I wasn't 100% sure I was going to run this story yet, but a certain someone has prompted me to jump the gun a little bit. The above Photoshop mock-up has been floating around on both the HF boards and the Avs' official board. Frankly, I didn't pay much attention to it until Sean Payton pointed out that the mock-up originated from Chris Creamer's Sports Logo Community.
Being a bit of a jersey geek, I've been a member of that forum for a number of years, and am familiar with the, uh, "fluorescent" poster who made the mock up from a camera phone pic he says he took of the jersey. I spoke to him a little yesterday and while I haven't seen firsthand evidence of the jerseys, I'm pretty confident this individual has seen the above jersey in person.
If it is the 3rd, I have to admit it's not that bad. I was fearful the fine folks at RBK would find a way to come up with something even more ridiculous than the horrible uniprons they've foisted on us. The above mock up may not be the best looking jersey in the world, but it's a vast improvement over what the team is wearing now. I assume that blue is Nordique blue, a nice nod that many have been suggesting.
Of course, there's no guarantee that this is actually going to be what the team rolls out. The Flames have reportedly scrapped the 3rds that they were going to release this year, so there is always a chance for changes to happen behind the scenes. If this turns out to be the real deal, though, I might finally be able to buy a new Avalanche jersey.