Friday: Eight Concepts

Hello folks, nice to see you again!

We have lots of concepts today, eight to be exact.  There a good quality bunch of concepts as well, I had a hard time deciding which of them was going to nominate for COTW.  But before we get to those concepts, let's take a look at the last of the Maple Leafs Alternate Jersey competition entries.

Ben S:

Danny R:

JJ:

Phil B:

Wings 98:

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We're getting close to naming the best concept of 2016, so the votes are getting very important.  Coming up this week are the COTY Semi-Finals, the winners of these votes will advance to the Finals next week.  Expect the polls to be up tonight or early tomorrow.  Also don't forget to vote for the weekly COTW or the Maple Leafs Alternate Jersey competition.

COTY Semi-Finals votes (ends next Friday @ noon Eastern)

COTW Jan 13-19 vote (ends next Friday @ noon Eastern)

Maple Leafs 3rd vote (ends next Friday @ noon Eastern)

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Columbus Blue Jackets, by Tyler M:

We begin with Tyler who has made some alterations to the Blue Jackets current jerseys.  He's switched to their third jersey's font, added silver to the sleeve stripes, added more stars to those sleeves, and replaced the hem design.  To be honest I don't really like any of those changes, but that's just my opinion, there's nothing inherently wrong with them.  I might like the new hem design if it and the cuff trim were the same colour, and I'd be okay with the stars if they were lowered to make the sleeves look less crowded.  Execution is fairly good, but the logos (both primary and shoulder) are a little too small.
Rating: 7/10

Pittsburgh Penguins, by Tyler M:

Tyler also sent in a "Road Alt" jersey for the Penguins, inspired by their 1992-2002 white jersey.  I think that's a good jersey to throwback to, especially now that they've embraced yellow once again.  I also think it was a good decision to use the skating-penguin logo, as their robo-penguin logo doesn't seem to be popular among Penguins fans (I like the robo-penguin though).  Making the arm and hem stripes a consistent thickness was also an improvement, but I don't like this new curved yoke.  The straight lines of the original yoke matched the triangle in their logo better.
Rating: 8/10

Team Canada (EA Sports), by Mike F:

Mike can correct me if I'm wrong, but I think the idea behind this concept was to design better international jerseys for the EA Sports NHL games, since EA can't use their actual IIHF or Olympic jerseys.  That's a cool concept idea, and I really like the end result.  The primary jerseys look good, the plain maple leaf works surprisingly well on the front, and the leafs in the sleeve stripes are a nice feature.  But the vintage jerseys are the real star of the show, I love the giant off center maple leaf (and big leaves on the sleeves), it's a great callback to Canada's 1972 and 1976 jerseys.  My only complaints are fairly minor, I think the red stripes on the black pants should be thicker, and I think the Canadian flag should use the shame shade of red as the jersey.
Rating: 8/10

Arizona Coyotes, by Zack H:

Next up we have two concepts from Zack, starting with a new set of jerseys for the Arizona Coyotes.  I love seeing the Coyotes' Kachina pattern return, and I also think their Picasso coyote-head logo works well for this concept, it looks a lot better in this colour scheme.  As for the rest of the design, I really like the dark jersey, it's colours are balanced well, but I think the light jersey could use some more maroon.  Speaking of the light jersey, I like the use of sand instead of white, it would be unique in the NHL.  The execution is good except the shoulder logo uses a different shade of black than the rest of the concept.
Rating: 8/10

Colorado Avalanche, by Zack H:

Zack's second concept is a much needed redesign of the Colorado Avalanche.  This is a simpler and more old-school take on the Avalanche's identity, with a simple and bold striping pattern, and their simple C logo as the primary.   That simplicity works here because there are still some unique elements, like their unique colour scheme and number font.  The blue pants and helmet are also unique, plus they remind me of the franchise's origins in Quebec.
Rating: 9/10

Arizona Coyotes, by DT Concepts:

We also have two concepts from DT Concepts, coincidentally for the same two teams.  His Coyotes concept also brings back their much beloved Kachina pattern, but it keeps a somewhat similar look to their current jerseys as well, and I think it all meshes together perfectly.  I also like the yoke that transitions into the upper arms, and I just now noticed the sublimated sun-ray pattern on the lower arms, that's an awesome detail.  However, I think the logo could use an outline on the dark jersey, and the sock stripes should be contoured to follow the template (see Lucas' concept below).
Rating: 9/10

Colorado Avalanche, by DT Concepts:

DT Concepts' Colorado Avalanche concept also combines old and new, using a mountain pattern and their older colour scheme with their newer alternate logo.  Once again, I really like that combination of old and new, and I particularly like the new way the mountain pattern was used on the upper arms.  The goalie's helmet and equipment also looks good (although that's besides the point, I wouldn't subtract any points if I disliked the goalie gear).  There is one small execution error though, the shoulder numbers on the player model go outside of the template lines.
Rating: 9/10 and my COTW nomination!

New York Rangers, by Lucas D:

To end today's post we have a New York Rangers concept from Lucas.  Of the two jerseys, the blue one looks the most like a normal Rangers jersey, it's sort of a combination of their current home and third jerseys but with their shield on the front.  The white jersey is the most different, with it's sleeve length yoke and blue underneath the hem stripe.  I think both jerseys are good as concepts, I don't think they're better than the Rangers current jerseys, but for concepts I enjoy seeing some new ideas tried out.  I feel the same way towards the blue pants as well, I prefer the Rangers in red pants, but I find the blue pants interesting.
Rating: 8/10

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That's all folks!