curt4201 via ebay

Well, once the Maple Leafs' jersey was leaked, you had to know it was only a matter of time before the other one came. It appears ebay has now provided us a look at the 2013 Winter Classic sweater of the Detroit Red Wings.

Once again, I have to believe it's a legitimate Reebok product — not because curt4201 says so — but because of the details you find. The embroidering, the tags, the NHL shield. It's all so far from what counterfeiters are capable of producing.

The seller actually calls it a "throwback alternate" jersey. Think it's safe to say he's not a big hockey sweater guy. First, it's not a throwback to anything. It's another homage to the Detroit Cougars with a big of Red Wings mixed in (just like in 2009). It's also not a third jersey — something the Red Wings have never had.

Based on this, we know it was intended for this year's Winter Classic. Back in January, some images of WC merchandise, including t-shirts, were leaked by an online retailer. The Red Wings t-shirt used the exact crest found on this jersey — down to the custom font that spells DETROIT. Even the custom numbers can be matched to that shirt.

However, there's a problem. The Maple Leafs jersey that was leaked was blue. That means neither team would've had a white sweater for the Winter Classic. Is that unprecendented? Of course not.

TheHockeyJersey.co via ebay

A blue-vs-red game could work quite well. I, for one, hope we still get a chance to experience that again when we ring in 2014. It'll be a sight to see.

So, just as with the Leafs jersey, I'm content to say this Red Wings jersey did, in fact, come out of a Reebok factory. Whether it's the real deal or a mere prototype, you can decide for yourself until we get something official from the NHL.

But whatever the case, what do you think of it? Were these two jerseys the right way to go?