Tuesday: Back in Black

Welcome back to the HJC Tuesday post, bwith the regular Tuesday writer at the helm. Since my last post two weeks ago, a number of existing things have happened. Olympic hockey was a major disappointment, but I did make one great memory out of it. At 4:00 AM EST Saturday, I was wide awake celebrating Team USA Men's Curling Gold. I've been a fan of curling even before the games, and played for two years while I was in college; I even met my girlfriend on the team. Watching my country reach the pinnacle of the sport against heavy odds is one of the coolest sports moments I've ever witnessed.

Less exciting, last Saturday I made my way back to my alma mater, Bowling Green, to watch the Falcons sweep away the Bulldogs of Ferris State in the first round of the WCHA playoffs. The Falcons are a longshot to make their first NCAA tournament appearance since 1991, but I'll cheer them on until the end regardless. Even if they don't make it, watching the other conference playoffs around the country will suffice, as they always do. The way the NCAA is structured, drama is inevitably abound every March for teams to make it in to the big dance.

Back here on the blog, The Season is nearing the end of the regular season. The concepts near the top are locked in to the playoffs, but towards the middle, we have concepts gearing up to sneak their way in. In not-as-exciting competitions, our COTW vote is going to Noah B., but the concept moving on to the COTM vote still needs to be determined by you.

COTW vote Feb 23 - Mar 1 (ends Friday @ noon ET)

The Season Week 5 vote (ends Friday @ noon ET)

The Season Playoff Concepts (due Saturday March 10 @ noon ET)

Lucas D.- New Jersey Devils (Identity Swap with the Anaheim Ducks)

Lucas comes back to continue a series that until recently, we haven't seen for a while. This installment blends the Ducks into the Devils for a new jersey set (pun intended). I can see some clear parallels between the two clubs, most notably in the new logo, but overall, the parallels are weak. With the Devils' colors and the Ducks' template, it looks like what really helps the Ducks' jersey work is the bright orange and contrasting bronze, a characteristic the Devils' don't have a way to mimic. As close as the logo is, it's still not strong enough. The pitchfork doesn't create enough negative space to sell the red shape behind it as a letter D. The Adidas collar is a mess no matter what you do to it, and I've especially dislike how the thicker, red ring cuts off midway in an awkward spot.

Grade: D

Noah K.- The Academy (Drum Core International crossover)

Noah's continuation of DCI stops in Tempe, Arizona for The Academy. Researching the group, it doesn't seem like yellow is part of their identity (aside from the logo), but making it more prominent here makes sense to give a bright, contrasting color against to black and red. That said, I'm not a fan of how it's used, especially on the white jersey; the numbers struggle to be legible as does the streak in the logo. Throughout the design, the colors don't seem to work together, like they're applied arbitrarily. The actual band has a very plain look, and it certainly shows in Noah's design, but it's a little too plain for a three-color set. A trend I've lamented in previous critiques is making the pants a lighter color than the jersey, especially when the pants are red (*cough* CBJ *cough* *cough*). The resultant is an unbalanced look.

Grade: D-

Ryan H.- Atlantic Division (2019 All-Star Game at San Jose)

The boss continues his San Jose All Star series in the last concept of the day. Yesterday, we saw his uniform for the Pacific, and today, he crosses conferences for the Atlantic. The design is quite similar to the Kings' 2015 Stadium Series set, and many of the criticisms apply here. Even with the gradient, the black upper part of the jersey is too top heavy. I've also never found the split half-and-half body appealing; I see it as tough to identify, as if the jersey can't commit to which team it wants to play for. I don't mind the Adidas stripes being so dominate on the jersey and pants, especially since it's realistic and isn't necessarily a bad design. What I do mind is how they don't reference any other element on the jersey. The thick stripes of the gradients don't go with the thin stripes at all. Unlike the design, the logos are much more cohesive and stronger. The custom logo is great, and the team logo on the opposite shoulder pairs with it well. The matching font for the Atlantic looks great, too, and helps fill up a space that would have been too bare without it. Jets pointed this out yesterday, and I'll echo that it would make the most sense to continue the stars around to the back.

Grade: D

That's all I have for today. I'll be back on Thursday covering for Justin, so until then, keep your stick on the ice.