Saturday: Seeing Green

Welcome to another HJC Saturday! I hope you're all having a great weekend, and if not, HJC is here to make it better. We've got several good concepts today, and more Concept of the Year logo competition entries. Let's get down to business!

Concept of the Year Logo Competition entries:

Alan J.H.

Matt M.

Matt R.

Tom V.

Carolina Hurricanes 3rd Jersey concept - Brady S.

A common complaint against the Carolina Hurricanes new jersey set is that it lacks the character of the old jerseys. More specifically, it lacks the hurricane warning flag striping pattern. Brady makes up for that by putting it on full display here. Although I miss the flag striping as much as the next guy, this is a little too much.  I would take them off the pants at least. I would like to seem some silver on the set as well. Also, the TV numbers are running over the sleeve piping. I think if you toned down the flag striping, this could be a good alternate. (7/10)

Anaheim Ducks Stadium Series concept - Brian B.

While the older franchises will drag out the usual faux-back stuff and "vintage white" that we've grown accustomed to, you never know what the Ducks might do. The rumor is that they will wear an orange jersey, and it appears that Brian has gone off of that with his Stadium Series concept. I like the sharp-angled shoulder yoke, and using the old duck head logo, but I just cannot stand the gold and orange together. I think it's a bad color combination that the Ducks should drop. I would like to see some sleeve stripes, and maybe a hem stripe that is angular, like the yoke. I would also take out the tie-down collar. It looks out of place. The jersey doesn't need the wordmark, either. Everyone recognizes that logo, and it's a shame it isn't still in use. (6/10)

Vancouver Canucks Blades of Steel concept - Jason P.

Unfortunately, I've never played Blades of Steel. In the research I did, I found that in the game Vancouver's colors were burnt orange and green. So I take it that this concept is a mix between the game's aesthetic and Vancouver's real aesthetics. I like the use of the stick-in-rink logo and the old Millionaires' patch. Even if they weren't in the game, I would like to see some TV numbers and a helmet logo. I would also like to see a view of the backs of both jerseys, because a number/name font can really make or break a set. I would make the dark helmet green as well. The goalie mask is really cool, though. (6/10)

Chicago Blackhawks Blades of Steel concept - Jason P.

There will be some who say I'm crazy, but I think the Blackhawks' logo has too many colors. This color scheme looks really good when applied to Chicago's traditional jersey set and logos. I actually really like the way the logo has been recolored. The goalie mask is cool. What I said about the previous concept with the TV numbers, helmet logo, and wanting to see the backs of the jerseys  applies to this one as well. (6.8/10)

Anaheim Ducks Nike NHL Redesign concept - Jordan R.

First off, I like the presentation here. Good use of fonts and colors. I like this color combination better than what they currently wear. I didn't when I first saw it, but it's been growing on me the past week. I like bringing back the old striping from the Mighty Ducks days. The collars are very interesting. The last few Nike jerseys I've seen try to hide it, but Jordan highlights it here. I still don't like the fake tie-downs, but I do find the contrasting colors more striking than blending them into the rest of the jersey. I don't like the logo in orange. I think it would look if you switched the light green and orange there. I'm not a fan of the alternate. There just isn't much going on there. I also would like to see the backs of the jerseys. (8/10)

Boston Bruins Nike NHL redesign concept - Jordan R.

If Nike ever signs a contract with the NHL instead of Reebok, I hope they leave the Bruins alone. The Bruins have one of the best sets in all of sports. That being said, Jordan keeps the changes relatively mild here. Once again, the fake tie-downs have been accentuated here, which I'm not really in favor of. I miss the Bruins-style yolk. The alternate is cool, especially since it hearkens back to the 40s. Gold is a very trendy color in hockey these days, too. Execution is very good. Again, I would like to see the backs of the jerseys. (8.5/10)

Team Slovenia IIHF concept - S2udio

S2udio brings us another couple of IIHF sets. This one, for team Slovenia, is pretty slick. The set looks very unique, and the execution is solid. The different shades of green really work here. I'm assuming that S2udio linked the striping on the socks to show how they look together, and not by mistake. I would like to see some stripes on the arms of the dark jersey. The pants should be green. I would make the 'C' white, so that it is more easily readable. Overall, this is a strong look. (8.8/10) COTW nomination from me.

Team Canada IIHF concept - S2udio

This jersey set has some cool details to it. I like the stars, and the red/white/gold color combination. The large maple leaf is a very distinctive look.  Like the Sweden jersey from last week, I wish there was some striping on the socks. That would break up the color monotony on the lower half of the set. Overall, another great set from S2udio. (8.7/10)

U.S. Coast Guard concept - Patrick N.

Here's a concept we don't see very often. Patrick brings us a concept for the United States Coast Guard. The Coast Guard colors look good on a hockey jersey. I like the incorporation of the Coast Guard "racing stripe" logo that was designed in the 60s. It lends itself to a design like this, but I think it would work better as sleeve and hem striping, rather than a faux-sash. The dark jersey needs TV numbers, and I think the "U.S.C.G." wordmark would be more readable if the colors were reversed (white outlined in orange). I think the shoulder patch on the white jersey is a bit too big. I would size it down a bit. On an execution note, your striping is going over your jersey stitching. (6/10)

Calgary Flames concept - Dylan Wonka

Calgary's new third jersey has created renewed interest in making over the franchise's current look, which in my opinion, is one of the worst in the league. Wonka's concept would be a definite improvement. I like the striping and yoke treatment. I think the dark jersey is the better of the two, primarily because I have a pet peeve about yellow and red touching (don't judge). I think the white jersey striping would look better if you put a small white line in between the red and yellow. That's just my opinion, though. I know some probably don't have the same views on yellow and red together as I do. Execution is very good, as we have come to expect from Wonka. I would like to see the Flames change to something more like this. (8.8/10)

As always, feel free to leave a comment if you agree/disagree with my assessments. Also, don't forget to vote for next weeks concepts and the logo competition entries. Voting was up last week, and that makes Teemu Selanne happy.