Thursday: Reviewsday

...I suppose that pun would have been better on a Tuesday...oh well.

Hi everyone! Welcome back.

Like I said last week I had something planned for you guys, and I'm here to deliver.

So as a lot of different jersey designs have been getting released, and I haven't been talking about a lot of them or giving them proper reviews, so now it's time. I can't remember what I have and haven't reviewed, so I'll just do them all. All in one post. Consider it my Christmas present to you all. Let's get to it!

Heritage Classic - Winnipeg Jets vs. Edmonton Oilers

+Beautiful, beautiful throwback look.

+I actually think the darkening of the blue really helps, it contrasts more with the white so it looks sharper.

+The jet on the pants is beautiful.

-The number font is a bit bulky for my tastes. Not too bad though.

Overall: 9/10

Images from shop.nhl.com

I swear I freaked out when they unveiled this at the draft last year because of how excited I was. I probably reviewed it then, let's revisit.

-I was disappointed they just went with their alternate from the past 2 years instead of something new, but I understand the choice.

+Love the orange primary color. Nice break from their usual set.

+Great color balance on this uniform.

+This seems to be a love or hate feature, and for the shoulder numbers I'm on the love side. Shoulder numbers look great in my opinion, when used properly.

Overall: 9/10

Centennial Classic - Toronto Maple Leafs vs. Detroit Red Wings

-What better way to celebrate a historic event like the centennial of the league with a design that honors only a small portion of their history, so it barely makes sense in the brand! Plus, it's not even a direct throwback, and also similar to your rival's jerseys! *sigh*

+Overall I like the design...it just doesn't fit for this game.

+I do like the addition of silver on both of these jerseys.

-On this one, I think it should be thicker and separated from the white, though.

+At least the stripe goes all the way around on this one.

+The lace up collar is nice.

Overall: 7/10, so much wasted opportunity.

Images from shop.nhl.com

+This one is an almost direct copy of a Detroit Cougars' jersey, but with hem stripes and a Wings logo. Without a fauxback that fits with the brand, a direct throwback or almost direct throwback is the way to go to honor the past.

-Now I said I like the silver in both of these jerseys, and I still do, but I don't like the way it's incorporated on this one. It blends into the white too much and renders the top stripe very hard to see, especially from a distance. I think the best way to incorporate it would be in the numbers and logo, like they have, and maybe a cuff or hem trim, or something like that.

+Like I mentioned, I do like the silver in the logo and numbers.

+Great collar choice.

Overall: 8/10

Winter Classic - St. Louis Blues vs. Chicago Blackhawks

+Great throwback look. Just a beautiful jersey.

+Those shades of blue and yellow are amazing together.

-This would look so, so much better with regular white.

+On one hand I don't like the inconsistency of the arm and hem stripe sizes. On the other hand I love the historical accuracy of it. I have to give it the upvote because of the accuracy, though, as that's what these games are for. If this was going to be their new home jersey, I'd prefer they changed it to be consistent, though.

+Great collar choice.

Overall: 9/10 and my not-quite-a-COTW nomination

Images from lids.com

-Wait, is this the Hawks' current road jersey, their 2015 Winter Classic jersey, or the 2017 Winter Classic jersey? They're so similar it's hard to tell.
Obviously they have their differences, and us jersey nerds can easily spot the smallest differences, but there's no denial that they're incredibly similar, and an average fan may not even notice the difference. Give us something new, there are a lot of past designs to choose from.
+Of the differences on this jersey, though, I love them all. The logo, collar, "shoulder" patch placement, and the filled out hem. They look great.
Really not much else to say about this one.
Overall: 8/10 design wise, 4/10 creativity wise


Stadium Series - Pittsburgh Penguins vs. Philadelphia Flyers

+Props for something new, and a yellow jersey. I was really hoping for that.

+The skating penguin outside of the triangle was so weird at first, but it's growing on me.

-Not a fan of the placement of the keystone patch. Put it in the same place the Stadium Series logo patch is, keep it consistent.

+I haven't seen too much praise for this, but I quite like the number and name font.

-Maybe the stencil pattern should be taken off of the name, though, to improve legibility slightly.

+As mentioned earlier, I love the shoulder numbers.

Overall: 8/10

Photos from lids.com

+A black base is a good choice to contrast from the Penguins' yellow.
+The blocky, simplistic design matches current trends.
-The point of the Stadium Series jerseys having gigantic numbers is to improve visibility in a large Stadium, right? How else do we improve visibility? Make the numbers only an outline? Perfect! *sigh* (not shown in the above photos).
+The TV numbers are fine, though, and the actual font is nice.
-I don't think the nameplate works too well on this one.
Overall: 8/10

Well I hope you guys enjoyed this long intro, now I'm all caught up with the reviews I think. Merry Christmas!

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This week we have the COTW vote like always, plus The Season's round 1 Playoff votes, so go and leave a few quick and easy votes!

COTW Dec 9-15 vote (ends Friday @ noon Eastern)

The Season Quarterfinal vote (ends Friday @ noon Eastern)

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Avi S. - Vegas Golden Knights

+Really like the use of color here, especially adding the red trim.

+Similarly, good color balance.

+The simple, relatively blocky design plus the upper arm fill fits well with current trends along with Adidas' design style.

+Good font choice overall.

-I think the number font could be just a little better, but it still looks fine as it is.

Overall: 9/10

Brooks F. - Vegas Golden Knights

+Yet another design that sticks with some trends, along with Adidas' blocky type of style.

+The two tone design works well with similar tones of colors (real life example: LA Kings) but not so much with different ones (San Jose Sharks), so good choices on when and when not to use that design.

-This might be just me, but I'm personally not a fan of the cut off chest stripe.

+Good color balance.

Overall: 8/10

Gimmik - Carolina Hurricanes

I don't recognize your name, so if you're new, welcome! 

+Carolina really needs a more unique redesign, this is a step in the right direction.

+Good use of black. Better than they have it now.

-The design is a little too busy though. Drop the yokes.

+Good color balance.

-Those large gaps in between your main stripes would be perfect for the flag pattern, a huge missed opportunity on that one.

-I appreciate you trying to go out of the box, but the design you have at the top of the socks plus the player number there just flat out doesn't look good, if it's even visible. Socks aren't the place for that.
+I apologize about the mistake with the socks comment, no idea how I missed that up. Your socks are fine. Not something I see in presentation often I suppose.
-Not sure how I missed this earlier either, but the TV numbers are a bit small and cramped.

Overall: 7.5/10

Matt G. - Skellefteå AIK

+This one's a nice vintage, yet modern, and classy look.

+Great color balance.

+Great way of incorporating current and past designs into this set.

+Great simplification of the logo. Much nicer and classier.

+I like the modern pants design.

+I really like the glove design too.

-This is a minor, minor nitpick, but I think the hem stripe on the away jersey should be a solid color just like the other two.

Overall: 9.5/10 and my COTW nomination

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And that's all for today! I hope you enjoyed the post, thanks for reading, and I'll see you all again next week! Oh yeah, and Merry Christmas to all of you, or Happy Holidays, or happy whatever doesn't offend you!