Friday: Red and Green?

Could the New Jersey Devils be returning to their red and green colour scheme next year?

If you asked me 24 hours ago, I would've been confident the answer was no.  Why?  Because when we first learnt the Devils were getting new uniforms, it was reported that their current colour scheme would not change.

However, yesterday evening Phil B (HJC's Wednesday writer) directed me to the following tweet, which shows some marketing material sent to Devil's season ticket holders.

Interesting slogan coming from the Devils marketing - notable colors below as well: pic.twitter.com/gXzfvEBZI9

— Ted Starkey (@TedStarkey) March 23, 2017

As you can see, their red and green colour scheme is used here, as well as the slogan "True Since '82" (which is the Devils inaugural year, and of course when their red and green jerseys debuted as well).  Additionally, if you look on the season ticket membership page of the Devils official website, you'll see a banner which also uses their old red and green colour scheme (pictured below).

Image from NHL.com/Devils

So what does all this mean?  I honestly don't know.  It could be nothing, just the Devils marketing department using nostalgia to try to sell more season tickets (or they could be trying to mislead us jersey enthusiasts).  It's also possible that these are actual clues towards the Devils new look, and they are returning to their original colour scheme for next season.

For right now I'm going stick with the original reports and guess their colour scheme isn't changing, but I wouldn't be surprised either way.

What colour scheme do you think the Devils will use next season?  And which one do you want them to use?  Let us know in the comments.

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Here are the final Hat Competition entries...

Lucas D:

Vaughn R:

Good luck to all those involved!

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Now that the entry phase is over, the voting phase of the Hat Competition is about to begin.  The COTW vote is in the process of resetting as well.  Expect those polls to appear on here sometime tonight.

COTW Mar 17-23 vote (ends next Friday @ noon Eastern)

Hat Competition vote (ends next Friday @ noon Eastern)

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Lindsay Muskies, by Anthony C:

We start off today with three concepts from Anthony C, including this concept for the Lindsay Muskies of the OJHL.  The overall design of the primary jerseys is nice, it's a good simple striping pattern.  I don't like the wordmark as a shoulder logo though, nor the blue numbers on the white jersey, or the team name on the pant stripes (at least with that font).  The striping pattern of the third jersey is okay, but it's nothing special.  The white hem trim should be ditched though, plus the yellow in the gaps of the wordmark look out of place without any yellow elsewhere.  As for the execution, the collars were left uncoloured, the stitching should stop at the hem stripes, and the sleeve numbers and shoulder logos should be contained within the template.
Rating: 5/10

Steinbach Pistons, by Anthony C:

We go from the OJHL to the MJHL for Anthony's second concept, which is for the Steinbach Pistons.  I have a few small issues with this striping pattern, but the overall idea isn't bad.  Those small issues are the phantom yoke (this would look better without it), the lack of light blue on white jersey's socks, and the pant stripe which doesn't really match anything (I think blank pants would be better).  I also don't like how Anthony overuses this number font, it's the same as his previous concept and several other of his recent concepts.  As for the execution, the collars were left uncoloured, the stitching should stop at the hem stripes, the sleeve numbers and shoulder logos should be contained within the template, and the area inside of the hem should match the colour at the bottom of the jersey.
Rating: 5/10

Calgary Mustangs, by Anthony C:

Anthony's last stop today is in the AJHL, with a concept for the Calgary Mustangs.  I quite like this simple striping pattern, it looks especially nice on the blue jersey where the yellow and white both contrast a lot.  I also like the placement of the secondary logo on the sleeve stripes, and it's nice to see Anthony using a different number font.  As for the execution, the collars were left uncoloured, the stitching should stop at the hem stripes, and the TV numbers and sleeve logos should be contained within the template.
Rating: 6/10

Virginia Commonwealth University, by TC Moore:

Next up we're leaving junior hockey and heading to school, for a Virginia Commonwealth University concept from TC Moore.  The first thing I noticed about this concept is that the arm and hem stripes were very busy, from a distance all those stripes get muddled together and don't look good.  I do like the Penguins-style coloured upper arms though.  Also, all the logo choices look good, as does the choice of number font, however the back numbers are a bit too big.  Last of all, I really like the yellow helmet that's paired with the yellow jersey.
Rating: 7/10

Team Mongolia, Mike F:

We've reached team number 50 of Mike's National Teams Redesign series, which happens to be for Mongolia (surprisingly not the first Team Mongolia concept on HJC).  I like the striping pattern of the first three jerseys, I've always been a fan of this style of yoke.  However, I don't like all the white on the yellow jersey, I think either red or blue should be used as the secondary colour.  The logos on all three jerseys look good, I especially like the blue jersey's logos.  I also think the vintage jersey is nice, it's not remarkable but it's a very solid design.
Rating: 8/10

Anaheim Ducks, by Tyler M:

Our next concept is also part of a series, part of Tyler's "NHL Road Alts" series to be specific.  He's used their original striping pattern and lots of orange, and I think both of those choices were good decisions.  I also like that their current logos and number font were used.  Speaking of the numbers, I think it was a good idea not to use any orange for them, it helps balance out all the orange in the striping.  However, I think the collar could be a bit better, maybe by using an orange collar insert or maybe a solid black collar would look best.
Rating: 8/10

Tampa Bay Lightning, by Lucas D:

Our last two concept both come from Lucas, a Florida Panthers concept and this Tampa Bay Lightning design.  These jerseys definitely say "Lightning", not only due to the lightning bolts on the hems and arms, but also with the nods to their original jerseys.  What's not to like about this striping pattern?  My answer is nothing, however I wish blue could be incorporated into the logo somehow, it looks a bit strange without any.  Also, I'm not completely sold on the blue helmet and gloves, it's a unique choice, but I don't think they quite fit with the jerseys.
Rating: 8/10

Florida Panthers, by Lucas D:

Our post ends with Lucas' aforementioned Florida Panthers concept, which takes inspiration from Florida's state flag.  To be honest, I wouldn't want these to replace the Panthers current jerseys, but I love it as a concept.  The Florida-state-flag stripes are really cool, especially with the logo turned into a roundel to better match the seal on the flag.  I also like how the sun logo was used similarly on the arm stripes.  I don't have any real complaints, but I do think the numbers would look better with a blue outline instead (or no outlines) since the striping is already sans-gold.
Rating: 9/10 and my COTW nomination!

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That's all folks!