Ottawa Citizen, July 12th 2000

 Ordinarily, the Ottawa Senators would have introduced their new third jersey during the regular season when fans could see the players wearing it.

That would have given the Senators their best chance at a successful launch. When a new jersey is introduced, the Senators' retail store Sensations only has a limited exclusive right -- one to two weeks -- to sell it before other retailers can put it on their shelves.

Hence, having that period of exclusivity during the regular season is a lot better than having it in the summer, when people are thinking about golf shirts more than hockey sweaters.

But the Senators had no choice. The design for their new jersey, which was unveiled yesterday, had somehow prematurely made its way onto the Internet. Plus, it featured one of the prototype designs that had been rejected.

So, to protect their investment and to stem the flow of unapproved counterfeits, the Senators had to make sure the correct design was unveiled.

Which led to centre Mike Fisher standing in the middle of the team dressing room yesterday as the impromptu model.

The new jersey, which has a black background, is similar to the current red away jersey, in that the Roman Centurion head is the main logo.

But the striping is considerably different, with a gold band on the sleeves and around the bottom. As well, there are black laurel leaves in both the gold striping around the bottom of the jersey and in the crest.

Each shoulder will also feature an updated version of the stylized Peace Tower that was originally presented as a secondary logo when the team rejoined the league in 1992. Included in the new logo will be a partial maple leaf to symbolize Canada.

Bob Maxwell, the team's director of merchandise and consumer products, said even though the Peace Tower logo never took off in 1992, the team liked it and decided to bring it back. A problem with using it as a main logo, he said, is that it was both plain and that, unlike the Statue of Liberty on the New York Rangers' third jersey, few people south of the border know what the Peace Tower is. The new logo subtly identifies the team as being from the country's capital.

You could also see this logo end up on T-shirts or hats, since the team generally looks at ways to cross-merchandise their souvenirs.

How the jersey made its way onto the Internet before it was released isn't exactly known, said Maxwell. But there can be any number of leaks, since the design has to be sent away to be made. The same thing happened to the Vancouver Canucks two years ago.

The Senators will wear the jersey in about eight to 11 games, said Maxwell. The club has just begun to look at the schedule to find dates that will give it the most exposure.

The pro versions of the jersey will be available some time in September, with the replicas to follow in October.

There are no plans to update or change the white home jersey.