Tuesday: The Series Continue

Hi folks, welcome back to HJC for the Tuesday post. From the title, 3 of our 4 concepts today are a continuation of their respective artists' series. But before we dive into that, the doldrums of summer and coming to a close, so we have jersey news to discuss!

New Jersey has new jersey news, as does St. Louis. Both teams unveiled their "Heritage Classic" sweaters in the past week.

Source: NBC Sports

Source: NHL.com

Neither jersey came as a surprise to anyone, as this is the direction both teams have been leaning. The response has been near universally well received from fans, so far as I can tell. Sometimes it's nice to see teams stick with tried and true than pull something out of thin air and gamble big (I'm looking at YOU Carolina). 

What does surprise me is that both clubs ceremoniously named their looks as their "Heritage Jerseys." I'm still trying to figure out if this is coincidental, or if this is an intentional effort within the design department at Adidas. Perhaps Adidas is learning lessons from Reebok, who practically abandoned trying anything new towards the end of their tenure as NHL jersey manufacturer. Adidas's new designs have been mixed at best, and maybe gambling on something new isn't paying off like they hoped (I'm looking at YOU Carolina).

What do you think? Is Adidas pushing for throwbacks to boost jersey sales, or is this merely a coincidence? Let me know in the comments.

Back to the blog, the University of Michigan competition is coming rapidly to its close. We've had no new entries since Monday night, so take your time, but don't procrastinate!

U of Mich Competition Design Entries Due Friday, Aug 31st @ noon est

COTW Vote Aug 17-23rd ends Friday, Aug 31st @ noon EST

Burkus C.- Minnesota North Stars

Burkus continues his NHL defuncts series, coming around to the previous iteration of Minnesota. The color balance leaves much to be desired, with the black given such prominence, and the three remaining light colors blended together almost to obscurity. The black would have better benefited the design as an accent to the striping within the remaining colors, better separating them for each other. The design is a good blend of something new with something old, and is instantly recognizable for the team they represent. I would have made the numbers on the home jersey white, and black on the road, not only to better fit the hem and sleeves, but for better legibility as well.

Grade: C-

Don W.- Central Illinois Flying Aces

Don shows us an alternate look for the USHL's Central Illinois military appreciation. For how much negative space is on these jerseys, they're awfully busy. 7 logos on the front are way too many. I like the baseball style main logo on the front, but you lose me with the rest. None of them would be discernible from stands, and it leaves the torso feeling even more empty with everything strewn across the chest. The black equipment looks out of place, given it's reasonably close to the navy blue., and there's no other black in the jersey's design. The sleeve numbers should have remained blue to match the back, and would help them come across. The striping is reminiscent of a naval uniform, which is what this jersey should have focused on. I appreciate the subtlety of it as an honor to the troops, rather than the five branches and POW-MIA bashing me over the head.

Grade: D+

Jordan R.- HK Bruninieki Daugavpils

Jordan continues his Latvian league with yet another team name I can't pronounce. The custom logo falls a bit flat, as I just can't get over that it looks more like a samurai than a knight, and it straddles an awkward line between abstract and merely simplified. The city shield makes a phenomenal shoulder patch; sometimes the obvious choice is the right choice. The jerseys, likewise, are much more successful. The extended yoke with striping cutting through isn't a looks I review often, and here's a great example of how it's done successfully. The blue stripes are in a great spot, creating a nice pocket for the numbers to rest in. The stripes up the hem are the perfect length to create the block of black, and are just low enough to avoid the "no show zone." The color balance is done well on the white jersey, with the dark black and medium blue bordering the white, but without more of a light color on the blue jersey, it's less successful there.

Grade: B

Lucas D.- Real Salt Lake 

Today's final post is from another series, this time Lucas's MLS crossover. I have a love-hate relationship with triadic color schemes, but what makes it work for this club are the shades used. The darker shade of red doesn't awkwardly clash with the yellow, and the medium blue balances them out. Lucas's striping pattern really sells this color scheme, as the thinner stripes bring out how well they balance together, without overpowering the eyes in an inundation of primary colors. As it relates to colors, the only change I'd suggest is to make the pants and helmet red as well; the blue is a touch lighter than the red, which makes the look too top-heavy, and on the white, it would pair better with the yoke. The crest logo looks a tad too small, and it's best that this one stands as the only team logo on the jersey, as it would have cluttered the yoke or sleeve to add another.

Grade: B+

My COTW nomination goes to Lucas D.'s Real Salt Lake. That's it for this week. I'm looking forward to the Michigan competition, as we've seen some solid entries so far. Keep sending those in, and keep your stick on the ice.