Friday: Feeling Creative

Hey everyone! Ryan here again on a Friday. Still looking for someone who wants to occupy this slot and write for HJC. If you're interested in writing for HJC then click the banner at the top of the page. It may not be as hard as you think.

For the beginning of May I will be away and won't be able to supervise a contest. This is where you can help. Do you have a blog? If not, then I guess you can make one for this purpose. Do you want to host the next HJC competition? Then email me your idea and while I'm away you can host that competition on your blog!!! There will be a banner at the top of this blog directing everyone there. You get to make all of the rules. Email me now because the first idea that comes in (that I like) will be selected!

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Today is the last day for ALL of the votes. If you haven't voted yet stop what you're doing right now and email in your votes to the appropriate addresses! Don't worry, the blog isn't going anywhere. Remember, since the start of 2013 you have been allowed to vote for yourself in the COTW and COTY votes.

COTW April 15-21 vote (ends Friday @ 11:59pm EST)

1st Quarter vote - COTY (ends Friday @ 11:59pm EST)

NYR Untouchables Top 5 vote (ends Friday @ 11:59pm EST)

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Get ready for the HJC Playoff Pool. Details are coming this weekend. Get your Round 1 predictions ready.

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Alan's HJC profile card

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Oshawa Motors concepts (Derek H.)

Derek has renamed the historical Oshawa Generals to the Oshawa Motors. While it would be considered blasphemy in Oshawa to do this for the sake of a concept here, at least it's creative. I always appreciate someone who creates their own logo, but it just doesn't seem to fit with this jersey. Also, I think the shades of red and blue used on the jerseys and the shoulder patch should be consistent. 7/10

Winnipeg Jets (Stephen T.)

Atlanta moved to Winnipeg and so Stephen took one of their jerseys too. This is well executed, but past that this one is hard for me to praise. Turning the Thrashers' home sweater into a set for the Jets isn't very creative in my opinion. Other than the nice execution I just don't know what there is to see here. 6/10

New York Islanders (WinnipegJets96)

WJ96 has made some alterations to the original Isles' Edge sweater. Those include the collar, numbers, and colours (obviously). For the four stripe shoulder patch I would have liked to of seen something done with said stripes. They're just a boring block sitting there. Perhaps try to make the shoulder patch look "pointy" or "sharp" like the pre-Edge 3rd jersey numbers used. Execution is good. 7/10

Sidney Crosby (Brian B.)

Brian has been going to school for digital art and this was one of his first ventures into Adobe Illustrator that he wanted to share. I'd say it's pretty good. The shadow on his face adds some realism and the wavy hair looks pretty good too. If it was terrible we'd all be looking at it wondering "who is that supposed to be?". Having said that, maybe Sid actually does have big lips, but this drawing really emphasizes that. Also, perhaps his teeth could be closer together? It looks like his parents couldn't afford braces. Either way, I wish Brian continued success with his quest to conquer Illustrator! 7.5/10

University of Massachusetts Lowell (MasonII)

Here is UMass' current set. This is a nice change by Mason, while still maintaining a classic look. The arrows/triangles on the stripes and collars are a good idea. Execution wise, currently they don't wrap around the arms. Instead they would appear like this; > > > < < <. I don't know what the intention was, but I'll assume they're supposed to go all the way around. 8/10

Chicago Blackhawks (Alex H.)

The feathers in the yokes is a GREAT idea... for a minor league team. I guess that's why this was an entry in the "Untouchables" competition. I like the stripes too. They are simple like the current Hawks' stripes yet obviously they are different. There are a few execution errors though. One is the different shades of red and black used on the jersey than the logo. The TV numbers are also way too small. The numbers on the back also appear to be small. The main idea of this jersey though is very creative. 7.5/10

Niagara Ice Dogs (Derek H.)

Derek continues with his OHL rebranding. Points again for creating your own logo, but that dog isn't intimidating anyone. Those eyes just have a blankness behind them which makes the dog look dopey. The shoulder patch ties the team to the St. John's Ice Caps of the AHL and I don't think that's a good idea. Finally, if the numbers on the blue jersey have an outline than I would like to see an outline on the numbers on the white jersey. I love the effort and creativity here, but it's just not working for me. 6.5/10

Mississippi Surge (Darren H.)

The Surge, of the SPHL, currently use Buffalo Sabres look-a-like jerseys. These are clearly much better. I really like how the home and road sweaters really use the brand well, yet they stay within the conventional lines of a reasonable jersey design. I then like how the alternate switches to a very traditional design. It's almost so traditional that the primary logo doesn't look like it belongs. Perhaps a fauxback logo would work even better here. Also, the white stripe under the yokes just gets lost and becomes irrelevant, in my opinion. What can I say, I'm a mark for Darren's work. COTW nom for sure! 8.5/10