Friday: Canadians and Commies

Ah yes, July.  A hockey writer's worst nightmare.  With the Adizero system unveiling behind us, there is not a lot on the design front, and I am not going to bore you with my analysis of free agent signings and trades.  I do this not just because I'm not a roster Svengali, and thus can't determine the impact that each individual signing will bring, but also because I know that y'all don't want my opinion on such hot topics as your team gaining or losing a player.  What I will call attention to today, however, is what I consider to be the greatest crime of the free agent market this year (or any year in recent memory): the fact that Jaromir Jagr is still unsigned.

Jags has been playing in the NHL for 27 years, four years longer than I've been alive.  He is a pillar of the sport of hockey for an entire generation, or two, of fans.  The man is a lock for first ballot hall of famer, and one of a mere 27 members of the Triple Gold Club, with only 8 of those members still active in the league.  Sure, he's 45 and not putting up 100+ point seasons like he did with the Pens and Rangers, but he still put up 46 points last season, good enough for fourth on the Panthers.  There are players half his age who would sell their soul to Miroslav Satan for those numbers.  Sure, the NHL is moving to younger and faster players, but Jagr has shown that he still has a place in the NHL despite being slower than some of the young guns.  There's a reason he's called the Ageless One.  He plays hockey, pure and simple, all out, despite his age.  And that's just it, he doesn't do it for the money, he doesn't do it for the fame, he doesn't do it for the accolades.  He does it for love of the game, and when you take away a man's one true love, that is truly the greatest crime you can commit.
As for voting, we have the regular COTW voting for June 30th- July 6th, as well as the COTW June vote, both of which end Friday at noon EST.  Additionally, concepts for the qurter finals of the HJC Open are due Tuesday at noon EST.  Don't be an idiot like me and forget to turn in your concept on time.  I can tell you from firsthand experience, the only feeling worse than being eliminated is being eliminated knowing you didn't even give yourself a chance.

HJC Quarter Finals entries (due Tuesday @ noon EST)

COTW June 30- July 6 vote (ends Friday @ noon EST)

COTW June vote (ends Friday @ noon EST)

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Now on to today's concepts!

Anthony C.- Kingston Frontenacs

Our first concept of the day is Anthony's design for a 45th anniversary uniform for the Kingston Frontenacs of the OHL.  I have to say, I love Kingston's current uniforms, it's a unique design that makes up for a fairly lackluster logo.  I like the chest stripe on this set, it works well with the roundel logo.  The font used matches well with the font used in the logo, so good job there.  I'm not a big fan of the shoulder patch only being on one side, especially since we can see that the anniversary patch is on the chest.  I also think that that logo should keep the double outline seen in the main crest to avoid being too bland.  The breezers themselves are fairly plain, I probably would have included a yellow stripe on them.  This may just be my eyes playing tricks on me, but it looks like your sock striping is thicker than your chest and arm striping, which just doesn't look good.  As for execution, I love that you've moved to this template, it looks great and it was a little disappointing to get basic templates from you when I knew you could pull this off.  That being said, you still are forgetting to put helmet logos in your concepts!  This is a basic thing that we've been telling you for a while, so it's a little frustrating.  Final verdict: a decent anniversary design, but definitely wouldn't want it replacing the current set.  7.5/10

Anthony C.- Ottawa 67's

Anthony's second design of the day is the first of four for the city of Ottawa (seriously), this one being for the 67's of the OHL.  Keeping with his theme of special event uniforms, this one is a design for Remembrance Day.  I like the shoulder patches, it's a good way to pay homage to the Canadian military, and the poppy patch on the front is a nice touch.  The striping pattern is much more simplistic than the usual set, but I think that's in keeping with such a solemn occasion.  I'm not a fan of the Ottawa patch on the arms, I don't like it on Florida's jerseys and it's not much better here.  I don't know if this was a design choice or an execution error, but the striping on the breezers flips from one side to the other, switching the red and the white.  I really hope that it's not a design choice, because it's not a good look, especially with a more traditional design like this.  Once again no helmet logo, and the name on the back is a tad too large.  Final verdict: pretty good special event uniform, but some design choices confuse me.  7/10

Christian L.- Ottawa Senators

Christian L. brings us our first of three Senators designs for the day.  I guess in the wake of the Adizero release people are rushing to give them a badly needed update.  Already a vast improvement with the use of this logo rather than the current logo, which looks like a bad glamour shot for a C-list actor up for a part in a period piece. I like the inclusion of gold in this design, it does a good job of breaking up the red and black without relying too much on white.  I also like the font choice, I think it works well.  I really don't know if I'm a fan of black arms on a white jersey.  I think that contrasting arms work for certain teams because it's an extra shot of color, and that just doesn't come out with the black.  I also probably would have made a hem stripe that better matched the arms, but with one stripe instead of two.  I don't know if it would work, but I'd like to see if the shoulder patch looks good with gold instead of white.  I also think the gold in the away collar would like better in red.  As for execution, the name and numbers on the back are too big, and there is an outline of red pixels around the crest on the away set. On the inside of the black collars, there is no gold stripe like there is on the outside, but I think that that's just a problem with the template you used. I also would have liked to see breezers, socks, and equipment to get a better idea of the overall look.  Final verdict: a good design, but easily avoidable execution errors detract from it.  6.5/10

Jordan R.- Sunchon Express

Next up is another entry in Jordan R.'s Koryo Hockey League project, this one for the Sunchon Express.  First off, I love the logo, it's one of the better looking original train logos I've seen.  I also like the shift in striping pattern from home to away, it helps it work better.  The arched name on the back is a great way of matching the logo, so kudos for that.  I do wish you'd colored in the collars, they look a tad boring as they are.  I also think a blue helmet would look better than the red.  Other than that, the only thing I can think of is maybe a more curved striping to better match the logo, but it's fine how it is.  Final verdict: a solid entry in a good series.  8.5/10

Jordan R.- Tanchon Kraken(s)

Jordan's next entry in the Koryo Hockey League series is for the Tanchon Kraken (the plural of kraken is kraken, kind of like moose).  I really like the logo, but I noticed that the kraken is cockeyed, and now I can't stop thinking about this picture.  Still a good logo, and the Blues-esque color scheme works really well with it.  I like the choice of colored underarms with striping on top, usually with designs like this we see a full length yoke with striping under the arm, so this is a refreshing take for me.  I like the striping pattern and the choice to use the underarm color for the hem.  On the light jersey the grey sort of bleeds into the white, but I'm not quite sure how to fix that without completely changing the striping pattern, and I kind of like that it matches.  Other than that, I'm not a big fan of the font, but that's about it.  Final verdict: a solid design that's a refreshingly new take for me.  9/10 and my COTW NOMINEE!!!!!

Lucas D.- Ottawa Senators

Our second Senators concept of the day comes to us from Lucas D.  While I do think that the Sens need a new look, I'm really hoping that this is a design for a third, as I'm not a huge fan of black as a primary jersey.  I like the brighter gold used here, it pops a little better than the current shade.  I also like the striping pattern, and the decision to make it a single hem stripe was the right move.  The continuing of the laurel pattern on the inside of the collar is a fantastic look that I hope the Sens imitate when they get their inevitable rebrand.  I wish you'd included matching striping on the pants, they're a little too bland as is and it would help bring more color to the design.  I'm also not a fan of the generic numbering, as Ottawa has always had unique fonts.  As for execution, I really don't like that big dark grey outline on your jersey and gear, and it's especially bad with all of the black.  Additionally, the outline of the main crest is white on the left while it is gold on the right, so I don't really know which one you want.  Final verdict: a decent design, but execution leaves a lot to be desired.  7/10

Ryan C.- Ottawa Senators

Our final concept of the day is another Sens concept, this time from Ryan C.  Once again, I like the move away from the forward facing centurion here.  Good color balance overall, and the socks and hem striping match well.  I don't know why, but this concept looks way too familiar to me.  Maybe it's just cuz it's essentially Vegas without the small accent stripe, but I don't know if that's it.  It's not that I don't like it, it just doesn't seem original at all to me.  Final verdict: very well executed, but I just can't get excited about it.  7/10

That's all for me today, see y'all next week!