Friday: Failure to Foresee the Finals

Hey y'all, and welcome to another Friday post here at HJC.  The Stanley Cup Finals are set and due to start on Monday, and I have to say that I never saw this matchup coming.  I've been waiting to see the Golden Knights' bubble burst, but they seem to have enforced that bubble with Kevlar, and show no signs of letting up.  On the other side of the puck, we have the Caps, a perennial postseason punchline that finally seems to have gotten its act together.  If you had come to mean at the beginning of the season, or even the beginning of the postseason, and told me that this would be the matchup for the cup final, I would have laughed you back to whatever asylum I presume you escaped from.  Beyond all odds, these teams have made it to the Finals, and I really think it has come down to spectacular goaltending.   Fleury and Holtby have been playing at superhuman levels, and I really think that the Cup is going to be determined by which netminder breaks first.  It's a tough call on who will win out, as Fleury has experience in the Finals before, but Holtby has something to prove in his first venture this far into the postseason.  That being said, Fleury's experience also includes some faltering the further along he makes it into the postseason, and Holtby has put on an amazing showing in the previous series, becoming only the fifth goalie all time to blank an opposing team in games 6 and 7 of a postseason series.  At this point, I would normally make a prediction as to what team would win the series, but I've been so wrong this season, especially when it comes to these two teams, that I'm not even going to bother. 

In voting news, we have the regular COTW vote for May 18-24, with polls closing Friday at noon EST.  We also have the ongoing HJC Playoff Pool, with predictions for the Finals being accepted until the puck drops Monday night. 

 COTW May 18-24 vote (ends Friday @ noon EST) 

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Now on to today's concepts!

Adam G.- Wheeling Nailers

Our first concept of the day is Adam G.'s design for the Wheeling Nailers ReDesign contest.  I really like the home jersey, that logo works great with a chest stripe.  The angled arm striping matches the chest, but adds a different spin on it, giving it its own look.  My only real suggestions for this one is maybe to fix the split collar (personal preference, I hate the collar system for the Adizeros), and maybe make the numbers on the back black instead of gold so they show up better.  The away jersey, while roughly the same design as the home, just isn't working for me.  I think there's just way too much white on the jersey for it to be considered a dark jersey.  My best guess to fix this is to just make it gold from the chest stripe down.  As for the alternate, I like the idea that you had to take cues from the main logo, but the way you have it, the yoke would be split down the middle to switch colors, and the hem stripe would do the same at the sides.  If that's an execution error, so be it, but if it's a design choice, I'm not on board, as it just becomes unnecessarily complicated.  Final verdict: the ideas behind this set seem good, but it loses a lot in execution.  6.5/10

Anthony C.- Montreal Canadiens

Our next concept comes to us from Anthony C.  I kind of like the idea of the Canadiens in a striped jersey like this, but I don't know how Habs fans would feel about them wearing essentially recolored Sens barber pole jerseys.  Numbers on the back look good, but with the arm numbers and name being surrounded by red and white, I probably would have made them blue.  Final verdict: not a bad design, but essentially just a recoloring of a rival's jersey.  7.5/10

Lucas D.- Atlanta United FC

Our next concept of the day is Lucas D.'s MLS crossover design for my hometown Atlanta United FC.  Right off the bat, I love this design, as ATLUTD has a fantastic color scheme.  The striping pattern  with the two shades of gold, inspired by the logo, looks great, and I love the contrasting hem and cuffs on the white jersey.  Font choice is fantastic, gear looks great, and execution is on par with your usual high standards.  Final verdict: a great looking set that makes me wish we had hockey in Atlanta again instead of soccer.  9/10 and my COTW NOMINEE!!!!!

Danny R.- Okotoks Oilers

Next up is Danny R.'s design for the Okotoks Oilers of the AJHL.  I like the striping on this one, it looks like something that Dallas should have worn for their first Edge uniforms instead of their middle finger to Reebok.  The back of the collar looks spectacular, which only frustrates me for not continuing onto the front.  I'm also puzzled as to why a set with black as the dominant color is completely devoid of it in the breezers.  Final verdict: some good stuff, but other design choices hold this one back.  7/10

Danny R.- Olds Grizzlys

Our final design of the day is another juniors set from Danny, this time for the Olds Grizzlys.  I like the simple striping pattern, and the chest stripe works surprisingly well with the wordmark.  Font choice looks good, and gear is solid.  Once again, hate the Adidas split collar.  Final verdict: not a bad design, but nothing too revolutionary.  7.5/10

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