First Monday of 2015!

Happy first Monday of the year everyone! I hope you're enjoying yours more than mine right now. It's 1 degree Fahrenheit with a -13 wind chill in Rockford as I write this post and it's dumb. I thought we used up all of our super cold temperatures in last years stupid polar vortex nonsense. Oh well, I'll live for now...

Pretty big week for for HJC. This week is the FINAL COTW vote for 2014. After this vote we will determine the COTY for December and then the last quarter... and then the holy grail of HJC contests...the Concept of the Year!

We've also got the new World Cup of Hockey contest starting up and the first phase, the logo phase, will be going on until Friday, so get those in.

COTW Dec 28-Jan 3 vote (ends Friday @ 11:59pm Eastern)

World Cup logo entries (due Friday @ 11:59pm Eastern)

Speaking of the World Cup logos... there are no new ones today, get to work people!!!

Before I get to the concepts I want to briefly go over the Winter Classic, as Caz did yesterday.

I'm going to ignore the outcome and that awful penalty call on Toews at the end.....I hate being this guy, but the refs blew that game and Toews was right to speak out about it after the game. I thought the game was headed to OT for sure, but either way, the action and suspense on the ice turned out to be one of the best Winter Classic games... but the least amount of people ever watched it.

I think that has to do with the fact College Football was back on New Years Day which sucks for hockey. The event would have done better without that kind of competition, like it has in the past. But what didn't help it was the bad team selection and location. I know it's been beaten to death lately, but I'll admit, even as a Blackhawks fan, I can see where people who aren't Hawks fans might not want to see them in the national spotlight again, especially against a team who isn't a rival or even a divisional/conference foe.

The league was hoping for the star power on both teams to draw in viewers but it didn't happen. I think it's time to start bringing in new teams into the Winter Classic. I mean teams and markets that both deserve it and make sense. The Winter Classic is a game built on the ideas of tradition and reliving the past, so teams/markets with interesting heritages and warmer climate markets should not be participating in the Winter Classic, that's kind of what the Stadium Series should be for.

Minnesota, Colorado, Toronto, and...ugh... even St. Louis could host a Winter Classic game. Basically anyone in the Original 6 and first expansion should be eligible to host or participate, minus the Kings. Leave the Stadium Series for those smaller markets in an attempt to build interest there and draw in fans there. The Winter Classic should be the marquee mid-season event for the classic teams in classic cities in classic venues.

How do you feel about the subject guys? Sound off.

Oh also, Matt McElroy made sure to remind me after the WC that the Blackhawks are now 0-2 in the Winter Classic, but forgot that his Kings are 0-1, soon to be 0-2, in the Stadium Series where the Blackhawks are 1-0, so, feel free to remind him please. :)

Luv U McElboy

Let's get to the concepts eh?

Chicago White Sox Hockey Concept - P.J. D.

As a Cubs fan... boo... I hate the White Sox but I actually like this look from their past. It really fits the hockey jersey aesthetic. There's no TV numbers however and the name and number on the back are sized wrong and stretched out. The shoulder logos are super close to the collar and are flipped the wrong way on the back of the jersey. Some other equipment would be nice to see.

Rating: 4/10

Los Angeles Kings Concept - Eric L.

The MF Jones from Horrible Bosses is great. The new logo isn't for me. The shield shape looks like it would be a better for for the Rangers or something. The jerseys are also pretty bland, they look like cheap fan jerseys sold at a Target. It's nice to see the two championship crowns too but I don't really like them on the collar. Not a fan of the overall collar, I hope the NHL never goes back to boring old collars like this. Overall, execution is good but the design isn't exciting or interesting. Some other equipment would be nice to see.

Rating: 5/10

Colorado Avalanche Concept - Alexander D.

Alexander give ditches everything about the Avs' brand except the foot logo and the color scheme. The new logo is pretty neat, I think it may fit in an identity with the A logo so there wasn't a need to get rid of it. The arm striping is standard but the hem stripe is way out there. Reminds me of the Pepsi logo, their stadium sponsor... I don't think it works very well here since the logo is full of sharp and spiky lines. The "AVALANCHE" wordmark doesn't fit the curve of the hem stripe and that's not helping this look at all. The shoulder logos are rotated wrong, way too small, and way too close to the collar. Some other equipment would be nice to see.

Rating: 6.5/10

Toronto Maple Leafs Heritage Classic Concept - Grant G.

This is closer to a Stadium Series concept. Heritage Classic jersey for the Leafs should mimic one of their old classic jerseys, not introduce a gray/silver jersey into their history. It's not a bad look and the striping is inspired by their past. Not a fan of the TML logo on the front of the jersey, and it looks all stretched out. The shoulder logo is very heavily pixelated. Some other equipment would be nice to see.

Rating: 6.75/10

Los Angeles Kings Concept - Dylan N.

Dylan has been modernizing all of the teams lately, and mostly, they're all pretty cool and seem pretty close to what we may be seeing down the road in...say..10 years maybe... The 2 championship crowns above the Reebok  on the back is a nice touch, maybe the Kings started a new cool trend in hockey. The yoke is interesting, but I don't like the white yoke on the black jersey. I wish there was actual hem striping and not just the hem trim. The huge logo on the pants is a little out there but seems like a thing that could happen if the Stadium Series keeps pushing the envelope. The sock stripes seem too low to me. Most importantly, the crown is back on the front of the jersey everyone... clap clap clap

Rating: 8/10

Major League Hockey - MLS Hockey - New York City HC Concept - Daniel L.

The color scheme is pretty great on a hockey jersey and I really dig most soccer crests, and this is one of them. The three stripes on the shoulders is an Adidas Soccer trademark and it's kind of cool to see it used here even though I don't care for it since EVERY team that wears Adidas does it. The striping is pretty cool and I like how the orange pops on both jerseys. Pretty big fan of this set. I'd like to see what a third jersey would look like. Some other equipment would be nice to see.

Rating: 8.75/10

Aquaman Jersey - Justice League Series - Tristan M.

Make your jokes about Aquaman, but this jersey is Bad....Ass..... The hexagonal pattern in the orange is a nice touch. The number on the back seems a tad small, but dam, the colors look like, the muted yellow definitely helps keep this darker and really cool. I can't wait to see the rest of this series. The DC COMICS replacing the NHL and Reebok logos is a great touch as well.

Rating: 9/10 and a COTW Nom!!!

And there you have it......... Aquaman finally wins