RALEIGH - The new alternate black jerseys were sprinkled in among the home crowd as the Carolina Hurricanes wore them for the first time in a game Monday night at the RBC Center.

"They just did a nice twist on a classic," said Raleigh's Dave Reynolds, wearing a red Canes sweater. "It's great to see a team come out in all black."

There were rumors of a third jersey for several years.

"We've been waiting for them for a long time," said John Gallagher of Apex. He was wearing the new sweater as he browsed The Eye gift shop.

James Blitch, retail manager for the Carolina Hurricanes, said during the second period that the store could sell out of the first shipment of 1,500 replicas by the end of the game.

He had only one of the personalized jerseys with Rod Brind'Amour's likeness left. The Eric Staal sweaters had already sold out.

"The red numbers make the jerseys pop," said Blitch, referring to the personalized jerseys with red numbers bordered in white. The primary logo -- the swirl -- is on the shoulder in gray.

BOYCHUK CLEARED: Rookie forward Zach Boychuk, his left wrist fully healed, was medically cleared Monday to join contact work in practice. He hopes to play on the Canes' West Coast swing later in the week, either against the Los Angeles Kings or Anaheim Ducks.

"It was great to hear from the doctor today that everything has healed just perfectly," Boychuk said this morning after an on-ice workout at the RBC Center. "It's a new bill of health, like a brand- new bone."

Boychuk, the Canes' first-round draft choice, injured his left wrist during the Western Hockey League playoffs last season and underwent surgery in Raleigh in July. He had another procedure early this month to remove a pin in the wrist but was kept on the Canes' regular-season roster.

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