Friday: Flags, Foxes, and For Some Reason, Senators

Hey y'all, and welcome to another Friday post here at HJC.  As many of y'all have most likely already seen, Adidas has released images of the jerseys to be used in the 2018 All-Star Game.  Ryan has already covered the reveal, but I thought I'd put in my two cents as well. 

news.adidas

Overall, I'm pleasantly surprised with this design.  The colored upper arm and striping pattern look good, and with a slight tweak to the stars could easily be used as a template for Chicago's next Stadium Series jersey (we all know it's coming, the NHL uses the same 8 teams for every outdoor game).  The strongest of the four in my opinion is the Atlantic Division's jersey, the blue and "UV Yellow" really work well together.  My biggest complaints about these are just my usual Adidas gripes.  I don't understand why the arm stripes can't go around the entire arm, and the Adidas stripes on the sides are just shameless self promotion.  All in all, not a bed set, and certainly not the worst All Star jerseys we've ever seen.  

In voting news, we have the regular COTW vote for Dec 29- Jan 4, as well as the COTW December vote, with both polls closing Friday at noon EST.  We also have the 2017 Concept of the Year Logo Competition, with entries due Friday at noon EST.  

COTW Dec 29-Jan 4 vote (ends Friday @ noon EST)

COTW December vote (ends Friday @ noon EST)

COTY Logo entries (due Friday @ noon EST)

Now on to today's concepts!

Burkus Circus- Team USA

Our first concept of the day is Burkus Circus' latest entry in his 2018 Olympic Series, this time for Team USA.  I actually really like the full-length yoke with stars in it, it's flashy but also fairly appropriate for the U.S.  I also like the striping pattern, as well as the adaptation of it between the two jerseys.  Name and numbers look good, and I actually really like the blue name plate on the white jersey as well as the stars framing the player's name.  My only real problem with the jerseys is the elimination of the A from the USA logo.  It doesn't necessarily look bad, it just doesn't look as good as the actual logo.  Socks look good, but once again I would have liked to have seen some gear just to get a better idea of the overall look of the set.  Final verdict: a good look for Team USA, but that crest just doesn't do it for me.  8/10

Lucas D.- Ottawa Senators

Next up is Lucas D.'s design for the Ottawa Senators.  I love the return of the centurion in profile logo, it's so much better than their creepy new logo that stares into your very soul.  I really like the double striping pattern, it's a good look for the Sens and a vast improvement on their current set.  The single hem stripe is a good call, I think two would be too busy.  Shoulder patches, name, and number look great, but I probably would have gone with a black collar, just to break up all that red.  Gear looks good, and I love that you included a 3D rendering of the jersey to give a better depiction of how it would look on a player.  Final verdict: a definite improvement for the Sens, I'd like to see an away version to see if it's a viable option for a primary set.  8.5/10

Matt G.- Detroit Red Fox

Our final concept of the day is Matt G.'s idea for an expansion team in the National Women's Hockey League, the Detroit Red Fox.  I love the original logos that you designed, and the color scheme is fantastic.  The simple striping on the primary set looks good with the contrasting cuffs, and I love the use of orange as the base of the home jersey.  That being said, for being the dominant color on the home jersey, it's surprisingly sparse on the away, which really throws off the color balance on the set.  The away looks great on its own, but looks a little off when paired with the home.  The alternate set is gorgeous, the fauxback logo looks great, and the striping pattern gives it an old time hockey feel.  What really clinches it for me is the D logo at the base of the striping on the breezers, it's a great way to use a logo on them and it looks terrific.  Your presentation is fantastic, and I love the attention to detail with the names being placed under the numbers for the NWHL.  Final verdict: even with the color balancing issues, a great looking set for a league that badly needs an expansion team.  9/10 and my COTW NOMINEE!!!!!

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