Minnesota Wild's 3rd jersey is nice even if its predictable

Derek Boogaard and defenseman Brent Burns sporting the new Wild 3rd jersey. Photos courtesy of Wild.com It is the ultimate team-related garment. Its the jersey or hockey jargon, the 'sweater' which was a reference to the days when the uniforms themselves were made of wool. Without question the jersey is often the symbol of a fan's passion for their favorite team. Jerseys can also bring fans pain as well, when a long-time member of a team is seen donning the colors of another franchise, especially a rival (cough Brett Favre with the Vikings cough). Fans identify with these jerseys and are more often than not standard apparel for those who proudly call themselves 'die hards' when attending a game. I know for myself, its second nature, wearing a hockey jersey is a necessary item to wear to any game or team function. Since it is considered to be such an important accoutrement of any fan's hockey wear, the introduction of a new jersey is always a greatly anticipated event.If not planned very well a 3rd jersey can quickly become an eyesore as was the case with the Dallas Star's Taurus (bull) jersey which quickly had fans calling it the uterus sweater, the former Mighty Ducks 'breaking through the ice' cartoon fiasco, or the dijon mustard colored Nashville Predators jersey. While Alternate jerseys provide variety to the presentation, let's be honest as to their true purpose. To make NHL teams that much more money as they know their die hard fans will feel compelled to purchase them. With jerseys costing anywhere from $109 to $220 without the numbers and names of your favorite players they are hardly cheap accessories. The Minnesota Wild unveiled their new 3rd (Alternate) jersey today at the Minnesota State Fair even though the pictures had been leaked about a week earlier from . When the Wild first selected its color scheme it committed itself to a trio that could only end up making any of its jerseys appear Christmas-like. Originally, the current 'iron range' red jersey was the former alternate jersey but fans seemed to respond better to it than the original green sweater and it soon supplanted the green. Yet with the original white jersey firmly in place as the road jersey and the red as the home jersey the team that left green as the logical choice for the new alternate. Minnesota prides itself on having a strong hockey tradition and so their 3rd jersey reflects that with an 'old school' approach. The striping and colors are very reminiscent of the Original Six days, and like the red home jerseys the team decided to stay with block style letters and numbers. The script stylized 'Minnesota' crest is simple with a dash of symbolism as the 'north star' dots the "I". In many ways the Wild's new alternate jersey is very similar to the 2004 Western Conference All Star game jersey. The team has already announced the team will wear the alternate sweater 15 times this season and they have planned its on-ice debut to be Oct. 21st in a game against the Colorado Avalanche. Who knows, perhaps this jersey could return the 'iron range red' jersey back to its status as the alternate jersey over time. So far, Wild fans reaction has been positive even though you could hardly say has conjured up excitement. If anything, the traditional look of the jersey was what most fans thought it would look like. In that way you could say the product matched the fans expectations but the new sweater will likely not be overly popular other than in the State of Hockey. Admittedly the jersey is less generic than the more recent alternate jerseys of the Ottawa Senators and Tampa Bay Lightning. It is only fitting the team introduces a new jersey considering all of the other fundamental changes the organization has gone through the last year and a half. Whether the new jersey or any of the other changes have a significant impact remains to be seen. I am still unsure whether I'll buy one; perhaps a few victories in the new sweater will convince me its worth it!