Friday: All About the Alternates

Hey y'all, and welcome to another Friday post here at HJC.  As nice as it was to cover a holiday for our Halloween post last week, it's nice to be back home on my Friday post.  Luckily, I got back just in time to cover the release of this year's Winter Classic jerseys, which the Bruins and Blackhawks revealed yesterday.

NHL

The first to be released was the Bruins' jersey.  While I think I would have rather seen it in the original brown and yellow color, I still think it's a great looking jersey.  The Bruins managed to design a jersey that seems on-brand with their early identity while still being a fresh new look.  It's a logical continuation of the early design trends, and it's adapted to this template quite well.  The sweater-like collar, similar to the St. Louis Blues' 2017 WC jersey, is a nice touch to really give it that old school feel.  Final verdict: a great looking fauxback that fits in with the past while bringing something new to the table. 8.5/10 

Twitter

Later in the afternoon, the Blackhawks revealed their jersey for the 2019 Winter Classic, a little black and white number.  This jersey seems to be a modern adaptation of the sweaters that were worn from 1928-1934.  While I'm really disappointed by the lack of color in this one, I will say that it's a good adaptation of an old design that takes care of the busy candy striped yoke and replaces it with a simpler yoke striping pattern.  Final verdict: a good modern adaptation, but a bit boring visually.  7.5/10.

In voting news, we have the regular COTW vote for November 2-8, with polls closing Friday at noon EST.  

COTW November 2-8 vote (ends Friday @ noon EST)

Jersey Nerds Podcast (new episode every week!)

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Now on to today's concepts!

Daniel F.- Seattle Sea Lions

Our first concept of the day is Daniel F.'s design for the NHL's Seattle expansion team, which he has named the Sea Lions.  I really like the color scheme, it's a solid, yet non-traditional, double blue color scheme, going for more of a teal than a baby blue.  I like that Daniel designed his own logo and I like the idea, but it needs a little bit of cleaning up.  I like the striping design, but it's really sloppily executed on the under arm/armpit area.  I'm not a huge fan the number font, and the use of teal breezers is questionable, as it's used so sparingly on the jersey.  Same issue with the gloves, and I would rather the socks match the arm striping better.  Final verdict: not a bad idea, but the execution needs a lot of work.  5/10

Justin B.- Carolina Hurricanes

Our next concept comes to us from our Wednesday writer Justin B. (aka TLM), who brings us his Carolina Hurricanes entry from his Color Rush series.  I like the idea of using grey as the base of a jersey, as the Kings have shown us, it can work really well.  The simple striping pattern actually works really well, and I love the recoloring of the old alternate logo.  Font choice is solid and the yoke was a great call, but I wish the primary logo had been worked in as a shoulder patch.  Gear and presentation all look solid, as per usual.  Final verdict: a great entry in a great series, and miles ahead of what the Canes designed for themselves.  8.5/10 

Truman K.- Vancouver Canucks

Next up is Truman K.'s design for a Canucks alternate.  I love the idea of the Canucks in green, it's something I've always wanted and it frustrates me that they've never embraced it.  The striping inspired by the original 1970-1972 jerseys looks great, and the use of the "Johnny V" logo instead of just the regular V looks great.  My only real notes are that the main crest looks a tad small, and the NHL should be on an Adidas template rather than a Nike.  Final verdict: a great looking alternate for the Canucks with only minor execution issues.  8.5/10 and my COTW NOMINEE!!!!!

Truman K.- Washington Capitals

Our final concept of the day is Truman K.'s design for a Caps alternate.  I really like the use of navy as a base color for this jersey, and the white yoke looks great on it.  The striping pattern looks solid, and the breezers striping actually looks good as well.  As much as I liked the starred W logo on the Caps' 2015 WC jersey, I don't think it works as well without the overlying text, and the lack of Weagle outside the helmet seems a bit of a waste to me.  Same execution errors as above.  Final verdict: a solid jersey, but execution and logo choices hold this one back.  7/10

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