Tuesday: A New Day

Hello everyone, this is Steven.  As you may have noticed on the weekend update, I'll be the Tuesday writer from now on, and Dylan will be writing on Wednesday.

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All the COTW votes last year have been building up to the COTY vote going on right now.  There is also this week's COTW vote, and the AHL Outdoor Classic vote.

Concept of the Year FINAL vote (ends Friday @ 11:59pm EST)

Outdoor Classic Top 5 vote (ends Friday @ 11:59pm EST)

COTW Jan 21-27 vote (ends Friday @ 11:59pm EST)

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Harvard Crimson (by Bailey S.)

I know nothing about this team, but from what I can tell from a quick search, these are their current jerseys.  I also know nothing about NCAA rules, but I would think one of these jerseys would need to be white or a light colour.  The striping pattern for each jersey is pretty good, I don't mind them mismatching at all.  I do think the logo on the home jersey needs another white outline to stand out better.  Also all the numbers, wordmark, and the name on the back could use white outlines for better visibility.  There are some execution errors, including the inside of the jersey should be the same colour as the outside, and the names are too high up.  I'd recommend taking a look at these helpful tutorials Ryan made. 5/10

Minnesota North Stars (by Ted N.)

It's always cool to see concepts for teams that no longer exist.  This concept makes good use of the North Stars' original primary logo.  I do like the use of that logo, but I don't think it needs to be recoloured for each jersey, I'd recommend just using the version that is on the green jersey.  I also think that the white jersey's numbers would be better green.  Execution notes, the hem stripes should be above the jersey stitching, the sock stripes are too high up, and the inside collar area on the green jersey should be green.  6/10

Seattle Sonics Sacramento Kings (by Mike S.)

Mike continues his NBA series with a Sacramento Kings concept that appears to be based off of this jersey.  It has a lot of potential, and I think it could be great with the following changes.  I really like the striping on the sleeves, so I'd recommend matching the hem stripes to them, or at least making about 1.5 times thicker.  The hem stripes also are a bit too high up, and the jersey stitching shouldn't continue below them.  The purple script looks good, but I think the numbers should be white for better readability.  7/10

Florida Panthers (by E.Awad)

This seems to be a popular idea for a concept, turning the Panthers current stripes into a more traditional pattern.  It does look quite good, there a just a few minor details that I think could make it even better.  I'd change the white to yellow in the road jersey's collar, same with the white in the red pants (by the way I love the idea of two different colour pants).  I'd also recommend making the numbers and captain letters match, and lowering the sock stripes because right now they'd almost be under the pants.  7/10

Montreal Canadiens "Matrix" logo (by Brian B.)

Here's something we haven't seen before, the Montreal Canadiens logo in the style of the Matrix.  To be honest, I've never seen the Matrix so I'm not the best person to judge this.  I'll just say it is a very unique idea.  I'd like to hear some comments about what you folks think about this.  8/10

New Jersey Devils (by Bastian S.)

The Devils have a very good look right now, so it's good that Bastian didn't change too much.  The new striping seems to be influenced a bit by the Devils original uniforms, which is cool.  The Devils aren't likely to change their uniform anytime soon, but if they were I'd like to see something like this.  8/10

2014 Winter Classic (by Dave K.)

In my opinion the Toronto jersey here is okay, but the Detroit jersey is the best of the two.  It clearly is influenced by past jerseys in the franchise's history, but is still something new.  The Toronto jersey looks nice, but it is lacking that influence from past jerseys, which I think hurts it as a Winter Classic concept.  The Toronto logo is great though, with the Toronto Arenas' "T" logo in the maple leaf.  Overall I'd like to see one less outline on the numbers, as most jerseys from these franchises past had very simple numbers.  8/10

Vancouver Canucks (by Tyler G.)

Here Tyler takes the Canucks current third jersey, adds some stuff, and the creates a matching road jersey.  I like the addition of the V in the sleeve stripes, it makes so much sense for the Canucks.  I'm not so sure about the stripes on the shoulders, I like how unique they are, but I don't know if they'd look good.  I'd have to see what they look like in real life before making a final judgement.  Execution is good, as always with Tyler.  8/10

Sherbrooke Phoenix (by E.Awad)

I made a quick note when I received this concept that said "everything is good, but switch the socks", and that basically sums up my thoughts perfectly.  I get that the socks are unique the way they are, but I really don't think they work in this situation.  The jerseys are great though.  If I had one suggestion it would be to make the road shoulder yolk go Navy-Light Blue-Navy to better match the striping, but that is very minor.  These would be a great improvement over Sherbrooke's current St. Louis/Nashville rip-offs.  8/10

Florida Panthers (by Bastian S.)

I'd love to see a yellow third jersey for the Panthers, and this would be a great option.  The simple striping pattern works well with such a bright jersey, and having the arm stripes angled is a nice reference to the Panthers original jerseys.  One thing is the logo, using so much yellow, kind of gets lost in the jersey.  I'd suggest either a thicker white outline or using the Panthers gold colour.  9/10

Minnesota Wild (by Brandon C.)

I'm my opinion the chest stripe is underused in the NHL (only Montreal and Ottawa), and it looks great here in green and wheat.  It could be lowed a bit though, as the logo seems too close to the collar.  I also think having the TV numbers in the sleeve stripes would be really cool.  Even without those changes this is awesome.  Match it up with the Wild's original primary jerseys and they'd have one of the best looks in the league.  COTW nomination from me!!!  9/10