Saturday: Prepare for Battle

Greetings jersey lovers, and welcome to another HJC Saturday post! We've got some great concepts today, with some interesting event games and "battles." Dive right in and enjoy!

Unfortunately, a storm has been making my power go on and off all day, and I haven't had the time to write my usual observations/lists/comments full of all the clever, inventive writing (jokes, folks). I'll make it up to you guys next week! Promise.

Let's get down to business!

US Naval Academy concept - Derek K.

What I like: The stripes/star on the cuffs is a nice touch. 

What I dislike: I don't think the contrasting color shoulders add anything here. I would just leave them blue and only use the same color on the numbers as the back/name. I just think name/numbers should match when at all possible. The Naval Academy logo is simply bad. I would recommend just using an 'N' monogram. The inside of the jersey shouldn't be white. Also, I like the idea of having something sublimated on the shoulders, but maybe not the Marines logo because the Marines are only a branch of the US Navy, and do not represent the navy as a whole.

Overall: This has potential, but needs some work. (6.8/10)

Ottawa vs. Buffalo Stadium Series concept - Stephen T.

What I like: A gray jersey would be interesting for the Sabres; that side-facing Senator logo.

What I dislike: Stadium Series concepts are right in Stephen's wheelhouse, because they are just variations on a theme that use the same template, thus taking little effort to design and can be done quickly and easily. Cranking out concepts that look the same seems to be Stephen's calling card. You really need to look at all these jerseys together to get a sense of how Stephen cuts corners by recoloring the same designs, thus unloading concepts at pace that far outstrips those who put forth effort into their work. Does anyone seriously want that old Sabres logo back? We saw this same sort of thing from Stephen last Tuesday in Dylan's post. It's getting old. Also, here's a picture of a Stadium Series being played with helmet logos.

Overall: Not particularly interesting. Very similar to the concepts below. (5/10)

Carolina vs. Columbus Stadium Series concept - Stephen T.

What I like: I prefer the Hurricanes in black. Bringing the flag pattern back is always a good idea.

What I dislike: Including black on a Blue Jackets jersey makes no sense. It's been tried before, and it didn't work. Not enough changed between the Senators/Hurricanes jerseys considering these are two totally different teams. I've mentioned this before with Stephen, but when making a Hurricanes concept with Eric Stall, the namebar should read "E. STAAL" because there are two Staal brothers on the team. I'm confused on the shoulder logo for the Hurricanes. It's the whale tail from the Hartford Whalers logo, and it's either A) double-sided to form an H, or B) simply placed backwards. I think Stephen means for them to form an H, but it's unnecessary. The Hurricanes don't need to throwback to the Whalers, and the Stadium Series isn't meant to be a nostalgia-fest. Leave that to the Winter Classic. That logo on the Blue Jackets jersey really doesn't fit the rest of the jersey. As always, helmet logos.

Overall: More of the same (5/10)

Colorado vs. Dallas Stadium Series concept - Stephen T.

What I like: Adding silver to the striping on the Dallas jersey makes a lot of sense. I think we'll see that done on an alternate eventually.

What I dislike: The Avalanche jersey is just a recolor of the Columbus jersey above and the Dallas jersey is essentially a recolor of the Sabres jersey with a different collar. That really gets on my nerves. It's inexcusably lazy and pointless. Stephen puts less passion into these jerseys than Phil Kessel getting his picture taken. So all these Stadium Series games and no one has pants logos or striping, huh? That's not likely. No logos on the helmets, either. 

Overall: Copy, paste, repeat, repeat, repeat, repeat, repeat, repeat... (5/10)

Atlanta Thrashers concept - Christian L.

What I like: The Thrashers never really had a matching set, so this might have worked better than what they actually wore. They're look was all over the place during their relatively short time in the NHL. The effect used on the jerseys helps them stand out well.

What I dislike: The set lacks sleeve numbers. The arrow pattern is a little overused. I'm not sold on the color changes to the logo. 

Overall: Some interesting ideas here, but a few changes need to be made. (7.5/10)

Battle of the License Plates: California vs. Colorado concept - Daniel L.

What I like: The striping on that Colorado jersey is interesting, as is the idea itself. I would never think to do a state-vs-state competition based on license plates. Some would work a lot better than others. These actually work pretty well. On the Colorado font, is that the old Steel Drop Oilers 3rd number font? That's my favorite number font that's not in use.

What I dislike: The state of California doesn't make a good shoulder patch. There's no need to make the Colorado shoulder patch a darker shade of green.

Overall: An interesting concept. (7.5/10)

Battle of the License Plates: Arizona vs. Indiana - Daniel L.

What I like: This is a creative series, and I'm looking forward to seeing more. I normally don't like colored namebars, but I don't dislike it here. The striping on the Indiana jersey is interesting.

What I dislike: Clipart doesn't belong on a hockey jersey. Both jerseys are bit plain. I don't like the number in the lower right corner on the Indiana jersey. The Indiana jersey needs some hem striping to balance the jersey.

Overall: Some of these will work better than others, these are just a little plain. (7/10)

Pittsburgh Yellow Jackets concept - Connor L.

What I like: This is a concept based off a pre-WWI team, and I must say that I really like the old logo; Very clean and classic.

What I dislike: The jersey design seems apropos of nothing. There wasn't much taken from the original jerseys. This makes them look like a Blackhawks minor league team, and given that Connor's online name is "Kaner88" I think we all know where the inspiration comes from. There are some areas where the black striping was recolored from yellow, and there are some yellow pixels left behind. The stitching overlaps the striping. 

Overall: I would like to see more "Yellowjackets" in this Yellowjackets concept. (7/10)

Boston Bruins alternate concept - S2udio

What I like: This is an interesting name for a series. S2udio takes the Bruins current alternate and adds more vintage elements, changes the color to gold, and adds hem striping and a yoke. It's a definite improvement. I don't care the Bruins' third. It's just dull.

What I dislike: Still don't care for the alternate logo as a primary. I'd like to see the curved B here. I know that dances pretty close to the Bruins Winter Classic jersey, but that jersey was awesome. I'd like to see that on the ice again.

Overall: Definite improvement. I think more people would buy this, not just S2udio. (8.5/10)

Anaheim Ducks alternate concept - S2udio

What I like: I really miss the eggplant/jade color combination. I have one of those jerseys in my collection, and it's one of my favorites. I think this color combination works even better than what they currently wear now. Think about this, the Ducks could own purple in the NHL if they changed to this color combination. That would help to bring back some uniqueness that has been missing to a degree from their recent look.

What I dislike: The webbed-D just doesn't do it for me. I know it's old hat to recolor the old logo, but I just want the D logo to go away.

Overall: Huge improvement for the Ducks. This is a new Ducks jersey that I might actually consider buying myself. (8.8/10) COTW nomination from me!

I hope you all enjoyed today's post! Be sure to nominate the concepts that deserve Concept of the Week consideration, and let us know your views on today's artwork in our comments section! Come back here tomorrow to find out who won our Cleveland Barons competition and this week's COTW! Remember to send in your votes next week and give you mothers a call! See you all next week.