Tuesday: Quality Concepts and a Power Outage

Welcome to another day here on HJC.  We have lots of good concepts today, all of them are rated 8 or higher.  Also, as you can see by the clock on the right, there are only 48 days left until they HJC open.

Sorry this post is a bit late.  The power went out as I was writing this post and it didn't come back until after the post was already supposed to be up.

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Don't forget about the COTW vote.  Also contest entries for the Boston Bruins "Untouchables" Redesign Series are due by Friday.

COTW vote May 13-19 (ends Friday @ 11:59pm EST)

Boston Bruins Untouchables entries (due Friday @ 11:59pm EST)

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Here are the entries for the Boston Bruins "Untouchables" Redesign Series that have come in since yesterday's post...

(by Dylan W.)

(by Jason D.)

(by Ricky M.)

(by Snow Monster)

(by WinnipegJets96)

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Brampton Beast (by Steve M.)

The Brampton Beast recently unveiled their logo, and here Steve has designed a nice set of jerseys to go with that logo.  My favourite part here has to be the big claw marks, as I like seeing minor league teams use unique designs like that.  The full-length shoulder yokes compliment those claw marks nicely.  The number font works well in this case too.  My only two negatives are pretty minor, first I think the logo on the away jersey could use a white outline, and also there are two different shades of black used.  8/10

Saguenéens De Chicoutimi (by Bastian S.)

The Saguenéens De Chicoutimi are one of the few teams who currently use vertical shoulder stripes right now, and Bastian updates those stripes (and the rest of the jersey) for this concept.  The new striping is miles (or kilometres) better than what they use, now that the sleeve and hem stripes match the shoulder yoke.  Everything here looks good, and I don't really have anything else to say.  8.5/10

Yankee Stadium Games (by Ryan, HJC)

Our Administrator, Ryan, has designed jerseys for both the Yankee Stadium outdoor games.  The Rangers jerseys look great, I really like how they are like a home and road set.  I also like how the original shade of blue was used.  The Islanders jersey is my least favourite of the four jerseys, just because I don't think of navy blue as a vintage colour for them since they first used it in the 90's.  I do really like the four-sleeve stripes, a nice subtle nod to the Islanders four Stanley Cups.  The Devils jersey is exactly what I want to see them wear, an Reebok Edge version of their original white jersey.  Finally, the logo for the event looks great.  8.5/10

Halifax Mooseheads (by Bastian S.)

The Mooseheads are another team that use that use vertical shoulder stripes, but they only use it on their alternate jersey right now.  I'm a big fan of what Bastian has done here, both the jerseys look really good.  I think it's really cool that the striping pattern is slightly different on the two jerseys, but they are similar enough to look like they belong together.  9/10

Montreal United (by Eric W.)

Eric has a cool "what-if?" concept here.  For this concept, instead of the Montreal Maroons going bankrupt, they combine with the Montreal Canadiens to create a new team called the Montreal United.  The logo is a great idea, using the negative space of the M to form a U.  The striping pattern, mostly inspired by the Canadiens, looks good.  I also like how the addition of Maroon looks with the Canadiens colour scheme.  8.5/10

Chicago Terraplanes Timeline (by CPM)

Now this is awesome.  CPM has created a fictional timeline for a fictional team called the Chicago Terraplanes of the Fake Hockey League.  I encourage everyone to read the descriptions on the concepts, because they add a lot to this concept.  I'm going to treat this a bit different than most concepts, I'm not going to judge the designs, because I think the goal was to make the designs fit the era, not to have the bet designs possible.  The above jerseys are great, I could easily see a team in the 60's wearing jerseys like that.

This update to the Terraplanes look makes a lot of sense, fixing some of the retro-oddness from their original jerseys.

Another update to the logo and jerseys in 1980, and again they fit perfectly with that era.  Also a third jersey was introduced in 1997, and like many of the NHL's third jerseys from that era it's very modern.  I know I said I wouldn't comment on the designs, but that third jersey is beautiful.

In 2007 the team/league adopted the Reebok Edge system, and (like many NHL team's) the home and road had some minor changes to adapt system.  In 2010 the Terraplanes played in a Winter Classic and used a faux-back jersey.  On most concepts I wouldn't like the vintage white, but unfortunately that is a recent trend, so it makes perfect sense here.  This whole timeline is amazing, the best part is that CPM paid attention to so many little details to make this as accurate as possible.  If possible I'm going to nominate this whole timeline for COTW, and give this my first 10/10.

Monday: Victoria's 2-4 Concepts

Hey Canadian readers, happy Victoria day, I'll say the same thing to Americans next weekend with Memorial day.

COTW has reset for the week, 4 great concepts, two of which are blue, yellow and white. Votes are due Friday night

Does anyone know what that clock is for?

The Boston Bruins Untouchables Re-design is  in its entry phase. Entries are due Friday night.

COTW vote May 13-19 (ends Friday @ 11:59pm EST)

Boston Bruins Untouchables entries (due Friday @ 11:59pm EST)

Here are some of the Entries that have come in so far:

David K.

Mike S.

Also, throwing out an idea here, no ways is this real or probable, but and HJC Youtube channel? Reviewing jerseys in real life and concepts, discussing trends in jerseys, the NHL and hockey in general, it could work, just wanna know who would watch something like that, again this is in no way probable.


On to the wonderful Concepts

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Bridgeport Sound Tigers Concepts (By: Bastian S.)

 

After completing an AHL Re-design myself, I can safely say, this team was one of the teams that needed a new look the most. Their logo is cool, but they just wear Islanders knock offs, even the black alternates majority of people don't like...here it is (Not for those who faint easily). Bastian gives us a very Tigery look, with some very odd striping. I love the side panel stripes and yoke stripes, they are unique and the Tiger theme is cool. I think a little bit of blue wouldn't hurt, as it is part of the Sound Tigers identity. Nothing really else to say, execution is clean as a whistle, but none the less, a great concept (8.5/10)

Boston Bruins Concept (By: Timmy Q.)

This concept is just a Bruins re-coloured version of this jersey from nhluniforms.com , and that is extremely distracting. I would use the Templates page above and check out the tutorials page to get some helpful hints. This idea has some potential, but the execution needs a lot of work. (4/10)

Anaheim Ducks Concept (By: Steve M.)

 Steve takes the Ducks current look, makes some minor changes and gives them an orange alternate. The changes to the home and away are good, the duck foot is a little bit big, but the idea is great, and the duck mask makes a good shoulder patch. The orange alternate is a great idea, but it needs black. I would use a 3 stripe pattern, and add black to balance out the colours. I would also make the orange jersey's shoulder patches the old Mighty Ducks shoulder patch recolored to match the colour scheme. (7.5/10)



 

Chicago Blackhawks Concepts (By: Eric W.)

 

 

 

The Blackhawks are named after the original owner's regiment in the first world war, and Eric gives the Blackhawks a makeover that matches the history of the name. This is a perfect concept. The logo, what can I say, is amazing. It has the history of the regiment's logo and  if you look at the wings, they have the same colours as the current logo's feathers. The alternate is awesome, and it does prove the C tomahawk logo is good enough to fit on the front of a jersey. (10/10) COTW Nom from Me.

 

Chicago Blackhawks Concept (By: Bastian S.)

 

This is a more likely Blackhawks concept, as I can't see the Hawks changing their logo until  people complain enough about it. Bastian uses their 1940's logo and having very extreme striping.  The striping is really cool, it is unique, but also taking cues from their current look, 40's look and 20's look. Everything is good, and this is an alternate I could live with for sure. (9/10)

Vancouver Canucks Concepts (By: Adam H.)

Adam takes the skate on a plate logo and combines it with the whale head logo and gives us a combination of abstract jerseys. The jerseys are okay, but the logos are pixelated. The shoulder patches are WAY too big, and the numbers should be switched with the numbers. The pants should all be uniform, and I'd use the white jersey's pants, and add more white to the blue jersey as well as the black. I'd use the recolored skate on a plate logo on all the jerseys and keep the angled hem stripes. (6/10)


Dodgers Stadium Game Concepts (By: HJC/Ryan H.)

Both if theses jerseys are faux-backs, which the whole idea of a faux-back I'm no a huge fan of, but in this case, it makes sense. The original kings jerseys were UGLY as hell because they did not have and white on it or names or anything to match the white on the logo. Ryan's Kings jersey looks great, and the modern numbers actually work with the old logo, surprisingly. The Ducks jersey is again a faux-back, but it works too. The recolored primary is awesome, and it looks better than any original Ducks jersey in the past, aside from the home and road from the Mighty Ducks era. I would use the Duck mask logo though, it is an awesome logo and looks a little more classic. (8.5/10)

Boston Bruins Concepts (By: Stephen T.)

 

 

 

Stephen adds piping and pit stains to the Bruins look, and claw marks. The piping kind of works and the pit stains are okay, but it seems like a lateral move. The claw marks could work, but the only team that uses this that I know of is my hometown team Moncton Wildcats, and it is a Minor league idea. I think this would be great for the Providence Bruins, as it has minor league ideas and is different from the current Bruins look, but still matches the theme. (6.5/10)

 

 

Dallas Stars Concept (By: Mason H.)

 

No matter what the Stars do on June 4th, they should have something Texan as an alternate. The whole jersey speaks Texas, the flag and state outline are very patriotic. The striping is great, and the 3 colour striping is great too. I love the gold outlines on the logos, and should be on the rest of the jersey. I would use the waving Texas flag on the pants instead of the flat one. I would also pull a Calgary Flames and have a waving Texas and American flag, one on each shoulder. (8/10)

Hartford Wolfpack Concepts (By: Alan H.)

Fresh off his COTW win, Alan brings us another great concept. The striping is really unique, and I mean REALLY unique. I'm not sure if I love it, but I like it, and the colours are balanced well. The logo is a good choice, the Lady Liberty submarine logo is great. The Rangers look is kept in the numbers and pants, but I would add silver to the numbers on the blue jerseys. The pants could also use a different striping. (8.5/10)



Weekend Update (May 19)

Hey everybody. My life has officially settled down it seems. Back from vacation for a week now. My son hopefully has started sleeping through the night. I've come to grips with the Leafs' losing in historical fashion, but I still don't have the urge to watch the second round like I did the first. By the semi-finals I should be back to normal.

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The winner of the COTW vote for the week of May 6-12 is Alan!

Full Results

Alan - 4

Bastian - 1

Dylan W. - 1

Mike M. - 0

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The new COTW nominees have been listed on the side of the page. Lots of concepts got that first nomination, but only one got the needed second nom. As per the COTW rules, I had to step in and round out the COTW noms. You can see those concepts that are nominated by clicking on the banner. Or you can go to the CONCEPT OF THE WEEK tab, either way works. Voting ends on Friday, of course.

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The next HJC competition begins now with the continuation of our "Untouchables" series. Our 5th team will be the Boston Bruins! All of the rules and details can be found by clicking the banner at the top of the page or by going to the UNTOUCHABLES tab. Entries are due by the end of Friday.

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The hot topic right now seems to be the Delay of Game penalty when the defenceman clears the puck over the glass. I for one like the rule, but I can understand that losing a game on a PK because the D-man accidentally shot the puck over the glass could be a problem.

I've heard several dumb solutions over the last couple of days. The "solutions" include issuing only a 1 minute penalty for the infraction. Just giving the puck to the other team instead of a faceoff. And lastly, I heard someone suggest that if you clear the puck over the glass then your team loses its timeout. Then if you do it again that's where it's a penalty. All dumb ideas and the first two mess with the integrity, history, and tradition of the game in my opinion.

My solution is to make this a discretionary call. It should be up to the referee whether he thinks the player intentionally cleared the biscuit over the glass or if it was an accident. Of course, if the zebra were to say it was on purpose then a penalty should be issued. If the referee determines that the play was an accidental clear then the team that cleared the puck should not be allowed to make any player changes (just like an icing). Also, a TV timeout would be moved to the next stoppage that meets that criteria, if it were in fact the time for a TV timeout.

That's my solution to this issue. I'm actually in favour of keeping it the way that it is, but it may be time for a change. What do you think about this rule and do you have any solutions?

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COTW vote May 13-19 (ends Friday @ 11:59pm EST)

Boston Bruins Untouchables entries (due Friday @ 11:59pm EST)

Saturday: I'll take potpourri for $1,000, Alex

Only a few concepts today, which is good because I'm in a bad mood thanks to game 2 of the Hawks/Wings series. Oh well, it's not like I expected them to sweep the Wings. C'est la vie.

Don't forget that COTW voting ends tonight at 11:59 Eastern time. On to the concepts.

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Ottawa Senators (by Adam)

Adam has three concepts today and his first features the Ottawa Senators. Really, any change you can make to the Sens is a positive change since their current template is bad, and that applies to the Penguins as well. More on them later. I really like the logo. It’s a definite upgrade over their current logo, which is already pretty damn good, and I like the inclusion of the leaves around the logo. That being said, I don’t like how the striping pattern looks on the pants, and the red jersey is far too drab. It needs some white. Also, the leaves around the numbers on the back doesn’t work as a design choice. Also, you left the eye hole on the helmet logo white on the two colored jerseys when it should match the background. Overall, I’ll give it an 8/10.

Pittsburgh Penguins (by Adam)

Next up from Adam is a welcome change back to the proper colors for the Pittsburgh Penguins. This one features an interesting sleeve pattern along with a chest stripe reminiscent of Pittsburgh’s gradient road jerseys in the 90s. I like the idea behind these jerseys. As I’ve said before, the Penguins are one of those teams you somewhat expect to be out there in terms of designs but this one wouldn’t be too bad to see on the ice. I’m not sure why the pants are outlined in yellow, though – that wouldn’t look good on the ice. Also, I don’t like turning the players’ sleeve numbers into a logo. That would clutter the sleeve too much, in my opinion. Finally, the logo should be smaller and the captain’s C should be on the other side of the jersey. Overall, I’ll give it an 8/10.

Seattle Metropolitans (by Adam)

Adam’s final concept is a bit out there, as is expected from a team from Seattle. Just take a look at the Sounders and the Seahawks – Seattle has a reputation for unusual uniform designs. However, I think this one might go a little too far out. I love the color scheme, but I just don’t think it’s executed correctly. The orange pants paired with the green jersey definitely doesn’t look good. The color clash is too much. Reverse the colors on the pants and there would be a huge improvement. Also, I don’t know if the blue-gray works as a jersey color. As an accent, it’s just fine but I don’t see it as a good color for a jersey. On the positive side, the skyline as a hem stripe is really cool and I love the logos. Overall, I’ll give it a 7/10.

Pittsburgh Penguins (by Brady)

Brady’s Pittsburgh Nike design is very interesting. It’s an idea that the team has never done before – gold as the sole dark jersey. Since they adopted black and gold as their colors in 1980, the Penguins have always had a black jersey. Sometimes their two jerseys were gold and black, other times white and black, but always there was a black jersey. Brady’s design revives the striping pattern worn in one form or another from 2000-2007 and it definitely works wonders compared to their current design, which as previously mentioned, is on a terrible template. I don’t care much for the roundel logo, though. The skating penguin works best on its own. Also, I don’t like the 2nd Winter Classic jersey number font. That font is just about the only feature on the WC jersey that has any history with the Pens and I really can’t get behind it. Apart from their inaugural year, the Pens have always worn block numbers and I see no reason to change that. Overall, I’ll give it an 8.5/10.

Anaheim Ducks (by Bren)

Ah, Anaheim – home of the most awkwardly-named baseball team in the MLB. They’re also home to the Anaheim Ducks, as you all know, and Bren’s concept gives them a San Francisco Giants-esque baseball uniform. I love all of these cross-sport designs and it almost gives me the urge to do an NHL-MLS series to combine my two favorite sports. Bren has observed the baseball tradition of putting the team nickname on the home jersey (city/location name goes on the road jersey, of course) but the look is hurt by the overabundance of black. The color would work better if it was just an outline instead of that big block running down the center, which runs into the logo. Change that to an outline (see the Padres’ current look, for example) and you’d make the jersey a lot better. Also, some orange trim on the hat logo would make it better. Overall, I’ll give it a 6.5/10.

Ottawa Senators (by Matt)

We close today right back where we started from – in Ottawa. Matt’s Sens concept takes them in a different direction which I really like. Since Ottawa has a long (though disjointed) NHL history, I’ve always felt that they would look good in a traditional look, not the jersey I’ve already harped on multiple times. I like the striping pattern, but it would look better if the hem stripes matched. It seems incomplete if they don’t match. Finally, I would make the jersey logo a bit bigger. I would have used the forward-facing centurion myself, but the original is not a bad design by any stretch so it works here. Overall, I’ll give it an 8/10.

Friday: New Writer and a Lot of Blue

"Good day to yous," as we say in Buffalo. Ricky Mazella reporting for Hockey Jersey Concepts. Some of you may know me as a contributor to HJC, but others as the founder and owner of Buffalo Nickel Graphics. Shameless plug aside, it is great to be able to help Ryan and the gang share your talent with the world! I am very grateful for the opportunity to be a member of the posting team and look forward to cooperating with them. In the meantime, let's get to the meat and potatoes of it all!

First of all, having just come back from Bruins territory in Springfield, MA and returning to Sabreville in suburban Buffalo, NY still as a Ducks fan, I'm sad to see my team bow out so early and the heartbreaking loss by Toronto (my apologies and sympathies to Ryan and the rest of Leafs Nation). But we've seen some great first round hockey and so far we are being entertained by these conference semifinals. As much as we all love our playoff hockey, we can't forget about what's happening here at HJC. That includes (most importantly) the reminder below that I am providing you with.

                     COTW May 6-12 vote (ends SATURDAY @ 11:59pm EDT)

Will Scheibler is today's featured concept artist! The following is his profile card:

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Philadelphia Flyers (Brady S.)

Resuming his Nike SWIFT Redesign series, Brady presents us with a simple look for the Flyers from Broad St. with this set. What I like about this set are the color distribution and the striping. The thick center stripe with the thin outer stripes add character to this jersey to make it more classy. Except for the white center stripe on the orange jersey (that has always seemed unusual to me),  the colors don't clash with each other and the numbers are legible in the white and you can cheat with it in this set unlike some others. As much as I don't like the yoke, it is an important part of this concept for me where the black accent is more present and no yoke outline is necessary - as portrayed here. An 8 out of 10 is in order for this concept.

Phoenix Coyotes (Brady S.)

The second concept in Brady's series suggests a bi-color scheme. I like it and fortunately for the Yotes, they'd be able to pull it off with this or something similar. The silhouettes are what make this set, otherwise I'm not so sure we have anything. I mean, I definitely favor the white jersey, but I'm not completely sold on the counterpart because the yoke doesn't transfer well. I would replace it with the brick red and ad a white outline, but then a reverse jersey would need to be made and I won't fancy that either. The striping is fine as is, but it wouldn't hurt to see another stripe added on.  7.5 out of 10 is my verdict.

New York Rangers (Adam H.)

I do appreciate the effort in trying to turn back the clock, but I never really liked this template because it is typically an injustice to a good, clean concept. The font used here gives me a bad vibe, but is better than other fonts here. The "R" in the primary logo seems out of place, but can be overlooked. Again, this has a lot of potential, just not with this template. This is a 7 out of 10.

Nashville Predators (Adam H.)

I really want to like this one but it's a difficult decision. I know I said that this template typically fails concepts, but it actually works here. The only thing with that is that the red throws me off. In addition, the logo gets a little lost in the striping and you can barely make out the crest script on the alternate. On top of that, a gold name and number on a white jersey will never fly as it will get lost in the surrounding white of the jersey. This may be a 6 out of 10, but send this to the drawing board and we'll someday get a winner!

Buffalo Sabres (Tristan M.)

This combination of eras may be epic. The original team crest is revived using the Buffa-slug font (which I personally liked). The striping  is phenomenal with the exception of needing the hem striping on the white uniform to match the striping on the sleeves. Also, I would suggest that there is a jersey color stripe between the number and number outline to create a double number outline as the gold gets lost in translation. Make sure all stitching inside of the panels are not showing (especially over the striping as seen above). Please consult the tutorials link on the side of the page to make sure your concept is well executed. This set brings back a pastime and is very much a retro-modern look that I know would be a well accepted set here in the Western New York community! Overall, 7.5 out of 10.

Chicago Blackhawks (Tyler G.)

Today's final concept comes from my fellow co-author Tyler, who submits a jersey for his beloved team from the Madhouse on Madison. I always liked black jerseys for this team. This however also provides contrast with the hem being white. The slight difference from the actual alternates is that there is an extra red and extra white stripe. To accommodate both, I would either change the bottom of the sleeves to white or color the hem black while adding the extra white and extra red stripe to it. I see an 8 out of 10 with this one.

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It feels good not to be a one-and-done writer on HJC as my only other post was nine months ago from Sunday as a part of the original writing application process. Man, was it really that long ago? Well this is one small step for HJC and one giant leap for me as I learn from my experiences blogging for HJC and as a concept artist myself. Keep on sending stuff in to us as we look forward to your content and appreciate your enthusiasm for designing hockey stuff! I can't wait for the next time I get to post here a week from now, over and out.

-Ricky