Concepts Section Launched!

It came a little later than I had hoped, but concept art is back!

Tonight I launched the Icethetics Concepts page. You can access it from the tab at the top of the page. Right now it features the site's very first concept post in a brand new format I hope everyone will enjoy. It's called the Concept Collage!

Thanks to Vuvox, you'll now be able to enjoy user-submitted concept art in a cool and different way. Head on over to the Concepts page to check it out first hand, but here's a quick rundown. The new collage format works like an interactive slideshow in a panoramic view.

You can manually slide back and forth through the collage checking out all the fantastic artwork or press the play button and let it go automatically. And if it's too small, click on the button in the bottom corner to go full screen!

When you want to weigh in on the designs you've seen, simply add a comment. It works the same as commenting on the blog. You must be an Icethetics member to add a comment. To get a free member account, click here.

I hope you guys enjoy the new Concepts section and the new Concept Collage format. My goal as we get this started is to post new Concept Collages at least once a week then graduate to two to three times. Also, over the next few weeks I'll be rolling out the Featured Artists section as well as revisiting past concept art with new galleries.

Holiday Weekend Updates

There's plenty of new content I'll be adding to the site this weekend (hopefully), so I'll use this post to let you know what's new.

First thing, you can now rate the logos submitted for the IceHL's Northeast Division. There are 37 eligible logos available to rate for the five teams. Some are spectacular. Some... not so much. Happy voting!

Up next, I'm planning to get the Flashback '98 logo tournament back up and running. Look for that tomorrow morning. Also hoping to launch the new Concepts section on December 1. Featured Artists will follow.

Update on Sunday · Nov 30 · 2008 | 8:22 PM PST by Chris

Pardon the delay. You can now begin voting in Round 4 of the Flashback '98 logo tournament. Click on the Vote tab at the top of the page. Up first, it's the Rangers and the Blues. Tomorrow will be the Maple Leafs and Blackhawks. Happy voting!

Is This It For Third Jerseys?

All the new third jerseys are out. The ranking has been released. But is this really it for third jerseys?

No. We'll get to start this all over again next year but on a much smaller scale. I can tell you there are at least two teams that are working on alternate sweaters for 2009. The Minnesota Wild are to have a green (finally!) third jersey for their 10th anniversary season and the Calgary Flames already have a final design in hand — though I can't tell you what it looks like.

Thought I'd get those seeds planted early. As far as the other 10 teams, I'm hoping for third jerseys from the Rangers, Ducks and Panthers next season. I don't expect anything from the Devils, Red Wings or Canadiens. So to sum up...

• 3rd introduced in '08 // Thrashers, Bruins, Sabres, Hurricanes, Blackhawks, Stars, Oilers, Kings, Islanders, Senators, Flyers, Coyotes, Penguins, Sharks, Blues, Lightning, Maple Leafs, Canucks
• 3rd expected in '09 // Flames, Wild
• 3rd status unknown, but hopeful // Ducks, Avalanche, Panthers, Predators, Rangers
• 3rd not expected anytime soon // Blue Jackets, Red Wings, Canadiens, Devils, Capitals

Quick note on those teams categorized as "not expected anytime soon." I didn't just pull that out of thin air. Blue Jackets and Capitals management have both publicly said a third jersey is not in their near future. The Canadiens still have a couple new Centennial throwbacks for next year (who knows, one may turn into a third jersey in the future). And the Red Wings and Devils have historically never had a third jersey. I wouldn't expect that to change without warning.

That should cover everybody. Just wanted to keep you guys updated. Speaking of updates, lots coming over the course of this holiday weekend. I'll let you know what's new via the blog.

3rd Jersey Ranking Revealed

The Icethetics Third Jersey Ranking has been released.

See the Icethetics Third Jersey Ranking!

The ranking includes my personal views on this year's crop of third jerseys but there will be an opportunity for you to make your voice heard soon. For now, you can check out my ranking and leave your comments about it on this blog post. I'm sure it won't be all that popular.

Since you're still here, I thought I'd take a moment to talk about what lies ahead for Icethetics. Many of you have asked what place Icethetics has in the world now that all the third jerseys are out. I assure you, this site was never about that. It simply got eaten by third jersey news for a while.

In December, I fully plan on bringing Icethetics back to what it was meant to be — a place to enjoy the artistic side of hockey. On the way is the site's first concept post and a brand new Concepts section which will include a number of Featured Artists and their talents.

Logo tournaments will get back in full swing. We'll finish up the Flashback '98 tournament which has continued to be delayed. Also, the IceHL will get back on track with logo rating for the Northeast Division and voting on the final 3 for the Pacific.

Those tabs at the top of the page are going to be your best friends starting next month. The blog will likely be updated less frequently while those pages above will flourish with content. At least that's the plan.

I'm also going to be introducing a new artist to you guys who will be creating most of the graphics for the new Logo & Uniform History section that will be launching probably after the new year. He's very talented and his work will make Icethetics a resource for information in its own right. I'm very excited about this project. More on that later.

If you have any other questions about the future of Icethetics, please email me if you want a response.

Sabres Debut Third With Win

The Buffalo Sabres debuted their new third jersey tonight against the Bruins, more than two months after initially unveiling it. The retro-themed sweaters brought the Sabres a much-needed victory.

I got a few emails tonight talking about the alternate uniforms with some info worth sharing. Bill wrote in to point out that the classic logo seen on the front of the jersey is also featured on the helmets. However, on the right side of the helmet, the buffalo is actually facing the right.

You can see this here on Jason Pominville's helmet. Pominville and Derek Roy had a lot to celebrate tonight. Bill says this is the first time in franchise history that the logo has been modified this way. I'm not that familiar with the use of this logo so I can't say whether that's true, but I have no reason to doubt it.

He also pointed out that the pants for this uniform are actually shells. Notice the way the regular pants stick out in this picture of Drew Stafford.

For those of you unfamiliar with the concept, I'll explain briefly. Rather than having multiple sets of pants, players tend to have just one. That's why you always see the Sabres in blue pants whether they're wearing blue jerseys or white. (Also white pants look silly, as the Giants pointed out over the weekend.)

When third jerseys are introduced that require a different pant design, teams will use shells as a cost-cutting measure. The shell usually fits over the pants, giving the illusion that they are different. Sometimes during game action, shell will slide out of place as seen in this photo and others.

By the way, the Sabres weren't the only team wearing their third jersey tonight. Four other teams joined them, including the Sharks, Stars, Hurricanes and Lightning. Just to keep you updated, alternates are 17-17 on the season so far.