Monday: Episode V: Return Of The Slug

If you read the title of the post then SPOILER ALERT. The Buffa-Slug makes its first appearance on my review since I started with HJC 5 weeks ago. Will it be better than the original? Personally I think the Slug gets criticized too much. I am not only a fan of the jersey, but I own one myself. Now, on to the concepts.

COTW Oct. 19-25 vote (ends Friday @ 12pm ET)

90's NHL ReDesign Competition (ends Friday at 12pm ET)

Jersey Nerds Podcast (new episode every Tuesday)

Burkus Circus - Ottawa Senators vs Toronto Maple Leafs Color Rush

The next part of the Color Rush series is the battle of Ontario. The Sens jersey isn't a bad look and I'd say it would be an improvement over their current set. The logo is a bit of a throwback with a modern take. I like the use of gold in the striping which oddly has only been used on 1 Sens jersey throughout their history. Its a nice, well balanced jersey and making use of the entire colour palette while predominately using 1 colour. 

The Leafs jersey is a bold design choice. Taking the maple leaf off of the front of the jersey and putting it on the sleeve could work...maybe. It almost feels like sacrilege. Aesthetically I have no problem with it, but that crest is iconic. I'd be interested to hear what Leaf fans think. Unlike the Sens, I feel that there's not enough focus on the idea of it being a Color Rush match up. If either the yoke or chest stripe were removed I think it would balance out a bit better. If it wasn't part of a Color Rush series and was part of say, a Stadium Series series then I'd have a bit higher rating for it.

Overall - 6.5/10

Burkus Circus - Warcats Blackout Alternate

Next, I didn't see anything to indicate what this team was so I did some research and found out that these uniforms belong to the Westerville Warcats of Westerville, Ohio. So it appears that this is less of a concept and more so just a review of what is a pretty nice jersey. I cant find anything differentiating the template from the real pictures other than the stripe on the pants. The colours and the striping seem to borrow from the popular Canucks "skate" design. The diagonal script and font style works well with the Dallas Stars number font. Nothing jumps out about the jersey but its just a pretty nice design with a cool concept of being a blackout jersey.

Overall - 7.25/10

Chris W - Central College Dutch

Up next is the Central College Dutch, a Division III NCAA school. First off this is textbook colour balancing, which is much appreciated. I love the logo. The "C" in the arm stripes are ok. I think they look better on the stripe than they would on the shoulder. I'm a fan of shoulder numbers in general and if the "C" works better on the arm then the number on the shoulder is at least justified for being there rather than doing it to just do it. I know some people don't like alternates being a recoloured version of the home and away kit, but I don't mind it as long as the result is good. Again, this is just a really well balanced set. It's a very basic design, simple colours and simplicity sometimes is all that's needed.

Overall 9.25/10 COTW nominee

Mac W. - Buffalo Sabres 

Finally, it's the Slug!!! Well kind of. First off the secondary logo is just a redone Florida Panthers logo. The numbers on the home and away jerseys are lacking a border. The comic sans font makes me not take this seriously at all (which may be the point considering the use of the slug). The crossed sword logo works well in my opinion, but on the white jersey is almost not even visible. If the sword blades were grey or silver they would stand out better. Using 1 shoulder patch is also a pet peeve of mine. The alternate jersey design isn't terrible (again minus the comic sans font). It feels like a modernized version of the goat head. The recoloured Panthers/Buffa-Slug hybrid is awful. Only colour is on the text box and the eye. The rest of the logo is grey, black, and white. I think there are many small changes to make this a decent design, but as it stands...it's just not good.

Overall - 3.5/10

Don't forget to vote for the NHL 90's redesign Competition. Here are some entries:

Mac W. Winnipeg Jets

Jared L. Edmonton Oilers