Sunday: No Sleep Til Brooklyn

What's up guys? Welcome to another Sunday post!

Last week I started the CHL power-ranking craze seen for most of last week.  I'm trying to find the best primary logo in the CHL, by picking the best of each league and having a "Memorial Cup of Logos" post in a few weeks time.  Last week, I said that the Calgary Hitmen have the best logo in the WHL. Disagree? Let me know in the comments.

This week, I'll be power ranking the best logos of the OHL.  So without further ado:

20. Kingston Frontenacs

 They've either ripped off the Bruins or (for a short period) the Stars for most of their history.

19. Kitchener Rangers

A ripoff of the New York Rangers, but uglier.

18. Owen Sound Attack

MANBEARPIG!

17. Sudbury Wolves

Their next good logo or jersey will be their first.

16. Niagra Ice Dogs

The gap between 16 and 17 is huge. 16 and on are actually good logos. This just looks too Microsoft Word Clipart-y

15. Mississauga Steelheads

Nice colours and design, but the fish doesn't look vicious, just derpy.

14. Sarnia Sting

Again, a good logo, but should be a secondary logo or shoulder patch.

13. Guelph Storm

Cool colours, but forgettable logo.

12. North Bay Battalion

Read above.

11. Barrie Colts

Cartoonish logos worked in the 90's, but this needs an update.

10. Ottawa 67's

Yes, this is supposed to be classic, and it works well. But by itself, it's a little lame.

9. Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds

Just like the 67's logo, but a bit better on its own.

8. Saginaw Spirit

A solid logo for sure, one of the better "pro-America" logos out there.

7. Peterborough Petes

I didn't like the updated logo at first, but it's really sharp and keeps the classic look intact.

6. Hamilton Bulldogs

This has always been a great logo, but I wish the move to the OHL inspired a new look.

5. Windsor Spitfires

A little cartoony, but still a fantastic logo, and they've had a few good ones. This fills the gap that the Houston Aeros leave behind.

4. Erie Otters

And awesome logo plagued with an underwhelming jersey.

3. London Knights

I liked their old colours, but this update was fresh and bold while keeping the classic look of the team.

2. Flint Firebirds

This is simply a fantastic logo, but...

1.Oshawa Generals

This is how you modernize a classic logo. Their old logo was terribly dated, but when this came out in 2006, it became a very sharp logo while staying true to the team's roots. Oshawa's logo is my favourite from the OHL, and will be moving on to the final vote in 2 weeks.

Disagree? If you do, great! Then let me know what your favourite logo from the OHL (or WHL/QMJHL) is and maybe I'll include it in the final post.

So this week we have a brand new competition happening! The rules are simple: pick any North American hockey team featured on sportslogos.net, and make a grey alternate for that team. Simple! Grey designs are becoming trendy, and this competition should bring out the best of the best for an otherwise dull colour.

Also this week we have 2 big votes going on;  Our weekly COTW vote, full of a bunch of great concepts to pick from, and our COTY September vote. Five concepts, five artists, one winner moving on to the 3rd quarter vote which will be soon.

Grey Jersey Competition (entries due Friday @ 10:59pm Eastern)

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

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

Alright then, time to get this post underway:



Brooklyn Islanders - Brooks F.

Brooks' has brought forward the idea to totally rebrand the Islanders based on their move to Brooklyn.

Actually, this is the only concept for today, but its broken down into several pieces, so let's look at each individually:

 First up is the primary logo for the set.  I guess its inspired by their original lighthouse alternate logo. A little simple and blocky, and I don't really like how the "light" coming from the lighthouse is black. I get the need to have black on this concept, but I feel like using a little black isn't the right answer. Either fully swap black and blue, or use more black, or don't use black at all.  But for what it is, the logo works because I can immediately tell who this is for.  Its always cool to see a new logo created, and while I'm not totally on board with this one, its still good work.  1.75 / 2.5

Now we get to the secondary logo. Nothing fancy, but keeps the basic theme going. The design is really nice, but I wish there was a little more to it, like some "Islanders", "Brooklyn" or "est 2015" text. Neither logo says Brooklyn anywhere, and I think that's a missed opportunity.  Being super nitpicky here, but on the title of this piece, you have "Islander" without an S. Tavares is a fantastic player, but he can't quite carry the team on his own yet.  Overall, decent logo with something missing. 1.25/2.5

Now for some jerseys, starting with the main set. Not too flashy, but pretty close to the classic style they go with. The use of black actually helps gives these jerseys some new life, and separate themselves from their Oiler counterparts. The yoke is well done, the text is well designed, and overall these are well executed. The logo holds this back a bit, but since I've passed judgement on that already, these are otherwise perfect. 2.5/2.5

Finally we get to the alternate jersey. The striping on the jersey is borrowed from the logo, and the two are a perfectly made match. The yoke, arm and hem look really cool when paired with this logo, and the colours are very well balanced. This jersey is really sharp, and this is a black Islanders alternate I can finally get behind. Again, I said my piece about the logo, and that's about the only negative I have against this jersey. 2.5/2.5

Overall - I can't say too much about the logo design, as I'm nowhere close to an expert logo designer. They miss that "professional polish" that often separate pro and junior logos, but the core of their design is solid enough. The fact that there's nothing referring directly to Brooklyn is a disappointment, but the jersey designs really bring this concept up. Improvements can be made, but I'd call this a successful redesign for sure. 8/10.  Great work Brooks!

For COTW purposes, I have to treat these pieces separately, and I think I like the Islanders 3rd jersey concept as is enough to give it my COTW nomination.



In hindsight, this was actually really fun. I didn't like the idea of only reviewing pieces of the same concept today, but I changed my mind. I wouldn't mind doing this sort of post again.

So don't forget to vote, and submit your concepts for our Grey Competition (and any other concepts you want to send in, of course).

Thanks for reading, and see you next week!