An Ottawa Senators fan got an unexpected gift on Saturday. He thought he was receiving a Senators jersey for his birthday, but the company sent the wrong one.
This wasn't bad news, though – not like the famous Canadian children's book, The Hockey Sweater. In that tale, author Roch Carrier recalls a childhood story of being chirped by his friends and benched by his coach after his mother forced him to wear a Toronto Maple Leafs sweater she mistakenly received in the mail.
In this case, the sweater that arrived in Ottawa was the Senators' new third jersey, which NHL supplier, Fanatics, isn't supposed to publicly release until later this month.
Reddit user quantez83 posted photos of the Sens' new red sweater, with the caption "I just received the unreleased (as far as I can tell) Ottawa Senators red third jersey for my birthday."
He's become one of the first members of the public to see the new Senators' third jersey up close, though it remains to be seen how many of them have accidentally gone out. It should be noted that this is a shipping mix-up that had nothing to do with the Sens organization.
While the jersey hasn't officially been released, there have been enough leaks and previews that the new look isn't a total surprise. We got a pretty decent view on the Jumbotron when the Senators held their annual Season Seat Member Spring Summit at Canadian Tire Centre in June.
But this is the first clear view of the new sweater, both front and back. The most striking thing, in our opinion, is the nice new details in the logo. It wouldn't be surprising if that eventually becomes the version they use for their main home and away sweaters.
The font for the name bars and numbers has kind of an ancient Rome vibe, consistent with the centurion logo. As for the black on red, it looks fine up close, but can sometimes be harder to pick up from a distance or on TV due to the lack of contrast.
The Sens are expected to officially unveil the uniforms at the end of this month. They're also expected to wear them as many as ten times this season and for at least the next three years, a decision that will likely depend on sales.
By Steve Warne
The Hockey News-Ottawa
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