Friday: Winter (Classic) Wonderland

Hey y'all and welcome to another Friday post here at HJC.  As I write this, I'm looking out my window to see the rarest of sights: snow falling in Georgia.  It's a special treat for me that puts me in a Wintry mood and makes me wish there was a pond somewhere nearby where I could go play a pickup game.

In voting news, we have the regular COTW vote for December 1-7, as well as the COTW November vote, both of which end Friday at noon EST.  Additionally, this is the final week to send in your entries for the New Jersey Devils ReDesign Competition, with all entries due by Friday at noon EST.  I'm really excited for this contest, as I think the Devils are one of the teams that really dropped the ball with the switch to the Adizero system.  I can't wait to see what y'all come up with to replace it. 

COTW NOV 24-30 Vote (Ends Friday @ noon EST)

COTW November Vote (Ends Friday @ noon EST)

NJD ReDesign Competition Entries (due Friday @ noon EST) 

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Now on to today's concepts!

Cole W. -Spokane Chiefs

Our first concept of the day is Cole W.'s design for the Spokane Chiefs of the WHL.  I really like the striping pattern you went with here, it's simple but it works well.  That being said, it's a little too thin, and the slant on the arms and socks is too subtle, it almost looks like there's no slant at all.  Furthermore, I probably would have flipped the hem stripe so that it lined up with the slant at the top of the logo.  The striping on the breezers is a little too thick, and it really bothers me that it's close to matching the striping on the feathers in the logo, but is just a little different.  Logo and font choices look good, and the color balance is great across the set.  Final verdict: the idea is there, but it definitely needs to be tweaked to really work well.  7/10

Jack S.- Winter Classic

Next up is the first of two 2019 Winter Classic concepts today, this one from Jack S.  The Blackhawks jersey is just their current set with a black collar and their logo from 1955-57, so not much to review there.  The Bruins jersey is just their 1958-59 gold jersey with the white jersey's crest, so again, not much to review.  I understand that the Winter classic is a time to show historical uniforms, but it's become more of a fauxback event, and the complete lack of originality makes this concept moot.  Going forward, you should try to incorporate your own ideas into your concepts and include gear.  Final verdict: nothing really innovative about this design.  3/10

John E.- Winter Classic

Our second Winter Classic concept of the day comes to us from John E., and I have to say I'm digging it.  I love the striping on the Blackhawks jersey, it's something I haven't seen before, and it's simple enough that it could still theoretically have been used in the past.  The doubling up of the striping on the socks is a great move as well.  I love the Bruins in gold, and the elimination of white from the color scheme gives it a good retro feel.  Striping pattern looks great, and the contrasting cuffs work well too.  The B from the Bruins' 25th anniversary logo looks great as a primary logo, and the current shoulder patch works surprisingly well on a fauxback.  Gear for both sets looks great.  My only problem with the set is the Irish influence.  While I understand that the game is being played at Notre Dame, the inclusion of the shamrock and Celtic knot seem out of place.  I know both cities have large Irish populations, but the designs just seem shoehorned in to work with the theme.  Final verdict: a great looking set, but the Irish designs detract some.  Eliminate those and you're golden.  8.5/10 and my COTW NOMINEE!!!!!

Ryan H.- Vegas Golden Knights

Our final concept of the day comes to us from the big bossman, Ryan H., who has made up a third for the Golden Knights.  I really like that the red stripe runs into the TV numbers, it's a little thing, but it looks great.  I like the black jersey, (and I know Jets would), but for some reason I want to see the Golden Knights in a gold alternate jersey, probably to fit the name better.  I also think that you should have put a little of the steel grey in the area between the gold and red stripes, just to include their primary color into the design a little better.  As for execution, I like the 3D template, but it gets a little pixelated around the edges here, and it looks like there's a shadow of the three Adidas stripes on the side.  I don't know if that's intentional or not, but it's not the best look.  Final verdict: some good design choices, but not really the look I want for the Golden Knights.  7/10 (Please don't fire me)

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