Friday: No Intro

Hello!

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Buffalo Sabres (Stadium Series), by Lucas D:

Lucas starts us off with a Stadium Series concept for the Sabres.  I like that the jersey is yellow, it would be great to see a yellow Sabres jersey in real life (without a cape this time).  I also like the font used for the name and numbers (they're from that silly cape jersey).  But this doesn't seem like a Stadium Series jersey to me, most Stadium Series jersey use bold striping and large numbers but this jersey has some smaller details (like the piping and the thin blue stripe) which would get lost from the upper stands.
Rating: 7/10

Greenville Swamp Rabbits, by DT Concepts:

DT is up next with a concept for the uniquely named Greenville Swamp Rabbits.  For the most part I like the striping pattern, I often complain about similar colours blending into each other but I actually like how the orange and yellow mix here.  I'm not a fan of how the arm stripes get cut off though, there doesn't seem to be a real reason for it.  The presentation of this concept is very nice, and the execution is mostly good but the striping pattern shouldn't be completely straight since this is a 3D template.
Rating: 7/10

Binghamton University, by Ryan C:

Moving on we have a Binghamton Bearcats concept from Ryan.  My first impression of the jerseys was very good, I'm a sucker for the colour green and I almost always like contrasting upper arms.  Unfortunately this concept also gave me a bit of déjà vu, I've reviewed a few concepts from Ryan lately with this exact number font and he also uses those contrasting upper arms a lot.  The cut off hem stripes aren't my favourite either (I know the World Cup jerseys had them, but I'm still not a fan).
Rating: 7/10

2017 Winter Classic, by Andrew W:

Andrew is our only lone contributor today, and he's designed jerseys and a logo for the next Winter Classic.  The Blues jersey is pretty much a direct throwback to their 1973-79 jersey (with a Cardinals logo on the shoulders), which I think is a great choice.  The Blackhawks jersey is a perfect combination of both their 1940-55 and current white jerseys.  I'm always impressed when people create their own logo and I like the overall idea of the Winter Classic logo, but some of the details would get lost at small sizes.  I think all the wording should get beefed up a bit, as well as the black outline at the top of the logo, and the Winter Classic wordmark could use an outline to stand out better from the background.
Rating: 8/10

St. Louis Blues, by Ryan C:

We'll stay in St. Louis for the next concept, Ryan's second of the day.  He removed yellow from the Blues colour scheme, which you don't see very often but I think it looks great.  I also love this simple striping pattern, it's good on both jerseys but I especially like how the lighter blue interacts with the navy blue on the dark jersey.  My only complaint is that the secondary logo uses an inferior version of the Blue Note, I wish Ryan took the time to edit the current Blue Note into that logo.
Rating: 8/10

Indy Fuel, by DT Concepts:

Indianapolis is famous for car racing and the team is named the Indy Fuel, so the checkerboard pattern DT used makes a lot of sense.  More importantly it looks good too, and the simple coloured cuffs and hem keep the checkerboard from making the jersey too busy.  Execution is very good, unlike DT's previous concept the stripes are now curved to follow the 3D template.  But this concept uses the same number font as his previous concept, which makes an otherwise great concept feel a bit rushed or uninspired.
Rating: 9/10

Florida Panthers, by Lucas D:

When the Panthers new jerseys were unveiled, their owner told us that they considered using the a cross (inspired by Florida's flag) instead of a horizontal chest stripe.  Lucas took that idea and created this awesome alternate jersey.  The cross stripe looks great, it works well with the updated Panther logo, and I also like the white trim and numbers.  Personally I'd prefer the cross was left off of the back, but I know many people would disagree with that.  Also the crossed laces are very pixelated.
Rating: 9/10 and my COTW nomination!

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Sorry for the lack of an intro today, I didn't have any jersey news to discuss.  But in a way it might be a good thing, since it allowed the concepts to take center stage.

Tomorrow the announcement of the HJC Open winner will take center stage, I'm extremely excited about that.  It's kind of a big deal.

An intriguing new contest has also started here on HJC.  The goal is to redesign one of the teams that only lasted a year in the NHL.  Click here or the "THE 365 CLUB" banner at the top of the page for the rules.

The COTW vote has been reset as well, don't forget about that.

COTW July 22-28 vote (ends Friday, Aug 5 @ noon Eastern)

365 Club Competition entries (due Friday, Aug 5 @ noon Eastern)

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Goodbye!