Shudder Island

Let's be honest right off the bat here in HBIC and say that this is the day that all of us have been waiting for since the New York Islanders announced their contest where anyone - fans, fashion designers, blind people, or players themselves - could design the Islanders' third jersey that they'll wear during the 2027-28 season. Today marked the day that the Islanders unveiled their eight finalists in their jersey design contest, and there was high hope that the new jerseys would be the best Islanders jersey in history. Of course, I may have set the bar a little high, so let's see what the Islanders gave us.

I'm going to look at each of these jerseys through an objective lens being that I own both a home and road Islanders jersey, a home Fisherman jersey, and a Stockton Thunder "Heritage Hockey" jersey from 2014 when the Thunder were an Islanders' affiliate. I'll also be conjuring the ghosts of the Bridgeport Islanders and that Islanders' Reverse Retro jersey when looking at the candidates, so let me be clear that I want to see original designs for this third jersey!

Without further adieu, let's check out these potential third jerseys!

NAVY LIGHTHOUSE: For as much of a fan as I am of the lighthouse logo, this jersey feels woefully incomplete. The lack of a shoulder yoke seems like an easy fix, but the teal colour isn't needed as a stripe. These are decent, but they could have been more.

JERSEY SCORE: ★★★☆☆

ORANGE LIGHTHOUSE: When did the Islanders become the Edmonton Oilers? Sure, there are minor differences, but this one is automatically disqualified for being an Oilers knockoff and for the awful 2014 Stadium Series shoulder logos. No orange jerseys.

JERSEY SCORE: ☆☆☆☆☆☆ (extra empty stars for awfulness)

NAVY FISHERMAN: This is the 2022-23 Reverse Retro, but the hemstripe is now a modified wave stripe. I do like the lighthouse shoulder patches, but the name and number fonts leaves a lot to be desired. These jerseys need more colour and contrast to have that Fisherman logo pop off the chest. On this jersey, it does not.

JERSEY SCORE: ★★☆☆☆

ORANGE FISHERMAN: We finally got some contrast, but there's just way too much orange here. I wanted a Fisherman jersey, not a beacon on the ice. Is that hemstripe supposed to be a wave? I'm getting Edmonton Oilers vibes off this jersey as well. Not good.

JERSEY SCORE: ★☆☆☆☆

NAVY NY LOGO: This jersey is all sorts of awful and it starts with that garbage logo. The contrast on the stripes is good, but no shoulder yokes nor shoulder patches make this jersey feel incomplete. As such, this jersey can show itself out of the contest. Hard "no" from me.

JERSEY SCORE: ☆☆☆☆☆

ORANGE NY LOGO: I should have said off the top that all Stadium Series jerseys in NHL history have been total garbage, and this proposed jersey follows those ill-conceived jerseys with only two colours, the awful NY logo, and a terrible orange base colour. Let me correct myself: this is the worst jersey of the bunch by far.

JERSEY SCORE: ☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆ (lots of extra empty stars)

NAVY WORDMARK: Where the heck is the logo? It's a stupid nickname jersey, not a New York Islanders jersey. Was the designer making knockoff jerseys for Wal-Mart and Target? The stripe contrasts are nice, but this is not an NHL-calibre jersey by any measure.

JERSEY SCORE: ☆☆☆☆☆☆☆ (plenty of extra empty stars)

NAVY RUGBY: What the hell is this? Does this designer have a vested interest in rugby? The design is identical! This jersey commits the faux pas of having a chest stripe only on one side the jersey and the NY shoulder patches need to be outlawed. If the Islanders were a rugby team, they'd be ready for the pitch! Except they're not.

JERSEY SCORE: 🏉🏉🏉 (3/5 rugby balls)

Assuming that the Islanders received more than 80,000 submissions for their new third jerseys, these eight jerseys are some of THE WORST designs I have seen. And if you were paying attention while reading my scores, how is it that every front-facing jersey is wearing #62? Go back and look because it's not #26 based on the numbers that are visible. How did no one from the Islanders notice that detail?

Based on the jerseys chosen, it's clear that these alternate jerseys will only be worn at home since none of them have a white base colour. Frankly, the Islanders' white jerseys have, in my view, always looked better than the dark jerseys because the Islanders logo pops off the chest and has excellent contrast with the stripes. That was also true of the Fisherman jersey with its mix of colours and stripes, but I don't work for the Islanders when it comes to jersey design.

What I can tell you is that the eight designs above leave a lot to be desired. I get that the colour schemes and logos of the Islanders don't allow for a lot of variation when one is trying to come up with a snazzy third jersey, but there should have been an option for something other than navy and orange base colours. I took the liberty of desiging my own jersey which I kept upder wraps until now, so here's my design that the Islanders excluded from the final.

You might be thinking, "Teebz, those are just as bad as the jerseys above them," and you're entitled to your opinion. My thought process, however, was to recreate the arm and wave stripes in the same pattern as the background of the lighthouse logo, thereby tying the entire jersey together with the lighthouse logo being "on an island" in the middle of the jersey. I tried not to overthink this one.

I just don't see how any of the eight finalists they picked are remotely close to representing Long Island, the New York Islanders' history, nor the future of the franchise. I'd imagine these jerseys aren't one-and-done jerseys, but it sure feels like the Islanders are trying to make that happen with the eight finalists they chose. In any case, feel free to leave your takes in the comments below. I'm curious to see what people think of the finalists, but feel free to add your critique my jersey design if you like. I can handle it.

Based on my love for the Fisherman jersey, my design might be the ninth-best design shown here! Either way, Long Island is becoming Shudder Island with these frighteningly bad third jersey options.

Until next time, keep your sticks on the ice!

Touring All Of Russia

You'd be excused if you don't recognize the man to the left immediately. That's Russian forward Evgeny Kuznetsov who formerly played with the Washington Capitals and Carolina Hurricanes, but has spent the last three seasons in the KHL. In 2025, he teased the idea of returning to the NHL before signing another deal in the KHL, and it seems that love of home cooking will keep him there this season after he signed with Sibir Novosibirsk today, marking his fourth KHL team in three seasons. It seems that he just can't find the right fit in Mother Russia, but he'll give it a shot in the middle of Russia this season as Sibir adds a bonafide star to its roster!

Kuznetsov was admitted into the NHL/NHLPA Assistance Program on February 5, 2024 as he sought help for rheumatoid arthritis for which he was diagnosed pills and injections. He was cleared a month later, but he clearly wasn't the same flashy player as he was with the Capitals earlier in his career. Washington waived him, Carolina claimed him, but he only played twenty games for the Hurricanes.

Kuznetsov would take his talents to SKA St. Petersburg in 2024-25 where he scored 12 goals and 37 points in 35 games, but he was largely invisible in the playoffs. He would move to Metallurg Magnitogorsk in 2025-26, but lasted just 15 games there after scoring one goal and nine points. Metallurg would let him walk to Salavat Yulayev Ufa where he'd find more success with six goals and 18 points in 19 games, but he's missed more games than he's played in the last two seasons. Will that change after signing with Sibir?

At 34 years-old, it's hard to imagine that Sibir Novosibirsk will see a renaissance of the 2018 player that scored 27 goals and 83 points in the regular season before ripping through the playoffs with 12 goals and 32 points in 24 games en route to helping Washington win its first Stanley Cup. He could help Sibir improve on its 15-29-15-9 record (W-L-ETW-ETL) and eighth-place finish in the Eastern Conference, but they're going to need a big year out of the former NHL scoring star.

He could help players like last year's leading scorer Anton Kosolapov find a new level if he can bring leadership and vision, and veteran centerman Taylor Beck should give him a playmaking center if he can still skate as well as we've seen. Sibir's not going to hunt down teams like Ak Bars Kazan or Metallurg Magnitogorsk in the Eastern Conference with an addition like Kuznetsov, but avoiding them in the first round should be the target goal for this team this season.

The fun part of Kuznetsov's move to his fourth KHL team is that he's 18 teams away from completing the set. He starred with Traktor Chelyabinsk before jumping to the NHL, has now added three more teams to his resumé, and could conceivably suit up for every team by age 44 if he keeps up his current pace of landing with new teams!

Jokes aside, here's hoping that Evgeny Kuznetsov brings some scoring and leadership to Sibir Novosibirsk while playing a mentor role to some of Sibir's younger players. We know Kuznetsov doesn't have a lot of defensive tactics to share, but my guess is that Sibir wants him to dent twine rather than stickchecking opponents. I don't think he's going to put them over the top in their pursuit of the Gagarin Cup, but Sibir Novosibirsk got their star with Kuznetsov's signing today.

Will the "Birdman" fly again? We'll find out in Novosibirsk this season!

Until next time, keep your sticks on the ice!

And Then There Were Seven

Swiss hockey league fans will likely recognize the smiling face to the left as long-time Swedish star Fanny Rask who played with HC Ambrì-Piotta women's team in the PostFinance women's league in Switzerland. Fask had a solid season last year as she finished eleventh in Swiss League scoring, but the HC Ambrì-Piotta won't benefit from her presence on their roster or anyone else's presence on that roster after they decided to withdraw from the PostFinance Women's League for the 2026-27 season. As a result of that decision, the league will operate with seven teams this season after last season's fourth-place team cited a lack of prospects as the reason they would be unable to field a team.

As you may recall, SC Langenthal already shut down its program at the end of the 2025-26 season, and the SWHL-A league decided to promote Lausanne HC Féminin from the SWHL-B league to take Langenthal's spot. The eight-team schedule was released on July 3, 2026 with HC Ambrì-Piotta slotted in for the full season, but it seems things changed dramatically over the last month in Ambri.

On July 30, 2026, the team released the following statement:

"In recent weeks, the club has made every possible effort to complete the squad and create the necessary conditions to approach the season in a serious, sustainable manner that meets sporting expectations. Despite these efforts, it has not been possible to find a sufficient number of players to assemble a suitable squad."

I'm not saying that the growth of the PWHL is hurting European leagues, but seeing one of the better SWHL teams close the doors on this season isn't good. HC Ambrì-Piotta did note in their statement that this isn't the end for the Swiss women's club, stating,

"The club will immediately begin work to examine the sporting, organizational, and financial prerequisites necessary for a potential return to the National League B starting the following season. The goal will be to develop a solid and sustainable project that promotes the players and creates concrete prospects for the future of women's ice hockey in the blue and white."

Um, yay? The Ambrì-Piotta will voluntarily join the SWHL-B as they rebuild, but how do they attract talent to do that if they couldn't attract talent to play in Switzerland's top women's league? I'll let the powers-that-be who run HC Ambrì-Piotta answer that question, but I would guess that there are a pile of Canadian and American university graduates who would have jumped at the opportunity to join HC Ambrì-Piotta if given the chance. But we'll never know now.

As it stands, Lausanne HC's debut in the SWHL-A will be pushed back to September 13 thanks to HC Ambrì-Piotta's absence while the ZSC Lions will have their home-opener postponed until September 20 for the same reason. The full schedule can be found here, but it looks like two teams will have a bye every weekend this season with the empty slots once occupied by the HC Ambrì-Piotta squad.

Losing two teams in the span of four months doesn't make the SWHL-A stronger, and it appears that the SWHL-A will look to backfill these absences in their league by eliminating the relegation playoff between the PostFinance Women's League and the SWHL-B. It seems the top SWHL-B will only be promoted to bring the SWHL-A back to eight teams. Whether or not that relegation playoff is resumed in 2027-28 will have to be seen, but it feels like the SWHL-A is on shaky ground right now when it comes to the health of the league.

Here's hoping that HC Ambrì-Piotta can get their situation sorted out because the SWHL at all levels needs stable teams. Swiss hockey is good hockey and it shouldn't be overlooked, but eliminating teams makes finding roster spots that much harder. HC Ambrì-Piotta should have a full roster, but they'll reset and start over next season.

Until next time, keep your sticks on the ice!

Touch Grass

HBIC has always had the mindset of "of the people, by the people, for the people" in presenting topics and ideas from my perspective. I'm not one to claim I'm an authority on anything within the game because there's always room to learn more, see more, and do more. One of the things I appreciate is getting emails about things I've written becase that feedback tells me that someone took the time to read my ramblings, but it's also a real-time receipt on whether I'm doing a good job in building the arguments that I present. Today, I need to address one of those emails right here.

I received an email this weekend that, in part, read,

"Why have you not written about the Hlinka Cup? Canada is doing so well, and it looks like Canadian hockey is on the comeback! Any comments on that?"

I'll give a nod to the writer for his enthusiasm for the Hlinka Gretzky Cup, and I can say that Team Canada is doing well. They have a number of solid players, including a couple of 16 year-olds, that are lighting up the scoreboards at the tournament, and it seems that Canada is poised for another international tournament win. Other countries will do their best to disrupt that, but Canada's on a roll.

I'm not here to take the wind out of anyone's sails, but I can honestly say that I never once thought about hockey in August when I was 16. I get that these players who are wearing the maple leaf at the Hlinka Gretzky Cup are massively talented compared to my skills at that age, but imagine hockey being a full-time job for anyone at the age when they should be enjoying their first official driver's license.

Make no mistake that it's an honour to be identified and selected by Hockey Canada as one of the best players across this country as a 17 year-old, and skating in the Hlinka Gretzky Cup should be celebrated. On the other hand, there are hundreds of kids who are in rinks right now who weren't selected, and there are thousands more who are enjoying summer by playing other sports, hanging out with friends, and taking road trips all over the map. In short, they're having a good time being teenagers, and that's an important part of life.

This article isn't about the 25 Canadian kids skating for Canada at the Hlinka Gretzky Cup, but it is for the thousands of kids who never received a letter from Hockey Canada inviting them to a camp. Hockey doesn't have to be a full-time job, and it should never define you as to who you are. People don't say, "There goes Jeff, the hockey player" when you walk by, but they do think, "Hey, there's Jeff who I hung with this summer and is a cool guy". If you're only focused on hockey, you're going to miss out on a lot other fun things in life.

No one is saying that you shouldn't be committed to getting better, not practising and playing hard, nor ignoring the feedback one gets from coaches. What I am saying is that hockey doesn't need to be a full-time job at the age of 16 unless one chooses to make that decision and commits to that decision. There are lots of talented hockey players who have made that decision and walked away from the game before reaching the CHL, let alone the NHL, and I often wonder if not participating in the summer activities that made one successful leads to leaving the game earlier than one may want.

In the end, no one is saying to give up hockey, and I want to be clear that anyone reading this who wants a career in hockey should still continue to work on improving those skills and talents needed to climb the hockey ladder. What I am saying, though, is that it's ok to skip a week-long camp, turn down a summer tournament, or enjoy some time at the lake to recharge the batteries. Hockey's a gruelling sport as shown by the mental health challenges faced by NHL players, and we know that adolescence ages are where "maladaptive neurobehavioral development" can begin in teens due to stressors.

I'm not saying that anyone needs to abandon the dream of playing in the NHL. That's a goal that all hockey players have, and it's one that can and should be pursued. What I am saying with the "touch grass" title is that it's ok to take a break from that goal to help one refocus. Hockey souldn't be a full-time job for anyone at 16, so we should encourage kids to spend more time away from the rink whenever possible to help keep that goal in focus. If we preach everything in moderation, that too should be applied to the game of hockey.

Canada's doing extremely well at the Hlinka Gretzky Cup, and I hope they bring home some hardware. But if we want this game to get better for everyone, we need to encourage kids to just be kids whenever we can. There's more to life than just a rink and hockey.

Until next time, keep your sticks on the ice!

Replaced By Whom?!?

I will fully admit that I am befuddled when it comes to what Rogers Communications is doing with its hockey broadcasts. Aside from raising prices to drive away subscribers and killing access to NHL hockey by eliminating CBC as a partner, their most recent decision to not renew Kelly Hrudey's contract seems to be another boneheaded decision from the TV network gatekeeping hockey in Canada.

Hrudey worked Calgary Flames broadcasts on Sportsnet during the week before travelling to Toronto to join the national broadcast on Saturday nights. He was an excellent analyst that brought a goaltender's perspective to the game, and he was excellent in his breakdowns and examinations of what was happening on the ice. His analyses often caught subtle things that others on the Sportsnet panel missed and I, for one, appreciated his insights on the game.

Hrudey reportedly received the news on June 19, ending a run that saw the former NHL netminder join CBC's Hockey Night in Canada in 1998 after completing a 677-game NHL career. The former Islanders, Kings, and Sharks goalie had been contributing to CBC's coverage for four seasons before he retired after his team had been eliminated, so a 32-year run for Hrudey came to an end because Rogers is cheap.

Is Rogers Communications purposely trying to kill hockey broadcasts?

That answer might be "yes" after news broke today that Kelly Hrudey's now-vacant seat will be filled by Winnipeg Jets analyst Kevin Sawyer. The Athletic's Sean Shapiro and Harman Dayal compiled the 2021 NHL broadcast rankings, and the reviews and ranking of Winnipeg's broadcast team of Dennis Beyak and Kevin Sawyer read,

"Outside of Winnipeg, the Jets broadcast scored as one of the best in the league. Locally, however, it ranked 21st with mixed reviews. That discrepancy in ranking — rated fourth nationally but 21st locally — is the largest around the NHL in our survey."

That 12th-overall ranking of NHL broadcasts was pulled down by negative comments about the color commentator that read,

"'Kevin Sawyer's unconditional praise of the team is a bit hard to take even for someone who loves the Jets like me,' said one of many local respondents who believe the broadcast isn't balanced enough."

I'll fully admit that I disliked almost everything about Sawyer's comments and delivery when he spoke on the broadcasts, so TSN letting him walk to Sportsnet is a huge bonus for the sixty Jets games I'll watch this season on TSN. His preference for talking into the next play while Beyak and Dan Robertson sit quietly as the play unfolds annoyed me to no end, and his refusal to criticize anyone for mistakes made his analyses sound phony. I don't need a homer.

If Sawyer is replacing Kelly Hrudey on Calgary Flames broadcasts, Flames fans will notice the drop-off in the quality of the analyses between Hrudey and Sawyer. I have no idea why Sportsnet would view this as a smart upgrade when there are a pile of people they could have tapped for Hrudey's spot like Meghan Mikkelson, Jason York, Cassie Campbell-Pascale, or recently-retired Tyson Barrie.

Sawyer has 110 games of NHL experience compared to years of working around the Flames franchise like the four people listed above. What would even suggest to Rogers that Kevin Sawyer would be an adequate replacement for an outgoing legend like Hrudey?

I'm bewildered by what Rogers is doing with their broadcasts after committing $11 billion to the NHL for the next twelve years of games. If they're just going to drive their broadcasts into the ground by cutting excellent broadcasters and replacing them with mediocre analysts, why did they spend the money at all?

As I wrote at the start of July, Sportsnet buying the rights to NHL hockey hasn't seen the game get better on TV. Arguably, it's gotten worse since they owned the rights, and it got much worse with the news this week of Hrudey leaving and Sawyer joining. But why should Rogers care if people keep throwing money at them to watch hockey?

This is the proverbial rock and hard place, Flames fans. You lose a competent, intelligent analyst for a guy who waxes poetic about players who should be in the pressbox. I'd suggest cancelling your Sportsnet subscription, but it's the only way you can watch the majority of Flames games this season. And this is the gamble that Rogers Sportsnet is making: you won't cancel your subscription to watch the Flames no matter what talking head is doing analysis.

Isn't it fun when corporations hold your hockey fandom hostage?

Until next time, keep your sticks on the ice!