Friday: In Enemy Territotry

Hello HJC,

So, there was a little hockey game today. Jamie Benn, a good BC boy booked Canada's ticket to the gold medal game. I am on my "reading" break from university, and have taken a short drive south on the I-5 from Vancouver, to Seattle. There is a lot of fun stuff to do in Seattle, but the only TV feed I could get in my hotel was CBC, so at least I wasn't missing large chunks of play (like I did last time I watched an olympic hockey game  in the States), but it wasn't HD either...ARGH!

Congrats to Team USA, very well fought, and best of luck playing for the bronze. All that is left now is Sweden. Bring it on!

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Here is some infor on the Teams Competition that Ryan has asked me to pass along to you.

This will be the longest, most difficult, and most interesting competition in HJC history. Teams of 2 will design a logo, jersey, and other design element for a new NHL expansion team. Teams will have a presentation day assigned to them to present their concepts. Teams should email Ryan the team members and desired division (Division 1 = Advanced, Division 2 = Novice) by Friday. Don't have a partner? E-mail Ryan by Friday and say so, and he'll match you up with another designer.

IF YOU NEED A PARTNER, EMAIL RYAN TODAY!!!

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Don't forget to vote either,

COTW Feb 10-16 vote (ends Friday @ 11:59pm Eastern)

Design A Country Top 5 vote (ends Friday @ 11:59pm Eastern)

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Artist Card - Ben A. 

Welcome to HJC Ben!

Winnipeg Jets - Ben S.

I can't say that I'm the biggest fan of white alternate sweaters. As a rule I feel like an alternate sweater  should showcase a new logo or colour which the other jerseys in the set do not feature. That being said, this jersey does look solid, really no complaints from an execution or aesthetic stanpoint, but it would be nice to see some more creativity, especially for a third jersey. 7.5/10.

Buffalo Sabres - Dallas K.

I really like the simplicity, and old-timey feel of these sweaters. In particular, the blue one looks realy good. I think going with one set of stripes on the hem might be a good move, and would simplify the jersey more, while keeping the stripiness on the arms. I would also like to see a better colour balance on the white sweater, there needs to be more gold. 8/10

Columbus Blue Jackets - David P.

I really do like this logo, but I like it best in the two-tone blue. I think something simple like this could go miles to solidify the Jackets' look, but I am not sold on this logo here. I think their current logo on this jersey would look even better than this logo here (which doesn't look shabby at all, for the reecord). 7.5/10.


New Orleans Saints - NFL - Gerard M.

Who Dat!? The Saints, that's who.  I really like the Saints' black and gold colour scheme, and I feel that comes across best on the dark sweater. The gold numbers reallylook good there. The stripng is simple, and keeps well with the Saints' football jerseys. All in all a good translation from the gridiron to the ice. 7.5/10.


Oakland Raiders - NFL - Gerard M.

One of the toughest things to do when translating an NFL team to a hockey jersey is to create a sense of the entire uniform. Helmets are perhaps the most unique, and iconic pieces of the football uniform, and the way they are done do not translate well to ice hockey. The uniform as a whole for the raiders is a thing of beauty. Silver helmet, black jersey, silver pants. All of these elements are very simple, but they create a really cool colour blocking effect. These jerseys look fine here, but stripes are not what define the Raiders' uniforms, silver and black, and colour blocking is. It would be cool to see that expressed somehow. 7/10.


Philadelphia Eagles - NFL - Gerard M.

Initially I wasn't sold on the use of the vintage kelly green with the modern eagle logo, but it is definitely growing on me. These jerseys are very simple. They look good, and are clean, but simply lack any sort of WOW factor for me.  7/10.


"Brooklyn" Islanders - Mike C.

THe black and white Isles uni is a really popular idea around here these days. I do think the simple NY crest (minus the chrome) would be a good way to go for this sort of uniform. But here, there are a lot of errors made which really take away from the concept. the TV numbers are applied wrong, right now they would read "8080."  To fix this the 8 should be displayed on the viewer's right, and the 0 on the viewers left. Also, the crest is a bit too big. keep trying, keep fixing erros, and in no time, you'll be making some sweet concepts I'm sure. 4/10.


Augusta Riverhawks - SPHL - Mike S. 

This is a really cool concept here from Mike. I really like the sleeve striping, how the vertical and horizontal stripes interact, and frame the TV numbers. Over all really sweet, I would probably change the TV number to white for better visibility though. 8/10.


Team USA - IIHF - Ryan H. (HJC)

This is a really cool concept. A hockey jersey without a main crest?!?!? that could never look good, right? Well, Ryan proves that line of thought wrong. this is a distinctly american sweater, without bashing you over the head with Stars and Stripes. My one gripe is that the USA shield should go on the viewer's right, over the heart. I am of the opinion that when it comes to international hockey, a team crest should always go over the heart, and a captain's letter should go on the other side. Put the country first, instead of the individual. That alone does not take away from the brilliance of this concept though. 8.5/10 and a COTW nom from me.


Cleveland Barons - Stephen T.

I like how consistent the striping is here. it is all logical, and matches everything very well. I also like the old-English style B, simple letter logos are so classic, and it looks good here.  but again, this set lacks a bit of WOW factor, and creativity for me. 7/10.


CSKA Moscow - KHL - Stephen T.

these have some cool echoes of the Habs' unforms, like the chest stripe, and the tin hem stripes. I actually really like those. I also like the colour blocking created on the red sweater in particular. also the logo application is done well, having the star peek up above the chest stripe, and the crest line up with that stripe looks good. 7.5/10.


Philadelphia Flyers - TG

I really feel like a black alternate should be in the works for the Flyers. This one would suit me just fine. The chest stripes really make the main crest POP. Very well done. 8/10.


Well that does it, I am off to walk around Seattle with a smug grin on my face, and a Starbucks coffee in my hand. BUT, before I go I am going to send in my votes. If I can take the time to do that on my vacation, you can do it too! See you back here next week.