delves into the history of Oilers sweaters and it's explained that the fans were very much a part of the process of choosing the final design for this third jersey. Overall the video is very much worth watching whether you're an Oilers fan or not.

Even Todd McFarlane gets a shoutout. Funny, I just wrote a post about him yesterday.

Maple Leafs Unveil Third Jersey!

The Toronto Maple Leafs unveiled their new third jersey today for the 2008-09 season at the launch of the Leafs Nation Mobile Fan Zone to kick off Blue & White Week.

The Leafs showcased the new duds without as much fanfare as some of the other teams have done this summer. Images grabbed from a video posted on the team's web site offer a first look at the sweaters.

It's exactly what we expected. No surprises. The same as what they wore prior to the Rbk EDGE era. The team made no indications of when the jersey will first hit the ice.

If you'd like to see the video in full, it's right here.

I'm really liking the way teams are offering embed links for their web videos. Makes it easier for me to show them to you.

So there it is!

Face Time With Sabres' Artist

Charlie from Sabres Not Slugs pointed me to a cool new video from the Buffalo-based Artvoice. Buffalo Sabres creative services director Frank Cravotta is interviewed and talks about designing the third jersey and a new line of Sabres clothing that will be available soon.

You can watch the video right here on Icethetics.

He's done some awesome work there. I look forward to seeing what else that team comes up with. Any thoughts?