Tuesday: Eastern Extravaganza

Hi folks, welcome back to HJC for the Tuesday post. We have a new competition on the blog, and it's a straightforward Nashville Predators redesign. We've hit the lowest of the low in team redesigns recently on the blog, and Nashville is next in line. Also, before we get to concepts, be sure to vote for concept of the week AND concept of the month.

COTW October vote (ends Friday at 12pm ET)

COTW November 2-8 vote (ends Friday at 12pm ET)

Jersey Nerds Podcast (new episode every Tuesday)

Nashville Predators ReDesign (entries due by November 23rd)

Danny R.- Detroit Red Wings

Up first, well, I can't say I've seen something similar before. Danny goes full-on gradient for a freak-out Original 6 team. The gradient works more successfully on the primary set than the alternate, where the red to white makes most of the jersey pink, and overwhelms the jersey with a color it doesn't want. The octopus logo does a good job of making the purple feel welcomed in the color scheme, though I wish both wheels of the shoulder patch would face forward. Back on the alternate, the yellow, while tying to the Detroit Falcons era, isn't given any other yellow element on the jersey to make it's inclusion justified. The angled name bar, while it does follow the shoulder stripe, wouldn't come across that way with the arms at a skater's side. Visually, it will look more like a straight stripe all the way to the cuff, and the angled nameplate would look a bit off. 

Grade: D+

FC M.- New York Islanders

FC cleans up the Islanders' much maligned Fishsticks look. While directly in response to an existing jersey, I appreciate that FC makes significant changes to make this design distinctly his own. Most significantly, the branding has been altered to the current. The colors are obviously changed, but also, the the striping is reigned in to mimic the stripes from the logo. Another big change is eliminating the shoulder yoke. This is a major improvement, and lightens the look. An often overlooked detail, the gloves in this design brilliantly matches the striping.

Grade: A-

Justin B.- Detroit Red Wings

Back to Detroit, Justin does a white-out for a color rush. Between reversing the colors, and slapping on the Stadium Series logo, there isn't a whole lot of newness here. The biggest problem is the fact that it's a full white-out, which is a disaster for players looking for each other against the rink. It's too hard for me to see this being green-lit knowing how much trouble players have had in the past.

Grade: D

Lucas D.- Tampa Bay Rays

Lucas's MLB crossover series continues to Tampa Bay. The Rays don't have much on their current ball jerseys to bring over to hockey, so Lucas extrapolates from very little. The result is largely successful, a minimalist design with simple striping. The logo selection could have better fit this theme. There's much more going on comparatively to make it fit. The gold ray logo further complicates the design by introducing another color, when double blue and white would have been enough on their own. The font selection, similar to glove design, can be overlooked. Lucas doesn't neglect this, matching the Rays' font.

Grade: C+

Mac W.- Detroit Red Wings

Mac brings us back to Detroit to end today's post. The design on the primaries has been lifted right off of the 2014 Winter Classic, and the alternate is near copied from the 2016 Stadium Series. The only real intrigue comes from crest on the primaries, which is weak. As much as I wish the NHL teams would use more arched wordmarks, the arched Detroit is far too small for legibility here. Similarly, the stylized D within the shield doesn't work for the same reason. The two wings on the shield are interesting, and worth exploring further, but certainly needs work.

Grade: D-

My COTW nomination goes to FC's New York Islanders. Great update to the Fishsticks, and just creative enough to feel like it's new. That's it for this week. See you next, and keep your stick on the ice.