Friday: It's the Most Wonderful Time of the Year

Hey y'all, and welcome to another Friday post here at HJC.  It's now October, and that means that NHL hockey is finally back.  Yes, despite the fact that it is unseasonably sweltering in my home base of Georgia (today's high is 91 degrees Fahrenheit), it is officially hockey season.  With the return of the season we're finally going to get to see some of the new alternates take to the ice for the first time, as well as the reveal of the jerseys that have yet to be released.  This doubles the excitement for those of us here at the site, so be sure to stay tuned for our coverage of all the forthcoming releases.  

In voting news, we have the regular COTW vote for September 28- October 4, with polls closing Friday at noon EDT.  We are also in the midst of the Buffalo Sabres Redesign Competition, with entries due Friday at noon EDT as well.  

COTW September 28- October 4 vote (ends Friday @ noon EDT)

Buffalo Sabres ReDesign entries (due Friday @ noon EDT)

Jersey Nerds Podcast (new episodes every Tuesday)

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Now on to today's concepts!

Adam G.- Detroit Pistons

Our first concept of the day is the first of two NBA crossover designs from Adam G., this one for the Detroit Pistons.  I really like the use of the Pistons' actual striping here, it translates really well onto a hockey template.  The P logo actually works pretty well as a shoulder patch here, and font choice is solid.  Usual negatives from previous entries in this series about the logos and collar treatment.  The alternate is a nice nod to the Pistons' late nineties designs, although I would have liked to have seen the jersey in teal rather than black, both for color's sake and because that's the color they actually wore.  They flame inspired strip in the striping is a great idea, but it's so thin compared to the thick teal that it almost gets lost.  I think thickening it up would help greatly.  Font is a great match to the logo and I love the main crest, but would have preferred to see that era's secondary logo as the shoulder patch, if only to avoid mixing eras.  Final verdict: a sharp looking primary set, and the alternate is a good start, but needs a little more work.  7.5/10

Adam G.- Utah Jazz

Next up is Adam's second NBA crossover of the day, this one for the Utah Jazz.  This design seems to be inspired by the Jazz's 2010-2016 uniform set, and I gotta say I think it works fairly well as a full-length yoke and side panels.  I only really have two issues with that aspect of the design, the first being the breakup of the yoke striping on the back, and the second being that the green is a little too close to the shade of navy used, and from afar it would probably just look like green was dropped from the striping.  I would say maybe thicken up the stripe of lighten the color a tad.  The alternate draws its inspiration from the Jazz's "Statement" jersey.  The angled striping here is a good adaptation of the existing striping, but its use in the side panel just isn't working for me.  additionally, I think they could pull off the gold helmets, a la the Preds, but with the blue breezers I would stick with blue gloves.  Same logo and collar issues as usual across the set.  Final verdict: a fairly accurate adaptation of the Jazz's old uniforms, but it falls a little flat for me.  7/10

Ben S.- Stockton Heat

Our next concept of the day comes to us from our very own Ben S., who brings us a design for the Stockton Heat.  I really like the striping design on this one, it's a combination of a contrasting upper arm and matching striping design with a base color gap in between.  The matching hem stripe on both looks great as well, and the tri-color collar looks fantastic.  While I'm usually not a fan of more rounded fonts like this, I think it actually works pretty well with the logo.  My only note would be to maybe add the roundel logo as a shoulder patch, but it's not exactly necessary.  The alternate looks great as well, and I commend you for not assuming that a roundel logo necessitates a chest stripe.  The striping pattern looks great on the arm and the hem treatment works really well.  Very happy that you managed to avoid yellow-on-white syndrome.  Final verdict: a great looking set for a team that desperately needs to distance itself from the Flames clones they currently wear.  9/10 and my COTW NOMINEE!!!!!

Chris W.- North Brunswick Scorpions

Next up is Chris W.'s design for the North Brunswick High School Scorpions.  I really like the matching arms from the striping down, it's a strong look that pays off well here.  I like the hem striping as well, it does a great job of matching the scorpion's tail in the logo.  Logo choice is solid, and the font matches the logo really well.  My only real issue with the main set is the arm striping.  While I get that it's trying to mimic the shield logo, the fact that they just swap colors halfway around the arm bothers me, and the crown seems a little unnecessary.  As for the alternate, the Pens template on the arms works pretty well, but the mismatched hem striping is a bit frustrating, especially when it would have worked perfectly well if it were matching.  I do like the alternate logo though, and gear across the set looks great.  Final verdict: a solid set, but a few little misfires keep this one from really achieving its potential.  8.5/10

Jay S.- Winnipeg Jets

Our final concept of the day is Jay S.'s design for the Winnipeg Jets.  This design seems to be a fix for their current alternate.  I really like the inclusion of red into the design, it's a color that I've always thought looked great in their logo, but seems wasted by not being used in the uniforms.  The inclusion of a yoke is a great fix, and I love the striping on it.  I like the inclusion of Winnipeg in the script logo, but the spacing seems a little off and the logo itself is a little too small and too far down the torso.  Gear looks solid, but the actual player template looks a little sloppy.  I think the issue is just using the paint bucket to fill rather than selecting the area before using the bucket, which tends to make it spill over the edges.  Simple fix, but it can make a huge difference in presentation.  Final verdict: a good adjustment for a design that has faced a fair amount of criticism since its unveiling.  7.5/10

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