Wednesday: Olympic Hockey is Back

Sidney Crosby's overtime goal in the Toronto gold medal game seemed like yesterday, but four years later, the puck has dropped for men's Olympic hockey in Sochi. We have seen the radical Nike uniforms in the women's competition, and we finally get to see our favorite NHL stars wear their country's sweater. As much as I would like to see another USA vs. Canada final, I am more excited to see some great hockey where NHL rivalries are put aside while players skate for their country.

HJC's new Design a Country Competition is going on right now, make sure you send in your submissions! Also it is time to vote January's nominee into the COTY competition, as well as the weekly COTW voting.

COTY-January vote (ends Friday @ 11:59pm Eastern)

COTW Feb 3-9 vote (ends Friday @ 11:59pm Eastern)

Design a Country entries (due Friday @ 11:59pm Eastern)

On that note, here are the current Design a Country Competition entries:

Colin M.

 
Dallas K.

Danny R.

Jeff H.

Jordan R.

Matt M.

Phillip B.

Ryan H.

Tristian M.

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Now the moment you are waiting for...

Dallas K. - Aruba Concept

Design: I got a look at Dallas' Jamaica concept last week, and now we get to see his Aruba concept. I like the striping pattern a lot on this jersey. The original crest also looks great. I also like the sunshine shoulder patches. They aren't something you would expect to see on a hockey jersey, and they really characterize Aruba.
 

Execution: It is a little bit hard to tell if the chest striping was supposed to stop at the arms or continue to the back of the jersey. I think it would look good either way. It took me a while to see the two shades of red in "Aruba" on the crest, and I really like that touch.

Score: 7/10 - Great concept! I like how the details on the crest and shoulder patches really bring out different symbols and atmosphere of Aruba.

Dallas K. - Curacao Concept

Design: Dallas takes us to Curacao in his latest installment of his Caribbean series. I like how Dallas incorporated the stars on the Curacao flag into the hem of the jersey. I also like how the arm stripes, though they are simple, represent the single stripe on the flag. Originally I wanted to see more yellow on the concept, like the flag, but I like the two-tone look.
 

Execution: I would like to see shoulder patches on this concept. It looks good, but I also think it looks very plain. I wonder if there is any other way that the stars could be incorporated, as they might get lost if a player tucks in their jersey.

Score: 6/10 - Another good concept from Dallas! I enjoy this series a lot.


Gerard M. - Calgary Flames Concept

Design: Gerard uses Calgary's new alternate jersey as an inspiration for his striping pattern on the red jersey, and it doesn't disappoint. The white jersey's striping looks to inspired by the Flames' 1995 home uniform. The crests are also based on the 1995 Flames uniforms, which was the first time that the team used black in their color palette. The black jersey is something completely new for the Flames. A black flames jersey has never had the "flaming C" crest. I like this alternate, even though it is black.
 

Execution: The left arm on the black jersey doesn't have an arm stripe. This looks intentional based on the angle of the striping, but I wish the arms matched. I also would have liked to see shoulder patches on the black jersey.

Score: 6/10 - This is a really cool concept that uses elements from old Calgary jerseys, as well as brand new design elements.


Gerard M. - Columbus Blue Jackets Concept

Design: Gerard introduces a completely new striping pattern into the Blue Jackets' uniform set. I don't know if I like the darker shade of blue being used below the arm and hem stripes, but the element reminds me of the team's 2003 alternate jersey. The number font on the home & away uniforms are taken from the Blue Jacket's current alternate. I like that font a lot more than their current home font. The alternate here looks very good. I like how it uses the team's current colors.
 

Execution: Very well executed concept. No errors stick out at me.

Score: 8/10 - This set is a huge upgrade to the uniforms the Blue Jackets have worn since switching to the Reebok Edge jerseys.


Jack G. - Washington Capitals Alternate Concept

Design: Jack has the right idea by giving the Caps an alternate uniform that can be worn at home. Who wants an alternate for the road? I like the "stars and stripes" pattern on the sleeves, and I wish that stars were also included on the hem. I think the pants would also look cool if they had a blue stripe down the side.
 

Execution: The white collar stripe gets lost in the white background, making the red look like it is floating. Consider a gray or some off-white color for your background. Also I'd like to see the new Reebok logo instead of the vector.

Score: 5/10 - The design idea is there, but this concept could use a few changes for consistency amongst the design elements.


Kaner88 - Calgary Flames Concept

Design: Kaner gives the Flames a uniform update on the popular Iceborn template. The away uniform sticks out at me as it uses minimal amounts of red. I like this look for an away uniform, but I don't think it would be a good idea to try a predominantly yellow home uniform. I don't really like the arm stripes stopping half way around the uniform. It makes the uniform seem plain.
 

Execution: I like that this concept features the shoulder patch on the side of your concept, but I don't like the black squares around the patch on the actual jerseys. Also the red on the shoulder patch differs from the red on the jersey.

Score: 6/10 - I like the idea, but there are a few things that make this set look a touch sloppy.


Kaner88 - Rochester Americans Concept

Design: I like this design over the Americans' current uniform. I would like to see the same hem striping as arm striping, as I like the stars in the striping a lot. I'm not sure how hard it would be to see the white numbers, but I would prefer blue with red outline.
 

Execution: The first thing I notice is that the crest may be a little low on the chest. There are a few issues that I have with the orientation of the stars. When looking at this jersey from the side, the stars on the shoulder would be upside down, and the stars on the sleeve would be sideways. This all may have been intentional, but I think they should all be oriented the same.

Score: 5/10 - This concept keeps the Americans classic look, while introducing many new ideas. I could see this concept being used one the ice. It could just use some touch up.


Mike S. - 2014 Team USA Concept

Design: This Team USA concept marks the end of Mike's Olympic Series. Great job Mike! I know many of the readers and the HJC team all enjoyed this series. These jerseys look way better than the set that the USA is wearing in Sochi. I like the striping inspired by the United States flag, and I especially like the shoulder yoke on the white uniform. The rounded blue with a squared off red is a very unique design feature. I like the stars down the arm and I still love that crest.
 

Execution: The nameplate looks a little bit too big, I would recommend making it a little bit smaller. Other than that, I would maybe like to see the arm striping continue around the entire arm.

Score: 8/10 - Awesome series, and an amazing jersey to end it with!


Patrick E. - Minnesota Wild Concept

Design: I like the idea of the Wild using a chest stripe with their circle logo. I could really see the team wearing something like this in a Winter Classic. I like the vintage white base color. The Wild are one of only a handful of teams that can pull that look off.
 

Execution: The striping on the jersey is very large. I wouldn't make the striping any larger than the height of the crest. TV numbers should be added, and I would recommend continuing the chest stripe around the whole torso.

Score: 4/10 - Patrick is on the right track, I like where this design is going.


Scott M. - Calgary Flames Concept

Design: Scott's Calgary concept looks to be loosely based on Calgary's first uniforms after their exit from Atlanta. I like the thick stripes on the arms of the jerseys. The TV number looks really good inside of the stripe as well. I think the concept looks top-heavy with such a thin hem stripe, but the current design works well on the Iceborn template.
 

Execution: The hem stripes should be placed over the stitching on the template. Scott executes this well on all other areas of the jersey, however.

Score: 7/10 - The red jersey would look great as an alternate to the Flames current set. Awesome concept!


Stephen T. - Austria-Hungary World War I Concept

Design: Stephen brings a crazy Austria-Hungary concept from the WWI era. It must have been tough to incorporate both halves of the flag into one concept, but Stephen did so flawlessly. I usually don't like uniforms without hem striping, but this concept is an exceptions.
 

Execution: It's not even an execution error, but the only thing I would change is to stick with one color for the Nike swoosh on the white socks.

Score: 8/10 - Great looking concept, and a very creative series.


Stephen T. - British Empire Concept

Design: Stephen fixes finds an attractive way to incorporate a team's flag into a hockey jersey. I like the white jersey a lot, but I would recommend some more white into the striping of the blue jersey to put the two on the same level. I really like the white number on the white jersey. The stripe really makes it pop!
 

Execution: Again, not necessarily an execution thing, but I would consider wrapping the chest stripe around the whole torso.

Score: 7/10 - That white jersey would look amazing on a Great Britain hockey team.


This week's post featured lots of great jerseys with lots of creative designs. I can't wait to see the rest of the Create a Country Contest entries. Also don't forget to vote for the January COTY & last week's COTW concepts!