Wednesday: Making My Debut

Hey! My name is Alex Offenbach and I will be the new Wednesday writer. I know I'm not very well known on the site, but I am far from a stranger to HJC. For about two years, I have made reading this site part of my daily routine. I have also been making my own concepts, but since I am a full time college student, I focus most of my free time on contest entries. Anyway, here's my HJC Writer Card:

If it isn't obvious, I am a huge Blackhawks fan. Like most people my age, my love for hockey started with the Mighty Ducks movies, and I have been playing hockey for 17 years.

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Enough about me, but before I go onto the concepts I must remind you to vote! There are so many concept artists out there and so few voters. Voting only takes a minute. If you don't vote, John Tortorella will fight his way into your team's locker room.

Photo: www.vancouversun.com

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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Now it's time for today's concepts! For each concept, I will comment in 2 sections: design & execution. I do this because I don't like when concepts that would look great on the ice are created by less experienced artists. I will also make a final comment along with the score.

 Alex J. - Aquinas College Concept

Design: I took a look at Aquinas College's current uniform set, and this is a huge upgrade. The striping on the white jersey reminds me of the Ohio State stripe, which I have always thought would make a great hockey jersey striping pattern. The dark jersey complements the white one very well. I don't normally like off-colored armpits, but it looks good on this concept. I might recommend a white helmet with the white jersey.

Execution: It's minor, but the arm striping on both jerseys is overlapped by the grey armpit. The striping should cover that area in my opinion.

Score: 7/10 - Cool looking concept. I love college concepts.

Daniel C. - New York Islanders Concept

Design: Daniel's Islanders' concept is based off the team's 1998 uniforms that followed their "fish sticks" sweaters. This design only lasted 10 years, but it is one of my favorite jerseys that the Islanders have worn. I like the diagonal stripes on the shoulders representing Stanley Cup championships, and I think that patch should return to New York's current set.

Execution: The player's number may be a touch too large, but what really sticks out is the pixelation of the shoulder patch. The front and back of the patch would also not match up if you look carefully. The shoulder patches on the back side of the jerseys need to be moved towards the collar a bit in order to match up.

Score: 5/10 - Use my recommendations to fix the shoulder patch because it really drags this concept down. Other than the patch, this concept is very clean.

David P. - Belfast Giants Concept

Design: David cleans up Belfast's sponsor covered jerseys, and changes up the logo. It must be hard to pull off that shade of green so I applaud you for managing that. I really like that the socks match the arm striping. For whatever reason, that is what sticks out to me.

Execution: There are a few errors here that take away from this unique concept. The hem stripe is way too high, and the name on the back is too small. Some other changes I would recommend would be to make the outline on the numbers thicker, and to add shoulder patches.

Score: 4/10 - There are a couple too many large errors, but I would like to see this concept updated because it's about as unique as the Mighty Ducks' old jade & eggplant set.

David P. - Coventry Blaze Concept

Design: David's second concept of the day is another European concept that he cleaned up. From the little research I did, the Blaze appear to be a team in dire need of an identity. This uniform reduces the colors on the team's uniforms to 6+ to just 3. The socks are my favorite part of this concept. I also like the simplified logo from the team's current mess on the front of their sweater.

Execution: Many of David's errors from his Giants concept aren't repeated, which makes for a great looking concept. The name is still too small, and the captain's "C" is also tiny. It is still hard to see the white detail, but I like the two-tone look of the blue jersey so stick with it as is.

Score: 6/10 - A shoulder patch would add to this concept, but I still want to know where I can get a pair of those socks?

Dylan W. - 1920's Florida Panthers Concept

Design: I love Dylan's idea to throw modern day teams back to the twenties. The vintage white looks sharp as a base color. I'd add that white jersey to my collection if it was produced. At first glance, I thought the chest stripe on the red jersey was too thick but the look is growing on me. I especially like how the numbers line up perfectly with the chest stripe. Looking at numbers on the shoulder yoke is different but nothing of off limits in a fauxback.

Execution: Not much wrong in the execution department but I still think the extra blue stripes on the top & bottom of the red jersey's chest stripe is a bit much.

Score: 8/10 - I can't wait for Dylan's next installment of this series.

Jack G. - Philadelphia Flyers Alternate Concecpt

Design:  This design is unlike anything the Flyers have ever worn, and that is what would make this an awesome alternate jersey. It appears that Jack's concept could have been inspired by the Flyers' 2012 Winter Classic Jersey. If this concept is, in fact, inspired by the Winter Classic jersey, I understand the hem stripe missing the bottom white stripe that differentiates it from every other stripe on the concept. Regardless I think this concept looks a bit awkward without it.

Execution:  I understand what Jack tried to do by making the tail of the concept darker in the front view, but It doesn't look good that way. I would make that section the same black as the rest of the concept, and have use a line to separate the front of the jersey and the inside of the tail. I would also recommend rotating the sleeve numbers to fit the contour of the template.

Score: 7/10 - Only minor errors on an otherwise good looking concept.


Michael G. - New York Islanders Concept

Design: The Islanders have never used a colored yoke on its primary jerseys, and I'm liking what I see here. I like how the diagonal stripes representing Stanley Cup wins is incorporated into the yoke as opposed to being included as a patch. I also like how the white jersey utilizes blue on the sleeves while relegating orange to a secondary color. It really sets this concept apart from Islanders jerseys of the past.

Execution: The diagonal shoulder stripes appear to extend past the yoke and onto the body of the jersey. It is really only noticeable on the white jersey, but it's one of the best features on the jersey and you can fix that pretty easily.

Score: 6/10 -I like the originality. Fix those stripes because the idea rocks!


Stephen O. - Pittsburgh Penguins Vintage Concept

Design: When the Penguins changed their primary color from a yellow-gold to a metallic gold in 2002, they built their own identity by separating themselves from the Steelers and Pirates. So Stephen's fauxback set gives the Penguins a throwback set while using their current colors. I really like the 3-stripe pattern on the socks and hem. I wish it was utilized more on the concept. My only recommendation is to ditch the white pants.

Execution: The name and number on the back of the jerseys are a little bit large. Also the striping on the jerseys should go over the seams on the template as opposed to under.

Score: 7/10 - Only minor mistakes, but I think there are too many striping patters here.


Stephen T. - Pittsburgh Penguins Concept

Design: The second Penguins concept of the day takes a different turn and outfits the penguins in a concept inspired by their crazy robo-penguin inspired alternate uniforms. I never actually noticed that the Penguins wore that pattern socks with those uniforms so I like how you kept it authentic. I would like to see a fade between the gold and gray on the back of the jersey. The abrupt stop doesn't quite look right.

Execution: The thickness of the gray stripes and the color separating them are inconsistent throughout the concept. As I said above, the sharp border between the numbers is rough to look at.

Score: 6/10 -This is a solid looking set of jerseys that could really use a clean-up job.


Torader - Norway Concept

Design: With the Olympics only weeks away, this concept really gets me in the mood for some international hockey. I like the crest you used compared to the other crests Norway has used on its uniforms. I Like the striping on the concept, but I wish the size of the striping on the arms matched the thickness of the socks and jersey. I'm not sure if the while shapes on the sleeve is necessary.

Execution: Other than what I said about the arm striping, the number seems huge and the Nike logo is too large. Next time, leave the Iceborn wordmark on the jersey, but at least you made a note of which template you used.

Score: 6/10 -I like this template for this concept, but the striping lacks consistency. It's also disconcerting that the jersey is so large compared to the socks, pants, and helmet.


So that's my first post! Feel free to give me some suggestions in the comments, but more importantly, don't forget to vote!