Saturday: Globetrotting from Canada to the US to Tatarstan to Siberia and back again

One more week gone and that means we're another week closer to the beginning of the NHL season. I, for one, am also looking forward to going to see my first Arizona Wildcats game if I can make it out to Tucson for Homecoming. I've lucked out this time, as the team formerly known as the IceCats is hosting Minot State the same weekend and if I'm able to make it to Tucson (still TBD for a variety of reasons) I'll be repping my Blackhawks jersey at the 'Cats game for sure. Sure, it's not the right team but I don't care, since I don't own anything else. I'll get an Arizona jersey sometime down the line.

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Red Deer Rebels (by Bastian)

One of these days, someone will have to explain to me what an animal skull has to do with a team named the Rebels. Slight logo issues aside, I like this concept. You know I like red and black as a color scheme and the striping design, while not groundbreaking (then again, I doubt there's a hockey jersey stripe that hasn't been done yet out there) is a good idea. It's different and works well in this concept. I especially like the color balance. Obviously black is meant to be the primary color but there is a good amount of red without it being overbearing. Overall, I'll give it an 8/10.

Rimouski Océanic (by Bastian)

It's not too often that you see a design that uses two different shades of a color, much less three different shades like this concept, but here it works. The color scheme (which is, of course, the team's own) is particularly appropriate for a coastal city like Rimouski and as such it really looks good. I like the striping pattern too. I may be a traditionalist but I can appreciate designs that stretch those boundaries a bit. The use of an angled hem instead of a round hem is a really smart design feature as well since it fits in with the striping. Overall, I'll give it an 8/10.

Anaheim Ducks (by Jack)

Jack's Ducks concept combines their two eras into one with some slight modifications. I'm not sure I like the striping, though, because the Ducks have always had a stripe across the entire hem. Whether it was straight in the Mighty Ducks era or curved as it is now for the Ducks, it always went across the entire body (current issues with the Edge jerseys notwithstanding) so this looks a little strange. Furthermore, I think the logo would look better in bronze, not orange. Those are minor issues, though, and the concept as a whole is solid. Overall, I'll give it a 7.5/10.

Boston Bruins (by Jack)

Jack's second concept for the day puts the Bruins in fauxback mode. I like that the white jersey is proper white and not vintage white since the team's white jersey have always been white. I especially like the color scheme and if the Bruins weren't so established in the black and yellow, I would love to see them bring the brown back. Better yet, maybe they can bring it back for an alternate. In fact, that just gave me an idea. Anyway, I love the stark simplicity of this one. It's a style befitting a historic team. Overall, I'll give it an 8/10.

Ak Bars Kazan (by Jake88)

Jake's trek across the European leagues brings us to the KHL. Here we have one of the members of the Kharlamov Division and the two-time Gagarin Cup winners. While this concept is an improvement over what the team currently wears, I don't think I can get behind it. It's just too strange of a striping pattern, especially with the red pit stains. I know that these kinds of designs are more common in Europe than the US but I just don't care for it. Overall, though, the concept is good, especially because of the color scheme. The red and green really work together well, which is probably why the team uses it in real life. Overall, I'll give it a 7/10.

Avangard Omsk (by Jake88)

To be honest, this one suffers from the same problems as the last but not to the same extent. It's still an unusual stripe design but this concept's design is a little more conservative and I definitely do like it. As I've said before, I'm not a 100% hard-line traditionalist. I like the design because, quite frankly, anything else would look unusual paired with that logo. If you have a logo based on slanted lines, you almost have to use a slanted stripe design. Otherwise, the discontinuity is visually strange. For another example of what I mean, look at the Capitals in the 90s. That look worked well and this one does too. Overall, I'll give it an 8/10.

Carolina Hurricanes (by NB14)

Sorry to NB14, but I have to give this one a lower score just because it's a jersey that would never work in real life. This is the kind of jersey that would be relegated to fashion jersey status. However, as it pertains to fashion jerseys, this one isn't bad since anything is better than the current mess the Canes will be wearing next year. Their black alts have always been one of my favorites and this one would work well if the legibility issues were cleared up. Overall, I'll give it a 6/10.

Columbus Blue Jackets (by Stephen)

This one is particularly interesting because the placement of the horizontal bar on the jerseys makes it look like this is a pair of long-sleeved soccer jerseys - not that it's a bad look, though. God knows the Blue Jackets need something different from their current jerseys, which are a Reebok Edge mess. Stephen definitely chose the right combination of primary logo and shoulder patch, too. Overall, I'll give it an 8/10.

Washington Capitals (by Tristan)

Unfortunately for Tristan, this one is a bit of a missed opportunity since it's just a variation on their current jerseys and much like the Blue Jackets, the Capitals currently wear a bad Edge template. Standard wrap-around stripes and no sleeve piping would go a long way towards making this one better, and while I'd personally prefer to see the Weagle as the front logo, the wordmark doesn't look bad here. Overall, I'll give it an 8/10.