Friday: Underrated

Hello folks!  Today I was planning on complaining about jerseys I think are overrated, but once I started writing the post I changed my mind, instead I'm going to talk about underrated jerseys.

(Photo by Norm Hall/NHLI via Getty Images)

The Arizona Coyotes new home and road jerseys weren't that well received when they were unveiled, but I actually quite like them.  The striping pattern is bold, it's unique, and most importantly I think it looks good.  I also think their number font is a huge improvement, I didn't like the font on the previous jerseys.  These are right up there with their original jerseys on the list my favourite Coyotes uniforms.

(Photo by Andre Ringuette/NHLI via Getty Images)

When the Carolina Hurricanes road jersey was first unveiled I did not like it, I was like "where is the hurricane flag pattern?" and "change is bad".  Since then my opinion has completely changed.  I really like the unique shoulder yoke with the player's name, and I also think red and black are balanced perfectly on the overall uniform.  I still wish they would've kept the hurricane flag pattern, and I don't like their home jersey, but I'd now say their road jersey is better than their previous road jerseys.

(Photo by Brian Babineau/NHLI via Getty Images)

The Columbus Blue Jackets home and road jerseys also don't get the respect I think they deserve.  They're clean, they're elegant, they have a good logo and unique fonts, I don't get why they're disliked.  Plus the red pants add a nice burst of colour.  I'd hate to see these replaced with a set based off of the Blue Jackets third jersey.

(Photo by Bill Wippert/NHLI via Getty Images)

I won't miss the Florida Panthers current road jersey too much when it's gone next year, but I do think it's under-appreciated.  I like the colours on this jersey and how they're distributed.  On their home jersey the blue yoke blends into the red jersey, but the road jersey has no such problem.  Also, while the striping pattern isn't as good as the Panthers original jerseys, I don't think it's awful either.  Finally, I like their sun and palm tree shoulder logo, and their primary logo is okay too.

(Photo by Patrick McDermott/NHLI via Getty Images)

Last on my list of underrated jerseys are the Washington Capitals home and road uniforms.  I've heard people call these outdated, or say they were never good to begin with, but I don't agree with either of those statements.  In my opinion these are an example of how to make a good modern jersey.  The template is unique, there is no unnecessary piping, the side panels are simple and fit with the rest of design, and the number font looks great.  I also don't mind the wordmark logo, I wouldn't want wordmarks to become too common, but I think it's okay for the occasional team.

By the way, my list of overrated jerseys consisted of the Blue Jackets third jersey, the Rangers third jersey, the Flyers third jersey, and Blues third jersey.

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Today is the last day to vote for COTW and the deadline to enter the Chicago Express Competition is tonight at 10:59pm Eastern.

Additionally, we have a poll to decide the best Stadium Series sweater.  My vote was for this year's Red Wings jersey, if you disagree with me (or agree) then vote to make sure your opinion is heard.

COTW Feb 14-20 vote (ends Friday @ 11:59pm Eastern)

Chicago Express entries (due Friday @ 10:59pm Eastern)

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There are no new Chicago Express Competition entries, so let's get right to the regularly scheduled concepts...

Detroit Red Wings, by Josiah B:

Josiah starts us off with a tweak to the Red Wings current jerseys.  The biggest change it the addition of a second stripes on the arms (and socks) but there are a few more minor alterations, the home collar is now white, the hem stripes on the home jersey are moved up, and the names are no longer arched.  None of those changes make the jerseys worse, but I don't think they were improvements either, overall I'd call this a lateral move.  Presentation and execution are both really good, except the sock stripes are a little high (take a look at Taylor's concept for a good position).  This concept loses some points in the creativity department, but that's fine, not every concept needs to be groundbreaking.
Rating:  7/10

Niagara IceDogs, by Zeke G:

The IceDogs currently wear Blackhawks style jerseys, here Zeke gives them a set of their own.  I like the striping pattern, a lot of people think you always need full hem stripes but a lot of people are stupid, these look better with no hem stripes (likewise I preferred the Coyotes 2007-15 no hem stripes jerseys better than their 2003-07 jerseys with hem stripes).  What I don't like are the number of execution errors, the logo and numbers are both too big, the white jersey collar is a different colour on the back view, and the sock stripes are too high.  Also, the hem outlines are messy on both jerseys, varying in thickness and disappearing all together in areas on the white jersey.  This concept would get a much higher grade if those issue were fixed.
Rating:  6/10

Syracuse Crunch, by Brooks F:

Syracuse's current set are the epitome of minor league jerseys, they use a lacklustre template and have lots of piping.  Brooks fixes both those issues with this concept.  The striping is quite unique by having a complex pattern on both the arm stripes and the full arm yoke.  I kind of think it's too much though, maybe using a plain full arm yoke with complex arm stripes would be better (or toss the arm stripes and just keep the complex full arm yoke).  The rest of the concept very nice, the execution is good, although once again the sock stripes are too high.
Rating:  7/10

Pittsburgh Penguins (Heritage Concept), by Lucas D:

The Penguins are turning 50 next year, and Lucas decided it would be a good time for them to wear a heritage jersey.  I don't like the recoloured logo, the triangle in their logo is yellow as a nod to Pittsburgh's golden triangle, so recolouring it loses that symbolism.  Other than that I like the rest of the concept.  The striping looks perfectly vintage, and the contrasting shoulders are a nice nod to the Penguins old cup winning jerseys.  I also like the choice to use a round collar instead of a lace-up collar, we know from the Winter Classic how good a round collar can look.
Rating:  7/10

Guelph Storm (Fauxback), by Tyler K:

Tyler joins in the retro fun with a fauxback concept for the Guelph Storm.  Once again the striping pattern is great for a vintage jersey, I could easily picture a team in the 30's wearing this.  The shoulder logo, name and number fonts, and front wordmark also are a perfect fit for the retro theme.  I'm not sold on having their current tornado logo on this jersey though, it's a 90's logo that looks out of place on such an old fashioned jersey.  Maybe using a front number (à la the 1946-47 Rangers) would be a better fit here.  Execution on the jersey is good, the socks stripes are too high though (am I starting to sound like a broken record?).
Rating:  7/10

Milwaukee Admirals, by Alan H:

The Admirals unveiled a new logo this past summer, which might be the best logo in the AHL.  For this concept Alan pairs that logo with a jersey I have mixed feelings about.  The striping pattern isn't my favourite due to the fact the light blue and silver blend together, which weakens the look of the stripes.  I think removing the silver stripes is the way to go because the elements without silver, like the name and numbers, look great.  Speaking of the numbers, I'm really glad you kept the Admirals current font, it truly is the perfect font for them.  I'm also glad you used their old anchor secondary logo, as I like it better than their interlocking M/A logo.  Alan's been at this for a long time, and the execution is nearly flawless, however I (once again) have a complaint about the socks.  For once today the stripes are at a good height, however the socks themselves are shrunk vertically, they'd barely go past the players knees.
Rating:  7/10

Team Canada (World Junior Championship), by Taylor R:

Today's post concludes with a Team Canada concept for the World Juniors.  Taylor does something with this concept that I love, he uses two jerseys that match but they're not an exact colour swap.  Specifically, he uses a colour yoke on the white jersey but contrasting shoulders on the red sweater.  Both jerseys also feature a chest stripe which I like, but I have an issue with where it cuts off.  I think it would be better if it didn't wrap around the back at all, that way you wouldn't see a partial stripe when viewing the player from behind.  I like the rest of the concept though, especially the leaf on the sleeve stripe.
Rating:  8/10

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That's all folks!