First Look: Senators Heritage Jersey

This one is an Icethetics exclusive! We've known for some time that the Ottawa Senators will launch a Heritage Jersey for their upcoming 20th anniversary season. Folks, here's your first look at it.

Take your first look at the Senators' new Heritage Jersey / Icethetics

An Icethetics reader was kind enough to pass along the above image along with several others I'll get to in a moment. I'm playing the anonymous card here so as to keep from getting anyone in trouble. So I guess you'd have to call it a leak.

Now what are we looking at exactly? I'm told the above image originates from a Senators alumnus. It's black and white because it's a photocopy, but I think it's safe to say you can mentally replace the grey with red. It's part of a packet that outlines the club's grand plans to celebrate its heritage this season. And the plans sound just as great as this uniform looks!

I'll get to all of it shortly but first, the jersey design itself. It's very close to the concept Jacob Barrette designed some years ago. The key difference is the striping around the waist. Plus, the above image fully lines up with the sneak peek the team showed us back in March, right down to the new shield logo on the shoulder — though we're not getting a good look at it in this image, obviously.

My take? Absolutely brilliant. This is precisely what the Senators needed to do with a Heritage Jersey. They recognized that and executed it deftly. I can only imagine how good it will look in action this fall. I'm a huge fan. And to be honest, I can't imagine we'll hear from any true dissenters. Who could really dislike this? It will be the perfect replacement for one of the ugliest third jerseys in the NHL.

What I've cropped off the top of the photo for aesthetic purposes is the following text: "New Heritage Jersey" in bold at the top; followed by "Worn at all 11 home heritage games and 2 national broadcast away games."

Now onto the rest of the packet. As I said, it basically talks about what the team is planning for this season in terms of marketing. Below you'll find transcripts of the photos I received. (Rather do it this way than posting a bunch of blurry photos. Spelling and grammatical errors attributed to original text.)

---

The Game Everything starts with the game and we'll celebrate the game over the entire season as well as having specific focus on some key areas for 10 games.

• All-Star — games leading up to All-Star game recognize Ottawa All-Stars, All-Star moments
• Legends Nights — Orr, Howe, Potvin, Lemieux, Yzerman
• Team Canada 72 — Henderson, T. Esposito, Cournoyer
• Women's Hockey — Cassie Campbell
• World Juniors — 2009 Gold Medal win
• Minor Hockey — tell the stories of the passion that kids have for the game, recognize the volunteers that give so much to our game. Bell Capital Cup.

Heritage Other heritage elements will include:

• Jerseys worn for away game in Montreal and Toronto on National TV. Have team travel by train in heritage look (fedoras) and sell packages for fans.
• Hockey Hall of Fame displays at Scotiabank Place at NHL All-Star Fanfest and at Governor General's Residence (leading up to and during All-Star)
• Citizen special pages tied to each heritage game
• Tickets for heritage games designed with heritage look/images
• New heritage merchandise location at section 328

In Arena

• Opening Week — luncheon with 92-93 team at Aberdeen Pavilion
• Opening Night — celebrate 92-93 team
• Game Nights — 20th Anniversary, Heritage, The Game
• Fan and player stories — game, team
• Interior / Exterior Exhibits and Installations

20th Anniversary 4 Key games to highlight significant moments in the modern era. Programming to include pin or handout, alumni/VIP appearances, luncheon, special merchandise.

• 1992-93 Team — Boschman, Marsh, Turgeon, Brady, Shaw, Archibald, Lamb, Loewen, Smail, Sidorkiewicz, Rumble, Peluso, Murphy, McBain
• First playoffs — Duchesne, Tugnutt
• Wayne Gretzky's last game in Canada
• 2007 Stanley Cup Finals

---

That's what has been sent to me — unofficially, of course. Sounds like there's a lot for Sens fans to get excited about this season — their new sweater especially. I can't get over how great it is that an NHL team is actually doing something that all of us jersey geeks have been hoping for.

The two road games in which the Senators will sport the Heritage Jersey are against the Maple Leafs and Canadiens. A quick glance at the schedule tells us the Sens are in Toronto on Oct. 8, Nov. 12 and Jan. 17 and in Montreal on Jan. 14, Mar. 14 and Mar. 23. 

Their home opener is on Oct. 11 against the Minnesota Wild, which is when the Heritage Jersey is likely to make its game debut. That should be the first of 13 total games in which it will be used during the 2011-12 campaign. I'm guessing the full schedule will be released at a later date.

If you've got questions, feel free to ask, but I've pretty much exhausted my knowledge on the subject with this post. If it's not here, I probably don't have an answer to give. I suspect my inbox will start filling up with concepts based on the above image, so it won't be long before you'll be able to see it in full color.

---

Related: Check out these Senators concepts from early March. I think you'll find Tex Fischer's is the closest to the striping pattern seen in the actual design. But they're all very similar to the real thing.

Update on Tuesday · Aug 2 · 2011 | 9:54 AM PDT by Chris

I've got some replies to questions that have come in via email, Twitter and the comments below.

Heritage defined This Heritage Jersey has nothing to do with the Heritage Classic outdoor game. NHL commissioner Gary Bettman has already said there will not be one this season. "Heritage," in this sense, refers to the Senators' 20th anniversary celebration during the coming season. In fairness, it's not only about their own two decades of existence but the old Ottawa Senators from the 1920s as well.

Vintage white Back in March the Senators gave us a sneak peek at the new sweater. From the photo, it appeared to be true white, not this beige color that's been called "vintage" white. But then we were looking at a projector screen image so I can't say the colors were spot on. Then more recently, I was told that it would be vintage white on this uniform. Once again, nothing has been made official yet, so I can't speak with any certainty. And the above image is black and white, so that doesn't tell us anything.

If you have any other questions I can answer, I'll do so here.

Sharks Announce 3rd Jersey Schedule

We're still months away from the start of the season, but the San Jose Sharks have already announced third jersey dates for the 2011-12 season. They'll wear it 15 times, all at home, mostly on Thursday nights.

The black sweater was launched in 2008 under the nickname BlackArmor during a brief sponsorship agreement with Seagate. The Sharks wore it for home games throughout their 2011 Stanley Cup playoff run.

Patrick MarleauHere's the new schedule from the team's official website:

• Thurs., Nov. 3 – vs Pittsburgh Penguins
• Thurs., Nov. 10 – vs. Minnesota Wild
• Thurs., Nov. 17 – vs. Detroit Red Wings
• Thurs., Dec. 1 – vs. Montreal Canadiens
• Thurs., Dec. 8 – vs. Dallas Stars
• Thurs., Dec. 15 – vs. Colorado Avalanche
• Fri., Dec. 23 – vs. Los Angeles Kings
• Thurs., Jan. 5 – vs. Columbus Blue Jackets
• Thurs., Jan. 19 – vs. Ottawa Senators
• Thurs., Feb. 2 – vs. Dallas Stars
• Fri., Feb. 10 – vs. Chicago Blackhawks
• Thurs., Mar. 1 – vs. Buffalo Sabres
• Thurs., Mar. 15 – vs. Nashville Predators
• Thurs., Mar. 22 – vs. Boston Bruins
• Sat., Apr. 7 – vs. Los Angeles Kings

The Kings and Stars will each face the Sharks in black for two of their three visits to San Jose. Five of the 15 games are against Eastern Conference foes.

Of course, as the team's website notes, the above schedule is subject to change. And not that you care, but in the odd case that you wanted a quick link back to the Sharks' 2010-11 third jersey schedule, here it is.

Thrashers Retire Third Jersey

Thrashers retire 3rd jerseyAfter three long seasons, the Atlanta Thrashers have mercifully announced they are retiring their football basketball third jersey.

Blueland Blog, an arm of the Thrashers' official website, posted the news today and added that the team will NOT wear a third jersey at all in the 2011-12 season. Blogger Ben Wright wrote:

Some fans loved them, and others weren’t big fans. Whether you were a fan of the red third jerseys or not, they were unique, but their time has come to an end.

After launching in the fall of 2008 and being worn for three seasons as an alternate home jersey the red Thrashers jersey is being retired. The Thrashers will return to the basics next season and stick with their regular home and road uniforms with no third jersey in 2011-12.

Were you a fan? Will you miss it?

I may not be a Thrashers fan. But as someone with an appreciation for hockey uniforms, I think it was a wreck. But that wasn't always the case.

When it was first unveiled on Oct. 8, 2008, I wrote, "this is a great jersey if you can look past the front of it. I like sleeves, the logo element on the shoulders and the striping looks great. I just can't quite get past the text and the giant number on the front."

I still mostly stand by that. I like slightly oversized shoulder patches and the stripes on the sleeves. And I was always on the fence about the socks and the odd elements on the sides of the jersey.

But after years of seeing it over and over again I've been unable to reconcile the front of that uniform. It's just not what a hockey uniform should look like. Not that I'm any kind of authority on that. I'm a fan like anyone else. And coloring outside the lines is usually a good thing.

I just won't miss this one. Will you? Will you miss the Thrashers having a third jersey option? Should they take another stab in 2012-13 or stick with two for a while?

---

Related: Atlanta Thrashers jersey gallery

Senators Confirm New Third Jersey

The Ottawa Senators held their fan forum call today and use thed opportunity to officially confirm their intention to launch a brand new "heritage" third jersey to mark their 20th anniversary season in 2011-12.

Taking a page out of the Buffalo Sabres' book, the Sens' new sweater will be a throwback to a team that existed long before they did. The team's owner, president and general manager were all on the call and also discussed the 2012 NHL All-Star Game.

Here are some of the relevant details from their website:

2011-12 season: The Senators will celebrate the club’s 20th anniversary in the National Hockey League throughout the whole season. Celebrations will highlight the Senators and city of Ottawa playing host to the 2012 NHL All-Star Game and Weekend, as well as recognize the 11 Stanley Cup-winning teams of early-era.

Senators heritage jersey: The Senators will introduce a new third jersey, a heritage jersey in recognition of early-era teams.

2012 NHL All-Star Game and Weekend: Senators full- and half-season seat owners, renewing by March 31, will receive priority access to tickets for the all-star game. New purchasers will also have access.

They offered no specific information on the design of the new alternate sweater, but based on the mention of "early-era teams," I think we can make a few good guesses. You know where to send your concept art.

Update on Wednesday · Mar 2 · 2011 | 5:28 PM PST by Chris

Sens concept / Jacob BarretteThis might be a good time to point out some previous Icethetics posts that have some relevance to today's news.

• In August 2009, we held a poll between the Senators' current third jersey and Jacob Barrette's concept design (right). Guess which one got 88% of the vote.
• A couple months ago, Ottawa's AHL farm club in Binghamton sported the barber-pole look with "vintage white." It was not pretty. Worse (if possible) than Calgary's Winter Classic threads.
• Also in January, the Ottawa Sun speculated on an "O" jersey for the Sens next season.
• Perhaps most noteworthy, both the barber-pole and the Barrette jersey designs have appeared on the Sens' official website in the past. I'm referring to an artist rendering of the O Store at ScotiaBank Place from 2009.
• And lastly, memories... If you want to get all nostalgic on the now "old" Ottawa third jersey. Remember when it first leaked?

That's all I've got for now. Anything else would just be speculation.

Update on Thursday · Mar 3 · 2011 | 11:39 AM PST by Chris

The story continues today with more speculation on the design of Ottawa's new third jersey.

Senators O T-shirt / Joel HouleFirst, one reader pointed out that the Senators are actually selling a T-shirt that looks and awful lot like Barrette's concept jersey (see above).

Even if it doesn't end up being the new sweater, it's at least nice to know that design is available on officially licensed merchandise. And don't mind the ignoramuses who say it looks like a zero. They're just trying to goad Sens fans.

Second, The 6th Sens blog picked up on a radio interview that revealed some new information on the actual design of the new uniform. Sens president Cyril Leeder was asked for details. He actually gave some:

Looking to see whether Leeder would disclose any hints about the sweaters or keep those cards close to his chest, Lloyd asked, "Are we going to see some kind of barber-pole ... old-school [look]?"

Leeder replied, "Well, you'll definitely see a barber-pole. ... The original barber-pole was the Ottawa Senators jersey so it's definitely going to be part of the design.

"We've actually got the prototype sitting right in the office next to me here and we think it's a sharp jersey. It's really going to be a great jersey and a good testament and tribute to the teams that started hockey here in this city. And really ... the first dynasty in the NHL was the Ottawa Senators."

We keep talking about the B-Sens barber-pole jersey and Barrette's design as though it has to be one or the other. The way I see Leeder's comment, why can't it be a mix of both?

Ottawa 67's / Blitzen PhotographyHe says the barber-pole will be "part of the design." That means the entire jersey doesn't have to be covered in stripes — maybe just the sleeves?

If that sounds familiar to you, you're probably a fan of the OHL's Ottawa 67's who currently wear a sweater quite similar to that description.

Personally, I'm pulling for this look as I just can't stomach another jersey covered in bad stripes — especially one that will see action up to 15 games a season.

I've always thought CHL teams have some of the best uniforms in hockey (and I can't wait to try to put together their jersey galleries). And while the 67's jersey isn't my favorite, it would be a solid choice for a Sens alternate.

One reason I say that is because of its similarity to the team's current black third. And that could be a good thing. While Icethetics readers may not like it, it's apparently very popular among people who spend money on jerseys in Ottawa.

Still, I can't help but worry we'll be disappointed by the Senators — as it's happened all too often in the past.

What do you guys think? Would the 67's jersey be a good look? The barber-pole? Barrette's jersey? Or should it be something entirely new and original?

Reversing the Curse of the Cannon

One of the last stories I posted before my brief leave of absence — to move 5,000 miles from my home in Tampa — was the unveiling of the Columbus Blue Jackets third jersey. That story then proceeded to take on a life of its own while I was getting settled in Seattle.

R.J. Umberger / photo by Bill Wippert/NHLIIf you're all about superstition in sport, then this story I'm about to recount is certainly for you. It's been said the Blue Jackets were cursed by the cannon jersey. Why?

It started with the official unveiling at a mall in Columbus while the players were on the road facing the Islanders — who, by the way, were 0-11-3 in the 14 games leading up. The Jackets took a 2-1 lead into the intermission. Then the jerseys saw the light of day for the first time between periods back at the mall. It only took 51 seconds of the second period for the Isles to tie the game.

A team that hadn't won a game in over a month proceeded to force the Blue Jackets into overtime. It was a W for Columbus, but only just. Still, it put the Blue Jackets atop the Central Division. So it was back home to take on the perennial division champ, the Red Wings.

The jersey made it's debut on Nov. 26, as scheduled, as the Jackets hosted the Wings. But Columbus was edged out, 2-1, ending a five-game winning streak. Two nights later, they brought the new threads to Detroit. Lost again, 4-2.

Almost a week later, the third jersey was on the schedule again. This time, the Blue Jackets were demolished by the Sabres in Buffalo, 5-0. And the next night, back in Ohio's capital city, the Penguins handed them a 7-2 thumping.

Head coach Scott Arniel had enough of this. The cannon sweater was back on the schedule a week later, Dec. 11, when his team was hosting the Rangers. Yet they skated out in their standard-issue home attire.

Blue Jackets wear the cannon / photo by Jamie Sabau/NHLIColumbus Dispatch writer Michael Arace quoted Arniel as saying, “I just thought our red pants against their red pants would look really cool.”

Sure, coach. It wasn't the 0-4 record in the third jerseys. It was your sense of style. Still, the Jackets came away with a 3-1 victory that night. It broke a streak of seven games in which Columbus couldn't close the deal in regulation time. 

On the heels of the swirling rumors that superstition was behind the last-minute change, the third jersey schedule was mysteriously removed from the team's website. But it remained on Icethetics for fans to be reminded of the team's original intentions. So we watched and waited for Dec. 18, the next third jersey date on the calendar.

Sure enough, the Blue Jackets wore the alternates against the Stars. If they had killed the jersey, it would've been bad. For one thing, there was all the publicity surrounding the unveiling. And let's not forget the boatloads of fans who bought them. But Dallas won. That made Columbus 0-5 in the new duds.

The losing streak finally came to an end on Dec. 27, when the Blue Jackets beat the Wild in a shootout. And four nights later, they closed out 2010 with an overtime win against Ottawa, all while wearing the third jersey. But they still haven't managed a regulation win in the alternate sweater.

Is the cannon jersey really cursed? If so, their next chance to break it is Jan. 14 against the Red Wings. But let's not forget this is a team that struggled all month, regardless of what uniform they wore. And the remaining dates originally scheduled for the third jersey are back on the team's website.

So, now I have to ask: Do the hockey gods have something against the cannon? Against it being the umpteenth dark blue alternate jersey in the NHL? Or is it just getting a bad reputation for being in the wrong place at the wrong time?