A Brief History: Calgary Flames Alternate Captain Patch

The Calgary Flames, believe it or not, used to be based to Atlanta.  There, the flames had a logo that was a flaming "A" instead of a flaming "C".  What is interesting about the flaming "A" is that it is still present on two Calgary sweaters today, those are the sweaters of the team's alternate captains.

Mike Cammalleri and his alternate captain patch

It is a hockey tradition that each team has one captain (who wears a "C" on his chest) and two alternate captains (who wear an "A" on their chests).  Every single NHL team, except for Calgary, makes their captain letters the same font as the numbers on the back of their jersey.

Calgary, unlike the rest of the league, does not match the font on the back of their jerseys with their alternate captain "A's" as they use the old Atlanta Flames logo instead.  I find this very creative and I think it is a smart move by the Calgary management because not only does it pay a tribute to the franchise's old team, it gives the lifelong Atlanta and Calgary fans a blast from the past!

Let us know what you think about the Calgary Flames alternate captain letters on our Twitter account (@JerseyCloset).  Also, if you have any suggestions for next Friday's "A Brief History" segment, let us know!

Thanks for reading!
  

The Ice (Wednesday Guest Blog)

 


People always ask me about the ice hockey rinks and how they work. For example, how is the ice white and not clear, thickness, how much water does it take etc. This is a huge topic so I decided to just focus today's blog on the "ice" of a hockey rink.

It's easy to overlook the surface that makes indoor ice hockey possible. The quality of the ice surface makes a huge difference especially at the highest levels of competition. Forming a good skating surface isn't simple like making ice cubes. Preparing and freezing a rink properly happens in no less than a dozen stages, with some stages laying ice as thin as 1/32 of an inch. Some of the layers require paint to create the background plus the process to provide clear markings in order to play hockey.

Oxygen is what gives an ice cube its cloudy core, too much of it softens ice, making skate blades sink. Layers of ice create strength and density. The first layer is the "bonding layer" which freezes almost immediately after being sprayed on the frozen concrete base. The second layer is painted bright white which allows for a strong contrast between the black hockey puck and ice. Lines and logos are all placed in the first eighth of an inch.

Making an ice rink isn't as simple as flooding the floor with gallons of water. The crew must apply the water carefully and slowly, in order to insure ideal thickness. An ice surface that is too thick requires more energy to keep frozen and is prone to getting soft on the top. A surface that is too thin is also dangerous because skaters risk cutting straight through the ice.  It takes between 12,000 and 15,000 gallons to form a hockey rink surface.

Next episode....ice resurfacing...The Zamboni!

OFF DAY: Stay Tuned for Wednesday's Guest Blog

There will be no article today, but get ready for Wednesday's guest blog!

In the meantime, enjoy this article on the 2014 Sochi Olympic Hockey Jerseys: http://www.stanleycupofchowder.com/2013/11/6/5073538/sochi-2014-ranking-the-olympic-jerseys


Thanks!

A Brief History: Colorado Avalanche Yeti Logo

The Colorado Avalanche are often considered the NHL team with the most odd and peculiar secondary logo in the game.  This logo (above) is of the foot of the mythical creature known as the Yeti.  As strange as this logo may be, it does make sense for a team based in Denver as Yeti's are often rumored to have been spotted in Colorado's cold snowy mountains.

As much sense as it may make, however, many people ask themselves the question, "why?"  Why did the team decide to use such a logo and affiliate themselves with a Yeti?  Well, actually, there is no official answer to that question as the franchise has never offered an explanation!

In our opinion, we feel the team did this simply to be different and create a unique yet appealing jersey concept.  Maroon is already an uncommon base color for a jersey, so it would make sense for the jersey to have an uncommon logo as well!

What is your opinion on the Avalanche Yeti logo?  Let us know in the comments below or by tweeting us on Twitter (@JerseyCloset).


Thanks for reading!

A Brief History: The Start of the LA Kings Silver and Black Era

Everybody can remember the day when Wayne Gretzky was traded from the Edmonton Oilers to the Los Angeles Kings.  However, something that often goes unrecognized from that same event was the re-branding of the Kings.  After rocking their historic yellow and purple color scheme for over three decades, the Kings (only a few days after the Gretzky trade) simplified their look going to a black, silver, and white color scheme. 

This change was not a coincidence with Gretzky's arrival, however, as the Kings re-vamped their look solely because of him.  They knew they had just went from a nobody franchise to an organization with the best player to ever live, so they had to make a statement.

As you can see today, this style was well accepted by Kings fans and black, silver, and white have been the franchise's colors ever since!  In fact, the Kings would win their first Stanley Cup in these colors.


Thanks for reading this weeks "A Brief History!"  Please let us know what you think in the comments.