Thursday: The 90's Called And Want Their BMX Uniforms Back

Hey guys, welcome to another Thursday post here at HJC!

For those who couldn't tell by the title, I'm going to talk about the recently-unveiled all-star game uniforms.  Some people like them, most people hate them.  I have to agree with the later.  The designers of the NHL have been going modern-or-bust for the last few years now, and this jersey is the "highlight" of that attempt.  Yes, it's cool to try a different, flashy design. And yes, that neon green colour is unique to hockey and a fun colour to use, but the jersey itself is straight-up awful.  I wasn't a huge fan of the previous ASG uniforms, but they worked. So did the Stars-style uniforms, the Wild throwbacks, and even the Campbell/Wales jerseys.  A league so rich and vibrant in history should use that to their advantage, but they choose not to for whatever reason, and fail to capture the fans' attention (positive attention at least) with these kinds of uniforms.

Alright, now that my rant is over, let's get to more exciting news.  This week we have our final monthly vote for COTW, and the first official COTW vote of 2015.  We also have voting for the World Cup of Hockey logos, which you can check out and submit your vote by clicking the link above.

COTY-December vote (ends Friday @ 11:59pm Eastern)

COTW Jan 4-10 vote (ends Friday @ 11:59pm Eastern)

World Cup Logo Top 3 vote (due Friday @ 11:59pm Eastern)

Minnesota Wild - Dylan N.

Yay:  We start off today with Dylan's Minnesota Wild concept. The Wild have some really good jerseys in their history, but it's been quite a while since their home and away jersey has been even close to matching.  This set matches nicely, and also gives the Wild a new, edgier look compared to their other jerseys.  Everything looks sharp and is executed very nicely.

Nay:  The green uniform has a little too much green and not enough red/white.  It almost had a practice jersey look to it.  Personally, I'd rather see a more traditional set for the Wild, but it's not totally unbelievable.

Overall:  It's hard for me to see them in something like this, but it still works as a great set.  8.3/10




 Colorado Avalanche - Jack H.

Yay: Next up is Jack's Colorado set.  Colorado used to have really interesting uniforms, but have since changed to a very dull set.  This is a fresh step back to their old uniforms, yet has it's own style to it.  I like the stripes on the arms, hems and socks, and the colours are very well balanced.  There is no black anywhere on the uniform besides the logo, which nicely simplifies the uniforms.

Nay:  I'm not sure if I like the look of maroon pants and helmets.  I think it would be a little overkill, and black would be a good colour to use instead.  Black is still part of the logo, so being used for the equipment isn't a bad idea. 

Overall:  This would be a great improvement to their current jerseys.  8.5/10




Toronto Maple Leafs - Mario A.

Yay:  Next up is Mario, who tackles the classic Maple Leafs logo.  Using this logo is a refreshing twist, and adding more stripes and a long arm cuff gives this uniform a look that's unique to any other Leafs jersey, which is a very impressive task.

Nay: The arm stripes have issues. On the white jersey, you can see a white line between where the stripe ends and cuff begins, where it should look to be seamless. The stripes aren't properly inverted, but just placed the same way on both jerseys and "fill-tooled" to make it look right, but that looks inconsistent and messy.  On the blue jersey there is heavy pixelation, especially around the logo (which needs more of an outline anyway).

Overall:  Very interesting design, but poor execution.  6.7/10




 Vancouver Canucks - Mario A.

Yay:  Next, Mario takes on the late-90's Canucks uniforms, which admittedly are my favourite.  He brings back a similar but simplified stripe pattern, and adds in a yoke, which makes these uniforms look very sharp.  If Vancouver brought back this look with this sort of design, I'd be happy.

Nay:  Design wise, my biggest issue is the fact that there is no light blue on the jersey.  The jerseys themselves look great, but it makes the bottom park of the logo stick out like a sore thumb.  Execution problems come up again with this concept, as the logos and TV numbers are too small, the main number is too big and too low, and the yoke stripe pattern and outline isn't consistent.

Overall:  It's not too different from the original set, besides the yokes, but the changes aren't really for the better.  6.4/10




London Knights - Zach W.

Yay:  Now we're off to London of the OHL, with this cool alternate concept.  They used to be cool and colourful, but lately they've had some really boring jerseys.  The chest stripe is nicely done and it looks great with the arms and hem on the jersey.  This jersey is anything but bland, and would be a great alternate for the Knights.

Nay:  The TV numbers are too small and cramped with their position.  Moving the arm stripes out just a bit would help.  The name on the back is too low, and the back number needs more of an outline.  I'd invert the green and black on the socks.

Overall:  It's a good alternate, but work can be done to make it a great alternate.  7.5/10




World Cup of Hockey Logo - Zach W.

Yay:  Zach has also sent us a logo for today's post.  The logo (which doesn't count for our competition because of the IIHF logo) suitable has a globe look to it, but looks Canadian enough to make sure everyone knows where the event is taking place.

Nay:  The font isn't that great, especially the narrower font at the bottom which is hard to read with the background and grid lines.  The Canadian flag background looks stretched more than it should be, and the IIHF logo doesn't add anything to the design.

Overall:  I like the globe and flag combo, but it still needs work.  7.2/10



Minnesota State Mavericks - Taylor R.

Yay:  Next up is Taylor's Minnesota State Mavericks concept.  The Mavericks have bounced around the 3 NCAA divisions, but since 2012 have been a dominant Division 1 team.  Their jerseys are pretty lame, but Taylor corrects this with a colourful, pro-style set that makes them look Frozen Four worthy.  The font, striping, colour balance and execution are all great.

Nay:  Do I dare say that these jerseys are almost too colourful?

Overall:  This would be borderline too flashy for any league, but it's a really cool and unique design.  8.7/10



Well that's all the concepts I have today, but wait!  As a bonus today, Caden is going to invade my post and get to the two concepts he missed this week. Take it away, Caden!

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Hey guys! Caden here. On a Thursday? Yup! today I'm reviewing the 2 concepts I missed yesterday. so let's get going! Also, thanks William for letting me interrupt his post to make up. I'm sorry. again.

(Main Set)

Good: - The yoke and hem striping. (It was removed by the Sharks a last season in order to "make their jerseys lighter" but it was something that never should have left. The jersey defenitley benefits from it.)

- Tame design. (Mario has defenientley improved on his eye for design since he first started designing with his XFL series. Kudos!)

-Orange. (The added orange really makes this jersey look sexy.)

Bad: - The Worcester logo. (The baby Sharks logo is not one of my favorites, and the jersey would defenitley look better if the current Sharks logo was used as the main crest.)

-The Font. (MS Paint fonts never look good on a jersey. Don't take offense cause I did the same thing when I first started designing. You can download new fonts on the "templates" page to try out!)

- The Name is too high and the numbers are too low. (Meet in the middle and you got it!)

- Grey. (In this case it would be wayyyy better black. Or orange (JK cause orange is the new black!)

Overall: A good start but there is a ways to go. 6/10

(Alternate)

Good: - Northern Cali logo. (I loved this logo for the entire 2 months I've known it! It would be sick on the front of an alternate jersey!)

- The main logo from the set as the shoulder patch. (That's something that should be done everywhere. Of course if the main logo was the current "Shark" then that would be the shoulder patch.)

- Orange as the main color. (The old alternate in this case is black, and this one is orange, so "Orange is Really the New Black") 

Bad: - Too much white in the jersey. (Orange is a pretty light color on it's own, I would lay off the white a little bit.)

- Font. (The same thing I said about the font for the main set applies here.)

-The name is too high and the numbers are too low. (The same thing I said about the name and numbers for the main set applies here.)

- Grey. (The same thing I said about the grey for the main set applies here.)

-The logo is a bit too low. (Just raise it up a bit and you are set!)

Sorry for missing these yesterday! I'll see you guys in 6

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Alright, with all the concepts now accounted for, I'll give my COTW nomination to Taylor R's Minnesota St. Mavericks concept!

That's about it for today's post.  Don't forget to vote, vote, and vote again!  As always, thanks for reading and have a good weekend!