Wednesday: Let's Go Back Outdoors

On Saturday, the Blackhawks and Penguins will play another outdoor game at Soldier Field for the final game in the inaugural Stadium Series. I can't wait to see the new uniforms in actions, and I can't wait to see these pads in action!

Bleacher Report

Yes, those are the pads that Antti Raanta of the Chicago Blackhawks will wear... on the bench. Unfortunately, he has been in the backup role as of late, but these sure are awesome! Raanta will also rock an Ed Belfour throwback mask in the game as well.
 
As far as HJC, there is only one vote currently going on and that is for COTW. Amongst all the excitement surrounding the Team Competition, don't forget to vote for the COTW. Not voting for COTW is worse than staring into the new Bradley University mascot's eyes.

On the note of the Team Competition, Jets96 already told all of you about our power team. The deadline is next Wednesday at 11:59pm Eastern, so your teams only have as much time to prepare as I do for my next post! The schedule of each team's presentation days is on the HJC Design Blog:
http://www.hjcdesignblog.blogspot.ca/2014/02/pairs-competition-presentation-schedule.html
  
Once more, before that Gargoyle shows up at your front door, remember to vote for COTW!

COTW Feb 17-23 vote (ends Friday @ 11:59pm Eastern)
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Here are the concepts for the day. Because every one of my classes has seemed to team up to kill my free time, I am going to combine the execution and score section for this week
 
Christian L. - Arizona Coyotes 3rd Jersey Concept

Design: At first, I wondered what took a bite of the "A" but when it hit me, this concept instantly became my favorite of the week. For those slower than me, the negative space in the crest makes a coyote! When the Coyotes move next season, I really hope they start to transition to a new identity. I feel like the only person that liked their old uniforms, but I think the Coyotes need a fresh start. I could really get behind this concept. The number font is modern, and the crest is genius. Add some shoulder patches and this jersey is ready to hang in the Arizona locker room.
 
Score: 8/10 - I don't like the embossed crest. I think it looks blurry from a distance, but as I mentioned, this concept is quite the idea.
 
 
Aidan C. - Carolina Hurricanes Concept

Design: Aidan brings back the warning flags to the Hurricanes' uniform set in his concept. This may seem strange, but my favorite part of this concept is actually the pants stripe. I think that is a great way to subtly add the warning flags that have gone missing in Carolina's new uniforms. Aidan's red jersey reminds me of the Ohio State color scheme, which is one of my favorites in college sports. The white jersey is my favorite in the set. The arm striping looks great with just the red and black on the white sleeve. I would consider a red collar on the white jersey, but the gray brings the two jerseys together.
 
Score: 6/10 - There aren't any TV numbers, but Aidan is on the right track.
 
 
Aidan C. - Pittsburgh Penguins Concept

Design: Aidan's second concept reintroduces "yellow-gold" into the Penguins uniforms. I wish the Penguins returned to this color scheme as they would truly fit into the Pittsburgh sports color scheme. I don't like how there are two striping patterns. I would commit to the hem striping because I really like how it is incorporated into the pants. I also like how Aidan decides to wrap the hem stripes around the side panels. That looks really cool to me. One big change I would make is only use the yellow on the crest. I think a brighter shade would make these uniforms pop.
 
Score: 5/10 - The crest on the black jersey is pixelated. This looks like it came from recoloring, but that is often hard to get around. Again, TV numbers are missing, but Aidan's two concepts bring a modern approach to jerseys in need so I can't wait to see what he has in store.


Caden P. - Kingdom of Isles Concept

Design: Right when we though international hockey was over, Caden brings the thought back to our minds. The striping on the white jersey is awesome! That would look great on a jersey. The crest on that jersey is also very cool.  The flag works great as a shoulder patch, but I feel that there should still be white on the flag on the blue jersey's shoulder flags. The blue jersey might also look cool if the red stripe on the chest continued around to the back.
   
Score: 6/10 - The nameplates and the shoulder patches look very pixelated. There are also some loose pixels in the number outlines. As I said above, the white jersey is money in this concept.
  
 
Gerard M. - Vancouver Canucks Concept

Design: Gerard scraps the 1997 Canucks logo in favor of the "stick in rink" logo. That alone is a huge upgrade in my opinion. Also the striping pattern changes to something reminiscent of the Canucks' first uniforms. Gerard did a great job of modernizing the striping for this concept. The alternate reminds me of a Notre Dame jersey, but I think it fits this set well. I am not a huge fan of the sublimated "V" on the green jersey. I truly think it would get lost on the ice.
   
Score: 7/10 - Very good looking concepts! I love the return of Johnny Canuck.
 
 
Caleb F. - Boston Bruins Concept

Design: Caleb's Bruins concept reminds me of the Team USA white jersey from the Olympics. I never thought this was a good look for a white jersey, but in color, this jersey looks awesome! The Bruins could definitely use a yellow alternate, and this one looks great.
 
Score: 7/10 - I would recommend angling the TV numbers with the striping as opposed to keeping them vertical. Otherwise, this is a solid concept.
  
  
Caleb F. - Pittsburgh Penguins Concept

Design: Caleb's second concept of the day brings yellow back to Pittsburgh. I like that Caleb mixes up the arm striping by cutting only utilizing striping on the underside of the arm, but I think something needs to be added so the striping doesn't end abruptly. Some piping across the yoke and down the sleeves might bring this concept together, but I really like what I see in this concept.
   
Score: 7/10 - I like the wide numbers and the multi-colored Iceborn logo. The little details are what makes this concept a gem.
 
 
Bastian - Vancouver Canucks Concept

Design: Similar to Gerard's Canucks concept earlier in the post, Bastian also uses striping based on the original Canucks uniforms. Those jerseys had a "V" superimposed on their arm striping, and it looks like Bastian's striping would meet on top of the arm to make a "V" which in my opinion is a really nice touch. The shoulder yoke on the green alternate would also form a "V" just above the TV number. The Johnny Canuck logo looks great as a shoulder patch and as a crest on the alternate jersey. I also prefer the "stick in rink" logo over the "C" logo currently on Vancouver's sweaters.
 
Score: 9/10 - As much as it hurts me as a Blackhawks fan, I give this concept my COTW nomination.
 
 
Stephen T. - Boston Bruins Concept

Design: If you like stripes, you will like this concept! Stephen looks like he took his inspiration from the Bruins jerseys from the 1920's & 30's. Although these look busy, they would look great on the ice. I am a huge fan of Boston's current uniforms, but I think as an anniversary jersey or an alternate set, this would look great!
 
Score: 7.5/10 - I don't know how I feel about the white stripe down the pants. However, the TV number on the back left of both jerseys are missing. Normally they would be covered up by the front of the concepts, but since the TV numbers are higher on the sleeve, they wouldn't be hidden in this case.
    
 
David P. - Florida Panthers Concept

Design: I sure do miss the blue Panthers jersey. Thankfully, David brings the color back to Florida. Never before have the Panthers used a chest stripe on their uniforms, and I like the look. The wordmark along the stripe adds a great amount of detail to this concept. I will say that I think the red "Florida" text gets lost without an outline, but this would be tough on such a small image.
 
Score: 6/10 - David had some great ideas on this concept. It just seems a little plain to me.
   

Colin M. - Boston Bruins Concept

Design: Colin adds brown to the Bruins' color palette for the first time since 1945. When the 2010 Winter Classic gave our generation a taste of what brown looks like on a Bruins jersey, I hoped that we would see it on an alternate. Well, here it is! I like that the socks are yellow, like Boston's current home socks. I think that the unique look of bright socks with a dark uniform is a great look.
 
Score: 7/10 - At first, I thought this concept went overboard with brown, but every time I look at it, I like it more and more! The Bruins should definitely consider this as a future alternate jersey.

That's it for this week! Next time you all get to see my post, the Team Competition entries will be due so get to work! Also let me know in the comments what you think of the score & execution being combined. I plan on going back to the old format, but if the HJC readers prefer this way, I am willing to make the switch. Oh yeah once more, VOTE!