Sorry if this contains spoilers for some, but as long as you did the civil war for the stormcloaks it shouldn't be...but anyway once I completed the battle for whiterun Ulfric named me ice-veins, and suddenly I remembered Jayred Ice-Veins from the shivering isles, so I was wondering if it was a reference or a coincidence?

I doubt it. Making a reference to him is about as random as you can get.
He was a Nord, and I think that's the only thing in common with the Stormcloaks.