Post Free Agency/4th of July Recovery

Hello everyone, and welcome to HJC's Saturday post! Today we have some international concepts from Eastern Europe, some alternates that provide interesting contrasts, an NHL/MLB crossover, a concept from the QMJHL, and 2015 Winter Classic concept! 

Now that the craziness of the free agency period and (for our American readers) the Fourth of July has died down, I noticed some similarities between the two that I would like to share with you. Some teams' summer moves are not unlike some people's Fourth of July parties. Let me break it down with a few teams:

*warning* Keep in mind that this is all for laughs, and I made fun of my team, too.

• Washington Capitals: They're those people that go out and spend a ton of money of on a huge fireworks display and lots of food. It's all really cool in the moment, but once the show is over, they're left wondering if 10 minutes of fireworks was really worth all that money. Lots of mess to clean up after the party.
• Nashville Predators: They lured a lot people to their Fourth of July party by getting everyone's attention with a promising amount of food, but skimped by not purchasing any fireworks. They finally go buy a couple fireworks late at night, after people complain, that are leftover at the local stand. The fireworks are old and will likely not work.
• Dallas Stars/St. Louis Blues: These people haven't had a well-attended Fourth of July party in awhile, so they go out and purchase some really cool, large fireworks. It all seems very promising, but you know they're just going to light them off at once by accident, and everyone goes home early.
• Los Angeles Kings: That one party everyone wants to beat. It's not flashy and over-the-top. They did the same thing they did last year, but everyone always seems to have more fun there. 
• Philadelphia Flyers: Fourth of July parties always seem to end with them in the hospital, so they played it safe and stayed home this year.
• Ottawa Senators: People show up and eat their food, but then slip out later because they heard the fireworks were better at someone else's party.
• Vancouver Canucks: They told themselves they weren't going to waste any money on those big, expensive fireworks again, then did it anyway.
• Florida Panthers: They didn't know what to look for when buying fireworks, so they just bought some that looked cool. The salesman screwed them over, and the fireworks won't work.
• Detroit Red Wings: They're old, don't like fireworks, and complain about the noise.

One more thing before we get into the concepts, the HJC Open is coming soon! It begins on the 12th of this month. The Open is the best jersey event of the year! We always see some of the best artistic work during this competitive tournament. All concepts sent in must be new, so you're sure to see new artwork in every round! You have to be at the top of your game to advance in this tournament, so this is a great opportunity to step up the quality of your art work. We all look forward to this event every year, so get excited! The summer might slow down other websites, but never HJC! Click the banner, or this link for more details.

Team Slovenia concept - Stephen T.

Positives: I like the mountains and the wavy stripes. I think those elements are unique to Slovenia and help them stand out from the crowd. 

Negatives: I wish this concept was predominantly green. There are so many red/white/blue teams in international competition, that it makes Slovenia a very welcome change. The sleeve numbers are missing from the back on the left arms.

Overall: There are some really good elements here. A color change and a few details is all it needs. (7.5/10) 

Seattle Mariners concept - Ben A.

Positives: Good use of an old Mariners logo. The striping is ok, if a little busy. 

Negatives: No sleeve numbers. The inside of the jersey shouldn't be white. It's always good to show the back of the jersey as well.

Overall: This is a good start, it's just not taken far enough. More work and detail is needed here. (6.5/10)

Florida Panthers third jersey concept - Scott B.

Positives: It's not lacking for ambition. 

Negatives: This is just too wild for me. The gradient, combined with the bright blue/red/yellow color scheme is very in-your-face. The Panther logo is too high on the jersey. It shouldn't be that close to the collar. The yoke stripes aren't needed, especially with the secondary logos there. I don't care much for the "ABCDEF" name and "00" number treatment. Putting a little extra time to put a specific name and number on your concepts goes a long way.

Overall: This concept will be a divisive one. I applaud Scott's bravery and creativity, but I wouldn't want to see this on the ice. (6/10)

Drummondville Voltigeurs QMJHL concept - Justin S.

Positives: I like the striping here. The color balance is really nice. Justin took the time to provide a side view of his concept, and I really appreciate the extra time and effort taken there. The jerseys are executed well.

Negatives: What is a voltigeur? This logo doesn't help you understand that, although it does match the striping. The best Drummondville logo isn't used here, but it would have made a great shoulder patch.

Overall: Great set for Drummondville. Add a a shoulder patch and this is near perfect for me. (8.3/10)

Philadelphia Flyers third jersey concept - David P.

Positives: The jersey itself is executed very well. The sleeve numbers are perfect. I normally don't like contrasting namebars, but the Flyers can get away with it. The italicized numbers look good as well.

Negatvies: David's ID encroaches upon the jersey. It's distracting from his work. The jersey isn't really unique. This could just as easily be a jersey for the Panthers, or the Avalanche, Oilers, etc. It also reminds me of the Nashville Predators before their recent redesign.

Overall: Execution isn't lacking, but this needs a little more creativity to be a successful third jersey. (8/10)

Team Estonia concept - Viktor B.

Positives: There are some cool elements here. I like the logo on the white jersey. I don't mind the gradient on the number. I like the striping, but...

Negatives: ...I wish it was symmetrical, and included on the dark jersey as well. The dark jersey is problematic for me. Simplicity is good, but this is just too simple. The average fan wouldn't know what country that jersey represented. Both jerseys need sleeve numbers.

Overall: Sometimes more is more, and this is one of those instances. (6/10)

Chicago vs. Washington 2015 Winter Classic concept - Nate F.

Positives: This is a very interesting blend of design elements and different eras. Nate pulls Chicago design cues from the 30s, 40s, and 50s and Washington elements from the 70s, 80s, and 90s. This a smorgasbord that works very well together, in my opinion. I've never been a fan of the Captials look from the 90s, but recolored in this context, with those pants...the whole look just comes together in a way that is undeniably cool. It brings something unexpected to the Winter Classic, which it needs more of.  I actually really like the pants. They're crazy, and I wouldn't want to see them on a regular basis, but for a one-time event, it's perfect. Execution is very good here.

Negatives: The Chicago jersey isn't quite as outlandish and fun as the Washington jersey, but I'm sure the Blackhawk fans would buy a lot of them. The three-color collar on the Washington jersey is interesting, but I think I would like it better if it was just red, or if it was red/white to match the pants.

Overall: I think this would be a really cool game. I would be very happy to see something other than the usual fauxbacks, which is exactly what that Washington jersey brings to the table. (8.8/10) COTW nomination from me!


I hope you all enjoyed today's post! If you liked what you saw from today's artists, or have some critiques on how to improve, let them know in our comments section. Be sure to nominate the concepts you loved for Concept of the Week, and don't forget to vote for nominated concepts during the week! If you don't, the Flyers will trade Vincent Lecavalier to your team, and the Flyers won't retain any salary. You don't want that cap hit. Vote for COTW! See you all back here at the same time tomorrow for the Weekend Update from Ryan.