Thursday: Withdrawls

Hey guys! Wow I'm so excited for the big playoff game tonight! It's game...

Wait... The playoffs are over, aren't they?

Surely the Calder Cup playoffs are going on still, right?

Nope... basketball?

Finished.  Well at least there is World Cup soccer.

Wait... it's not the women's, and thus no Canadian team playing?

Fine, I guess I'll just watch some CFL...

What do you mean preseason? Ugh.  And so begins a long couple of weeks until I get interested in sports again.

In the meantime, at least we have jerseys to look at, so lets get started!

COTW vote June 9-15 (ends Friday @ 11:59pm Eastern)

NHA Team Votes (due Tuesday, June 24 @ 11:59pm Eastern)

*******************************************

Sportsnet Concept - Ryan G. 

Yay: Let's start today with a fun "Battle of the Hockey Coverage" pair of concepts, the first of which being for Rogers Sportsnet. The logo and the colours work out well for this style of jersey, and every element of the jersey that is needed is there, without being overdone. Pretty solid concept execution-wise.

Nay: Sportsnet was always meant to be the "new" and "hip" channel compared to TSN and CBC, like what Pepsi is to Coke. With that in mind, I'd rather see a more modern style than the simplistic, traditional set we see here. Beyond that, I think going with blue pants would work better, and a blue name instead of red. The red-on-white combo just doesn't look as nice as the blue does.

Overall: Good execution, but the style isn't quite right, and the design in general is pretty simple.  7.2/10



Hockey Night In Canada Concept - Ryan G.

Yay: Naturally, HNIC is the next part of our "Battle of the Hockey Coverage" concepts. I actually have a HNIC jersey in my collection.  This one flaunts its unique shades of primary colours, and contrary to the above concept, it has a rather modern, curvy look to it. Again, nothing to say against the execution of this concept.

Nay: Same point as the last concept, but opposite. HNIC deserves a traditional looking set. While this isn't too much of a stretch, it is a little more curvy for classic CBC tastes. But maybe that's just my personal view of them. There should be more white on the dark jersey, and the yellow outline on the numbers and stripes on the white jersey barely stand out enough to be seen. The hem and arm stripes don't really match, and I'd like to see the hem stripes a little thicker.

Overall: More that I like, but more that I don't like. I'd call this "Battle" a draw. 7.2/10



Team Canada Concept - Mario A.

Yay: Sticking with the Canada theme, here we have a Team Canada concept from Mario. To his credit, this design is definitely creative and original. If this was to be seen anywhere, it would be in Europe for the Spengler Cup or some other similar tournament.

Nay: Someone has probably said this already, but I'd recommend trying to make more traditional, simpler, and more hockey-like concepts before trying to go to crazy. This is definitely creative, but throwing random shapes and curves on a concept isn't going to make it a nice design. As far as execution goes, the font is way too slanted and crazy, the bar around the name is unnecessary, the logos are too big, the hem stripes (especially on the white jersey) are way too thin, and there are no TV numbers.

Overall: I really love the creativity, but this is far from polished. 5.3/10



Team Canada Concept - s2dio

Yay: One last Canada-based concept today, this one coming from s2dio. I like the chest stripe and arm stripe style had from the Olympics, but it looked ridiculous that the stripe was only on one arm. s2dio fixes that. This uniform is very clean, and would be a great look for Canada in the next World Championships. As always, execution is brilliant.

Nay: A few simple design choices that I would change. The stripe on the socks should be thicker.  I think the thin sock stripe design is just boring to be honest, and if it was thicker it would better match the arms. The outlines on the main numbers need to be thicker, to make the number stand out against the chest stripe better. Finally, I think the white jersey has too much black, it almost has as much black as red, which definitely doesn't fit.

Overall: Very solid design. Not perfect, but great nonetheless. 8.1/10



Team Slovakia Concept - s2dio

Yay: No more Canada, but more s2dio. This time, s2dio shows us a Team Slovakia concept. It's hard to top what they did in Sochi, but this would come very close. I love the look of the chest stripe and country shield combination, and it works well because there is another colour to give the numbers to ensure it stands out enough. Wonderful work.

Nay: I don't have much to complain about, but there is one major flaw that is bugging me. The middle chest stripe on the back of the dark jersey should be the lighter shade of blue, no? If the shadow effect was in play, then it would look the same on the white jersey. It's not a huge error, but for a concept as polished as this, it does stick out like a sore thumb.

Overall: So close to perfect, but yet so far. 8.5/10



Lightning vs Kings Concept - Christian L.

Yay: Who wears it better? That is the question Christian is asking with this concept. He puts the Lightning and Kings in very stylish, modern jerseys, with different colours. The Lightning concept looks like something they'd wear, but the Kings jersey is very unique, with a redesigned logo and new colour scheme. Very interesting concept.

Nay: Problem is, I'm not a fan of the jersey design in general. It somewhat suits the Lightning, but I don't see any connection to the Kings. The blue outlines against the black on the Lightning jersey is pretty tough to notice. The Kings colours are interesting, but I don't think these colours would look any better on this design than any set of Kings colours, so I don't see a reason behind the colour change.

Overall: Who wears it better? The Lightning for sure, but I wouldn't hold my breath waiting to see either hit the ice. Bonus points for creativity, but I'm just not sold on the design. 7.5/10



Philadelphia Quakers Concept - Mike S.

Yay: I've been seeing a few Quakers uniforms lately, so the novelty is wearing out.  But they're still a great look to work with, so I don't think I'll ever get tired of seeing them. Mike gives us a hybrid of their old stripe pattern and a modern cuff and hem style. I like the straightened word mark look. I'd prefer the original, but its nice to see a different approach.

Nay: I don't mind the stripes, and I don't mind the cuff and hem design, but this design loses me with the stripe right before the cuffs. They aren't really needed, and I think it looks kinda awkward. The bottom stripe on the sock also applies here. The TV numbers look a little big and should be lower on the arm, and there should be some sort of stripe or design on the pants.

Overall: Decent concept, but I've seen better. 7.7/10



Jokerit Concept - David K.

Yay: The last concept of today is a Jokerit concept from David.  Other than the fact that the main set's logo freaks me out a bit, this concept is amazing. I really like the striping pattern on all 3 jerseys, and the colours and retro-vibe I'm getting from the 3rd jersey is great. The 3rd's duotone style is really interesting, and crazy for most hockey jerseys, but I think it looks great here.

Nay: The only thing I can think to say is that the 3rd jersey could use a bit of white. The numbers are a little hard to notice on the jersey, especially if you imagine the jersey being worn in-game, and being moved, tossed, turned, stretched, etc. The number will barely stand out from the design. The TV numbers and Captain's patch outlines almost blur into the jersey.

Overall: Perfect for the main set, almost perfect for the 3rd. Fantastic concept. 8.7/10

*******************************************

A tale of two concepts for my COTW nomination today, but I'll pick David's Jokerit concept for my nomination.  Brilliant work from him, and great creativity from everyone's concepts today.

That's all I have today. Thanks for reading, and have a good weekend!