Saturday: National, Kontinental, Ontario and American!

Grumble grumble Blackhawks grumble grumble I don't want to talk about it.

*EDIT (by Ryan)*

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Last of the Untouchables Bruins entries

Austin

Brandon C.

Caz

Derek H.

Matt R.

Phil

Stéphane

Steve M.

 

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On to the concepts.




Niagara IceDogs (by Alan)

Alan's concept today features the OHL's Niagara IceDogs. I’m not sure how I feel about this one because it’s a combination of so many different ideas. The arm stripes are semi-traditional while the vertical body stripes are extremely modern. Also, I think the gray stripes are kind of superfluous. They could probably be replaced with white or red and the quality of the jersey would not suffer. I don’t mind the primary logo but the effect mentioned about the shoulder logo doesn’t really show when the logo isn’t shown in full. I do love the color scheme though. As a Blackhawks fan, I’m contractually obligated to like red and black color schemes. Overall, I’ll give it a 7/10.

Colorado Avalanche (by Andy)

Andy’s Avalanche concept does two things that would be very good for the Avalanche: simplifying the color scheme and removing the horrible Edge template. This is so much better than what they currently wear. Burgundy and blue does not need any extra colors, and the vertical stripes template is one of the worst in the league – second only to Buffalo’s initial Edge template. At the same time, I don’t know about this redesign. The potential to restore the mountain design is there but it’s not realized. A few minor final critiques: I’d remove the outline on the name on the white jersey and the NHL logo on that jersey is also mis-colored. Overall, I’ll give it an 8/10.

Boston Bruins (by Bobby)

Here we have a Bruins concept by Bobby showing a color jersey fauxback to the white jerseys worn by the Bruins from 1926 to 1932. It’s an interesting update since back then, the Bruins wore proper white, not “vintage” white and they hadn’t moved from brown to black yet. Also, he’s chosen to use the modern Boston logo instead of the version they used back then. I do like it, though, because it’s not over-the-top and certainly looks like it would work as a fauxback. My few critiques are in the execution: the name on the back and the logo are pixelated a bit and there is some mis-coloration around the NHL logo. Overall, I’ll give it an 8.5/10.

Boston Bruins (by Dylan)

Our second Bruins concept of the day comes from Dylan, who gives them their first gold jersey since 2006. The first thing that I notice is the logo. Honestly, I never understood why Boston wore that curved B logo in the first place because it has no history with the team. Boston’s B logo has always been some variation of a straight block B. That being said, since the logo isn’t made up out of thin air, it could be much worse. I like the jersey because it’s a good update of their Winter Classic sweater with some key modifications, of course. It certainly would be interesting to see this one on the ice. I’d change the sleeve striping to make them straight, though. The rough V-shape seems unnecessary. Finally, someone can correct me if I’m wrong but I don’t think the jerseys have the Reebok vector on the sleeve anymore. Overall, I’ll give it an 8.5/10.

HC Slovan Bratislava (by Stephen)

Revenge of the Robopen! Oh wait, that’s not the Robopen at all. HC Slovan Bratislava is one of the few non-Russian teams in the KHL and has been in the league for one season so far. Believe it or not, I don’t actually dislike the logo despite it being a clear Robopen ripoff. The color scheme is solid and the design is very straight up. I like it. I’d definitely make the logo larger, however, and the phantom yoke needs to go. Either change the color of the yoke or get rid of the outline, because there are very few instances in which the phantom yoke looks good and this is not one of them. Overall, I’ll give it a 7.5/10.

Vancouver Canucks (by Ted)

Now this is an interesting one. Ted has taken a lot of different Vancouver elements and crams them together in a three-jersey set. Unfortunately, this one suffers from a lot of problems. Starting from the top: the wordmark has some random colors around it and the stripes on the sock are way too big. I also don’t care for the wordmark-over-number combination. The wordmark-over-anything look just isn’t good for pro hockey. Regardless of whether you’re Vancouver or Dallas, don’t do it. Leave it to college. Either pick a wordmark or a logo. No front numbers. Period. Moving on – on the colored jerseys, the sleeve numbers are too pixelated and there are some uncolored pixels on the underarms. Finally, if you’re going to include black on the white jersey, then don’t leave it out of the colored jerseys entirely. These jerseys could be good but there is a lot that needs to be fixed. Please also remember that images should be no larger than 1,200 pixels on any side. Overall, I’ll give it a 6/10.

Abbotsford Heat (by Jets96)

Jets’ first of three concepts is of an AHL team that may not exist for much longer, as some reports indicate that the Heat, who are the Flames’ AHL affiliate, may be moving to Utica, New York soon. Such a move would actually make sense for the Heat because they are currently the sole western team in the AHL. They are the only team in the Pacific time zone and play two time zones away from the next-closest team. Moving to the East Coast would make things a lot easier for everyone. As for the design itself, this one is an interesting case. I’m not sure about the vertical stripes on the hem and the sleeves are definitely a modern design that wouldn’t be out of place for an AHL team. As a whole, it’s not a bad design. I’d just fix the pixelation of the logo on the red jersey. Overall, I’ll give it a 7.5/10.

Albany Devils (by Jets96)

The next one is for the Albany Devils, who are, as the name indicates, the New Jersey Devils’ AHL affiliate. This one I’m not sold on. While I realize that not every AHL team can be like the IceHogs and emulate their parent team’s uniforms, since the Devils have such a classic design I think their farm team should take some cues from that. I’d have gone with a more traditional template instead of the weird Blues/Predators “horned” template. I don’t care much for the incomplete hem stripes, though. That being said, however, the design is not bad overall. With those few minor fixes, it would be a good design. Also, as previously mentioned, the pixelation of the colored jersey logo needs to be fixed. Overall, I’ll give it an 8/10.

Binghamton Senators (by Jets96)

And so we close today with my favorite concept of the day, the Binghamton Senators. This one is just fantastic because apart from the Blackhawks, Ottawa (and by extension Binghamton) has one of my favorite color schemes. That aside, I like the use of the alternate logo as the primary on these jerseys because the Senators’ RL primary logo is far too crowded. Also, the sublimated striping in the red is absolutely killer. More jerseys could use sublimated striping. It’s a subtle design effect that goes a long way towards improving the design. Finally, good job bringing back the laurel design from the O-Sens’ 2000-07 alternate. I wish that was something they had kept when they switched to the Edge jerseys. My only critiques are minor: the pixelation of the numbers and the logo on the black jersey. Overall, I’ll give it an 8.5/10.

Friday: The Time Machine

Another Friday is upon us. It's a busy day with Bruins concepts flying in added to an already concept heavy post. We'll be going back and forth between teams of the past and potential new teams of the future.

Today in history: 1980 - Stanley Cup: New York Islanders beat Philadelphia Flyers, 4 games to 2, 1986 - Stanley Cup: Montreal Canadiens beat Calgary Flames, 4 games to 1, 1988 - Power outage in Boston Garden in NHL's Stanley Cup finals, 1989 - NHL's New York Rangers fire GM & coach Phil Esposito, 1990 - Stanley Cup: Edmonton Oilers beat Boston Bruins, 4 games to 1.


Please remember that we have a pair of deadlines for today's date. Please make note of them below.

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

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

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Bruins Untouchables entries:


There aren't any today, remember the above deadline!

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San Jose Sharks (Brady S.)

This is the only Nike SWIFT concept Brady has for us today. Personally I see either of two things: first that this seems more oriented to the redesign of the AHL affiliate Worcester Sharks and second that this would pass more as a 90s OAK/CAL (Golden) Seals concept redesigned with a modern template. Albeit a bland concept, I do like it to some extent. As much as I like the striping used is simple, I would like to see a slightly more creative stripe like the wave at the bottom of the Lightning alternate from the late 90s or a perhaps even a zig zag. Difficult to put a number to, but I am giving an 8 out of 10.

2014 Stadium Series: NY Islanders (Michael G.)

Michael presents us with an interesting idea, despite the youth of the Islanders organization. While his name appears on the jersey, I will make mention that Tavares' talented uncle (Buffalo Bandits - NLL leader in goals/assists/points) of the same name is even older than the team on the Island - all just by coincidence. Even with an example in front of me, I simply cannot picture the Isles in vintage white but it could probably be made possible. The only thing that would ruin the idea of a winter classic for this team is a jersey from the "Fish-sticks" era and in vintage white. It does look good and I don't know how much better can be made of it, yet this could be what we see. I'm giving a half point for arbitrary purposes for a 7.5 out of 10.

Atlanta Thrashers c.1970s (Jordan R.)

While the bird in the logo reminds me of Norwich City of English soccer (nicknamed the Canaries), the overall concept spells trouble. All of the sudden we have San Diego Padres copycats with the sanitary color scheme and boy were the Padres baseball team poorly dressed. In fact, they were rated by MLB network's Prime 9 series as one of the top eight of 9 "Unique" uniform set (meaning worst presumably). But this team would take away the market from the developing WHA at that time. The only difference is that this would be then nickname instead of the Flames. So that could mean we see the Calgary Thrashers quite possibly and the 90s expansion team to be named the Flames. Who knows? I can like it, but the schematics are the spoiler on this but I'm not letting that be the deciding factor. However this provides the vintage feel to it, after all, the Seals and Kings did have yellow home jerseys too. I'm giving it an 8 out of 10 as well.

2014 Stadium Series: VAN Canucks (Mike S.)

This is exactly a modified version of the inaugural "stick in a rink" jersey that Mike has presented us with. While I never really cared for the logo it is relatively a bump in the road. The numbers are slightly over-sized on the back and are too small for the TV numbers. As much as I like the wide striping, it is also squeezing the TV numbers, thus forcing the smallness of them. To be quite honest, the green and white should be swapped to add variation and match the logo and outline. A 7 out of 10 here.

Team Breakers (Sean L.)

As Sean notes, he wants your opinion on how the socks should be designed for his Breakers concept. Mine would be that since he is using the Buffa-slug template, to have two thick separated stripes the top in green and the bottom white with a thin section of black separating the two. Now onto the rest of the concept. The name on back, TV numbers and even shoulder patches are too small for my liking. As a matter of fact, I'm not sure what the shoulder patch is but it seems that it is improperly positioned. This is a very good original logo and I like the colors but something else is missing in addition to other things, with the dismissal of the lack of socks as a contributing factor. 6 out of 10 and the reader sock suggestions will be given.

Penn State Nittany Lions (Michael M.) 

While these are separate concepts that Michael sent us, I will combine them here for discussion purposes. There are several things here that I wish to discuss. The logo is great and adds value for me. Secondly, I would make the stripes slightly thicker but a great addition to make this concept simple but not bland. I would also like to see the "Penn State - Shenango" a bit more centered between the two stripes. Also the paw on the alternate is higher then the ones on the home and road. In addition, all three should be half on the front right and half on the back right and preferably in the yoke unless there is some sort of intent on placement. I like the nameless jersey as it would save on reproduction cost. I know the logo is a slightly darker shade of blue than what is used and both are school colors, but I feel we should stick with the shade of blue from the logo.

Though the home and road strongly resemble TML jerseys, the extra color on the sleeves and outline-less numbering distinct the jersey as an alternate as of course do the black and pink. One problem with that color combination - I have never seen a professional or collegiate team perform well in those colors, only my high school did well in navy and pink - but again, that's high school. I have a 7.5 out of 10 for the primary set and a 7 out of 10 for the alternate.

London Knights (Kyle C.)

London not only just won their second straight OHL title a week and a half ago, they are also one of the best branded in the league, imo. This may seem like a potential Minnesota North Stars concept, but it suits the Budweiser Garden tenants very well. I don't have any constructive criticism for this one, an  8 out of 10 for Kyle's effort.

Wow, I got through everything (finally) - just kidding. It has been an intriguing day considering this particular combination of concepts. Again, don't forget to vote and send in concepts. We want to see your masterpieces and your start-ups as we continue to display your creativity. For the record, I like outside the box stuff.

Anyway enjoy your weekends as I have a road game tonight and a home game on Sunday as my Indiana Pacers look to advance to the NBA Finals for the first time since 2000. I am got my first paycheck of the summer today and plan on getting that Reggie Miller gold 2000s alternate that I've been wanting (to be visible at BNG very soon). Happy concocting!

-Ricky

Thursday: Game 7, the RHL, and concepts!

from dallasnews.com

Hey everybody, Tyler here. I was planning on sharing this with you last Thursday, but I never got around too
it. Anyway, my dad and I had the awesome chance to see Game 7 of the CHL (Central, not Canadian) Finals here in Allen, TX between the Wichita Thunder and the Allen Americans (who are partly owned by Mike Modano, Craig Ludwig, and Ed Belfour). It was an amazing game. The Thunder took a 2-0 lead in to the 3rd period, and the Americans fought back to tie the game and force overtime. Allen scored in OT to win the game and the Ray Miron Presidents' Cup, 3-2. Also, the Blackhawks have gone down 2-1 in their series and Game 4 is tonight. I'll be biting my fingernails the whole game, anyway, GO HAWKS! Let's get rolling!

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Here are the daily voting reminders...

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 today's entries for the Bruins portion of the Untouchables comp...

AJ Stowaway

Brendan R.

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One more thing, JB has started a project called the Redline Hockey League. You can read all about it on this here picture. The RHL is on Facebook, Twitter, Behance, and Tumblr. Some RHL concepts will also be featured right here on HJC! I have to say myself, it looks awesome so far! Check it out.

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Colorado Avalanche concept (By: Kyle)

Kyle starts us off with some pretty cool, and classic, Avs concepts. I like the simplicity. No black, no silver. Just burgundy, blue, and white. How the Avs should be. I love the hem and yoke striping, it works. The blue pants work well too. Great job. One thing, I would recommend some sort of shoulder patch or pants logo, maybe the bigfoot logo? Also, the helmets need logos. 8/10

Dallas Stars concept (By: Mark M.)

With the Stars unveiling their new uniforms on June 4th, Mark has some simple Stars concepts for us. I like the yokes. I think the striping is a bit too thin. I think these are a bit too boring for my tastes, but that's just me. I can tell you one thing, I would take these over the jerseys that are no more. Also, the Texas state logo is on the concept, why isn't it somewhere on the jersey? I would like to see that implemented somewhere too make it less bland. 7/10

Rouyn-Noranda Huskies QMJHL concept (By: Bastian)

The Huskies have tons of gradients on their jerseys. Bastian has simplified them, and I LOVE this. The simple, slight gradients in the striping is awesome. It's not an overwhelming amount, I love it. Their logo is awesome, thanks for using it here. I love that font too, anyone know the name of it (numbers/name)? Anyway, great job here Bastian. 8.5/10

Seattle Thunderbirds WHL concept (By: Scott D.)

Scott has some cool Thunderbirds sweaters for us. I like just about everything here. If Seattle were too ever get an NHL team, these jerseys would be awesome. My one concern would be the away jersey, is it too close too the Canucks road jersey? Not sure, but these are just awesome. Great job, as always, Scott. 8.5/10

Tampa Bay Lightning concept (By: Myself/Tyler G.)

Well, I was watching some old videos from 2004 when the Bolts won the cup, and I really liked their old black jerseys. The templates for the home and road are based off the Washington Capitals jerseys. The blue alternate uses the "victory stripes" on the hem and yoke. Tell me what you think in the comments! Thanks.

Ottawa Senators concept (By: Mike S.)

Mike continues his Outdoor series with the 'Nucks vs Sens game from BC Place. I like the barber pole stripes, something the Sens really need to do. The shield logo looks good as well. The thing I don't like is the Reebok logo, I think it should be just black with the vintage white background. Cool concept here, Mike. 7.5/10

Hartford Wolf Pack AHL concept (By: Scott M.)

This was Scott's entry into the Wolf Pack redesign competition. I love these. The stripes in the pit stains are awesome. The numbers are really cool too. The Rangers pants fit. And that is one heck of an alternate. Three awesome jerseys here from Scott. No complaints at all. 9/10 and a COTW nom from me

Québec Remparts QMJHL concept (By: Bastian)

Bastian changes the red to orange for the Remparts. The jerseys are awesome, love the striping. Also, that logo is one of my favorites in all of sports. No complains from me other then the orange. Awesome job. 8.5/10

Thanks for reading, have a good Friday everyone!

Wednesday: New logos, New concepts, and Bruins Untouchables

Happy Wednesday everyone. Hope everyone's enjoying their day and looking forward to the game tonight. I'm really hoping the Sens can repeat their effort from the other day.

Some actual hockey design news came out the other day, and it's from around my neck of the woods. The Peoria Rivermen of the AHL had been recently purchased by the Vancouver Canucks and it was

Courtesy: Rivermen Facebook Page

Courtesy: Rivermen Facebook Page

announced that the team wouldn't play in Peoria next season. But hockey will stay in Peoria as Peoria will now be home to a SPHL (Southern Professional Hockey League) franchise who will take over the Rivermen name and branding.

I really like the new logo, though I think it could use some tweaking, specifically the spokes on the wheel, it could all be rotated to the right. And as for the jerseys... Normally I would dislike the wavy stripes, but they look decent here, but it doesn't really fit in with the logo so typical straight lines would work best in my opinion.

What do you guys think? I already submitted a concept using the new logo and I'm anticipating quite a few more out of you guys.

Also, a new contest has started this week and currently we're accepting entries into the Boston Bruin's Untouchable entries. Here's your voting reminders.

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

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

And here's some entries.

(Alan H.)

(CPM)

(Mason II)

(Stephen T.)

And now the regular daily concepts!

Dallas Stars Concept - (Bastian)

Bastian creates a concept using the logo that Torch Creative posted a while back and I'll admit, not a fan of the logo originally, but I love what Bastian's done with it ditching the gold. I like the look of these jerseys. They match the description that the team's owner has given us, being classic, but I miss gold, just not in the logo.

Rating: 8.5/10


Grizzly Adams Wolfsburg Concept - (Bastian)

I love this team's branding, always have. I just hate their jerseys. With a logo that fantastic, it needs to be featured on the chest, just like Bastian has suggested here. The jersey design is also miles better than what the team currently uses. I would absolutely love to see this jersey being used with as few ads as possible in real life. I would also really want to own that white jersey, and if you add a thicker white outline on the crest on the orange jersey, I'd take both please. Shut up and take my money!

Rating: 9/10 COTW NOM!!

Ottawa Senators Concept - (Stephen T.)

Stephen gives the Sens a new third jersey but I feel that it would only work as a one off throwback or fan jersey. It's way too busy for my liking, not to say some might like it. I feel for the barberpole pattern to work today it has to be done subtly, which the Sens have done with their current heritage third. The "O" as well as the number on the back just get's lost in all the stripes.

Rating: 6/10


Pittsburgh Penguins Concept - (Stephen T.)

 Stephen's second concept of the day, which I was unaware of because of the lack of an ID on this one....tsk tsk....  rebrands the Pens with an old jersey template. Stephen takes the old Pens' black jersey from the early 90's, diagonal wordmark and all, and swaps the yellow for Vegas gold. Honestly, I never like the Penguins wordmark jersey. Something only the Rangers should do. Not much of a "concept" either. Not saying it looks bad but it's not unique.

Rating: 7/10


Assassin's Creed Blackhawks Style Logo - (DC VisualArts)

I'm a fan of this. A bit out of the ordinary around these parts, but DCVA takes the main character from the latest Assassin's Creed game, Connor Kenway, and creates a portrait of him in the style of the Chicago Blackhawks logo. For those unaware of the plot you control Connor, a Native American, who trains to become an assassin during the American Revolution. I'm sure fans of the game will eat this up. I finished the game not too long ago and I'm impressed. If you appreciate this, I suggest you buy a shirt.

I don't know how to "rate" this so I'll rate it an "Awesome out of 10"


Kelowna Rockets Concept - (Scott D.)

 Scott rebrands the Rockets for this concept, and I'm sure I've said it here before but I do like this team's color scheme, but not so big on the logos. But Scott gives the team very basic jerseys to balance out the silliness of the logos. I like the use of the roundels on the home and away. I wish the white jersey had more teal though.

Rating: 8/10


UConn Huskies Concept - (Scott M.)

And the last concept of the day featuring the recently rebranded UConn Huskies. Very classy look for the school and it was nice to see Nike come in and clean up their identity. I never had a problem with the old dog logo but the new one is really nice. I just wish it was featured somewhere on the concept. Preferably on the front, but more realistically on the shoulders. Heck, even the pants or helmet would work. The concept looks great, but use the dog logo!

Rating: 8/10