OK, now this uniform thing is getting serious

The NHL has decided, in an effort to create more buzz about its product, to revamp, replace, and refashion the uniforms of a lot of teams this year. We've seen the Islanders ape the Buffalo numbering scheme, but this is the team that had a purveyor of fish sticks grace its jersey once, so anything is an improvement.



We've had Florida with odd stripes at the elbow running perpendicular to piping that makes their panther-on-crack logo look like it's emerging from a curtain parting.



And we have Tampa Bay with their odd cuffs and an inability to decide whether they will wear their numbers on the front (the road ones will) or not (the home ones will remain numberless).







Even our Caps have joined the party, changing not only the jersey style, but the whole color scheme, returning to red-white-and-blue.





OK, that's fine...none of these clubs have a lot of noteworthy history, except for the Islanders, and that was a generation ago.

But now it's getting serious when one of the original six is rumored to be contemplating a sea change in its duds. CBC.ca reports that the Toronto Maple Leafs are looking at a major redesign that will remove the interlocking "TML" shoulder logo, reduce the amount of white in the home version, introduce more silver, and (yuck) piping.*

The Peerless thinks that with all the piping being introduced into jerseys, this might be the best training for uniform fashion design for the NHL...



Maybe next year, Sidney will design the threads.




Or better yet, maybe we can have a redesign of the Stanley Cup!


* Thanks to Novaron on The Official for pointing the way.

Records in Granite?

A couple of weeks ago, Alan Adams at Sportsnet.ca penned a column on records in hockey that appear safe for all time (and a few that might not be). There is some relevance to our red-white-and-blue boys in that one Cap is mentioned (perhaps tongue-in-cheek) as having a shot at the single-game record for goals (eight, held by Joe Malone, Quebec Bulldogs, 1920-1921 season...or is it seven, as the Hockey Hall of Fame indicates?).

There is also another record, referred to somewhat obliquely, having to do with winning percentage...seems the red-white-and-blue are involved in that one, too.

The Peerless offers up this list of records and leaves it to you to ponder whether any are safe until the sun goes dark (or Bettman grows a brain), taken from the Hockey Hall of Fame "Records and Rankings" page:

Goals scored, season, rookie: Teemu Selanne (76, 1992-93)
Assists, rookie, season: Peter Stasny (70, 1980-81), Joe Juneau (70, 1992-93)
Points, rookie, season: Teemu Selanne (132 (1992-93)

Goals scored, game, individual: Joe Malone (7, 1919-20)
Goals scored, season, individual: Wayne Gretzky (92, 1981-82)
Goals scored, career, individual: Wayne Gretzky (894)

Assists, game, individual: Billy Taylor (7, 1946-47), Wayne Gretzky (7, three times)
Assists, season, individual: Wayne Gretzky (163, 1985-86)
Assists, career, individual: Wayne Gretzky (1,963)

Points, game, individual: Darryl Sittler (10, 1975-76)
Points, season, individual: Wayne Gretzky (215, 1985-86)
Points, career, individual: Wayne Gretzky (2,857)

Games played, career: Gordie Howe (1,767)

Wins, goaltender, season: Martin Brodeur (48, 2006-07)
Wins, goaltender, career: Patrick Roy (551)
GAA, goaltender, season: George Hainsworth (0.92, 1928-29)
GAA, goaltender, career: George Hainsworth (1.91)
Shutouts, goaltender, season: George Hainsworth (22, 1928-29)
Shutouts, goaltender, career: Terry Sawchuck (103)

Penalty minutes. game: Randy Holt (67, 1978-79)
Penalty minutes, season: Dave Schultz (472, 1974-75)
Penalty minutes, career: Dave Williams (3,966)

Most trophies won, season: Bobby Orr (4 – Hart, Ross, Norris, Smythe – 1969-70)
Most trophies won, career: Wayne Gretzky (26 – 9 Hart, 10 Ross, 2 Smythe, 5 Byng)
Most Ross Trophies won: Wayne Gretzky (10)
Most Hart Trophies won: Wayne Gretzky (9)
Most Norris Trophies won: Bobby Orr (8)
Most Vezina Trophies won: Jacques Plante (7)
Most Lady Byng Trophies won: Frank Boucher (7)
Most all-star selections, individual, career: Gordie Howe (21)

Best winning percentage, team, season: Boston Bruins (.875, 1929-30)
Longest winning streak, team, season: Pittsburgh Penguins (17, 1992-93)
Longest undefeated streak, team, season: Philadelphia Flyers (35 – 25-0-10 – 1979-80)
Highest point total, team, season: Montreal Canadiens (132, 1976-77)
Most championships, team: Montreal Canadiens (24)

Ugh...

The Peerless was perusing an old Hockey News issue – the 2007 “Future Watch” issue – and stumbled upon an interesting, if unfortunate, nugget of Capitals history. Fittingly, it came from the very last page of the issue, a look back at the 2002 and 1997 prospect lists. Did you know that in 1997, The Hockey News rated five Capitals’ draftees in their top-19? Well, they did, and here they are, with their draft year/position and career regular season numbers to date…

6. Jaroslav Svejkovsky, 1996, 1^st round/17^th overall, (113 games, 23-19-43, -22)
10. Jan Bulis, 1996, 2/43, (552 G, 96-149-245, -3)
11. Brendan Witt, 1993, 1/11 (724 G, 21-79-100, -31)
12. Alexandre Volchkov, 1996, 1/4 (3G, 0-0-0, -2)
19. Nolan Baumgartner, 1994, 1/10 (131, 3-39-45, +4)

Five top prospects, all drafted by the Caps, all in the system at the same time. As a group, this quintet was 64-141-205 in their respective tenures with the Capitals. That is roughly equivalent to Wayne Gretzky…well, his 1984-1985 season (73-135-208). Trouble is, this group was -72; Gretzky was +98.