Toronto Star, January 24th 1996

Fresh from the launch of the computer-chip blobby puck, the National Hockey League has put together a new merchandis ing power play: the Third Jersey.

It's a New Look. It's Now. It's a Fashion Statement.

It works like this: Starting Saturday, on several broadcast games, selected NHL teams will be sporting new-style hockey sweaters: a third color and logo combination in addition to the usual home and away jerseys.

The new-look teams are:

* The Pittsburgh Penguins, in familiar black, but with new stripes down the sides.

* The Vancouver Canucks, upon whose padded shoulders will appear ``a dramatic presentation of red accented with yellow and black.''

* The Los Angeles Kings, who will debut in ``a swirling pattern of black and white with a brand new purple and gold Kings logo on the chest.''

* The Mighty Ducks of Anaheim, whose sweaters will be emblazoned with the team mascot, Wild Wing, crashing upward through the ice surface, on a background of teal.

* The Boston Bruins, who will wear yellow trimmed in black with a bear logo on the front in place of the traditional ``B.''

The sides of their sweaters will have stripes ``designed to provide the look of fur,'' the NHL says.

Fur?

``The technologies available to us have changed dramatically,'' says Frank Scalera, vice-president in charge of product licensing for NHL Enterprises, a league off-shoot.

It's a process ``used for a number of years in Europe, which allows you to put any type of pattern on a jersey,'' he explains.

You've already seen this type of sweater if you watched last week's NHL All Star game. The New York Islanders and Calgary Flames also use the process, Scalera says.

But why a Third Jersey? Well, why do you think? If the players wear them, you might buy one.

Baseball teams, including the Blue Jays, often have three sets of uniforms, and hockey, while still our National Sport, is trying hard to sell itself south of the border as America's Game, too.

Although league-wide attendance is down 3 per cent over last year, and several teams are in rough shape both in the boardrooms and in the standings, hockey is hot stuff in the United States, and league commissioner Gary Bettman is pushing hard to jazz up the sport's presentation.

The NHL also hopes to capitalize on its TV tie-in with the U.S. Fox network, the one that brought out the experimental computerized puck that leaves a red streak on your screen as shots are whipped at the net.

The new sweaters will be shown on Fox's hockey broadcasts this weekend, as well as on our own Molson Hockey Night In Canada.

``By exposing the public to something that the team uses, it creates a demand,'' Scalera says.

``We really want to do something on the licensing side.''

The colorful hockey duds, made by CCM, should be available immediately. But not in our colors yet.

The Toronto Maple Leafs and Montreal Canadiens, for now, will be sticking to their traditional blue and white and bleu, blanc et rouge uniforms respectively. But the NHL hopes to roll out Third Jerseys for more teams next season. The league won't say which ones yet.