In Edmonton, Bill Mah notes the Oilers will sport orange sweaters for tonight's home opener against the Blues "and want fans to follow suit." The team "unveiled the alternate jersey at the NHL draft," where C Connor McDavid "was the first player to slip one on." The team has also "sent orange jerseys to every season-ticket holder." Oilers VP/Communications Tim Shipton said that the club "will go orange seven games this season to celebrate team history, pay homage" to the old WHA Oilers and "commemorate its last season at Rexall Place." Orange jerseys "are outselling their blue and white counterparts by a 10-to-1 margin" at least one local Edmonton outlet (EDMONTON JOURNAL, 10/15).
SIMILAR FACES: In Tacoma, Bob Dutton notes Mariners Assistant GM Jeff Kingston "will return for a seventh season," along with Amateur Scouting Dir Tom McNamara and Pro Scouting Dir Tom Allison. McNamara will be back for his eighth season, which suggests new GM Jerry Dipoto "assigns most of the blame for the organization’s spotty in-house pipeline in recent years to the player-development department." Mariners Player Development Dir Chris Gwynn recently announced he "would not return for a fifth season" (Tacoma NEWS TRIBUNE, 10/15).
DELAY OF GAME? In Hartford, Kauffman & Gosselin report the future of the new arena soccer team Hartford City FC "is in question" after an investigation "found that Black Diamond Consulting Group, which co-owns the team with Premier Sports Management Group, has had ongoing financial and legal trouble." The club "was scheduled to begin indoor play at the XL Center Nov. 8, and tickets were still being sold on the XL Center's website" yesterday. Capital Region Development Authority Michael Freimuth, whose company oversees the XL Center, said, "It's not yet clear if they are going to play" (HARTFORD COURANT, 10/15).
