Saturday: And then there were two!
Today is a good day to be a Blackhawks fan, and to be honest despite the series score, it probably can't be too bad to be a Bruins fan. Game one of the Final was an epic battle and I hope that the rest of the series is as epic with the Blackhawks triumphing in the end. Sorry Can'tucks and Dead Wings fans, but this is our year.
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Toronto Maple Leafs (by Dylan)
Dylan's Leafs concept is quite an interesting design. It takes the 1967-70 Northwestern stripe design and modifies it, giving the jersey a pseudo-traditional/pseudo-modern design. It's a bold choice that I think works on several levels. The flag maple leaf logo is the best the team has worn and the striping isn't too out there. My single critique of these is the inclusion of the Reebok wordmark on the sleeve. Actual NHL jerseys don't have that on there. Overall, I'll give it an 8/10.
Buffalo Sabres (by Gerard)
Gerard has three concepts today and the first is a take on the Sabres by using their alternate logo from 2000 to 2006. Honestly, though, seeing that design and that logo juxtaposed next to that third sweater makes me realize that the third jersey would be so much better as the primary. Am I stifling creativity by insisting that an existing design would be better? Yes, I admit I am, but the Sabres have such a classic identity that messing with it just seems wrong. Regardless, Gerard's design is just fine. Apart from the logo choice, the home and road jerseys aren't bad by any means. Overall, I'll give it an 8/10.
Los Angeles Kings (by Gerard)
Last week, Gerard Edgified the Ducks' Wild Wing jersey. This week he takes on the Burger King jersey and my reaction is largely the same: no. The Burger King was a bad design and this one is even worse than the Wild Wing jersey. Why is that, might you ask? While the Wild Wing jersey was a combination of a bad logo and a decent jersey, this one is a bad jersey and a bad logo. Neither one should make any appearance outside of the history books. That being said, on technical merits, Gerard's concept is solid. The use of the Kings' logo as the shoulder patch is a nice touch. Overall, I'll give it a 7/10.
Peoria Rivermen (by Gerard)
Gerard's concept for the SPHL's newest team is a revised take on the jerseys worn by the Penguins from 2000 to 2007 and it's certainly interesting. I really don't have much to say about this one. It's not an awesome design but it's not horrid either. It's just middle-of-the-road. I guess my only critique would be to consider a different design for the alternate. Why not ditch the diagonal stripes entirely? Overall, I'll give it a 7/10.
Dallas Stars (by Joey)
Joey's concept demonstrates exactly why the Stars made the right choice in going with green as the primary color for their new uniforms. The concept is not bad, though. It's not Joey's fault. I just think that if the green and black on the home jersey were reversed, the whole thing would look better. Also, I'd change the number font to a block font. The current font used just doesn't work for me. Overall, I'll give it an 8/10.
HC Kladno (by Judah)
Someone can correct me if I'm wrong, but I believe this is the first Czech Extraliga concept we've had. This one is hard to judge since I'm not familiar with the team, but I assume the real team's jerseys are covered in ads like so many European teams' jerseys, so this one is already an improvement on that basis alone. I do like the unique hem stripe design. However, this one could use a lot of cleaning up. It's a good start, though. Overall, I'll give it a 6/10.
NHL All-Star Game (by Justin)
Justin's ASG concept is certainly an out-there choice because it bears no resemblance to anything ever worn in the NHL before. It wouldn't be the first time a team has worn an asymmetrical jersey but it's certainly unusual for the league. I don't know if I could see these jerseys being worn in Columbus, though. If the league went back towards having different ASG jerseys every year, I think we'd see something more reflective of the Blue Jackets' uniforms. Overall, I'll give it a 7.5/10.
Charlottetown Islanders (by Justin)
Justin's next concept is for the QMJHL's newest team, formerly known as the Prince Edward Island Rocket. This look brings to mind the major league Islanders, which is a nice touch. I definitely like the simplistic design, which is something that seems to be missing in a lot of minor leagues. My problem with this concept is in the execution. It's clear that the editing was quite sloppy and there are a lot of stray pixels. If working with this kind of template is above your abilities, I'd suggest working with a simpler template for now. It'll produce a cleaner concept and a cleaner concept is a better concept. Overall, I'll give it a 6/10.
Chicago Blackhawks (by Stephen)
Stephen's concept brings together Chicago's two inaugural jerseys in fauxback form and while I am a Chicago purist and I would never suggest getting rid of their current jerseys, I don't see why these wouldn't work as alternates. The color scheme is so stark and they really work well. They're certainly better than the barberpole jerseys, so if you want to create a Blackhawks retro look, these aren't bad. I would have used a black-and-white version of the current logo, though. That's one thing I didn't like about the Winter Classic jersey. There's no reason they couldn't have just put the modern logo in the roundel. It's much better than any other logo the team has had. Overall, I'll give it an 8/10.
Boston Bruins (by Steven)
Steven continues his de-Edgifying series by taking on the Bruins. I personally don't agree with the aim of this series since the Edge system has been mostly kind to the NHL with only a few stinkers, but the Bruins have a great look that looks really good no matter how it's applied to a template. This one looks just fine as well. It's a simple design that just plain works. Overall, I'll give it an 8/10.
Colorado Avalanche (by Tyler)
Our penultimate concept for the day heads out to the Rockies for Tyler's take on the Avalanche. This one is definitely a great concept because it improves on the Avs' current jerseys, which are an absolute mess. Remember what I said last concept about the stinkers among the Edge jerseys? Yeah, the Avs' jerseys are one of them. The vertical piping look is just bad. It has never looked good, and Tyler's more traditional look for the Avalanche is definitely the right direction to go in. The elimination of the black from the color scheme is a good move too. Overall, I'll give it an 8/10.
Columbus Blue Jackets (by William)
The final concept today comes to us courtesy of William, who gives us the first look the Blue Jackets have had that looks like a traditional design without going into faux-retro like their third jersey. I really like the use of the hat logo as the primary. While it's not as good as their current primary, I would like to see it on an alternate because it's a good logo. The use of a hat as a centerpiece is a little weird but that's splitting hairs. My only critique is of the execution: crop the image and remove the unnecessary white space so the jerseys themselves will be larger, thus allowing for more detail to be visible. Overall, I'll give it a 7.5/10.
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Toronto Maple Leafs (by Dylan)
Dylan's Leafs concept is quite an interesting design. It takes the 1967-70 Northwestern stripe design and modifies it, giving the jersey a pseudo-traditional/pseudo-modern design. It's a bold choice that I think works on several levels. The flag maple leaf logo is the best the team has worn and the striping isn't too out there. My single critique of these is the inclusion of the Reebok wordmark on the sleeve. Actual NHL jerseys don't have that on there. Overall, I'll give it an 8/10.
Buffalo Sabres (by Gerard)
Gerard has three concepts today and the first is a take on the Sabres by using their alternate logo from 2000 to 2006. Honestly, though, seeing that design and that logo juxtaposed next to that third sweater makes me realize that the third jersey would be so much better as the primary. Am I stifling creativity by insisting that an existing design would be better? Yes, I admit I am, but the Sabres have such a classic identity that messing with it just seems wrong. Regardless, Gerard's design is just fine. Apart from the logo choice, the home and road jerseys aren't bad by any means. Overall, I'll give it an 8/10.
Los Angeles Kings (by Gerard)
Last week, Gerard Edgified the Ducks' Wild Wing jersey. This week he takes on the Burger King jersey and my reaction is largely the same: no. The Burger King was a bad design and this one is even worse than the Wild Wing jersey. Why is that, might you ask? While the Wild Wing jersey was a combination of a bad logo and a decent jersey, this one is a bad jersey and a bad logo. Neither one should make any appearance outside of the history books. That being said, on technical merits, Gerard's concept is solid. The use of the Kings' logo as the shoulder patch is a nice touch. Overall, I'll give it a 7/10.
Peoria Rivermen (by Gerard)
Gerard's concept for the SPHL's newest team is a revised take on the jerseys worn by the Penguins from 2000 to 2007 and it's certainly interesting. I really don't have much to say about this one. It's not an awesome design but it's not horrid either. It's just middle-of-the-road. I guess my only critique would be to consider a different design for the alternate. Why not ditch the diagonal stripes entirely? Overall, I'll give it a 7/10.
Dallas Stars (by Joey)
Joey's concept demonstrates exactly why the Stars made the right choice in going with green as the primary color for their new uniforms. The concept is not bad, though. It's not Joey's fault. I just think that if the green and black on the home jersey were reversed, the whole thing would look better. Also, I'd change the number font to a block font. The current font used just doesn't work for me. Overall, I'll give it an 8/10.
HC Kladno (by Judah)
Someone can correct me if I'm wrong, but I believe this is the first Czech Extraliga concept we've had. This one is hard to judge since I'm not familiar with the team, but I assume the real team's jerseys are covered in ads like so many European teams' jerseys, so this one is already an improvement on that basis alone. I do like the unique hem stripe design. However, this one could use a lot of cleaning up. It's a good start, though. Overall, I'll give it a 6/10.
NHL All-Star Game (by Justin)
Justin's ASG concept is certainly an out-there choice because it bears no resemblance to anything ever worn in the NHL before. It wouldn't be the first time a team has worn an asymmetrical jersey but it's certainly unusual for the league. I don't know if I could see these jerseys being worn in Columbus, though. If the league went back towards having different ASG jerseys every year, I think we'd see something more reflective of the Blue Jackets' uniforms. Overall, I'll give it a 7.5/10.
Charlottetown Islanders (by Justin)
Justin's next concept is for the QMJHL's newest team, formerly known as the Prince Edward Island Rocket. This look brings to mind the major league Islanders, which is a nice touch. I definitely like the simplistic design, which is something that seems to be missing in a lot of minor leagues. My problem with this concept is in the execution. It's clear that the editing was quite sloppy and there are a lot of stray pixels. If working with this kind of template is above your abilities, I'd suggest working with a simpler template for now. It'll produce a cleaner concept and a cleaner concept is a better concept. Overall, I'll give it a 6/10.
Chicago Blackhawks (by Stephen)
Stephen's concept brings together Chicago's two inaugural jerseys in fauxback form and while I am a Chicago purist and I would never suggest getting rid of their current jerseys, I don't see why these wouldn't work as alternates. The color scheme is so stark and they really work well. They're certainly better than the barberpole jerseys, so if you want to create a Blackhawks retro look, these aren't bad. I would have used a black-and-white version of the current logo, though. That's one thing I didn't like about the Winter Classic jersey. There's no reason they couldn't have just put the modern logo in the roundel. It's much better than any other logo the team has had. Overall, I'll give it an 8/10.
Boston Bruins (by Steven)
Steven continues his de-Edgifying series by taking on the Bruins. I personally don't agree with the aim of this series since the Edge system has been mostly kind to the NHL with only a few stinkers, but the Bruins have a great look that looks really good no matter how it's applied to a template. This one looks just fine as well. It's a simple design that just plain works. Overall, I'll give it an 8/10.
Colorado Avalanche (by Tyler)
Our penultimate concept for the day heads out to the Rockies for Tyler's take on the Avalanche. This one is definitely a great concept because it improves on the Avs' current jerseys, which are an absolute mess. Remember what I said last concept about the stinkers among the Edge jerseys? Yeah, the Avs' jerseys are one of them. The vertical piping look is just bad. It has never looked good, and Tyler's more traditional look for the Avalanche is definitely the right direction to go in. The elimination of the black from the color scheme is a good move too. Overall, I'll give it an 8/10.
Columbus Blue Jackets (by William)
The final concept today comes to us courtesy of William, who gives us the first look the Blue Jackets have had that looks like a traditional design without going into faux-retro like their third jersey. I really like the use of the hat logo as the primary. While it's not as good as their current primary, I would like to see it on an alternate because it's a good logo. The use of a hat as a centerpiece is a little weird but that's splitting hairs. My only critique is of the execution: crop the image and remove the unnecessary white space so the jerseys themselves will be larger, thus allowing for more detail to be visible. Overall, I'll give it a 7.5/10.
Saturday: And then there were two!
Reviewed by Kevin W.
on
June 15, 2013
Rating:
Reviewed by Kevin W.
on
June 15, 2013
Rating:
1 comment:
Tyler's Colorado Avalanche is good, but not great. First of all, it took very little imagination to come up with this. Not a bad thing necessarily, but this is a very traditional look for a very nontraditional team. I think the Avs deserve something a little more modern.
Next, the elimination of black just doesn't work in this case. I have seen some concepts that dispose of the black and do so very well, but this just looks like a rip-off of the Canadians. The idea of removing the black is a very popular one, but I don't think it is necessary. The team has had it since its move to Denver and while the black may look a little funky, I think they look even more funky without it. But this is a concept, and concepts are all about testing new ideas.
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