Wednesday: Real Life Puckworld

With all of the snow and freezing rain over the last week, everything outside is covered in ice. This may be the one scenario that my skating ability comes in handy. While others are constantly slipping around me, I have yet to fall on the sidewalk. This all reminds me of the old Mighty Ducks cartoon taking place in "Puckworld" where all of the streets and sidewalks are made of ice. Okay, jersey news is slow now that the Stadium Series is over. However, HJC is as busy as it's ever been. This is a long post with a lot of quality concepts so hold on to your seat!

But first, you should all check out the brand new Leave an Idea page! If you have an idea that you would like to see come to life as an HJC concept but don't have the ability to create it yourself, you can post your idea for a concept on that page. Who knows, your idea could become the next COTY winner...

Also don't forget to vote for COTW & the Calgary Flames Redesign contest. Last weeks turnout was great, but let's make this week's better. Maybe the voting pool could be as big as George Parros' mustache.

COTW Jan 27 - Feb 2 vote (ends Friday @ 11:59pm Eastern)

Calgary Flames Top 5 vote (ends Friday @ 11:59pm Eastern)

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Here are the concepts:

Alan H. - AHL Stadium Series Concept

Design: Alan faces off the Hartford Wolfpack against the Bridgeport Sound Tigers in an outdoor battle of the NHL's rising stars. Each jersey has very different characteristics and I really like that. The Sound Tigers' jersey is very wild and looks fierce while the Wolfpack jersey is very clean and simple. The Hartford Crest makes the concept. The Wolfpack look much better with silver/gray than the Rangers did. I like both of these jerseys. This is a very creative set.
 

Execution: There is so much detail packed into a single uniform matchup, and Alan made both jerseys look great. I really like how you included the shoulder patch beside the jerseys, I would recommend making that a little bigger to show off the detail.

Score: 7.5/10 -This concept makes me wish there actually was an AHL Stadium Series.

Andrew G. - Wilkes Barre - Scranton Penguins Concept

Design: I have always thought that the WBS Penguins should use more red in their uniforms, and this concept uses just the right amount. It gives the Pittsburgh's AHL affiliate its own identity, while allowing the alternate jersey to honor the heritage of the big league Penguins.
 

Execution: The only feature I am unsure of is the shoulder patches that feature the Pittsburgh Penguins current gold. I think all of these patches would look better with the gold Andrew picked out for the team. Otherwise I would consider pairing a white helmet with the white jersey. However, these aren't really execution errors. Nice concept!

Score: 7/10 - I'm digging those pants and socks as well. Keep up the good work.

Dallas K. - Jamaica Olympics Concept

Design: Right when we thought that Nike's Olympic designs were the craziest things we had seen on an a hockey jersey, Dallas gives us a jersey for the Jamaican National Team. I tend to like jerseys with a traditional crest on them, but the birds totally work for a concept like this. I also think the colors work especially well together.
 

Execution: Two things stick out to me when I look at this concept. First, the Nike logo almost runs into the wings of the bird on the crest. I might move the swoosh towards the yoke a bit. It is also very hard to pick out the details of the birds on the black jersey due to the black and green gradient.

Score: 6/10 - This is one of most creative concepts I have ever seen on the site!

Dallas K. - Square Wheels Concept

Design: Dallas has seen enough of his own team's current uniforms, as he creates his own concept for his team. I really like the simplicity. The vintage white makes the stripes stand out. I also like the shoulder patch. It definitely adds to the vintage style of this concept.
 

Execution: This concept looks great! Not a whole lot wrong that I see.

Score: 8/10 - Make sure you send in a picture if your team does end up making these.

David K. - Columbus Blue Jackets Concept

Design: If the Blue Jackets released this jersey as their next alternate, I can't see any of their fans complaining. My favorite part of this concept is the hem & sock striping. I especially like how it was inspired by the crest. It goes without saying that the logo is also awesome.
 

Execution: I think the numbers may be a little big, so I would recommend reducing their size a little bit. Also this concept would look great with an original shoulder patch. In the future, I would also put the shoulder striping over the lines of the template.

Score: 7/10 - Great concept! I look forward to seeing what David can come up with for other teams.

David P. - South Park Concepts

Design: Due to my allegiance to Family Guy, I don't often watch South Park, but this concept gave me a reason to take a break from writing this post and watch some TV. David appears to take the jerseys from a South Park episode and recreate them to fit people of actual size and shape. I must say that these concepts would look infinitely better on people that actually have legs. I wish they weren't all on the same template, but they appear to be true to the one's shown in the episode so cheers to that.
 

Execution: All three jerseys could use TV numbers and maybe shoulder patches. It also bothers me that the American Flag is shaped disproportionately, and almost looks square.

Score: 5/10 - Cool idea, but the concepts could use a few more details to make them more interesting.

Jordan R. - 1989 Winter Classic Concept

Design: If you can't remember the 1989 Winter Classic, that is because the NHL's first outdoor game wouldn't be played until 1991, when the Kings played the Rangers in Las Vegas, Nevada. I absolutely love Jordan's idea to create Winter Classic concepts for games that could have theoretically been played. I especially like how this game "took place" in a stadium that is no longer standing. The football style numbers look great on the Rangers. I also like how the "Rangers" style diagonal lettering looks on the Islanders uniform. Fun fact: the Islanders' eventual alternate jersey would feature chest numbering similar to that the above Rangers concept. Not sure if that was at all intended when creating this jersey, but it's cool anyway.
 

Execution: Jordan includes every detail right down to the goalie's helmet preference. I don't personally like how small the detailed concepts themselves are, but I really do like how Jordan presents them on goalies.

Score: 8/10 - I have always been a fan of the "Beezer," and its great to see him appear in one of the concepts.

Jordan R. - 1990 Winter Classic Concept

Design: An outdoor NHL game is still one year away, but Jordan takes us back in time for the second time in today's post. The Blues jersey looks a lot like an inverse of the Sabres' home uniform, but it looks good for a concept like this. The Blackhawks jersey, is based off of one of my favorite in team history. The Hawks wore a uniform like this from 1948-51. I think it looks much better than their current white uniform, and it would be cool for this jersey to come back for an outdoor game.
 

Execution: Same as Jordan's above 1989 concept, the detail is amazing. I don't like how different the blue in the pads are to the blue in the jersey. This appears to be intentional but the shade of blue on the pads almost looks like they belong to the 1980 LA Kings. The brown pads look great on the Blackhawks Concept, but I would stick with a single shade of brown.

Score: 7/10 - Another great idea, but this one has a few too many inconsistencies.

Phil B. - Colorado Avalanche Concept

Design: Phil attempts to give the Avalanche a much needed and well overdue facelift. I like the shape of the shoulder yoke on the front of the jersey, but I'm not digging the straight yoke on the back. The blue sections on the arms and waist come together to form what would appear to be mountains. That's a cool touch.
 

Execution: I like how you used an arched nameplate like the Avalanche currently use, however it isn't quite executed properly. Depending on what program is used, there should be an option to warp the text. The number font is also pixelated, which distracts from the rest of the jersey.

Score: 5/10 - I like the idea, but there is a lot of room for improvement.
 
 

Robbie B. - Washington Capitals Alternate Concept

Design: Robbie creates an alternate uniform for the Caps that would replace the ones that the team debuted in the 2011 Winter Classic. I wouldn't mind seeing these on the ice, but I'm not sure I want the white throwback jersey to disappear. I like how the stars are incorporated into the striping. I actually like how that feature is unique to the hem stripe.
 

Execution: The red & blue in the crest are different from the red & blue used in the rest of the concept. I would also recommend adding TV numbers and shoulder patches. As I mentioned in another concept, the shoulder yoke should go over the lines on the template. Imagine that you are sewing the stripes onto a blank jersey when applying stripes to your concept.

Score: 4/10 - The "Weagle" logo is long overdue to be the primary crest on a jersey. Good call there.

 

Ryan H. - Hudson's Bay Concept

Design: This concept looks amazing, regardless of how familiar you are with the Hudson's Bay company. Each detail, right down to the number font looks great on this jersey. I'm not sure about the gray stitching on the shoulders and arms, but this is a jersey that I would love to get my hands on.
 

Execution: Nothing sticks out as out of place, but I like how Ryan included a bit of background for his concept. It is interesting to see Ryan's inspiration behind the concept.

Score: 9/10 - Something about the simplicity of this concept makes it once to remember. COTW Nomination, no question!

 

Stephen T. - 2015 Stadium Series: Whalers vs. Flyers Concept

Design: The standout feature in both of Stephen's concepts today are the pants & socks combo. In the above concept, both sets are meant to replicate the long pants both teams attempted to pull of in 1982. Although these may make up the ugliest pants & socks combination ever on HJC, the idea is genius. I actually want to see this attempted for one game, and one game only.
 

Execution: The TV numbers are wrong on the front of the Flyers jersey. When you put the front and back together, the right arm would read #22.

Score: 6/10 - I am serious when I said ONLY one game.
 

Stephen T. - 2015 Stadium Series: Oilers vs. Flames Concept

Design: As if the previous concept wasn't crazy enough, Stephen gives the long pants look to two teams that never wore the failed pants style. Both teams' jerseys are based off of their original uniform in their respective cities. I don't really like the recolored Oilers logo. I would stick with the team's current logo.
 

Execution: Stephen shows us a piece of the TV number on the Oilers jersey hidden by the front of the jersey. I would have done the same on the Calgary concept for consistency. However, this concept is too crazy to knock for something like that. The lack of shoulder patches is what really takes away from the concept.

Score: 6/10 - I can live with the fake long pants look, but I hope the actual pants stay in the history book.


Torader - Edmonton Oilers Concept

Design: The Oilers seem to have trouble deciding what colors they want their team to be, but I like the lighter color scheme that Torader brings us. The shoulder patches look great. I like the cornered hem striping as well. I don't know how the arm stripes would look on a real jersey. Would they come to a point? Anyway, Edmonton could use a look that doesn't confuse them with the Islanders and this concept could be the answer.
 

Execution: The crest and numbers all look a touch large. I might make them 10-15% smaller. The Reebok logo is also hard to see. Maybe consider making it white or outlining it.

Score: 7/10 - This is a good looking concept to end the day. I like the Iceborn template. There are lots of good concepts using that template.


There were a lot of good concepts today! I love the concepts with a background story. Whether it is a concept inspired by a national icon, or a set of concepts for a Winter Classic that never happened, those concepts are the most fun to look at.  Keep them coming. Remember to vote, leave an idea, or even comment on today's post. I'm finally getting the hang of things, and I'd like to hear what the HJC community has to say. See you next week!