2013 NHL Third Jersey Schedules

A handful of NHL teams have released their third jersey schedules for the abbreviated 2013 season. I'm collecting them all here, so if you know of any others floating around, drop me a line.

Boston Bruins

The Bruins will sport their alternate sweater 7 times this season — including its season debut on Monday night.

• Mon., Jan. 21 — vs. Winnipeg Jets
• Tues., Jan. 29 — vs. New Jersey Devils
• Tues., Feb. 12 — vs. New York Rangers
• Sat., Mar. 2 — vs. Tampa Bay Lightning
• Sat., Mar. 16 — vs. Washington Capitals
• Mon., Apr. 8 — vs. Carolina Hurricanes
• Fri., Apr. 19 — vs. Pittsburgh Penguins

All third jersey nights this year are home games at TD Garden and there are no repeat opponents.

The Bruins unveiled and debuted this third jersey during the 2008-09 season. This is its fifth season in use.

Carolina Hurricanes

Hurricanes fans will have to wait a while to see their team's third jersey again. It's not set to make its 2013 season debut for another month. But once it does, the black sweater will be used 7 times, including once on the road. 

• Sat., Feb. 23 — vs. Tampa Bay Lightning
• Sat., Mar. 2 — vs. Florida Panthers
• Thurs., Mar. 7 — vs. Montreal Canadiens
• Thurs., Mar. 14 — vs. Washington Capitals
• Tues., Mar. 26 — vs. Winnipeg Jets
• Sat., Apr. 6 — vs. New York Rangers
• Sun., Apr. 21 — at Tampa Bay Lightning

The Canes' third jersey will see action against all four Southeast Division opponents this year.

The sweater was unveiled and debuted during the 2008-09 season. It's now in its fifth season of use.

Colorado Avalanche

The Avalanche will also wear their third jersey 7 times this season. Starting to see a pattern here? All 2013 occasions will take place at home.

• Mon., Feb. 4 — vs. Dallas Stars
• Wed., Feb. 20 — vs. St. Louis Blues
• Sun., Mar. 10 — vs. San Jose Sharks
• Sat., Mar. 16 — vs. Minnesota Wild
• Sat., Mar. 30 — vs. Nashville Predators
• Fri., Apr. 8 — vs. Calgary Flames
• Tues., Apr. 19 — vs. Edmonton Oilers

From Colorado's press release:

The Avalanche initially unveiled the third sweater to the public on Nov. 12, 2009 and wore it for the first time two nights later against the Vancouver Canucks.

The third jersey design is a collaboration of ideas from the Colorado Avalanche (including Kroenke Sports Enterprises Creative Imaging), the National Hockey League and Reebok.

The third jersey has a predominantly blue color scheme with a diagonal COLORADO type, laces at the neckline and stripes on the sleeves. Two rounds of sweater prototypes were tested and ran on ice before the final version was made.

Columbus Blue Jackets

The Blue Jackets will also wear their third jersey 7 times this season — all home games at Nationwide Arena. Here are the actual dates, as released by the club.

• Sat., Feb. 2 — vs. Detroit Red Wings
• Sun., Feb. 10 — vs. Edmonton Oilers
• Tues., Feb. 26 — vs. Dallas Stars
• Thurs., Mar. 7 — vs. Vancouver Canucks
• Tues., Mar. 19 — vs. Nashville Predators
• Sun., Apr. 7 — vs. Minnesota Wild
• Fri., Apr. 12 — vs. St. Louis Blues

The Blue Jackets introduced their third jersey on Nov. 24, 2010. This is its third season in action.

Here's more from the team's website:

The phrase "We Fight, We March!," which appears on the interior of the jersey's collar, was first introduced during the 2008-09 season to describe the Blue Jackets’ first-ever march to the Stanley Cup Playoffs.

The expression continues to represent the team's intention each year to fight and march throughout the regular season and into the playoffs. Below "We Fight, We March!," 10 stars commemorate the introduction of the jersey in the club's 10th season.

Minnesota Wild

The Wild are breaking the mold, wearing their green third jersey a whopping 9 times during the 2013 season. All dates are home games.

• Sun., Jan. 20 — vs. Dallas Stars
• Wed., Jan. 30 — vs. Chicago Blackhawks
• Sat., Feb. 9 — vs. Nashville Predators
• Sun., Feb. 17 — vs. Detroit Red Wings
• Sat., Mar. 23 — vs. San Jose Sharks
• Sat., Mar. 30 — vs. Los Angeles Kings
• Tues., Apr. 9 — vs. Chicago Blackhawks
• Sun., Apr. 21 — vs. Calgary Flames
• Fri., Apr. 26 — vs. Edmonton Oilers

It's always great seeing the Wild wearing green and they'll be doing that a lot this season.

My search has only turned up third jersey schedules for these five teams. If you've come across any others, drop me a line and I'll keep adding on to this post.

Update on Wednesday · Jan 23 · 2013 | 6:01 PM PST by Chris

New York Rangers

According to their online beat writer, this season the New York Rangers will sport their third jerseys on home dates that take place on Sunday or against an Original Six opponent. Here's a look at those 9 games:

• Wed., Jan. 23 — vs. Boston Bruins
• Sat., Jan. 26 — vs. Toronto Maple Leafs
• Sun., Feb. 10 — vs. Tampa Bay Lightning
• Sun., Feb. 17 — vs. Washington Capitals
• Tues., Feb. 19 — vs. Montreal Canadiens
• Sun., Mar. 3 — vs. Buffalo Sabres
• Sun., Mar. 24 — vs. Washington Capitals
• Wed., Apr. 10 — vs. Toronto Maple Leafs
• Sun., Apr. 21 — vs. New Jersey Devils

The above dates are based on a tweet from Jim Cerny on Tuesday morning:

@JimCerny Yes, Heritage jerseys tomorrow and for all home Original 6 games and Sunday home games RT @BR19MG10: @JimCerny 3rd jerseys tomorrow?

The Rangers' home opener was this past Sunday, but they did not wear their alternate uniforms.

Thanks to @faz8218 for tipping me off on the Rangers' tweet. If you've spotted any other third jersey schedules I've overlooked, please let me know.

Update on Wednesday · Jan 23 · 2013 | 10:52 PM PST by Chris

Ottawa Senators

More third jersey schedules! The Ottawa Senators have announced 7 dates during the 2013 season when they'll sport their heritage jersey.

• Tues., Jan. 29 — vs. Washington Capitals
• Sat., Feb. 9 — vs. Winnipeg Jets
• Tues., Feb. 19 — vs. New York Islanders
• Sat., Mar. 23 — vs. Tampa Bay Lightning
• Sat., Mar. 30 — vs. Toronto Maple Leafs
• Tues., Apr. 16 — vs. Carolina Hurricanes
• Mon., Apr. 22 — vs. Pittsburgh Penguins

The black alternate sweater made its debut last season during the Sens' 20th anniversary celebration. It replaced the black "SENS" jersey that launched in 2008.

This uniform has the distinction of being the first in NHL history designed by a fan following an online campaign to have it adopted by the team. Obviously I like retelling that story. Congrats again to Jacob Barrette!

San Jose Sharks

The San Jose Sharks will bring back the "BlackArmor" for another season, according to the team's executive VP of business operations, Malcolm Bordelon. He tweeted that the third jersey will be worn on Saturdays and Thursdays, leaving us with these 9 dates.

• Sat., Jan. 26 — vs. Colorado Avalanche
• Sun., Jan. 27 — vs. Vancouver Canucks*
• Thu., Jan. 31 — vs. Edmonton Oilers
• Sat., Feb. 2 — vs. Nashville Predators
• Sat., Feb. 9 — vs. Phoenix Coyotes
• Thu., Feb. 28 — vs. Detroit Red Wings
• Sat., Mar. 9 — vs. St. Louis Blues
• Thu., Mar. 14 — vs. Los Angeles Kings
• Thu., Mar. 28 — vs. Detroit Red Wings
• Sun., Apr. 7 — vs. Dallas Stars*
• Thu., Apr. 18 — vs. Minnesota Wild
• Sun., Apr. 21 — vs. Columbus Blue Jackets*

Here's that tweet from Bordelon:

@MMB52 Sharks will wear Black Jersey every Thurs & Sat game (except opening night ... Teal). Go Sharks!

Yeah, technically he said "every" Thursday and Saturday game, but I think it's safe to assume he meant to include "home game" in there since it's a dark jersey. Plus, if they wore it on the road, they'd go well past 9 dates and I can't imagine the NHL would be thrilled with that.

Thanks to @Puckguy14 for the tip on the schedule — and for being the guy to elicit it from Bordelon on Twitter. *UPDATE (1/26): After the Sharks hit the ice today in teal instead of black, Puckguy14 tweeted to say that the Sharks apparently changed the schedule to Thursdays and Sundays now.

Update on Monday · Jan 28 · 2013 | 6:22 PM PST by Chris

Phoenix Coyotes

The Coyotes are slated to sport their black alternate jerseys 6 times during the 2013 season — or so says the team's Senior Director of News Content. Dave Vest tweeted this morning that thirds would be worn tonight and for all other Monday home games this year.

• Mon., Jan. 28 — vs. Nashville Predators
• Mon., Feb. 4 — vs. Minnesota Wild
• Mon., Feb. 18 — vs. Calgary Flames
• Mon., Mar. 4 — vs. Anaheim Ducks
• Mon., Mar. 25 — vs. Detroit Red Wings
• Mon., Apr. 15 — vs. San Jose Sharks

Here's that tweet, by the way:

@davest4yotes #Coyotes will wear black sweaters tonight vs. Preds. They will wear black sweaters for ALL Monday home games, actually.

So far, this is the shortest of the third jersey schedules we've seen for this season.

Washington Capitals

The Capitals' white retro jersey will return late in this shortened season — but the home crowd won't get a chance to see it in person. Today, Washington announced 7 road dates for the throwback sweater. Here they are: 

• Sat., Mar. 16 — at Boston Bruins
• Tues., Mar. 19 — at Pittsburgh Penguins
• Thurs., Mar. 21 — at Winnipeg Jets
• Fri., Mar. 22 — at Winnipeg Jets
• Sun., Mar. 24 — at New York Rangers
• Thurs., Apr. 18 — at Ottawa Senators
• Sat., Apr. 20 — at Montreal Canadiens

Interesting how all of the third jersey dates are clumped together. Basically, the Caps have a 4-game road trip in late March where the regular white sweaters will simply be left at home.

By the way, that road trip begins in Pittsburgh so you can't help but wonder if there's a chance of a rematch between the 2011 Winter Classic jerseys. The Penguins haven't released a third jersey schedule that I'm aware of.

Since Washington is only planning to wear their white alternates for road games — where they'd be wearing white anyway — none of their visiting opponents have to worry about carrying an extra set of dark jerseys.

Update on Thursday · Feb 7 · 2013 | 10:20 AM PST by Chris

Anaheim Ducks

The third jersey schedule fun continues today with the Ducks. Anaheim will sport their black alternates for a third season, including 9 home dates (two of which have already passed).

Take a look:

• Fri., Jan. 25 — vs. Vancouver Canucks
• Sat., Feb. 2 — vs. Los Angeles Kings
• Fri., Mar. 1 — vs. Minnesota Wild
• Fri., Mar. 8 — vs. Calgary Flames
• Fri., Mar. 22 — vs. Detroit Red Wings
• Fri., Apr. 5 — vs. Dallas Stars
• Sun., Apr. 7 — vs. Los Angeles Kings
• Mon., Apr. 8 — vs. Edmonton Oilers
• Sat., Apr. 27 — vs. Phoenix Coyotes

For what it's worth, the first two games in the thirds turned out like this: The Ducks got creamed 5-0 by the Canucks and beat the Kings 7-4 the following week. Take from that what you will.

The Ducks' third jersey was launched in 2010.

Islanders Unveil Black Third Jersey

I'm not going to say it. You know what I'm talking about.

The New York Islanders officially unveiled their new third jerseys to fans and media tonight at their team store inside the Nassau Coliseum. And as it turns out, all of the previous leaks were right on the money as the club introduces two new colors to its pallette — black and grey.

Check out the Islanders' official Flickr account for photos from the event.

The sweater will make its game debut a week from tonight when the Isles host the Philadelphia Flyers and again two days later on Black Friday. They also released a complete schedule detailing the 12 nights they'll be seen throughout the season.

• Wed., Nov. 23 – vs. Philadelphia Flyers
• Fri., Nov. 25 – vs. New Jersey Devils
• Sat., Dec. 10 – vs. Pittsburgh Penguins
• Fri., Dec. 23 – vs. Toronto Maple Leafs
• Thurs., Jan. 12 – vs. Philadelphia Flyers
• Sat., Jan. 21 – vs. Carolina Hurricanes
• Sat., Feb. 4 – vs. Buffalo Sabres
• Mon., Feb. 20 – vs. Ottawa Senators
• Sun., Mar. 4 – vs. New Jersey Devils
• Tues., Mar. 13 – vs. Washington Capitals
• Sat., Mar. 31 – vs. Boston Bruins
• Thurs., Apr. 5 – vs. Winnipeg Jets

No Western Conference teams will face the Isles in black this season.

Islanders Third Jersey Unveiling photo gallery

I stand by my earlier position on this jersey. While it may be one of the ugliest the Isles have ever worn — and that's saying something — I like that they've decided to use the third jersey for its intended purpose. It shows off an alternate look, completely different from what we're used to seeing.

Having said that, I think I know where these comments will go...

Holy crap, check out the pants!

Update on Monday · Nov 21 · 2011 | 10:11 AM PST by Chris

There was another link I wanted to make sure got included in this post. After the unveiling, the Islanders posted an article about the creation of the the third jersey. 

Here's an excerpt from it:

Terry Goldstein, the Islanders' Director of Retail Operations, said the Islanders started working on the Third Jersey prototype a year ago and ultimately landed on the Black Jersey after getting feedback from the Islanders organization and players. 

“We view this (third jersey) as just a fun, alternative jersey,” Goldstein said. “With our white and our blue jerseys we look back at our history, and with the black jerseys, we’re looking forward.”

The Black Jersey has the team’s name across the front with the player’s number below. The numbers also appear on each sleeve as well as on the back. The top of the jersey is gray with the traditional Islanders logo on each shoulder.

The collar and edges of the sleeves are royal blue which matches the team’s royal blue helmets and gloves. The jersey has a gray, orange and blue triangle under each arm and matches the new black pants that will feature an inverted triangle directly below, creating a diamond.

The National Hockey League allows teams to introduce a new jersey idea every three years. Originally, there were nine designs for the third jersey.

The last line was an interesting tidbit for us to hang onto. Appparently third jerseys can be swapped out every three years. We already know Ottawa and Toronto have taken advantage of that rule. They each launched thirds in 2008, wore them for three seasons, and launched new ones this year.

Islanders Launching New 3rd on 11/16

Leaked photo of Isles jerseyFinally, the announcement we've all been waiting months to hear. When will the New York Islanders unveil their new third jersey? The answer: in 8 days.

The answer came this morning in an online press release from the team, announcing the Islanders Winter-Wear Wonderland event being held Wed., Nov. 16 at the Nassau Coliseum's new team store.

As you know, this jersey has been one of the worst-kept secrets in all of hockey this year, especially since it's currently appearing in printed editions of the River City Sports catalogue. They're reponsible for the leaked image seen here (right).

But that wasn't the first time we saw it. Here's a quick rundown of how the Isles' third jersey story unfolded:

• Aug. 2010 — Isles director of retail operations reveals a new third jersey is in the pipeline.
• March 2011 — Isles blogger Chris Botta confirms a third jersey is still in the works.
• May — A fan with a friend at a sporting apparel store spills the beans, reporting the jersey will be black. I am highly skeptical.
• Aug. 4 — An ex-Isles designer posts a uniform mock-up to his Flickr account. It appears to be the new black alternate uniform. The image soon disappears from the account but lives on forever in cyberspace.
• Aug. 21 — Icethetics independently confirms details of the new look, including features changed from the ex-designer's mock-up (i.e.: white shoulders swapped for gray).
• Oct. 12 — The River City Sports product catalogue is distributed and features official photography of the unreleased Islanders' third jersey.

That brings us to today's announcement. And by the way, if these leaks weren't enough to convince you this jersey will, in fact, be black, why not let the Islanders hint at it for you?

Why else would Michael Grabner be decked out in black? If that's not a hint, I don't know what is. Perhaps it's just the Isles' new Winter-Wear collection? Perhaps not.

Islanders' 40th anniversary logoFurthermore, there's another point I don't think has been discussed here yet. This is the logo the New York Islanders are using to mark their 40th annivesary season (right).

The text in the circle that reads "celebrating 40 years of Islanders hockey" is set in a familiar font. It's the same font used in "Islanders" on the front of the leaked jersey. It's called Franchise.

The next question you probably have is this: since the leaks have been out for so long and the response as been less than favorable — and the team knows this — might they have changed the design between the leak and next week's release?

I think based on its appearance in the River City catalogue, that would be a clear no. Not to mention the fact that the Tampa Bay Lightning got an earful from fans over their new look, and despite wanting to make some alterations, said it was too late in the process to do so. That was February.

In other words, if the Bolts didn't have enough time between February and October to make changes, how could the Isles possibly have enough time between August and November? That's my take, anyway.

So has your opinion of this jersey changed since the first time you saw it? Because in eight days, it turns from Internet speculation into the real deal.

Bruins, Kings 3rd Jersey Schedules

Couple of new third jersey schedules to get on the blog today. 

The Boston Bruins are bringing back their black third jerseys for a fourth season this year. On October 21, the club released a schedule detailing when it will be worn during the 2011-12 season.

I'm still holding out hope that one day they'll come to their senses and drop this jersey in favor of the gold Winter Classic one. But if I recall right, I don't think many Bruins fans would agree with me on that one. 

Zdeno CharaThe alternate threads will see action in 11 home games throughout the year. Here's the breakdown:

• Sat., Oct. 22 – vs. San Jose Sharks
• Tues., Nov. 15 – vs. New Jersey Devils
• Fri., Nov. 25 – vs. Detroit Red Wings
• Thurs., Dec. 8 – vs. Florida Panthers
• Mon., Dec. 19 – vs. Montreal Canadiens
• Sat., Jan. 21 – vs. New York Rangers
• Tues., Jan. 31 – vs. Ottawa Senators
• Sat., Feb. 11 – vs. Nashville Predators
• Sat., Mar. 3 – vs. New York Islanders
• Sat., Mar. 17 – vs. Philadelphia Flyers
• Sat., Apr. 7 – vs. Buffalo Sabres

The Bruins also pointed out that on Sat., Dec. 3, they'll wear their road white jerseys at home when they host the Toronto Maple Leafs.

Still think it's incomplete without waist stripes.

Moving on now to L.A.

The Los Angeles Kings basically have two alternate jerseys to wear this season. And according to the team, both are going to be used rather sparingly.

The new third jersey is a reprise of their old home jersey which lasted from 2007 until last year. (The new home jersey was the third until last year.) Plus, they're bringing back the brightly-colored purple and gold Legends Night jersey for a few games.

Justin WilliamsBut first, the third jersey will see action in just eight games (two on the road), about half of the league maximum.

• Thurs., Nov. 3 – vs. Edmonton Oilers
• Tues., Nov. 8 – vs. Nashville Predators
• Tues., Nov. 22 – at St. Louis Blues
• Wed., Nov. 23 – at Dallas Stars
• Thurs., Dec. 8 – vs. Minnesota Wild
• Thurs., Jan. 5 – vs. Phoenix Coyotes
• Thurs., Jan. 12 – vs. Dallas Stars
• Thurs., Feb. 16 – vs. Phoenix Coyotes

Some of those dates are pulled from the Kings' website via the link above. The rest come from LA Kings Insider Rich Hammond in a blog post from October 25.

There are only three Legends Nights, where the Kings will don those über-retro sweaters from the 1960s. They are as follows:

• Sat., Dec. 10 – vs. Dallas Stars
• Mon., Jan. 2 – vs. Colorado Avalanche
• Sat., Feb. 18 – vs. Calgary Flames

A couple other teams should be sporting retro jerseys on Jan. 2, but we're still waiting to see what the Rangers' and Flyers' Winter Classic jerseys will look like.

All of these schedules are going in the sidebar calendar along with the Tampa Bay Lightning's schedule. They haven't officially released a schedule, but they've historically worn the BOLTS jersey for weekend home games only and that's continued into this season.

Update on Sunday · Nov 6 · 2011 | 4:18 PM PST by Chris

Another third jersey schedule to add.

The Florida Panthers confirmed via Twitter last week that the blue third jerseys will be worn for all Sunday home games during the season.

This is apparently the final season that we'll be seeing the "JetBlue jerseys" as you'll recall Miami Herald beat writer George Richards reported in September that team management has fallen out of love with the look in a big way. GM Mike Santos actually called them "silly colors," referring to the dark blue and light blue of the alternate uniform.

Stephen WeissSo I went through the Panthers' season schedule these Sunday home games appear to be the final eight for this doomed sweater:

• Sun., Nov. 6 – vs. Tampa Bay Lightning
• Sun., Nov. 13 – vs. Philadelphia Flyers
• Sun., Dec. 18 – vs. Carolina Hurricanes
• Sun., Feb. 19 – vs. Anaheim Ducks
• Sun., Feb. 26 – vs. Montreal Canadiens
• Sun., Mar. 4 – vs. Ottawa Senators
• Sun., Mar. 11 – vs. Carolina Hurricanes
• Sun., Mar. 25 – vs. New York Islanders

I understand Santos' position. This jersey doesn't exactly scream Panthers and it got a lot of crap for borrowing the colors of the Penguins' third, but... I've always thought it was a nice looking jersey.

But I guess that leaves another question. When this jersey is retired, will the Panthers go back to the third jersey drawing board? Or will they stick with just two sweaters for a while? And if they do try a new third, what's there best bet? 

More Third Jersey Schedules for 2011-12

The Icethetics Season Preview will continue, but news has been taking precendence for the last couple days. Today, we have a handful of official third jersey schedules that a few teams have released for the 2011-12 season (in order of their jersey ranking).

The Minnesota Wild are set to bring back the NHL's only green sweater for its third season. The club recently released the third jersey schedule for the 2011-12 season and it's the first of five I have to share with you today.

The Wild's alternate uniform, unveiled in 2009, came in at 30th overall in the Icethetics NHL Uniform Ranking for 2010-11, which came out on Monday. The team will use it 15 times this season, the league maximum for third jerseys.

John MaddenHere's a look at all the dates you can expect to see them:

• Sat., Oct. 8 – vs. Columbus Blue Jackets
• Tues., Oct. 18 – vs. Pittsburgh Penguins
• Sat., Oct. 29 – vs. Detroit Red Wings
• Fri., Nov. 25 – vs. Edmonton Oilers
• Mon., Nov. 28 – vs. Tampa Bay Lightning
• Wed., Dec. 14 – vs. Chicago Blackhawks
• Sat., Dec. 17 – vs. New York Islanders
• Sat., Dec. 31 – vs. Phoenix Coyotes
• Sat., Jan. 21 – vs. Dallas Stars
• Thurs., Feb. 16 – vs. Winnipeg Jets
• Sun., Feb. 19 – vs. Boston Bruins
• Sun., Mar. 4 – vs. Colorado Avalanche
• Sat., Mar. 17 – vs. Carolina Hurricanes
• Tues., Mar. 27 – vs. New York Rangers
• Sat., Apr. 7 – vs. Phoenix Coyotes

All of these dates are home games.

And you'll notice the schedule includes St. Patrick's Day (March 17). As I mentioned, the Wild are currently the only NHL club with a green sweater in their arsenal.

The Buffalo Sabres are keeping their new third jersey around a little longer. In our NHL Uniform Ranking, the sweater finished 34th out of 90. Not bad but not great either.

On Wednesday, the Sabres confirmed that the sweater will be back for at least another season as they released a schedule of when it's to be worn during the 2011-12 season. It was launched last year as part of the club's 40th anniversary celebrations.

Jason PominvilleAccording to the team, the royal blue uniform will be seen in eight games this season, six at home and two on the road.

• Thurs., Oct. 27 – vs. Columbus Blue Jackets
• Sat., Nov. 5 – at Ottawa Senators
• Wed., Nov. 16 – vs. New Jersey Devils
• Sat., Dec. 3 – at Nashville Predators
• Fri., Dec. 9 – vs. Florida Panthers
• Tues., Jan. 3 – vs. Edmonton Oilers
• Fri., Feb. 10 – vs. Dallas Stars
• Wed., Mar. 14 – vs. Colorado Avalanche

It's surprisingly limited use for a third jersey. The NHL limit is about 15 games a season and most teams stick pretty close to that. Plus it was a pretty popular jersey last year.

In addition to these dates, the Sabres also said they'll wear their white road jerseys at home on Fri., Jan. 13 to accommodate the Maple Leafs sporting their new alternates that night.

By the way, one of the features of this jersey last year was the logo that was used as the club's anniversary mark — the classic Sabres logo with 1970 between the crossed swords. I assume that's staying as it's generic enough to not necessarily refer to the 40th anniversary. But I'll keep an eye on it anyway.

In 45th place in the Ranking — dead center — was the black Carolina Hurricanes third jersey, which is entering its fourth season in use.

The Canes recently released their third jersey schedule for the 2011-12 season. It includes 14 dates — all at home — one of which was just this week.

Jiri TlustyHere's when you can expect to see the black sweaters thoughout the new season:

• Wed., Oct. 12 – vs. Boston Bruins
• Tues., Oct. 25 – vs. Ottawa Senators
• Fri., Nov. 4 – vs. Washington Capitals
• Fri., Nov. 18 – vs. Buffalo Sabres
• Wed., Nov. 23 – vs. Montreal Canadiens
• Tues., Nov. 29 – vs. Florida Panthers
• Thurs., Dec. 1 – vs. New York Rangers
• Thurs., Dec. 15 – vs. Vancouver Canucks
• Wed., Dec. 21 – vs. Phoenix Coyotes
• Thurs., Dec. 29 – vs. Toronto Maple Leafs
• Fri., Jan. 6 – vs. Buffalo Sabres
• Fri., Jan. 20 – vs. Washington Capitals
• Mon., Feb. 20 – vs. Washington Capitals
• Sat., Feb. 25 – vs. Florida Panthers

Again with the Sabres on everyone's third jersey schedule. And it looks like the Capitals won't be seeing the Hurricanes' red jersey at all this season.

If I'm being cynical, I'd say this schedule may have something to do with selling jerseys for the holidays. Rather than being evenly spread out over the season, 10 of the 14 occasions are bunched up before or near Christmas. Just saying.

Coming in at 60th in our Ranking was the new third jersey launched by the Columbus Blue Jackets last year around Thanksgiving. This will be its second season in use.

On Wednesday, the team released its schedule for the special uniform during the 2011-12 season. It will see action in 12 games this year — 10 at home and two on the road. The first time will be against the Ducks on Halloween weekend.

R.J. UmbergerHere's how all of the Jackets' third jersey nights shake out:

• Sun., Oct. 30 – vs. Anaheim Ducks
• Sat., Nov. 5 – at Philadelphia Flyers
• Sat., Nov. 12 – vs. Winnipeg Jets
• Fri., Nov. 25 – vs. Buffalo Sabres
• Sat., Dec. 10 – vs. Boston Bruins
• Sat., Dec. 17 – vs. Tampa Bay Lightning
• Sat., Jan. 14 – vs. San Jose Sharks
• Sun., Feb. 12 – vs. Anaheim Ducks
• Sat., Feb. 18 – vs. Chicago Blackhawks
• Sun., Feb. 26 – at Pittsburgh Penguins
• Sun., Mar. 11 – vs. St. Louis Blues
• Wed., Mar. 28 – vs. Detroit Red Wings

Both times the Blue Jackets will sport their thirds on the road will be in neighboring state Pennsylvania. Interesting. Anyone want to talk about realignment? (Kidding!)

For the record, the Jackets still have their original third jersey launch page up on their website if you want more details about its design and such.

We finish with one of the lowest-rated jerseys in our 2010-11 Ranking. The Phoenix Coyotes alternate is 79th of 90. Ouch.

On Friday, in the Desert Dog Blog on the Coyotes' official website, it was announced that the team will wear the third jersey for every Thursday home game as well as the Friday after Thanksgiving. This will be be its fourth season in use.

Derek MorrisThey don't actually list the dates on their website, but based on the days they mention, here's how it all works out:

• Thurs., Oct. 20 – vs. Los Angeles Kings
• Thurs., Oct. 27 – vs. New Jersey Devils
• Thurs., Nov. 3 – vs. Nashville Predators
• Thurs., Nov. 10 – vs. Montreal Canadiens
• Fri., Nov. 25 – vs. Vancouver Canucks
• Thurs., Dec. 15 – vs. Edmonton Oilers
• Thurs., Jan. 19 – vs. Detroit Red Wings
• Thurs., Feb. 9 – vs. Calgary Flames
• Thurs., Mar. 1 – vs. Calgary Flames
• Thurs., Mar. 8 – vs. Minnesota Wild
• Thurs., Mar. 22 – vs. Colorado Avalanche
• Thurs., Mar. 29 – vs. San Jose Sharks

The Devils and Canadiens are the only Eastern Conference teams set to see the black thirds in action. The Flames will be the only team to see it twice.

The leaping coyote sweater is entering its fourth season in use by Phoenix, despite its unpopularity with Icethetics readers.

That's all I have for today. This post was supposed to go up on Thursday, but I just haven't had time to get it all assembled. I've also been aiming to wrap up the Icethetics Season Preview which has been a pretty spectacular cluster this year. I'll get there but...

All of that is taking a backseat next week to the launch of the IceHL Jersey Design Contest. We need to get that off the ground sooner rather than later. So I'll probably spend the rest of the weekend getting that ready to open up early in the week.

Update on Sunday · Oct 16 · 2011 | 6:02 PM PDT by Chris

I initially left the Tampa Bay Lightning out of this post because they haven't officially released a third jersey schedule that I know of. That said, over the last few years, they've typically used the blue BOLTS jersey exclusively for weekend home games.

The team has said the jersey will carry over following the recent rebranding, but obviously the shoulder patches — which featured the old primary logo — are going away. I'm not sure if they'll be replaced with the new logo or if they'll just be removed completely. The third jerseys now for sale online have no shoulder patches at all. But we'll have to wait for a game to know for sure.

Again, this 13-game schedule is only theoretical. It's based on what the Lightning have done in the past, so I can't guarantee accuracy.

• Sat., Oct. 22 – vs. Buffalo Sabres
• Sat., Oct. 29 – vs. Winnipeg Jets
• Sat., Nov. 19 – vs. New Jersey Devils
• Sat., Nov. 26 – vs. Florida Panthers
• Sat., Dec. 3 – vs. New York Rangers
• Sat., Dec. 31 – vs. Carolina Hurricanes
• Sun., Jan. 15 – vs. Pittsburgh Penguins
• Sat., Feb. 4 – vs. Florida Panthers
• Sat., Feb. 18 – vs. Washington Capitals
• Sat., Mar. 10 – vs. Carolina Hurricanes
• Sat., Mar. 17 – vs. St. Louis Blues
• Sat., Mar. 24 – vs. New York Islanders
• Sat., Mar. 31 – vs. Winnipeg Jets

Like I said, this isn't official, but obviously I'll be keeping an eye on it as the season progresses. I'm especially curious to see what changes they make to make it part of the new look (current blue pants or black shells, for instance).

By the way, it'll be another couple of weeks before there are enough photos out there for me to update the Jersey Galleries, but it will happen. That's easily my favorite section of Icethetics.