Wednesday: Alternate City

I have always been fascinated by alternate jerseys in sports. In baseball, the pitcher chooses the jersey that the team wears. In hockey, teams schedule which games they will wear their alternate. I would always try to go to games where the Cubs would wear blue or the AHL Wolves would wear their 3rd jerseys or special event uniforms. Today was baseball's opening day, and almost every team wore their alternate uniforms. It was like a field day for me! Only if the NHL would open their season with teams all sporting their alternates. Today's concepts feature many cool alternate jerseys. I hope everyone has as much fun looking at them as I did.
        
Before I get to the concepts, we have a new COTW vote, and the Roadrunners Concept to vote on.
      

COTW Mar 24-30 vote (ends Friday @ 11:59pm Eastern)

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

       
Don't forget to vote! Some NHL teams forgot to vote for their own jersey proposals and one team ended up with this:

cbssports.com

On that note, lets look at our first concept!
       

Daniel L. - Buffalo Sabres Alternate Concept

Design: This is a jersey that I would vote for! Daniel takes the aforementioned "cape" uniform and gives it a face lift. The first major update are the colors. Red & black look mean with the old "buffalo head" logo. I am not a fan of the text above the crest, but the stylized font beats the pants off of the Arial font used on the current alternate. The number font is very similar to the font on the "Buffaslug" uniforms, but it was probably the only good looking feature on that jersey.
   
Score: 7/10 - Great concept! I know the yellow & blue version has a lot to laugh about, but this one is quite the upgrade. It really shows how a little change can do a lot of for a concept.
    
      
WinnipegJets96 - Boston Bruins Concept

Design: My COTW partner in crime has decided to mess with my second favorite uniforms in the league. (Behind the Blackhawks) The main difference between the current home & away and Jets96's concept is that the shoulder yoke is removed from both jerseys. The black & yellow on the white jersey's striping is also reversed. I personally love the yellow socks that the Bruins wear, but Jets96's concept gives the Bruins a more uniform look. The alternate, which is based off of 1926 uniform is 100% awesome! That would look great as a future Winter Classic uniform.
   
Score: 7.5/10 - The tan pants are killing me! Everything else on this concept looks great. I just feel that the alternate is a modernized throwback, and the tan pants just don't fit here.
       
       
TG - Anaheim Duck Alternate Concept

Design: TG places this concept in an era where the Ducks go back to jade & eggplant. From my previous posts, you may remember that I would LOVE to see these colors return. The all black concept looks very sharp. Since this concept is placed some time in the future, I like the extreme slant of the striping. It reminds me of this year's Stadium Series jerseys.
     
Score: 7/10 - The execution of the jersey striping is spot on, but the pants striping should go over the seams of the template. I also think the shoulder patches are a little large.
         
         
Mike S. - Mississippi Surge Concept

Design: I think the Surge currently have some pretty sharp uniforms. (Pun intended) Mike has decided to go all out when it comes to lightning on the concept. I don't really like the thick vertical stripes on the front of the jersey. I think that the lightning striping would look good on the hem of the jersey. I think that a similar stripe down the side of the pants may look cool, but there is a lot of vertical striping going on.
     
Score: 6/10 - This concept is creative, but the concept is just too busy. Those socks are cool however.
      
         
Jake88 - Team Germany Concept

Design: Jake replaces the Nike cookie cutter template with this awesome uniform. I especially like how the German flag is incorporated into the striping and the yoke design. The yoke on the white jersey comes to a slight point at the sublimated stitching. This small detail adds a lot to the design of this concept in my opinion. I think Germany should consider this concept come 2018.
   
Score: 6.5/10 - Some execution errors come with the cool design features. The nameplate and numbers are a bit large in my opinion. The striping should also go over the seams on the template. I also don't like how the TV numbers are on the shoulder yoke. However, I do give Jake props for trying something different.
       
         
Stephen T. - Washington Capitals Fauxback Concept

Design: 1995-2007 was a very different, but very good looking era for the Caps. Stephen brings the off-blue and gold back to Washington. I have recently taken inspiration from Capitals uniforms from this period on my own concepts, and I think there are a lot of good elements to choose from. The "V" shaped hem stripe is one of my favorites. However, a different stripe is used on the front and back of the blue uniform, which I think looks awkward. The white concept is spot on. The Caps' white jersey from this era never featured flat striping, and I like the look.
   
Score: 7/10 - I think the TV numbers may be a little large, but the hem striping on the blue jersey is more distracting. I would pick one stripe or the other.
       
        
Stephen T. - Winnipeg Jets Fauxback Concept

Design: Stephen has created a Jets concept that features a much more simple design than their current uniform set. The Sabres, Panthers, Oilers, and Blackhawks all use a very similar striping to this concept, and I wish that something more original was used. The blue concept would look good as an alternate, however.
   
Score: 6.5/10 - I miss the unique number font that Winnipeg currently uses. The jerseys just look too plain for me.
                    
           
Christian L. - Winnipeg Jets Concept

Design: Christian's first concept of the day mixes a little bit of old, with new. The silver & red arm and hem striping comes from the Jets' 1990 uniforms, and the shoulder yoke is just an inverse of the 1979 shoulder yoke. The logo is what really completes this concept. It reminds me of the alternate crest that the St. Johns IceCaps use as it shows off the landscape of the city while still representing the team's identity.
   
Score: 8/10 - I like the different elements that have come together to make this concept. I think the chest stripe would look better if it matched the rest of the striping, but the current striping plus the cut of the jersey makes the feature look like wings. There are some really cool things going on there.
   
    
Christian L. - Tampa Bay Lightning Concept

Design: The "Bolts" alternate uniform is thankfully going away, and Christian's concept would be a perfect replacement. Yes, this is another black alternate jersey, but everything from the striping to the crest looks great. I just wish the shoulder patch had some black or silver in it.
   
Score: 8.5/10 - I wish I could get 2 COTW nominations, so help me out!
 
   
Tom V. - Calgary Flames Concept

Design: Tom's Flames concept is like no Flames concept we have ever seen before. The logo on the home & away is great, and it is only a matter of time before the crest on the 3rd jersey actually makes it as a primary crest in the NHL. This concept was clearly inspired by Flames jerseys of the past, and I see a lot of influence from the different designs worn from 1995-2007. I like the pointed yoke. It takes the current alternate's pointed yoke to a whole new level.
   
Score: 9/10 - Great looking concept! I think the sock stripes should be the same thickness as the jersey stripes, but the inconsistency could be due to resizing. COTW nomination, no question.
   
    
That's all for this Wednesday! Next week we should have a pretty good idea who will make the Stanley Cup Playoffs and who will play golf for the rest of the summer.

Don't forget to vote, and I'll see you all next week.