Monday: Alternate Blah Blah

Welcome to the Monday post, folks!

It may only be April, and snow is still coming in Ontario, but the July HJC meet-up in Toronto is coming up fast. There will be tons of fun stuff to do, and you'll meet yours truly, Jets96! Along with many staples of the HJC community.

Click on the meet up banner to get information

Voting last week (despite not winning) was really high. It's great to see the numbers up. 16 votes is high, but why not Zoidberg 20? (I know I stole that joke, calm down)

1st Quarter Vote (ends Friday @ 11:59pm Eastern)

COTW April 7-13 vote (ends Friday @ 11:59pm Eastern)

Oilers Competition entries (due Friday @ 11:59pm Eastern)

Here are today's Oilers Entries

Jack H.

Tristan M.

Danny92

Thomas H.

Joe A.

I love doing this 3rd Jersey countdowns! Great idea, Caz! So in honour of his top 3 worst jersey, I will post mine! I agree with Caz when he says that the 90's were so bad they were good (go watch the Room to see what I mean about so bad, it's good). As Caz said, also, the biggest problem any 3rd jersey can have is being boring. Without further ado,

Dishonourable Mentions:

2011-13 Pittsburgh Penguins Winter Classic: Bad luck, bad design, no more vintage white!

2008-11 Ottawa Senators "Sens" Alternate: Love that template! The Sens script was such a waste, considering the side profile logo remains unused.

On to the list (all photos from sportsecyclopedia)

3. Nashville Predators 2001-2007


The square collar, overly detailed logo and creative striping pattern is not my problem with this jersey, in fact, that's what keeps it from going higher. The jersey has potential, Nashville had a chance to introduce a modern yellow jersey, to an NHL, that at the time, hadn't had a yellow jersey since the 70's! What kills this jersey for me is that shade of yellow. Call it puke, piss, rotten mustard, I don't know, but it is not an appealing colour on any jersey! The logo isn't amazing, but that shade of yellow mutes the navy, which would other wise provide contrast between the yellow and the other colours. Missed opportunity!

2. Florida Panthers 2009-2012



For a little while, double blue was everywhere in the NHL. Around the turn of the decade, the Thrashers, Blues, Pens, Blue Jackets, Jets and even the All Star Game had double blue. For the most part, the jerseys were good, the colour scheme matched either historical ties or were unique. The point is, there was some reason for the team to attempt to use it but ...the Panthers...WHY? The Cats were rumouring to go back to Red, which they did, the by the end of this jersey's lifespan, things were looking up in Sunshine. The design, unoriginal, the logo, a copy of the Pens 70's logo with an ugly, 2D Panther head. Tomas Vokoun & Scott Clemensen weren't even given double blue pads, they had to wear plastic looking red pads (Like Tim Thomas in Dallas). It killed the double blue trend right in it's spot.

1. Dallas Stars "Moo-terus" 2003-2006



Oh yeah, this fun jersey. A little back story for those who don't remember the popular designs of the mid 2000's...they were lackluster at best and at worst...this. Right around this time, black for black sake jerseys were popping up everywhere in every sport, hockey had the mediocre Blue Jackets alternate and the interestingly forgetable Ducks script alternate, but if one team could pull off a black jersey, it was Dallas. What we got, was red shoehorned in for no reason, a biologically correct logo and what could have been a unique, 90's alternate like striping pattern, turned into a jumbled mess. I've seen some concepts, including one from Justin C. that I will always hold as an all time favourite on this site that proved this jersey could have worked, but the disappointment level with this jersey is a maximum. Most casual hockey fans don't even remember it, Mike Modano looked embarrassed in it, and I'm embarrassed that, to quote Caz "You know what really galls me, though? Someone go PAID for these designs. Geez!" Dallas, the ball is in your court, give us you first good alternate design in 15 years, we, the jersey community, demands it!

So I ask you, dear friend, reader, jersey fan, what alternates give you chills looking at them? I look forward to Caz's next countdown, if he decides to do another.

Today's concepts feature 3 German concepts, A Belgian one too. An assortment of black, yellow orange and red make their way into the rotation, and Bastian brings back the green for the Yotes.

Let's get started, hot, let's get it started in here!

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East vs. West Germany Outdoor Game/Alternate Concepts (By: Stephen T.)

I'm not sure if this is supposed to be a set of alternates or a theoretical outdoor game from the past, but since Germany hasn't been divided into East and West for 20+ years, it's hard to know. The white jersey, as Stephen states is from the 1987 Canada Cup, I can't find any photos from that year, but from the 1992  German Canada Cup jerseys, this design is similar if not exact to what they wore. It is for sure interesting, and with some arm striping, would be a great concept, but good for now. The East German jersey I was actualy able to find the away version of it, and yeah, it looks just how an East German team would look in 1968. Maybe changing it to a fauxback with the German tri colours and eagle crest instead of the old coat of arms. (6.5/10)

On a side note: The East German Coat of Arms is not a well known professional hockey logo, and under HJC logo use policy, must be credited! Come on guys, the policy exists to give original creators credit, not to make concept making more difficult 

Team Germany Concepts (By: Stephen T.)

I think I've seen this concept from Stephen before. The only change from a previous concept is the addition of the DEUTSHLAND to the yoke and the names underneath. Yes it is a WHA era idea, and some European teams do use this, but it's not that different. It's just the German flag stripes and eagle logo. Ryan has said it a few times during my time reading HJC but, did this need to be made? It's decently executed but we could picture this in our heads. I'm not trying to be rude, but it isn't winning me over, try a more original idea. (5/10)

Team Germany Concepts (By: Bastian S.)

Bastian recently had a week dedicated to his concepts on Icethetics, which was awesome, and here on HJC, he gives the Germans a new look, similar to a soccer jersey. The striping isn't the German flag, but it doesn't need to be. The two band striping pattern isn't used by any NHL team and hasn't been used, in my opinion, right on any IIHF set, so this finally does the look justice. The triple stripe square yoke would add uniquness to the standard round yoke the German Olympic Women's team wore. The biggest change is the logo, which, yes, isn't typical for hockey teams to put their logos like a crest on a school uniform, but it isn't too small and doesn't leave the jersey looking overly bare underneath it. (8.25/10)

Team Belgium Concepts (By: Stephen T.)

Belgium's soccer program is one of the World Cup heavyweights this year, but in hockey, they are ranked 36th, so it may be a while before we see them in any major tier one tournament. The arms really remind me of the 80's Pens jerseys, which isn't bad, but there are some colour balancing issues and execution points. The arms on the white jersey are just the arms from the black jersey, which is fine, but the yellow upper arm would look better and add some much needed black if they were black. The logo and the striping have different shades of red, and some sort of either shoulder patch or hem stripe would make this concept more interesting. (6/10)

Hamilton Tigers Concepts (By: S2dio)

After fixing the sock problem, which wasn't even that big, S2dio has been scoring high, and the next stop in hi "Back in the Game" series, is Hamilton. The concept captures both early NHL and modern NHL in one, which balances out almost perfectly. The striping works with the logo, and doesn't crowd the jersey, nice use of empty space. The shoulder patch isn't the Tigers most appealing logo, but it works with the set. The only change I'd make is adding some black to the white socks and vice versa, maybe just a patch on the bottom. (9/10)

Minnesota North Stars Concepts (By: Phil B.)

The Northstars always wore simple jerseys, nothing that branched out (some concepts were using gradient and monochromatic jerseys, but none the less) Phil branches out. The striping remains simple, but the yoke, which I still see the shape (arrows?) but I'm not a fan of it. Maybe using a square yoke or angled yoke , but as is, not a fan. The white jersey is much better, colour wise, the yellow over powers the jersey, and melts in with the green gear. Using black gear and making white the main colour on the green jersey rather than yellow will improve this jersey right away. Good execution though. (7/10)

Pittsburgh Penguins Concept (By: Valeria C.)

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I've never reviews a concept from Valeria so, hi Valeria! Using the Iceborn template, we get a concept that takes the 80's Pens jersey, with some minor changes. The striping is very similar to the angled script away jersey from the mid 90's, and adds gray. The changes are small but look good, like a blending of eras into one jersey, but nothing totally out there. (8/10)

Phoenix Coyotes Concept (By: Bastian B.)

Oh green, where have you been? 10 years without green, and the Yotes are ready for some. Bastain uses an edited version of the Yotes unused logo from their first re-design, and the desert striping, along with the green to mix up eras. The concept flows well, and no era overpowers the other, the numbers, shoulder patch and logo blend with the green, black and 90's striping. At first, I thought the jersey was too dear, but now the green perfectly brightens the jersey up. (9/10) COTW Nom. from me

HC Barcelona Concepts (By: David P.)

As I learned a couple of weeks ago, the Barca name is not just soccer/football, but many, many sports. The home appears to be a copy of the soccer jersey, with a red yoke rather than pinstriping or vertical striping, The yellow jersey is based on the clash kit, and although it doesn't match the home, it looks great. The black jersey is so kewl (like of Cartman says in on South Park), I love the striping patern and stark red and yellow colours. (8.5/10)

New Jersey Devils Concepts (By: Matt Mc.)

The second Martin Brodeur retires, literally that second, the Devils should change their look. Matt injects some squareness into the devils, and combines eras. The striping is based on the 80's devils, which looks decent rounded, but the increased red and lessening of black saves the concept, and makes it look really good. Like with most 80's based sets, the white jersey looks better, but Matt didn;t swap the red yoke and cuffs for white ones, a solid choice. (8.75/10)

Pittsburgh Penguins Concept (By: Dylan W.)

The Pens can throwback to the early 70's as much as they want, I'm waiting for the Pirates to get some love. Sure it's been 85+ years since we've last seen them but non the less. Dylan simplifies the Pirates jerseys, using the original font, but no more script, and a monochromatic Pens logo is placed on the shoulder. The jersey is nice a simple, not typical for the 20's but it works today. I'm not huge on the Pens logo being used on just one shoulder, but I can understand why Dylan didn't use the Crest of Pittsburgh like the actual Pirates used. Excellent execution as usual from Dylan. (9/10)

That's the post, folks! Remember to vote, comment and give your least favourite alternates. I'm Jets96, go Jets go! Get ready, folks, the playoffs start Wednesday!