Tuesday: Sleepless in Seattle

Hi folks, welcome back to HJC for the Tuesday post. I didn't get the chance to discuss the big news out of Seattle last week, so I'm late in saying this, but I'm here to say it now: congratulations to Seattle on its impending 2022 Western Conference Championship! Of course, we have to talk about what the newest NHL franchise will look like.

But first, a moment of silence for the good people of Quebec. Mais d’abord, une minute de silence pour les braves gens du Québec.

















Thank you. Merci. Now, back to Seattle. The first question on everyone's mind is, what will this team be called? If I got a vote, my pick is Metropolitans. Here's a concept I did a while back, envisioning a multi-team NHL expansion.

Unfortunately, Mets will not be an option. According to trademark fillings, Mets are not under consideration. I've looked through what names are filled, and here's what I think:

Unlikely:

- Eagles. Yawn.

- Firebirds. Too close to Thunderbirds, the current team in the area. Also, there are names with more immediate connections to the city.

- Renegades. An unspecific, vague term with no apparent meaning. Unless we hear some heartfelt explanation from the ownership, Renegades stays unlikely.

- Whales. Too close to Whalers and whatever Vancouver's logo thinks it is.

- Cougars. Nearby Washington State University won't be happy, and the Florida Panthers would never let it down that they're the OGs. 

Maybe?

- Kraken. I was tempted to put this in unlikely because it's in such a minor-league vein, but given how many concepts I've seen with this, I'll watch with some interest.

- Rainers. A nod towards Mount Rainer, this one has some basis for Seattle, but I don't envision anyone getting hyped over it. It works for Colorado baseball, so it's not entirely unprecedented.

- Seals. There's already been a Seals in the league, and I don't here anyone clamoring for another. I'm struggling to find any other reason why not, though.

More Likely:

- Evergreens. Here's something with clear Northwest roots (double entendre intended) that would pair well with a green color scheme. I'll talk more about color schemes in a minute.

- Emeralds. See above.

- Totems. While this might be the de facto favorite, I wouldn't overlook how attitudes towards anything involving Indigenous peoples would play a role in far-left Seattle (think "cultural appropriation" or the fad phrase of the day). If the liberal contingent doesn't go full-outrage, this name could inspire a great logo in the style of the previous Totems or Seahawks of the gridiron; it could be hard to say no to.

- Sockeyes. Do we have enough marine animals thrown on the ice in this league? We'll soon find out. It's unique, and sounds like a fighting term. There's an ultimate frisbee team in the area with the same name, but will that matter?

Once the name is selected, how about a color scheme? In my concept, I copied the Seahawks' scheme of blue, grey, and green, to make it at home with the football and baseball team. It's very possible this is what we'll see. But is this too close to the neighboring Canucks? This might force the team to go in a new direction. Of course, if we see an Evergreen or Emeralds, green will have to be in the palatte.

It's all speculation at this point, but with virtually no limitation, it's fun to speculate. What do you want to see in Seattle? Let me know in the comments.

COTW November vote (ends Friday at 12pm ET)

2019 All Star Redesign Competition entries (due Friday at 12pm ET)

COTW November 30-December 6 vote (ends Friday at 12pm ET)

Jersey Nerds Podcast (new episode every Tuesday)

Jordan R.- Carolina Hurricanes

Jordan's mega series continues on to Carolina. On the home and road, finally, here is an all-red 'Canes done right. The black is properly relaxed to an accent color, allowing the red to shine as the primary. The warning stripes, being sublimated, don't loudly distract from the design, yet its inclusion gives it great context within the Carolinas. On the road, the red yoke, pants, and colored cuffs all come together to balance it well with the white. Regarding the yoke, it should have cut off the same distance down the back as it does on the front, otherwise it will look like the player's jersey is too big and sliding around. While there are plenty of bad examples of red pants with a dark jersey *coughcolumbuscoughcough*, this third is one of the exceedingly few successes. Using the hem, socks, and sleeves, and even the helmet, the totality of balancing the red against the black is what makes this work. The color rush is the weakest of the set, with the grey stripes not standing out enough from the black, blending into the jersey. I wouldn't have advised the washed out logo, as it makes that part of the jersey feel empty without a red element like there are everywhere else.

Grade: B+

Justin B.- Ottawa Senators

Our very own Justin has an idea for an Ottawa color rush. The chest stripe is an obvious direction to go for the Sens, but I like how it's done here as a color rush. Most concepts we see mimic the immense thickness from Ottawa's prior alternate, but on here, Justin significantly reduces the red and white. What makes it so terrific for a color rush is the way the red and white are applied, framing a black stripe in negative space. This gives the jersey both interest from a color pattern, while keeping the jersey mostly one color, hence, a color (emphasis on the singular) rush. I see the sublimated arrows within the chest stripe, but they're so faded and spaced out, this design would have been better off without them. The modern Roman in profile logo was the right choice for the crest, but I'm not sold on the S shoulder patch. Ottawa's history gives greater precedence to the O, and the O would have been more at home in this design with the round primary logo and chest stripes going completely around. The non-matching fonts on the back look more like a mistake than a conscience decision, a discrepancy that's made even more apparent by the name lacking serifs.

Grade: A-

Lucas D.- Miami Marlins

I didn't pay much attention to the Marlins' most recent identity update (a needless move I think was done for the occasion of it being Tuesday), but Lucas sees potential for a hockey crossover. In the design, Lucas took his cues from the logo, using streaks of red and blue to accent the charcoal. The dark jersey wisely goes all-out black while the light jersey has the right amount of black to carry the theme, while letting the white shine in the limelight. The grey-blue is attempted similarly along these lines, however, it's so thin, and especially against the deeper blue, isn't discernible from anywhere but up close. The play of black against the charcoal colors doesn't work as well as intended; being so close in hue, it's difficult to tell where the black is used. Even where they're adjacent at the collar it's difficult. The numbers ingeniously follow the logo, using the red as a drop shadow to make the numbers pop out.

Grade: B-

Matt G.- Vegas Golden Knights

Last up, Matt goes to Vegas. The angular gauntlet and greaves pattern looks great with the V of the logo, and well accents the mostly black uniform. The thicker gold stripes around the hem and socks, unfortunately, detract from this theme. The crosses, while befitting the medieval theme, seem to be thrown on "just because," not integrating into the design in a readily identifiable way. The logo treatment to fit the jersey's design was well considered; the white was omitted, while the grey was significantly darkened so as not to stand out, while retaining the beveled, three dimensional feel. I don't see why the shield was omitted, and think it would have gone superbly with the medieval theme. Similar to Justin's Sens, the name on the back wants serifs, like the numbers.

Grade: B

My COTW nomination goes to Justin B's Ottawa Senators. That'll do it for today. Let me know what your thoughts are on Seattle's future NHL club, and keep your stick on the ice.