Thursday: Red 'n Green

Hello everyone and welcome back yet again to yet another post on yet another Thursday on HJC.

So for us jersey lovers this week has been a great week for jersey leaks and unveilings. Most of them have been covered already and I'll give my thoughts on them, but if you would like to see the photos go check Dylan's post and Dylan's post yesterday and Tuesday for the photos. However this first one is new to be talked about on this blog.

The Portland Pirates have unveiled their new uniform set for the upcoming season:

There has been some controversy with these jerseys in the concept community but I won't go into that part of it here..as for my thoughts on it, it's a simple set that looks good. Not sure how I feel about the alternate logo but it's a throwback so that explains it. Also, why do teams think the phantom yokes/yoke piping look good? It doesn't. So lose that and you've got a much better jersey.

As for the other reveals leaks, I like them all quite frankly. The Sharks one looks great, just like their original jerseys did. But I'm not sure this is their "heritage jersey". This is a direct throwback to the original jerseys, and does not represent the past and present, rather than just the past. Regardless, I still like it and it's much much better than their current set.

As for Anaheim, I like it overall. I agree with Dylan in that I don't like the gold with the orange, I don't really like it with Anaheim at all. Other than that I just think the striping should match and it would be solid. Still a good look as is.

As for Colorado, I like it much more than I expected. I really like the way the maroon looks against the navy blue, and with the white stripe dividing it like it does. I hope that was a good explanation, because I'm not sure how else I can. And as Dylan also mentioned, the white yoke gives a bit of an ice cap impression, like at the top of a mountain. It's a nice touch wether intentional or not. Just replicate the arm pattern on the hem and it'll have a great, albeit plain, look.

On the topic of new looks, you know who needs one? The Chicago Cougars! They haven't had a new look since 1972. Well maybe they haven't existed since 1975 but there's no need to look at the little details. Go give them a redesign and enter it into this contest and you could have a chance to win and a free trip to the COTW vote! So go enter now, and also vote in this week's COTW for a chance for that concept to win! And don't forget about the COTY, that concept could be voted the best of the best for the entire year!

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

COTW Aug 30-Sept 5 vote (ends Friday @ 11:59pm Eastern)

Chicago Cougars entries (due Friday @ 11:59pm Eastern)

Cougars Entries:

Matt M.

Ross T.

Matt G.

Nolan O.

And now back to your regularly scheduled concepts:

Duncan L. - Adelaide Crows

Our first of a double dose of Duncan today and another crossover series now enters the blog, this one being of the Australian Football League. Based on their actual jerseys, this looks like a realistic look. The striping directly emulates the jerseys, while also changing it up and translating it to hockey. I'm not sure if the third jersey comes from one of theirs or if it's just your design, but I really like its look, but instead of 2 sets of blue and yellow stripes with 2 stripes each, I would just have 4 stripes total, 2 blue and 2 yellow. The whole set also gives me an Atlanta Thrashers vibe, which in this case is a good thing. The only other problem I really have is that the logo on the blue jersey doesn't stand out enough. The glove design is also interesting, but I'd have to see it in use to judge it.

Overall: Solid Set (8/10)

Duncan L. - Brisbane Bears

Duncan takes a stab at another AFL team for another installment of this crossover series. These jerseys, like the last, look like very realistic options for the team. The angled striping emulates the actual jerseys really well, without directly copying the design. The pants striping do copy the design almost directly and I think it works here. The alternate is interesting for sure, but if you google the team name you'll see where this comes from. While I think the hem looks a bit empty I also think it looks realistic. The back number 1 on that jersey looks a bit too big and the name looks too small as well, and it's also hard to read the yellow name on the white jersey.

Overall: Another solid, realistic set (8/10)

Dylan N. - Hamilton Bulldogs

Our Tuesday writer Dylan brings us a jersey set for the newly OHL'ed Bulldogs. I really like the way the darker blue color works with this set, now that they don't have to use Montréal colors. It also seems like a callback to when they wore the copper and navy blue of the Oilers. The design is a simple design at its core, but the design gets interesting at the shoulder yokes. Not to say that's a bad thing, I actually quite like it. I both like and dislike the choice of minimizing red on the home jersey, while it looks good how it is, it also throws off the color balance between the two. Maybe just making the hem and cuffs red could help, but I think it works as it is.

Overall: Simple and good look that remains unique (9/10) and a COTW Nomination!

Jay S. - Minnesota Wild

A new and, in my opinion much needed redesign for the wild. The dark jersey is virtually just a carbon copy of the current alternate jersey, and it's a good design so it makes sense. However, for a concept it's not very creative and almost useless to have on the concept. I would remove the phantom yoke anyways. However the alternate and road are new so let's talk about those. The road alters the striping pattern and makes it symmetrical. I would stick with the original one though, as that striping pattern is associated with the Wild more often than anyone else. I like the green yoke but I do not like the removal of the hem stripes. That's what ruined the Wild's red jerseys with the switch to edge. The exact same thing happened to the Coyotes, speaking of which, the road jersey looks like a green Yotes' road jersey. I'm not sure if this is a coincidence or not, but again the hem stripes would really help the jersey. The alternate is brand new. I like the idea for sure, and it reminds me of their current home jersey, for obvious reasons. I like the idea of it as an alternate for sure, but I would continue the pattern to the back. It looks odd as it is. I also think the primary logo would be the best for the home and road as opposed to the wordmark. That could work on the alternate though. Not sure. Also on the alt the numbers are way too low, and on all of them the name should be moved down just a tad.

Overall: Solid, just a few improvements needed (7/10)

Mario A. - Arizona Coyotes

Another double dose of artists today and this one belongs to Mario. Assuming this 100th anniversary series is meant for retro looks, I think this concept gives a retro look while remaining modern. First thing I'd change though is the yoke. I'd get rid of them on both jerseys. I'd also switch the black and red on the white jersey to help the color balance. Move the arm stripes down as well because as it is they're too high and the TV numbers are much too small. The logo is also too small. The font looks good for keeping some modern identity in the jersey but I would at the very least give it an outline, and either way I'd prefer a more classic font.

Overall: Not bad but not great (7/10)

Mario A. - Dallas Stars

Compared to the last one, I think this jersey does a lot better at getting team uniform history in the jersey, wether intentional or not. The full arm yoke and stripes call back to their original uniforms, and of course the logo is. I like the use of gold in this concept, but it would work better as a heritage type jersey if you switched the gold and black, as the gold has never been used as more than a trim color for the Stars (and in the logo of course). I would change the hem striping to match the arm as well, as it also resembles the original jerseys. The logo and TV numbers are again too small, the back numbers need moved up, and the name needs moved down a tad.

Overall: Solid (7.5/10)

Taylor R. - Iowa Wild

Taylor brings us a new look here for Minnesota's farm team that I think looks better than Minnesota's current set. The striping pattern resembles Minny but doesn't directly copy it, which is a exactly what affiliates should do in my opinion. The logo choice on this concept is great as well, the script fits an AHL team like Iowa better as a primary than it would for an NHL team like Minny. I'm also not sure what the triangles sublimated in the stripes are supposed to represent, trees maybe?, but I like them, it's always nice to have small touches like that on a jersey. The collar design looks nice too. My only issues are that on the green jersey the red and green bleed into each other too much, and I'd also lose the wheat color on the white's collar, it doesn't look right paired with the white like that and especially since that's the only bit of the color on the jersey.

Overall: Great look, would love to see it on the ice (9/10)

Tyler F.  - Michigan State Spartans

Tyler, the Creator of this concept, brings us a new set for Michigan State, for whom I can't currently tell what they wear. A few I saw resemble the Minny Wild and some just look like a classic collegiate look. This set looks more like the Wild. I like the use of a logo as opposed to a script, thats (almost) always a positive. The logo is too big though. The stripes should also be bolder and more visible on the jersey and socks, they're quite thin right now. The vertical stitching also needs to stop at the hem stripes.

Overall: Simple look, but not a bad one (7.5/10)

Much busier day for concepts than we've had in past weeks, hopefully this will keep up! It's almost 4:30 so I'll keep this outro short. I hope you enjoyed the post, thanks for reading, and I'll see you next week.