Monday: New Kid On The Block

I like the remix, remix.... Oh hi guys! I should probably give you a brief introduction, emphasis on the "brief" since you came here for concepts and not me. My name is Phil B., the author and owner of DDragon60 Studios, a blog that I created to store my work for when my computer storage is full. I live ON Long Island, not in it, and as such I am a massive Islanders fan (poor me, right). So much so that I am a part of a group that brings a bit of a soccer atmosphere to Islander games, called the Blue and Orange Army, singing songs and chanting our team to victory. Pirate flags are involved. This picture is only a few of us (regularly 50-100 per game, notable games over 200). I'm on the far right.

Outside of hockey, I enjoy watching Yankees baseball, Jets football (and Eskimos for you CFL fans), Red Bulls, Manchester United and US soccer (American Outlaws Long Island Chapter member), and Drexel University sports. You can also follow me on Twitter @DD60Studios (My blog's Twitter) or @PhilBeckons (Personal, plus live tweets of sports). Ok I'll shut up now.

JOKES!

I'll just stop talking about me, because this is getting boring fast, so we shall get to today's concepts. BUT before we do that, we have your reminders to VOTE!

COTW May 12-18 vote (ends Friday @ 11:59pm Eastern time)

Jokerit Competition Top 5 vote (due Friday @ 11:59pm Eastern time)

Also, some good and bad news: the bad news is that the HJC meetup is cancelled. The good news however is that the raffle is still on! As much as I hate the Rangers, that white Lady Liberty jersey is amazing, and it's up for grabs! Click the raffle bar at the top of the page for more information. 

Pictures are worth a thousand words, so let me give you about a hundred or so of them with these:

Quebec Nordiques Concept by Andy B.

This is an excellent modern take on the classic Nordiques jerseys, and that white alternate is spectacular too. The one thing I would do is replicate the sleeve striping on the hem, incorporating the fleur-de-lis in the striping. It would be cool to see what type of equipment would be involved with these jerseys, especially socks.

Final Score: 78%


FC Dallas (MLS) Concept by David P:

I remember when I did my FC Dallas concept in my MLS series, one of the things mentioned is that either they incorporated red into my blue jersey or have a second set. This concept is definitely better, but to keep with FCD's current kits, switch the white and blue on the road jersey, and make the sponsor logo red. I'm also not exactly feeling the shoulder patches of the American flag (similar to Calgary's current set) and the MLS logo. I know they are on the sleeves of all MLS kits (except for Toronto, Vancouver and Montreal, for obvious reasons), but they are better off left off here.

Final Score: 72%


New Jersey Devils Concept by Derek K:

First off thanks Christian M. for the idea on the world famous Leave an Idea page on this here blog. He wanted to see how the Devils colors would work on the old Kansas City Scouts jerseys, and Derek does just that. Definitely an interesting template choice here (not one I would use), and an excellent job working with it. The only thing that may irk people is the yoke, which looks fairly familiar to fans of the team across the Hudson River, an association fans of both teams would not be pleased with.

Final Score: 75%


Edmonton Oilers Concept by Jay V:

Jay leaves his entry for the Steel Drop competition here, and its definitely different. The striping is unique, but it feels a little high on the arms and bent, although that may be because the template is not doing this concept justice. Could use some of that striping on the hem. Sleeve numbers are too spaced apart from the edge of the template, giving the impression of too much space between numbers. Two problems with the equipment: 1) The way the Oilers wordmark is on the pant leg it wraps entirely around the front of the leg and thus too big of a logo. 2) The way the sock is styled, though identical to the arm striping, is a bit distracting, similar to how Carolina concepts with the warning flag pattern are terrific if the pattern does not travel to the socks, though that is a personal preference. Finally, all logos are quite pixelated.

Final Score: 67%

Calgary Flames Concept by Joe D.

I'd buy this jersey on three conditions: 1) I actually had money to spend on them, 2) The template is altered enough to continue the arm-length yoke all the way to the collar on the front and improve the positioning of the lettering and numbering on the back and 3) The main part of the C logo is white, because as is, the color balance is thrown off. I know we have a template very similar to this one here at HJC that may help you.

Final Score: 70%

University of Lethbridge Pronghorns (CIS) Concept by Mat W:

I'll be honest, the little bit I know about hockey in Lethbridge is that the Hurricanes are a joke in the Dub, so these guys can probably beat them. So I did some research, and I have not seen this logo in use. If you created it, nice job (especially giving it a growl in the yellow jersey), but if you didn't and it isn't an official logo of the university, then your score drops to zero for not citing the source. Definitely an improvement over their current jerseys, which use the Nashville/St. Louis template. The only thing I would do is add another row of striping on the hem of the alternate to keep with the consistency of the sleeves, especially since there is space there.

Final Score: 87%

Montreal Shamrocks (NHA) Concept by Stephen T:

By now we all know the mess that Stephen has gotten himself into, so I'm not going to beat a dead horse. Especially since I can't find anything with the same pattern we see here. It's definitely an interesting idea, inspired by the Dallas Stars jerseys, yet distinct enough. The big problem is with this shade of green, it gets lost in the black. I also think the vintage white is unnecessary. 

Final Score: 75%

Montreal Canadiens Concept by Stephen T:

Same things apply here in regards to a background check for this concept, so let's dissect this one. No penalty for misspelling Gionta. Honest spelling mistake. Love the captain's patch idea, but that's about it. The green is not a good idea for a team whose inner city rival at the time is the Montreal Shamrocks. Also the logo is too small, though to an extent it works because of the striping. Numbers should be red for greater visibility. 

Final Score: 77% 

Dallas Stars Alternate Concept by Triatan M. 

Tristan treats us to a modern-ish take on the best Stars jersey in their history out of Minnesota. The problem is, that's exactly what this is. It's not new, it's not revolutionary, and it doesn't work as well with this logo, because the proportions of the previous logo were so skewed horizontally that it left space between the star shape in the jersey and the bottom of the logo. At least you used the new Texas shaped logo for the shoulders, since I hate lazy roundel logos, but that isn't exactly a new idea either for this jersey. 

Final Score: 70%

Cleveland Barons Concept by WinnipegJets96:

Ah our old friend Jets96. This jersey captures almost everything the original NHL Barons had, plus a simplified logo for the shoulder patch. Numbers on the helmet like that are a nice touch, but what irks me is the C on the red jersey, and how it stands out from the rest, making it feel out of place. If you outline the C with white like you did for the state of Ohio and keep the consistency with the shade of red, this jersey would be that much better. 

Final Score: 77% (I'd do 96% to match the name, but you have to earn it.)

Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins Star Wars Night Concept by Connor L:

I think this is the droid we are looking for. Although baseball's Brooklyn Cyclones have won the Star Jersey Wars (sorry) with their Darth Maul jerseys, this is still a terrific concept for Wilkes-Barre/Scranton. The detail in this is excellent. Even able to have the proper branding visible for the most part in terms of Reebok and the AHL. I LOVE the lightsaber in the Pens logo, but I think you missed an opportunity to put a robe on the penguin to make him seem even more Jedi-like. 

Final Score: 93%

The winner of my Concept of the Week Nomination is Connor L. And his Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins Star Wars Concept.

They say third time is a charm, so don't yell at me if this post is terrible, or my next one. What you CAN yell at me for is my bad sense of humor, my bad sense of humour, my grading and my opinions about today's concepts. Please don't yell. Just talk, have fun, keep calm or carry on in the comments section. I am currently debating sending in a series of NHL-themed soccer kits here (permissible according to Ryan, BTW), and I want to know if you'd like to see them, wo we can talk about that too. DO NOT FORGET to vote for COTW and for the Jokerit competition, we have some nice options out there that people put hard work into that deserve to be rewarded, so reward them by emailing your votes to HJCContest@gmail.com, email your concepts to Concepts@hockeyjerseyconcepts.com and I will see you next week. Same Bat time, same Bat channel.