Tuesday: The Empire State Strikes Back

Hi folks, welcome back to HJC for a New York themed day. The offseason hasn't generated a whole lot of excitement (outside of Ontario), so let's jump right into concepts.

First, we need more concepts. It's quite simple. You like making them, you like reading them, and we don't have a whole lot at the moment. Need ideas? We've only seen three NHL thirds so far, and we know there'll be another dozen or so more. What should they look like? Do you have a guess? Send those concepts in, folks!

And vote, too. But you knew that.

COTW-June vote (ends Friday @ noon ET)
COTW June 29 - July 5 vote (ends Friday @ noon ET)
HJC Open (begins Friday July 13)

Dylan T.- Buffalo Sabres

We start today in western New York with Dylan's full 3-piece set for Buffalo. Nothing revolutionary here, which is best for a team falling on the traditional side of the aesthetic spectrum. The stripes' proportions on the jersey and socks feels too heavy in relation to each other. A thin-thick-thin pattern would be stronger than the sortofthick-thick-sortofthick we see here, as well as fit the team's jersey history better. The collar design is another weak aspect, with no basis for changing the front thickness to the back, nor the pentagon color change, which makes the pentagon stick out awkwardly. Pants stripes would also benefit the set to give the pants enough color to fit in with jerseys. My favorite part of this set is the alternate; yellow was an interesting direction to go, and done very well with white and blue accents, especially using the Winter Classic design. Speaking of the Winter Classic, reusing the logo also fits the theme, and integrating it to the primary set as the secondary logo on the pants was admirable. Lastly, some small details can make a big difference; see the captains' patches for a textbook example of this.

Grade: B-

Lucas D.- New York City ~~Football~~ Hockey Club

Lucas continues his MLS series to end today's post. Powder blue isn't a color you see in sports often (apart from a 1970's ball diamond), which is a shame, because Lucas sells it beautifully here with dark blue and orange accents. The thin stripes fashioned from the logo's outlines create a great design that all fits together. The doubled stripes on the arms better fill up space that only a single, keeping the jersey from being too bland. The additional light blue on the white jersey reinforces the light blue of the logo better than a direct recolor of the dark jersey would have. The collar is weak, with the shield logo way too small to be legible, and like Dylan's concept, the pentagram would be better if it wasn't a new color. Also dragging this set down are the italicized numbers and name on the back. The theme of this set has a definite "Renaissance" feel to it, focusing on the perfection of a circle, emphasizing its static and unchanging nature, reinforced by the symmetry in the sweater and stripes. See Michelangelo's depiction of the biblical King David:

Source: Wikipedia

The italicized font gives a "Baroque" feel, which places less emphasis on the perfection of certain shapes and symmetry in favor of dynamic forms to create a more engaging experience. See Gian Lorenzo Bernini's depiction of the biblical King David: