Tuesday: The Spanish Inquisition

Hey folks, welcome back to HJC for the daily post. Earlier today, I checked the NHL standings, and I didn't expect a kind of Spanish Inquisition. Then I compared my preseason picks from Episode 1 of the HJC Podcast:

Atlantic: Montreal
This was unfortunate. Carey Price couldn't retain his impervious form of seasons past, and the team in front of him was a disaster, currently the second weakest offense in the league.

Metro: Columbus
Ok, a little better. I underestimated reining President's Cup winner in Washington and Keepers of the Cup in Pittsburgh, but Columbus has been respectable in their own right. Backstopped by Bobrovsky, the Jackets own the second best defense in the East.

Central: Minnesota
In a similar boat with Columbus, the Wild sit third in their division behind two juggernauts in Nashville and Winnipeg. The fans have been the club's greatest asset, earning the State of Hockey moniker with the best home record in the NHL.

Pacific: Edmonton
Ok, well, in my defense, everyone else picked them too. Even with league points leader Conner McDavid, the offense simply cannot compensate for the worst defense in the west.

Well, that went.. poorly. Why am I mentioning the NHL standings? Because next Tuesday, we're doing a special LIVE podcast breaking down the NHL playoffs! Join us at 10:00 EST on April 10th for our picks to which teams get in, how far they go, and of course, who takes home Lord Stanley's prize.

No new Color Swatch entries as of today. You still have plenty of time to submit entries, so there's no need to rush (yet). In the meantime, be sure to vote for COTW.

COTW March 23-29 vote (ends Friday @ noon ET)

Colour Swatch Competition entries (due Friday @ noon ET)

That's enough from me, let's see those concepts!

Lucas D.- Florida Panthers

Lucas starts off today's post with nice red uniforms. Bringing in the triangular pattern to liven the striping pattern both helps and hurts this concept. The triangles play off of the logo and sun's rays well, but are much too attention-grabbing. The color change to the lighter gold weakens the set, as both bright red and gold are too much on the eyes. The current shade makes an apt mid-tone between the red and blue. Light colored yokes on a white jersey have never sat well with me; the color balancing is thrown off. When the jerseys are so colorful and intricate as they are here, a pants stripe is called for. Blue pants was the right call here to keep the design from being overly bright. The hockey stick and sun logo works great as a shoulder patch, especially with the sun rays design. Adidas collars are hard to make work, especially with sets with more than 3 colors, but Lucas expertly handles this aspect.

Grade: B-

Sook- Burlington Northern (Railroad Company)

A hockey jersey based on a railway is certainly unexpected. This isn't the most original design, but it looks like it could have been plucked right out of the movie Slapshot because it's such a classic look. A yoke with simple stripes on the hem and sleeves are tried and true. To improve the design, I'd suggest adding more black to the sleeve, because there's a lot of empty space there as opposed to the rest of the body. The white logo and numbers stand out well against the black in the design, and the logo works surprisingly well for a hockey crest. Yokes on the Adidas template typically look best when they match the yoke, especially when the yoke is dark. On execution, at the bottom of the hem on the inside part of the fabric at the back, it would be black, same as on the reverse side. Also, it's a standard here at HJC to include a name on the back, so keep that in mind for future concepts.

Grade: D

Ben S... oh hey, that's me!- Minnesota Wild

Another thing I didn't expect was my own concept to end today's post. Friday writer TC has stepped in for a special, bonus review for you today. I'm surprised he didn't tear it to shreds in retaliation for me sharing my Ottawa logo opinion on the podcast. Anyway, take it away TC:

"Here, Ben creates a third for the wild that pays homage to Minnesota’s old team, the North Stars. While some may malign Ben for going for the 1988-91 color scheme rather than the more iconic original color scheme, I think it’s the right call here, as the Wild’s logo is a little too complex to go with a two-color scheme. Ben takes the design for the green away and swaps the striping, thinning out the hem stripe as well. The number font is an improvement on the originals, and I actually don’t mind the script over the logo. What really makes this set shine, though, is the gear. Rather than just going with the black gear of the original set, been chooses to stick with green, and it looks fantastic. The striping on the breezers matches the yoke perfectly, and the green helmet is just icing on the cake. Final verdict: a great set that pays tribute to Minnesota’s hockey history while also improving upon that historic look. 9.5/10"

That's it for today. Get your Color Swatch entries in, and enjoy the last week of the NHL season. I'll see you a week from today for another concept post and special live podcast. Until then, keep your stick on the ice.