Thursday: Rock And Roll All Nite, And Hockey Every Day
The first Stadium Series game is mere days away. I remember it being announced last year, thinking how long we have to wait for these extra outdoor games; well now it's time. The first game up promises to be the most gimmicky, party-like atmosphere at a hockey game since New York and Los Angeles played an outdoor game in Vegas back in 1991.
How gimmicky you ask? Well, during the game, you can look at the far side of the field and catch a beach volleyball match, watch some skateboarders and bikers do their thing on an inline skating rink, and watch a KISS concert. Oh yeah, and there's still a hockey game going on, on actual ice, in case anyone was confused.
Sounds like my kind of party.
The only thing that isn't too gimmicky is the uniforms that the hockey teams will wear. Personally, I'm not a fan of them. They are modern, I guess, but to me they look kind of bland and awkward. As strange as this event is, why not go all out on the uniforms too? KISS makeup on the players, "bathing suit" styled uniforms, or even *gasp* bring back Cooperalls.
Okay, now I'm just being silly. Well before I come up with any more crazy schemes, I'll just go ahead and give you the voting reminders, brought to you by KISS!
Yay: I really like Nashville's newer look (a few years old now I guess). The one thing I'd change on it is to give it a little less curvy modern stuff and make it look straighter and more traditional. This concept pretty much sums it up for me. I don't think Nashville is a team that deserves laces yet, but the striping pattern looks fantastic, and gives the home yellow jersey some much needed white. No complaints about execution, this concept is well put together.
Nay: Again, not sure if Nashville really needs laces, but I guess they never hurt. I'd make the laces blue on both, or yellow on the away jersey and white on the home jersey, so you can notice them better. The striping pattern looks great, but I'd maybe even up the yellow/white stripes on the hem. Make the skinny hem stripe the same width as the skinny arm stripe, and that would help. And is it just me, or is the back right patch on the home jersey a little lopsided or out of place? Just looks that way.
Overall: Great concept, and with some fixes it can be even better. 8.1/10
Buffalo Sabres Concept - Stephen T.
Yay: Our first concept from Stephen today brings back the killer Goathead logo from Buffalo. I've always loved this logo and the jerseys that go with it, so automatically I think these jerseys here rock. No one can look as original and aggressive in these colours as the Sabres, and this concept doesn't take anything away from that. For it's strange striping and stitching pattern, everything seems to be in the right place, which is a good accomplishment.
Nay: The effort level on the jerseys takes a bit of a hit when you consider that only the center part of the jerseys, the collar and the back name/number change between the two jerseys. Sometimes it works, but this time it doesn't, since most of the body stays the same and it just messes up the cool body pattern. The red outline on the black text, and the red name on the dark jersey, doesn't look to pleasing to the eye. The bottom socks should probably stick for both jerseys, and ditch the grey helmet.
Overall: It looks like it's trying to capture the awesome 90's look from Buffalo, but it falls short. 7.3/10
Columbus Blue Jackets Concept - Stephen T.
Yay: Quick test, who in the NHL currently wears a white yoke? If your answer was "no one", you'd be correct! The Flyers home jersey with the white arms comes closest, followed by Columbus' 3rd off-white yoke. Teams seem to avoid the white yoke, but I think it looks pretty good here, as does the recoloured logo. I'm not usually a fan of the sock pattern, but it matches the arms, so I'll give it a pass. Everything else looks pretty good on this concept.
Nay: I'm pretty sure the name on the back is out of position to the left a few pixels. I get that the font is what the Jackets currently use for their 3rd, but I still think it's an awful looking font for a hockey jersey, and I'm not too fond of the skinny red outline on the dark blue numbers. I also think a hem stripe, or two, could make this concept look so much better, even if it's just a tiny set of stripes along the trim line, like their current set.
Overall: The white yoke looks pretty sharp, as does the rest of the concept. 7.8/10
Quebec Nordiques Concept - Stephen T.
Yay: Stephen completes the hat-trick with this Nordiques concept. Personally, as simple as they were, the Nordiques uniforms were one of my all-time favourites. Stephen changes this one up a little bit, and admittedly I'm not a huge fan of this concept, but it still has the classic sort of look Quebec had. The best part of this concept is the equipment pieces, matching up with the jerseys and executed well.
Nay: Right away I noticed some pixelation issues on the logo, especially on the dark home jersey. I don't really like the contrasting shoulders and the long primary-coloured cuff. An easy fix would be to switch the two colours. Looking at the shoulders, I think you missed colouring the back left shoulder white on the dark jersey. I'd also like to see some hem stripes, or better yet, bring back the fleurs-de-lis pattern along with those hem stripes. Lastly, the red outline on the blue TV numbers and letters doesn't look too great, the large number is fine though.
Overall: I'm feeling "comme ci, comme ça" with this concept. 7/10
Edinburgh Capitals Concept - David P.
Yay: Now we go across the pond into Scotland for this next concept. The Edinburgh Capitals play in EIHL, Great Britain's pro league. To my knowledge, this isn't quite their traditional colour scheme, but it works out pretty good. I like how the logos are switched between the jerseys, so that the logo with the team and city names would be shown on only the away jerseys. The striping pattern follows closely to Columbus', along with the colours, but the arm and hem stripes make enough difference to feel like its own effort.
Nay: I'd like to see the skinny stripe that goes along the arm just a little thicker, because I know its there but its hard to spot on the away jersey. The white outline on the home name makes the letters look a little squished, but the away jersey doesn't have this problem. I'd make the main number on both jersey a little bigger and lower on the jersey, and the TV numbers all look a little large.
Overall: It's cool to see an EIHL team on here, and the concept is pretty good, but it still could use some work on execution. 7.5/10
Washington Capitals Winter Classic Concept - Jayson T.
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Yay: The first thing I thought of when I seen this jersey was that the stripes look closely similar to the German flag, so naturally, Olaf Kolzig would look awesome in this. Seriously though, the colours of the old Capitals look great always, and this jersey is no exception to that. It's a good fauxback with good classic elements to it, but relevant enough to Capitals history. Good work.
Nay: The word mark on top of the chest stripe looks great, however, the chest striping itself looks too thick. It takes up a lot of space on the jersey, and just looks a little awkward. I'm okay with the matching stripes on the arms, but they should be angled more parallel with the cuff of the jersey, and maybe made a bit thinner as well. The socks are fine, but the stripes on the pants should go "white, brown, blue", to better match the other striping patterns.
Overall: It's a neat looking jersey, with obvious ties to the past. But I'd fix a few things before I take this jersey outside. 7.4/10
Delaware Pioneers Concept - John T.
Yay: I was really hoping to score a contest win with this competition, but sadly I fell short again. The competition was fierce, and many of the designs could have won. I feel as though this concept could have been a contender as well. Pretty basic design, but fairly in tune to what modern jerseys are looking like. The font choice is good, the layout of the jerseys looks good, and the execution for the most part is pretty solid.
Nay: The biggest thing I don't like about this concept is the difference between the arm stripes and the other stripes on the design. I like the red and blue (or red and white) together at the end. But I wish the hem stripe would have both stripes too. The white socks look good, but the dark socks would look better with white at the bottom. I think the pants' design should have some white somewhere as well.
Overall: This definitely wouldn't be a bad choice if the Pioneers chose this concept, but it probably wouldn't be my first choice. 7.5/10
Colorado Avalanche Concept - Dallas K.
Yay: The first of two from Dallas, the first one being an Avalanche set. I love seeing diagonal stripes on jerseys. With Anaheim and St. Louis in the 90's, I grew up with it and always loved the diagonal look. If Colorado decked these stripes out, I'd definitely be happy. This looks like a well-designed Nike-esque Avs jersey, with retro stripes but plain arms and shoulders to fit in with a more modern look. Overall, I'd call the execution on this jersey fantastic.
Nay: From a design aspect, and personal preference, I'd change one of two things (or both). 1) Add a yoke, at least on the white jersey. Yes, it's probably more like a Nike jersey if the shoulders are plain, but I think the shoulders look too bare without some more colour. Or 2) Move the arm stripes down the arms a bit, then make that last arm stripe fill down the rest of the arm, like how the hem pattern looks. Again, if this was meant to be a Nike jersey, then don't do that, but personally I'd like it better that way.
Overall: I have my personal design suggestions to throw in here, but besides those, this is a great looking concept. 8.3/10
Hartford Whalers Concept - Dallas K.
Yay: Next, Dallas shows us his Hartford design. Like Quebec, Hartford's later jerseys are among my all-time favourites. These jerseys (mostly) get rid of the grey, but they still keep the same retro look that Hartford was always able to keep. The stripes here are different than anything Hartford ever used. Simplified, but just as retro as ever. At first I didn't like the blue jersey, because it hid the tail too much, but on further review I think it makes the 'W' pop out more, which is good. Again, great execution.
Nay: Using the old New England Whalers logo as a shoulder patch is a nice touch, but I'd add the name "Hartford Whalers" to it, in the same style as before. I'd also switch the grey in the shoulder patch for white, because the jersey doesn't really have grey on it, so it looks somewhat out of place. I'm also curious to see if a little thicker of an outline on the logo would help it stand out more on the dark jersey, because the tail does get a little lost in the blue of the jersey.
Overall: Not as good as your Avalanche one today, with the secondary logo being the main reason, but otherwise another good concept. 8/10
Pittsburgh Penguins Concept - David K.
Yay: The only team that I can't argue against having contrasting shoulders for, because somehow they help these jerseys look as fantastic as ever. I'd love to see the Pens adopt this old look as their 3rd jersey, or even as their main set (won't hold my breath for the latter). It looks like this concept follows the designs on the early 80's main dark and yellow alternate jerseys, while simplifying the hem stripes a bit (from the alternate mostly). It's hard to argue with a perfect retro jersey like this.
Nay: A yellow road jersey (typically white) could cause a few logistical problems with other teams, like Nashville for example. However, most teams don't have a yellow main jersey, so most of the time it should be okay. Sweden can do it, why can't Pittsburgh? My only major compliant here is with the socks. They should match more, I'd recommend giving the black sock a yellow stripe, and finishing with black at the bottom, but you could also fill the bottom of the yellow sock with black as well. Either one would work for me.
Overall: I hated Pittsburgh as a kid, but their yellow and black jerseys I always liked. These don't stray too far from their origin, but change just enough to be given some new life. Well done. 8.1/10
AHL All-Star Game Concept - Robb C.
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How gimmicky you ask? Well, during the game, you can look at the far side of the field and catch a beach volleyball match, watch some skateboarders and bikers do their thing on an inline skating rink, and watch a KISS concert. Oh yeah, and there's still a hockey game going on, on actual ice, in case anyone was confused.
Sounds like my kind of party.
The only thing that isn't too gimmicky is the uniforms that the hockey teams will wear. Personally, I'm not a fan of them. They are modern, I guess, but to me they look kind of bland and awkward. As strange as this event is, why not go all out on the uniforms too? KISS makeup on the players, "bathing suit" styled uniforms, or even *gasp* bring back Cooperalls.
Okay, now I'm just being silly. Well before I come up with any more crazy schemes, I'll just go ahead and give you the voting reminders, brought to you by KISS!
Beth I hear you calling,
But I can't come 'til I'm done.
Me and the boys are voting,
But we just can't pick the one.
Just a few more hours
And you don't have time to lose,
I think those votes are coming,
Oh Beth, who will you choose?
*dun dun*
Beth, who will you choose?
Thank you, I'll be here all week.
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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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Nashville Predators Concept - Caleb F.
Yay: I really like Nashville's newer look (a few years old now I guess). The one thing I'd change on it is to give it a little less curvy modern stuff and make it look straighter and more traditional. This concept pretty much sums it up for me. I don't think Nashville is a team that deserves laces yet, but the striping pattern looks fantastic, and gives the home yellow jersey some much needed white. No complaints about execution, this concept is well put together.
Nay: Again, not sure if Nashville really needs laces, but I guess they never hurt. I'd make the laces blue on both, or yellow on the away jersey and white on the home jersey, so you can notice them better. The striping pattern looks great, but I'd maybe even up the yellow/white stripes on the hem. Make the skinny hem stripe the same width as the skinny arm stripe, and that would help. And is it just me, or is the back right patch on the home jersey a little lopsided or out of place? Just looks that way.
Overall: Great concept, and with some fixes it can be even better. 8.1/10
Buffalo Sabres Concept - Stephen T.
Yay: Our first concept from Stephen today brings back the killer Goathead logo from Buffalo. I've always loved this logo and the jerseys that go with it, so automatically I think these jerseys here rock. No one can look as original and aggressive in these colours as the Sabres, and this concept doesn't take anything away from that. For it's strange striping and stitching pattern, everything seems to be in the right place, which is a good accomplishment.
Nay: The effort level on the jerseys takes a bit of a hit when you consider that only the center part of the jerseys, the collar and the back name/number change between the two jerseys. Sometimes it works, but this time it doesn't, since most of the body stays the same and it just messes up the cool body pattern. The red outline on the black text, and the red name on the dark jersey, doesn't look to pleasing to the eye. The bottom socks should probably stick for both jerseys, and ditch the grey helmet.
Overall: It looks like it's trying to capture the awesome 90's look from Buffalo, but it falls short. 7.3/10
Columbus Blue Jackets Concept - Stephen T.
Yay: Quick test, who in the NHL currently wears a white yoke? If your answer was "no one", you'd be correct! The Flyers home jersey with the white arms comes closest, followed by Columbus' 3rd off-white yoke. Teams seem to avoid the white yoke, but I think it looks pretty good here, as does the recoloured logo. I'm not usually a fan of the sock pattern, but it matches the arms, so I'll give it a pass. Everything else looks pretty good on this concept.
Nay: I'm pretty sure the name on the back is out of position to the left a few pixels. I get that the font is what the Jackets currently use for their 3rd, but I still think it's an awful looking font for a hockey jersey, and I'm not too fond of the skinny red outline on the dark blue numbers. I also think a hem stripe, or two, could make this concept look so much better, even if it's just a tiny set of stripes along the trim line, like their current set.
Overall: The white yoke looks pretty sharp, as does the rest of the concept. 7.8/10
Quebec Nordiques Concept - Stephen T.
Yay: Stephen completes the hat-trick with this Nordiques concept. Personally, as simple as they were, the Nordiques uniforms were one of my all-time favourites. Stephen changes this one up a little bit, and admittedly I'm not a huge fan of this concept, but it still has the classic sort of look Quebec had. The best part of this concept is the equipment pieces, matching up with the jerseys and executed well.
Nay: Right away I noticed some pixelation issues on the logo, especially on the dark home jersey. I don't really like the contrasting shoulders and the long primary-coloured cuff. An easy fix would be to switch the two colours. Looking at the shoulders, I think you missed colouring the back left shoulder white on the dark jersey. I'd also like to see some hem stripes, or better yet, bring back the fleurs-de-lis pattern along with those hem stripes. Lastly, the red outline on the blue TV numbers and letters doesn't look too great, the large number is fine though.
Overall: I'm feeling "comme ci, comme ça" with this concept. 7/10
Edinburgh Capitals Concept - David P.
Yay: Now we go across the pond into Scotland for this next concept. The Edinburgh Capitals play in EIHL, Great Britain's pro league. To my knowledge, this isn't quite their traditional colour scheme, but it works out pretty good. I like how the logos are switched between the jerseys, so that the logo with the team and city names would be shown on only the away jerseys. The striping pattern follows closely to Columbus', along with the colours, but the arm and hem stripes make enough difference to feel like its own effort.
Nay: I'd like to see the skinny stripe that goes along the arm just a little thicker, because I know its there but its hard to spot on the away jersey. The white outline on the home name makes the letters look a little squished, but the away jersey doesn't have this problem. I'd make the main number on both jersey a little bigger and lower on the jersey, and the TV numbers all look a little large.
Overall: It's cool to see an EIHL team on here, and the concept is pretty good, but it still could use some work on execution. 7.5/10
Washington Capitals Winter Classic Concept - Jayson T.
Yay: The first thing I thought of when I seen this jersey was that the stripes look closely similar to the German flag, so naturally, Olaf Kolzig would look awesome in this. Seriously though, the colours of the old Capitals look great always, and this jersey is no exception to that. It's a good fauxback with good classic elements to it, but relevant enough to Capitals history. Good work.
Nay: The word mark on top of the chest stripe looks great, however, the chest striping itself looks too thick. It takes up a lot of space on the jersey, and just looks a little awkward. I'm okay with the matching stripes on the arms, but they should be angled more parallel with the cuff of the jersey, and maybe made a bit thinner as well. The socks are fine, but the stripes on the pants should go "white, brown, blue", to better match the other striping patterns.
Overall: It's a neat looking jersey, with obvious ties to the past. But I'd fix a few things before I take this jersey outside. 7.4/10
Delaware Pioneers Concept - John T.
Yay: I was really hoping to score a contest win with this competition, but sadly I fell short again. The competition was fierce, and many of the designs could have won. I feel as though this concept could have been a contender as well. Pretty basic design, but fairly in tune to what modern jerseys are looking like. The font choice is good, the layout of the jerseys looks good, and the execution for the most part is pretty solid.
Nay: The biggest thing I don't like about this concept is the difference between the arm stripes and the other stripes on the design. I like the red and blue (or red and white) together at the end. But I wish the hem stripe would have both stripes too. The white socks look good, but the dark socks would look better with white at the bottom. I think the pants' design should have some white somewhere as well.
Overall: This definitely wouldn't be a bad choice if the Pioneers chose this concept, but it probably wouldn't be my first choice. 7.5/10
Colorado Avalanche Concept - Dallas K.
Yay: The first of two from Dallas, the first one being an Avalanche set. I love seeing diagonal stripes on jerseys. With Anaheim and St. Louis in the 90's, I grew up with it and always loved the diagonal look. If Colorado decked these stripes out, I'd definitely be happy. This looks like a well-designed Nike-esque Avs jersey, with retro stripes but plain arms and shoulders to fit in with a more modern look. Overall, I'd call the execution on this jersey fantastic.
Nay: From a design aspect, and personal preference, I'd change one of two things (or both). 1) Add a yoke, at least on the white jersey. Yes, it's probably more like a Nike jersey if the shoulders are plain, but I think the shoulders look too bare without some more colour. Or 2) Move the arm stripes down the arms a bit, then make that last arm stripe fill down the rest of the arm, like how the hem pattern looks. Again, if this was meant to be a Nike jersey, then don't do that, but personally I'd like it better that way.
Overall: I have my personal design suggestions to throw in here, but besides those, this is a great looking concept. 8.3/10
Hartford Whalers Concept - Dallas K.
Yay: Next, Dallas shows us his Hartford design. Like Quebec, Hartford's later jerseys are among my all-time favourites. These jerseys (mostly) get rid of the grey, but they still keep the same retro look that Hartford was always able to keep. The stripes here are different than anything Hartford ever used. Simplified, but just as retro as ever. At first I didn't like the blue jersey, because it hid the tail too much, but on further review I think it makes the 'W' pop out more, which is good. Again, great execution.
Nay: Using the old New England Whalers logo as a shoulder patch is a nice touch, but I'd add the name "Hartford Whalers" to it, in the same style as before. I'd also switch the grey in the shoulder patch for white, because the jersey doesn't really have grey on it, so it looks somewhat out of place. I'm also curious to see if a little thicker of an outline on the logo would help it stand out more on the dark jersey, because the tail does get a little lost in the blue of the jersey.
Overall: Not as good as your Avalanche one today, with the secondary logo being the main reason, but otherwise another good concept. 8/10
Pittsburgh Penguins Concept - David K.
Yay: The only team that I can't argue against having contrasting shoulders for, because somehow they help these jerseys look as fantastic as ever. I'd love to see the Pens adopt this old look as their 3rd jersey, or even as their main set (won't hold my breath for the latter). It looks like this concept follows the designs on the early 80's main dark and yellow alternate jerseys, while simplifying the hem stripes a bit (from the alternate mostly). It's hard to argue with a perfect retro jersey like this.
Nay: A yellow road jersey (typically white) could cause a few logistical problems with other teams, like Nashville for example. However, most teams don't have a yellow main jersey, so most of the time it should be okay. Sweden can do it, why can't Pittsburgh? My only major compliant here is with the socks. They should match more, I'd recommend giving the black sock a yellow stripe, and finishing with black at the bottom, but you could also fill the bottom of the yellow sock with black as well. Either one would work for me.
Overall: I hated Pittsburgh as a kid, but their yellow and black jerseys I always liked. These don't stray too far from their origin, but change just enough to be given some new life. Well done. 8.1/10
AHL All-Star Game Concept - Robb C.
Aside: It sounds as though St. John's, Newfoundland will be losing the IceCaps in the foreseeable future, but it's awesome that they get to host such a marquee event such as the AHL All-Star Game, especially as the format changes so that an AHL team will take on Farjestad of the Swedish Elite League. Really cool that Jason Jaffary of St. John's has been named captain, as he's a bit of a hockey idol of mine. Anyways...
Yay: I'm not usually fond of gradients on jerseys. But blue-white gradients, as seen here, look fantastic, and will work splendidly on specialty jerseys like these. These jerseys take the IceCaps colours, add a really awesome mountain-striping pattern to match the logo, beautiful collar design, and all-round brilliant execution, to create a perfect All-Star Game set.
Yay: I'm not usually fond of gradients on jerseys. But blue-white gradients, as seen here, look fantastic, and will work splendidly on specialty jerseys like these. These jerseys take the IceCaps colours, add a really awesome mountain-striping pattern to match the logo, beautiful collar design, and all-round brilliant execution, to create a perfect All-Star Game set.
Nay: Well, almost perfect. One thing I've noticed, on the logo the dark blue half of the star is with the Swedish flag, and since Farjestad would likely be the Away team, and AHL jerseys usually mean the dark jerseys are designated for Away, then shouldn't Farjestad have the dark blue jerseys instead of the white ones? And I love how the outline looks on the white numbers, I wish something was done similar with the blue numbers of the other jersey.
Overall: Other than a logistics error (maybe, I could be wrong) with the Home/Away jerseys, and playing around with the jersey numbers a bit, I really have no complaints about this concept. Fantastic work. 9/10
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Well it should be obvious to those keeping score, but I'll give Robb's AHL All-Star Game concept my COTW nomination. There were a few beauties today, but that one was an easy decision for me. Disagree? Give your own thoughts and nominations in the comments section.
And once you're done that, slap on some sunscreen, put on a hat, and go out and enjoy the hockey game/beach volleyball/concert party in California this weekend. Or view it all from your TV at home, which is sadly my plan for it.
Thanks again for reading, and have a good weekend!
And once you're done that, slap on some sunscreen, put on a hat, and go out and enjoy the hockey game/beach volleyball/concert party in California this weekend. Or view it all from your TV at home, which is sadly my plan for it.
Thanks again for reading, and have a good weekend!
Thursday: Rock And Roll All Nite, And Hockey Every Day
Reviewed by Unknown
on
January 23, 2014
Rating:
Reviewed by Unknown
on
January 23, 2014
Rating:
8 comments:
Toronto's Winter Classic has a white yoke does it not? They've worn it recently against Montreal so I suspect it won't be the last time we've seen the jersey (like previous Winter Classic teams).
Leafs will wear that jersey one more time this season. In February against Vancouver.
Thanks for the great feedback and praise. I've made adjustments to the concept based on the feedback. You can see them here http://fiftytwo.ca/2014/01/17/51-5-2013-2014-ahl-all-star-game/ if you're so inclined.
I hadn't realized that the AHL didn't switch to Dark/Home Light/Away like the NHL had. My bad.
You're right, it does have a white yoke. I was thinking for main sets, but I forgot about that jersey. I'd love to see that jersey replace their current 3rd, but leaving it as a special jersey wouldn't be bad either.
The white yoke looked good for Toronto, but it was a little weird since they've never had a white yoke. White arms all the way up the shoulder? Yes, but not white yokes.
@Robb I saw the revised concept, those little changes make a huge difference, and it looks great. One thing, you forgot to change the logos below the collar to match the respective teams (The AHL and Elitserien logos). Otherwise, perfect!
@William Dammit. I just made the swap. Good catch.
I will disagree! I REALLY like those Caps jersey. To me the thick stripes add to the jersey. The make it unique.
COTW!
Does the AHL even have a "Home/Away-Dark/Light" rule? I've been to a ton of Icehogs games this season and they've pretty much alternated between Red/White/Or their alternate just about every game.
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