Saturday: Snowed In

As I am writing this, my wife and I are snowed in. So far we have about 10 inches of snow and ice, and it continues to pour down. I know some of you from Canada and the Northern U.S. probably see this fairly often (and are thinking, "that's cute"), but this is a big deal in Southeast Missouri, in fact, it's the largest snow storm this Southern boy has ever seen. Who knows, maybe our pond will freeze over and we can get a game of pond hockey going with the neighbors! (Full disclosure: I've never skated so that won't be happening).

I'm sure you're all up to speed on NHL jersey news this week, and have already seen the Ducks vs. Kings Stadium series jerseys and Marlies Outdoor Classic jerseys and read numerous reviews. If not, allow me to summarize quickly: the Marlies jersey looks great, the Kings debuted a cool silver jersey, and the Ducks put a hunter safety jacket on a fat, mustached man they claim is Ryan Getzlaf. Caught up now? Good. On the concepts!

Buffalo Third jersey concept - Dylan W.

What I like: This is so much better than the aesthetic turd the Sabres dropped on us this year. I really like the colors and striping used here. It all works well together. This is basically just a gold take on the old third jersey, but I liked that old third quite a bit. I like that you didn't use a contrasting color namebar. I always thought that was the weakness of the old third.

What I dislike: The best element on the old Buffalo third, to me, was the stitching on the numbers. I wish it was brought back into this design.

Overall: It's not revolutionary, but it doesn't need to be. This is a great look. (8.5/10) COTW nom from me!

Team Latvia Olympic concept - Dylan W.

What I like: The striping looks good. I really like the font for the name and numbers. Too many national teams use the Canucks font. 

What I dislike: The front of the jerseys are a bit crowded. I would either make the striping a little smaller, or take out an element from the crest/wordmark.

Overall: A solid look, but it would be too heavy for a Sharks player. (8.5/10)

Team Norway Olympic concept - Dylan W.

What I like: The colors, chest stripe, and arm striping are a good choice for a team like Norway. Sometimes, chest striping can make numbers difficult to read, but they clearly visible here. I like the yoke on the white jersey.

What I dislike: The shoulder striping on the dark jersey makes the name difficult to read. I've never been a fan of that crest. Just too many elements in it. I prefer this: http://tinyurl.com/odtwv5e.

Overall: With a few tweaks, this could be a great set. (8/10)

Edmonton Oilers third jersey concepts - Matt Ma.

What I like: The Oilers really should do an orange alternate. They've been depriving us all of one for too long. The shoulder patch by SyPhi Creations looks great. The striping, yoke, and name/number font are traditional, but fit the Oilers well. 

What I dislike: I don't like the TV numbers and shoulder patches floating off the concept. It's a little more labor intensive to make the numbers flush with the jersey, but it makes the concept look more professional, in my opinion.

Overall: This would be a great alternate for the Oilers. (8/10)

What I like: This is basically the same, so see above.

What I dislike: What I said about TV numbers/patches applies here as well. I still like the logo by SyPhi Creations, but I think I prefer it as a shoulder patch.

Overall: Go with option #1. (7.8/10)

Kingston Frontenacs redesign concept - Ryan D.

What I like: I can see where you were going with this, and with some execution improvements, this could be a good concept. It would be a better alternate concept than a full redesign, however.

What I dislike: First, the logo is too large, and not suited for a primary mark. It's decent as an alternate. The striping would look better if it matched. The arm striping thickness varies, and hem striping should go all the way around. You need to take off the NHL logo when making a non-NHL concept. When making a Reebok concept, you should use the Reebok wordmark that the company puts on the backs of jerseys now, instead of that logo. The font used for the name looks like a common font, instead of one more suited for athletics. Try one of the fonts you can find on our TEMPLATES page. The number would stand out better if it was yellow with just a white outline. The collar doesn't match front and back, and there are some loose pixels in various areas. I'm sorry if that comes off as harsh, but it would be disrespectful to you if I wasn't honest.

Overall: There are some good ideas, but execution brings this down. (4/10)

Kitchener Rangers redesign concept - Ryan D.

What I like: The hem striping.

What I dislike: The jersey is half red/half blue. Pick one dominant color. The phantom yoke doesn't look good here, especially how it disappears against the blue half of the jersey. The number on back seems oddly stretched. The crest is a little too small. Everything I said about execution in the above concept applies here as well. 

Overall: It's outside of the box, but execution again brings this down. (4/10)

Montreal Wanderers concept - Rob C.

What I like: Rob did his research on this team. I appreciate that. This is the best concept in his series so far. There's not a lot of history to draw inspiration from with the Wanderers, but Rob did a good job researching them and modernizing the look they had. I like the inclusion of black and silver.

What I dislike: The striping is still a bit bland. Personally, I think the concept would look better with cleaner presentation. I would make the details section and text boxes smaller, and put more emphasis on the concept, and maybe use a different background color than purple.

Overall: Rob's series continues to get better, but this concept is still a bit bland. (6.8/10).

Chicago Steel concept - Patrick E.

What I like: The colors used, and the name/number font.

What I dislike: I don't think the Pittsburgh Steelers would appreciate their logo being used by a USHL team. The logo is too big as well. The TV numbers are too low on the sleeves. They should be above the arm striping. The concept is heavily pixelated, which may have something to do with the format it's saved in. I recommend saving your concepts as .png files. Also, the striping on pants typically goes on the side of the leg, instead of all they way around. With the socks being red as well, it would look almost like the team was wearing short shorts and thigh-high socks on the ice. Not a good combination.

Overall: There are some good ideas here, but potential legal issues, execution, and kinky boots-esque equipment keeps this one down. (4/10)

Minnesota Wild concept - SupahLeafsFan

What I like: The bear head is the only crest used here, as it should be. Minnesota needs to just make green their primary color already. The striping looks good, and the phantom yoke actually works pretty well here. Execution is good.

What I dislike: You really need to put some sort of identification on your concepts. That is vital. Someone could just save this file and steal your work without it, and as Ryan pointed out recently in his weekend post, that can happen. If you're going to show the pants, you may as well put the socks and helmet in, too.

Overall: This is a solid, unified look for Minnesota. Now if someone could just tell me what a Wild is, we'll be set. (8/10)

New York Islanders concept - Scott M.

What I like: This is Scott's entry to the "Make the Fishsticks Logo Look Good Competition," and the logo actually doesn't look bad here. The jersey reminds me of their current (hatefully awful) black third, combined with their home/away arm striping. It's a pretty good look. I like the added silver. The Coyotes' font was a good choice as well. Execution is flawless.

What I dislike: The four diagonal stripes patch on the back reminds me of a "tramp stamp." Side note: I've never liked how the Islanders put references to their cup wins on their jerseys. Imagine if the Canadiens did that? It's just a bit smug.

Overall: This a great concept (8.5/10)

Detroit Red Wings concept - Stephen T.

What I like: The chest striping with the logo actually looks good on the front. The D monogram isn't bad as a shoulder patch. I like the collar treatment as well. Some people are hesitant to put a white collar on a jersey, but it looks good here. Execution is pretty good as well.

What I dislike: The numbers and striping run into each other and make the numbers a little hard to read. I don't like the arched/contrasting namebar, either. It would look better straight, and without the contrasting, especially coupled with the chest striping on the back. It's just an odd juxtaposition. I think the helmets could use a logo. 

Overall: Not a bad look, but there are some design choices I would change. (7.5/10)

I hope you all enjoyed today's post! As always, let me know in the comments if you agree/disagree with my assessments, and nominate the concepts that deserve it! 

Readers, I would like to take a moment to bring to your attention something very serious. The man pictured below is named Kevin. He's a regular reader of HJC, he posts concepts, he gets constructive criticism from the website, but he doesn't vote for COTW, COTY, or even for contests. In the last few weeks alone Ryan Getzlaf came to his house and ate all his food, he failed all his classes, his wardrobe was replaced with Don Cherry's awful suits, he took a Shea Weber slapshot to the face, and worst of all...he made Teemu Selanne sad. Be sure to vote for COTW. Don't end up like Kevin.

Don't be like Kevin! Vote for COTW!