Friday: Special Events Galore

Hey y'all, and welcome to another Friday post here at HJC.  Before I start this story, I'm going to need you to sit down.  Preferably somewhere comfortable, with nice upholstery and a sturdy back so that you won't fall out of it and hurt yourself.  Are you ready?  Are you absolutely sure?  Okay then... As I write this, the Carolina Hurricanes and Vancouver Canucks are winning their divisions.  I'll give you a minute to collect yourself and use your inhaler to counteract the hyperventilation.  It seems that the end of days is upon us, and I cannot say that I'm surprised.  Seeing the Canes' new alternate and the Canucks' bumbling treatment of their fan vote, I can take solace knowing that these leads will no doubt be squandered like the design opportunities earlier this season.  As typical as that would be for these franchises, only time will tell if they can hold on to this momentum, but until then the fact remains that I had to type out a division standings summary that I never thought I would see. 

In voting news, we have the regular COTW vote for October 19-25, with polls closing Friday at noon EDT.  We are also in the midst of our 90's NHL Redesign Competition, so be sure to get your entries in before noon EDT on Friday.  

COTW October 19-25 vote (ends Friday @ noon EDT)

90's NHL ReDesign Competition (entries due by Friday @ noon EDT)

Jersey Nerds podcast (new episode every Tuesday)

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Now on to today's concepts!

Adam G.- Vancouver Canucks

Our first concept of the day is Adam G.'s designs for the Vancouver Canucks' 50th Anniversary season.  As far as the jerseys go, I'm not even going to review them, as they're direct copies of old uniforms on new templates.  The only change made was adapting the collars, which combines my two biggest pet peeves of old uniforms on new templates and the dreaded Adizero split collar.  As for the anniversary logo, I like the simplicity of it, and while I understand the importance of the V for Vancouver, I can't help but see it as the Roman numeral of 5, which somewhat kills it for me.  Overall: jerseys are direct throwbacks with small downgrades, and the logo is clean, but a tad confusing.  3/10

Burkus Circus- Philadelphia Flyers vs. New York Rangers

Next up is the latest entry in Burkus' NHL Color Rush series, this one for a matchup between the Flyers and my beloved Blueshirts.  I actually really like the idea behind the Flyers jersey, using a full length yoke that is similar to their usual striping yet distinct enough to be new, and a striping design that calls upon the logo.  I also like the orange border around the logo, it actually looks pretty good to me.  My main issue with this jersey is the lack of hem stripe and the choice to make it white instead of a bolder color, which is really the original point of the Color Rush jerseys.  As for the Rangers jersey, it seems to be a combination of the 1978-87 Road jersey and the 2010-17 alternate, and I actually think it kind of works.  Yes, it is very similar to the existing home set, but the darker blue, altered striping, and use of blue breezers make this different enough to be a solidly distinct set.  My only real issue with this one is the split collar.  Final verdict: two solid designs for Color Rush jerseys, but I really wish Philly had a little more color.  8/10

Mac W.- Boston Bruins

Our next concept is a design for the Bruins brought to us by Mac W.  I don't believe I've ever reviewed one of Mac's concepts before, so I'd like to welcome him to the site.  It's always nice to get a new contributor, and hopefully contributing can help you grow as a designer as so many of us have.  The primary set is just a direct copy of the pre-Edge jerseys, so there's not really much to say there.  While I commend Mac for designing his own logos, the primary looks a little too cartoonish to be an NHL primary logo, and the use of the more traditional B design on the shoulder just confuses the eras.  Stick with one font for the logo set to avoid confusion.  The alternate for this set, however, provides a solid fauxback for the Bruins, as the striping draws upon previous designs, but the solid cuffs add new life into the design.  As for the logo here, I would probably have swapped the yellow and white so that it looks more like a solid logo on top of the jersey rather than the random white dots within the B.  Final verdict: admirable use of original logos, and a decent alternate, but the lack of originality in the primary design and confusion between the logos hold this one back.  6.5/10

Vaughn R.- 2018 Global Series Challenge: Germany

Our final concept of the day is Vaughn R.'s design for the October 3 Global Series exhibition matchup between the Edmonton Oilers and the Cologne Sharks of the Deutsche Eishockey Liga.  The jersey for the Sharks is a little underwhelming, as it seems like an Edge era practice jersey with the full length yoke and lack of striping.  While it is an improvement on Cologne's actual jerseys (that logo in the striping though...), it seems a bit bland for a special event such as this.  The Oilers jersey, on the other hand, is a solid design.  Seemingly a simplification of their old home jerseys done in the current color scheme, it proves that sometime less is more.  My only gripes about this jersey are the main crest looking a tad too big/ close to the hem stripe and the Oilers using Under Armour rather than Adidas.  Final verdict: played it safe, if somewhat boring, with the Sharks' jersey, but that Oilers one is a beaut.  7.5/10

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