Thursday: Bizarro World

Greetings from Thallos, this is my weekly Thursday update in the world of hockey concepts. Firstly I'd like to sincerely congratulate Ryan on his newborn baby Carter. I thought Carter would be locked out along with the NHL, but it looks like the NHL was beaten to the punch. Again, congrats Ryan!

Today we've got some pretty crazy concepts; a reimagining of the MLB (Major League Baseball) as hockey jerseys, the Fisherman makes a come-back and we'll see one person's take on what would happen if Reebok completely had their way with the Original 6 (god forbid).

Honestly, I'm not sure if the COTW of the week is still accepting committee member votes (deadline was September 2nd) but I'll remind you of it anyways if you haven't already gotten your votes in.

COTW Aug 27-Sept 2 vote (ends Thursday @ 11:59pm EST)

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 San Jose Sharks concept (by Tyler G.)

Here, Tyler takes the gray color scheme that San Jose's AHL affiliate the Worcester Sharks have used for a while now. I'm not a fan of the logo as a whole because I don't think the colors contrast each other well to stand out well in the gray. The design is simple enough and the execution is on par for the course. (6/10)

New York Islanders concept (by Steven G.)

The infamous Fisherman makes a return to an Islanders jersey, but in a more traditional fashion. With the same color scheme the Islanders introduced it with back in 1995, Steven goes with navy, teal, orange and white. The arm stripes and hem stripes suit the logo very well, and are bold enough to be recognizable. The lighthouse logo also makes a comeback which I am always a fan of. (7/10)

Colorado Avalanche concept (by Kyle C.)

If being a hockey fan with an avid interest in jersey aesthetics have taught me anything, it's that Colorado has rarely featured a minimalistic jersey design aside from their early 2000s alternate. Well here Kyle fits the Avalanche identity into just that. With a heavy usage of blue, maroon and a lack of black, this design fits very well. It's not to out-of-the-box but it's a nice looking concept (8/10)

Chicago Blackhawks concept (by Kyle C.)

Kyle is on a role here with the classic designs. Here, he goes with an old school logo the Blackhawks used in the 1940s. By today's standards, it would not hold up as a primary but because it's considered old school, it works every well here. The Blackhawk jersey designs of the past have been very stripey, bombarded with various widths but here Kyle keeps it simple once again. (8/10)

Original 6 concept (by Stephen T.)

If numerous of the "innovated" jersey designs that Reebok introduced in 2007 as a part of their EDGE redesign made you cringe, you may want to close your eyes. Stephen imagines what it would be like if Reebok forced the Original 6 to redesign their classic looks and they aren't pretty. Toronto features a simple template shared with Ottawa and Pittsburgh; Chicago utilizes the old Buffaslug jerseys; the CRangers (sic) share the same template as Washington; Montreal goes crazy with fill bucket (but apparently forgot the blue on one of the arms); Boston goes with apron piping and shoulder yokes; and Detroit gets washed out using the same template as Nashville. There are quite a few execution errors here, but I'd go back to the drawing board altogether with this one. (5/10)

Arizona Diamondbacks concept (by Matt D.)

I really like this concept. The color scheme, the rattlesnake theme, everything; I just like the way it all comes together. The best thing? The jersey doesn't look forced, it genuinely looks like it could be a hockey jersey. I could possibly see Phoenix doing something like this but maybe with the "Picasso" design that the Coyotes featured upon their relocation to the desert. (8/10)

Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim concept (by Matt D.)

Matt continues with the MLB hockey series with the Angels and he hits the nail on the head once more. This concept feels and looks like a hockey jersey, and not some rehash of a look a baseball team uses. I dig the check stripes, and the diagonal sleeves and shoulders. There's not much to complain about this one. (8/10)

Minnesota Wild concept (by Thomas H.)

With the sudden Nike Swift fad that's been going around lately, Thomas takes a stab at Minnesota. He hopes for the roundel logo and executes it quite well with a traditional jersey design, further distancing itself from the expansion team's original look in the early 2000s. It's a well executed concept that I could easily see stepping out on to the ice. (7/10)

Florida Panthers concept (by Caz W.)

As explained in his concept, Caz takes heavy inspiration from the Panther's original look back in the 90s. The panther is finally replaced with yellow instead of the usual gold, and the third features a lot of yellow. Description on concept. It's a very solid concept that is certainly a step above what Florida is currently wearing. (8/10)