THE CANADIAN PRESS
CALGARY — A hockey blog has posted photos of what appears to be a version of Canada’s new Olympic hockey jerseys for the 2010 Winter Games.
Hockey Canada is scheduled to unveil the jerseys that Canada’s teams will wear in the Olympics on Monday in Vancouver. The organization chose that day because it coincides with the launch of the retail version of the sweaters.
"We are not confirming or denying the photo is the Olympic jersey," Hockey Canada spokesman Andre Brin said Thursday.
The photos posted on www.icethetics.info, a blog devoted to hockey logos and jerseys, show red and white versions of the jersey with striping across the sleeves and the bottom of the sweater. The Vancouver 2010 Games logo and Olympic rings adorn a patch on the left sleeve
A large red Maple Leaf on the front of the jersey is embossed with what appears to be First-Nations inspired artwork. It replaces the previous logo of a hockey player skating through a black and red Maple Leaf.
The sweater shown on the blog also includes a Hockey Canada logo on the right sleeve which suggests it is a retail version given that the official sweaters worn by players at the Games in February will not include the organization’s insignia.
Hockey Canada had to come up with a new jersey design for 2010 because the International Olympic Committee doesn’t allow national sports federations to display their logo at the Games.
The logo had been used for the past 14 years, including at prior Olympics, but the IOC began cracking down at the 2008 Summer Games in Beijing when it restricted the uniforms worn by the Argentine and Brazilian soccer teams.
The final design was Hockey Canada’s fifth attempt at finding a compromise to the IOC’s rule.
