Friday: Gettting in that Olympic Spirit.

Good Friday to you fine readers of HJC!

Tomorrow the stadium series gets kicked off in SoCal, then the focus shifts to New York for the games at Yankee stadium. On the Horizon after that is the Olympics. I am really looking forward to watching some good Olympic hockey, and I think you, the readers and designers at HJC are feeling no different. There has been a flood of international concepts coming in recently, and today is no different.  But before we get to the concepts, please take a minute to vote. Voter turnout was way better last week, let's see if we can do even better this week, that's the olympic spirit right!?

"higher, faster, stronger voter turnout"

-official Olympic motto

Here is an inspirational song to help motivate you while you vote:

COTY Semi-Finals votes #1 & #2 (end Friday @ 11:59pm Eastern time)

COTW Jan 13-19 vote (ends Friday @ 11:59pm Eastern time)

AHL Stadium Series Top 5 vote (ends Friday @ 11:59pm Eastern time)

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Just to remind you, I am hoping to host a HJC meet-up on Heritage Classic Weekend in Vancouver. Right now, only one person has gotten in contact with me. If you are a HJC reader and are in town that weekend, it would be great to hang out! find me on the HJC facebook page, or email Ryan.

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Colorado Avalanche - Robb C.

A great Rockies inspired Avs concept here from Robb. I really love the Colorado State flag, and so do Coloradoans. Using the colours from the flag, and the Rockies uniforms would be a great special event uniform, or fan jersey. All is well here. 8/10.

Creighton Blue Jays - NCAA - Alan H.

Man, I just love the Creighton logo. So sharp. I also really like what's going on with the arm striping here. It is cool how it is swoopy, and the arm stripes are cut off in a curved manner, I've never seen that before. I can't say that I'm a fan of the side panels, they look too wavy and seem uneven to me, probably best to omit them altogether. 7.5/10

Delaware Pioneers - John  T.

Can't say that I'm a fan of the full blood-clot look. Too much red. The hem striping isn't bad, but it really doesn't have any presence on the rest of the sweater. My suggestions: Go with blue equipment. add some white into the striping pattern, go with a consistent striping pattern, and get rid of the NHL branding on this sweater. 4.5/10.

Oklahoma City Barons - AHL - TG

If you are thinking that these feel like Islanders unis, there is definitely evidence to merit this. Using elements from the Lighthouse logo is a bit confusing for me. As for the jerseys, I really like the white sweater, the reverse-style sleeves are cool, but would be eve cooler if the blue jersey's sleeves were a perfect match. That would create some good continuity in the set. 7/10.

Team Belgium - IIHF - Stephen T.

This is a pretty sweet set here from Stephen. These jerseys are logical, the yellow and the black just swap, but it looks great. Awesome logo, simple yet fresh striping. Overall fantastic, and really good job making these feel unique from the German uniforms, which use the same colour scheme. 8/10.

Tampa Bay Lightning - Ryan (HJC)

A Bolts alternate from our fearless leader. I really like how Ryan combines old and new elements here. Love the victory stripes, and the yoke/sleeve idea which remind me of the modern stadium series look. I also really like the oversized TV numbers and the way the white panel cuts off at the arm striping. Pair this sweater with some black pants with a lightning bolt on the side, and we have a winner in my books. 8/10.

New York Rangers - Daniel C.

Barely a concept, just using the logos and striping pattern from the 76-78 Rangers jerseys and putting them ON, not IN, the EDGE template. Some weird stuff is going on where the sleeve stripes go over the yoke. Better to just choose the EDGE template with full length sleeve stripes. 3/10.


Chicago Blackhawks - Keens O.

This look for a uniform, the script with a small logo beneath is one that I really like, and one that is quite popular right now, with the new Flames sweaters, and the great looking Sabres jerseys from a few years back. I really like everything that is going on, except from the arm stripes to the end of the sleeves. I feel like the arm stripes should be simplified, and the cuff logos should go (a good thought, but a bit impractical for me). 7.5/10.


Team Germany - IIHF - Robb C.

Wow. I really like these, especially the white sweater. What a cool look. The black sweater is solid, a good look, but it pales in comparison to the creativity of the white sweater. I actually think the white pants could work here, but I like the striping pattern on the black pants better. One change I would make: switch the stripe on the switch sweater to the other side of the sweater, so the crest goes over the player's heart. Country before player. The captain can have his number on the other side. He is less important than the country. 8/10.


Team USA - IIHF - Dylan A.

These are so simple and so clean. I love the sublimated treatment of the stars on the shoulder, they aren't overdone like how Nike would do it, but they are a cool feature, and done really well here. I might have gone with a blue yoke on the white sweater, in addition to the stripes on the white sweater, and I think using the same blue helmet, pants (and gloves) for both sweaters would look good. 8.5/10. and a COTW nome from me.

Well, that does it for Friday's post, hope you enjoy your weekend, and the big outdoor games. I know you will enjoy them more if you vote. No one likes having a guilty conscience while trying to enjoy their weekend.

I will see you back here next week.