Winter Classic Jerseys Leaked? EDIT: Philly's Included

According to multiple photos and threads on HFBoards (viewable here and here), the Bruins special edition Winter Classic jersey has been leaked a few days early. The Flyers were supposed to release their jerseys today and the Bruins on the 17th, but two different photos appear to show the new jersey in the possession of Bruins goalie Tim Thomas, who was recently in New York City filming promotional material for Versus.

Photo 1, posted by HFBoards user "Todd Elik":


And photo 2, posted by HF user "Morris Wanchuk"which gives a much better look at the sweater. Not sure yet where/when this was taken and who Thomas'...uh..."companion" is:



Again, these are "alleged" leaks, and may not be the actual jerseys. However, if they are, they appear to be a take on the B's jersey from 1942-1947, a jersey that some are saying the B's wore for the club's 25th anniversary season in 1949. One of the early points of contention is the more rounded and cartoonish-looking "B" on the crest of the sweater. The "B", or a form of it, can be seen here at SportsLogos.net. (I couldn't save the picture for some reason.)

My take? Overall, a pretty nice looking sweater. The gold jersey is much better than their last attempt at a gold uniform (though as I've said before, I kind of liked the "Pooh" jerseys), and I like the bands and piping on the jersey. Some may be turned off by the different looking crest, but, as Pittsburgh's Winter Classic sweater showed, different isn't necessarily bad.

Once more, these are alleged leaks, and could be all wrong. However, if they are the actual jerseys, I give them a thumbs-up. The B's went traditional without going too old school, and should see a decent amount of these jerseys peppered in the Fenway Park crowd come January 1st.

Opinions on the sweaters? Yay? Nay?


EDIT, 5:02 PM: Here are some pics from Philly's official unveiling earlier this afternoon. All are property of the NHL, no copyright infringement intended, and the entire gallery can be seen here.

I think the Flyers' jerseys look pretty sharp as well. I like the stripes down the arm and the horizontal orange stripe across the bottom. My only issue is with the black nameplate visible in the first picture. It seems a little out of place, but basically what this jersey seems to be is an "away" version of the Flyers' extremely popular third jersey. The black nameplate isn't necessarily bad, just a little "different".

Though the contrasting colors between the nameplate and the letters will help fans be able to read Ray Emery's name from under the Fenway scoreboard in center field...maybe it was a good move after all.

"Major Announcement" Coming Wednesday

In an email, the Boston Bruins stated that the NHL would be making "a major announcement" on Wednesday, one that "will be great news for Bruins fans everywhere".

Hm. I wonder what it could be?

______________________

From the email:

WHAT: The National Hockey League will make a major announcement concerning a special event.

WHEN: Wednesday, July 15 @ 2:00 PM ET

WHERE: Watch it stream live on Wednesday by visiting BOSTONBRUINS.COM ...


A "special event"? A "major announcement"? Could it be...is the NHL FINALLY going to announce that it plans to hold the 2010 Winter Classic at Fenway Park? The Red Sox will still be on MLB's All-Star Break, so chances are the press conference will be held at Fenway. We should finally learn who the opponent will be (odds-on favorites: the Philadelphia Flyers), and other particulars, such as field layout and other events may be announced as well.

In any case, it will be good to finally have all of this confirmed. Speculation has been swirling for months, with no one from the Bruins, Red Sox or anyone else willing to confirm or deny the reports. Stay tuned for more info, but in all likelihood we'll be reading about ice on the Fenway diamond come next week.

Double Dose of Winter Wonderland?

ESPN.com and TSN.ca are both reporting that the NHL may hold a second Winter Classic on New Year's Day 2010. The Bruins, rumored yet not officially announced as hosts of the Classic, are supposedly slated to play either the Washington Capitals or the Philadelphia Flyers at Fenway Park on New Year's day.

One of the interesting things about the Classic was the newness of it, and some lustre may be lost if the league holds more than one outdoor game. However, put me in the camp of people who think, "the more the merrier." No, I'm not advocating that every team play an outdoor game each year (though Kings vs. Ducks at Dodger Stadium would be a smash hit!), but why not include another two markets in what has become a huge success for the NHL?

The rumors have it that the Calgary Flames would host the second half of a New Year's Day doubleheader, playing at McMahon Stadium, home of the CFL's Calgary Stampeders, and would play against another Canadian team. A game between two franchises from the Great White North may not be a ratings boon in the United States, but would be huge among Canadian viewers. Besides, NBC is likely to put all of its viewer eggs in the American basket anyways, as Boston is large TV market (as is Philadelphia), and any game featuring Washington's Alexander Ovechkin will draw in other hockey fans, casual viewers and closet hockey fans.

So put me amongst the few who don't think a second classic in 2010 would "take away" from the Bruins' hosting one. A full day of hockey to kick off the New Year sounds good to me. Plus, if nothing else, it will be fascinating to see what the weather is like in Calgary, where January is the coldest month. The average high is 26.96 degrees Fahrenheit. Yes, that's the HIGH. The low, you ask? 4.82 degrees F. Good luck, Jarome Iginla.

Photo Credit: Boston Herald Graphic

Go B's.