Friday: Competition Flashbacks

Hey y'all, and welcome to another Friday post here at HJC.  Between house hunting and holiday shopping, I haven't had the time to do a little story for this post.  I have, however, started a series of stories where I rank every third jersey released during the Edge era, and you can find parts one and two right here.  Check back on Thursdays at 2:30 going forward for the latest entries. 

In voting news, we have the regular COTW vote for December 15-21, with polls closing Friday at noon EST.  After the end of our New Jersey Devils redesign competition, we are taking a break from contests for a while, but check back in the new year for some new competitions!

                                COTW DEC 8-14 Vote (Ends Friday @ noon EST)
                                       -------------------------------------------------------------------

Now on to today's concepts!

Adam G.- New Jersey Devils

Our first concept of the day is Adam G.'s design for the New Jersey Devils.  I like the matching arms across the set, it's a good look that I think works well with this color scheme.  The use of a contrasting hem works with the design on both of the jerseys, so good job there.  The three stripes pattern is a good way to celebrate the three cup wins, but I don't know how the Devils would feel about taking on an idea so close to the Islanders.  Gear looks good, but I wish you'd worked a little more red into the gloves.  My main issue with this set is the choice of black over red as a primary color, I really like jerseys with a lot of color rather than black.  My only other real problem with this set is the split collar on the away jersey, I think all black would have worked just fine.  Final verdict: a good looking design, but I wish there was more red.  8/10

Adam G.- New York Islanders

Adam G.'s second design for the day is an alternate for the Islanders.  Not really much to say here, it's a direct copy of the Islanders' wave jersey with the yoke eliminated and a better font choice.  While it is an improvement, there's not a lot of creativity involved here, and I've seen this done a thousand times over.  Final verdict: nothing new to see here.  4/10

Danny R.- New Jersey Devils

Our second Devils concept of the day comes to us from Danny R.  I really like the striping pattern you used on the hem and arms of the primary set, it looks really good on both jerseys.  I'm not a fan of the mismatched stripes on the home socks, and I would have used the black breezers with both the home and road.  I like the redone version of the Devils' unused logo, but I'm not quite sold on how far it's tilted.  The red alternate looks great, but I'm not a fan of the collar and the numbers would probably look better in white than red, they can be kind of hard to see.  The grey jersey looks great as well, I love the striping and the red yoke really pops.  Gear across the set looks great.  Final verdict: a great looking set for the Devils, and now that the voting is over, I can honestly say that this one made my top 3.  9/10

Lucas D.- New York Islanders

Lucas D.'s entry for today is a series of alternate options for the Islanders.  It's the same basic design, so I'll get that out of the way first.  I love the striping that frames the numbers, it's a sharp look that I think works really well and is underutilized.  The full length yoke actually works really well here, and the hem striping looks great too.  The top one is a little less royal blue and a little too close to periwinkle for me, so I'm not a big fan of that one.  The teal one is a great way to bring some of the color scheme from the nineties back into the uniform, and is one of the few attempts at that that I've seen really pull it off well.  The bottom two are my favorites, I would love to see the navy one become the basis of a primary set for the Isles, and the orange one would make for a fantastic alternate.  Gear looks good, and I love the addition of the 3D renderings.  Final verdict: a great looking design that I would love to see take the ice at the Isles' new home.  9.5/10 and my COTW NOMINEE!!!!!

Noah K.- Kings Island All Star Game

Our final concept of the day is Noah's design for an All Star Game for his fictional Kings Island Hockey League.  I really like the logo you made, it looks good and you get points for creating your own design.  I like the use of Charlie Brown's shirt as the basis of a jersey, I myself have designed a set around that classic zig-zag pattern.  That being said, I'm not a fan of the pit stains in the design, and the fact that the hem stripe is cut off by the side paneling.  As for the teal set, it's a bit more of a modern design.  The pit stains are a little more excusable here, as they match the color of the torso, but then they have that weird little black patch under them.  The white piping is a decent idea, but I think the teal is a little too light for the white to really pop like it's supposed to.  Gear looks pretty good across the set, but you're missing helmet logos.  As for execution, when using a one, the other number in the TV numbers should spill over onto the other side of the sleeve.  Final verdict: a decent looking set, but some design choices and execution errors hold it back.  7/10

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