Saturday: Quintuple Double

Hello everyone, and welcome to another HJC Saturday post! There are some seriously awesome concepts on display. I could have given a COTW nomination to any of five different concepts today, but as I can only nominate one, I hope you'll give these artists the credit they deserve for their hard work. Today we have five different artists with two concepts today (hence the reason for the title, which is also an NBA stat as elusive as a double hat trick). 

(*Sochi spoiler warning*) In Olympic hockey, I hope you all witnessed the USA men play Russia in a truly amazing contest. If you haven't, you need to go watch the highlights at least. The USA men took the game in wild shootout, with T.J. Oshie of all people out-shooting Pavel Datsyuk and Ilya Kovalchuk. I think I can speak for everyone when I say that I am very much looking forward to a USA/Canada match-up.

Here are the last of the Design A Country Contest entries: 

Andrew W.

Aston B.

Austin E.

J3

Kevin P.

Ricky M.

Stephen T.S.

Taylor R.

T.G.

Tyler F.

Now on to our regularly scheduled post!

New York Islanders concept - David K.

What I like: I like the striping pattern on the home/away. It definitely looks like something that would fit well on a CCM-style cut jersey. The home/away jerseys look good, Gorton's Fisherman logo not withstanding. I appreciate that David put logos on the helmets. It's a small detail that many artists neglect, but helps improve the concept and make it more realistic. Execution is good.

What I dislike: I don't think I'm ready for a full comeback from the Fisherman, but I would love to see the Islanders bring it back for a special one-night 90s throwback event. I like the home/away, but the alternate is the weak link here. The logo, with the number and NY/puck elements has too many elements. I would take the number off, and maybe use the Stadium Series logo instead. 

Overall: The jerseys would improve with some logo swaps, but this is a solid set otherwise. (7.8/10)

Team France WWI (1914) concept - Stephen T.

What I like: The striping pattern looks good, and the fleur-di-lis works well as a shoulder patch. Execution is clean.

What I dislike: (*begin rant*) I was utterly perplexed by this logo at first. I had never seen it before, nor knew where to find it. I assumed, in keeping with the series, that it was related to a WWI-era  flag or logo. I finally found something similar here. I'm still not sure what FIHF stands for. A concept like this could benefit with some info included that explains details like that. It saves the writers of this site a lot of time spent researching concepts if you include that info (*end rant*). After a lot of research, I deduced that the rooster was probably used because the Gallic Rooster is an old symbol of France. Something like this may look more appropriate for the time period than the logo used, which according to sportslogos.net, was designed in 1954. Helmets look better with logos, and there are some white areas around them that need cleaning up.

Overall:  A little extra info goes a long way, as would a more period-appropriate logo. (7/10)

Team Ottoman Empire WWI (1914) concept - Stephen T.

What I like: Here's a concept for a nation that no longer exists. WWI was the last gasp of the Ottoman Empire. Color and logo choice are very appropriate. The style here is very conservative, but as the Ottoman Empire is an old imperial power dating back to the 13th century, that's fitting. 

What I dislike: Primary logo is pixelated. Sleeve numbers are missing from the front left shoulder on both jerseys. Putting a logo on a helmet adds to the authenticity of the concept, and it's really easy. 

Overall: Were the Ottoman Empire still around, I think this would be a fairly solid set for them (6.5/10)

Pittsburgh Penguins concept - Jacob K.

What I like: This is certainly something I've never seen from a concept before, which I always enjoy. The striping here complements the angle of the logo. 

What I dislike: There are several execution issues. The way the numbers are done makes it appear that the number on the back is 3, and the sleeve numbers are 33. The newer Reebok wordmark should be used, instead of the old logo no longer used on hockey jerseys. There are some loose pixels around the collar area, some areas of the template are missing, or the striping has overlapped the stitching.

Overall: The basic design of this jersey may make a good fan merchandise jersey, or a t-shirt, but maybe not an on-ice jersey. Creativity is there, it just needs cleaning up. (5/10)

Philadelphia Flyers concept - David P.

What I like: The design of the jerseys is interesting. They look like something you may find in a Winter Classic. Jerseys are executed pretty well.

What I dislike: The way the concept is set up, it appears as if the orange jersey is the alternate. I prefer the Flyers in orange for their primary home jersey. I've never been a big fan of jersey sets that are three different color combinations of the same design.

Overall: One of these could make a fine Winter Classic jersey. (7.5/10)

Philadelphia Flyers concept - David P.

What I like: See above

What I dislike: See above; I'm a little burned out on "vintage white."

Overall: Same set, but with "vintage white" substituted for true white. I'm partial to the true white. (7.3/10)

Florida Panthers alternate jersey concept - Bastian

What I like: Gold is a good color for the Panthers. I absolutely love that yoke; great work there. The striping is great, color balance is nice. Execution is, as you expect from Bastian, top-notch. I appreciate the detail of adding alternate logos to the helmet and pants. That Panther head logo looks great when freed from the pointless roundel. I actually think I prefer that to their normal primary.

What I dislike: I would put a white outline around the numbers, in between the blue and red. I think that might help the numbers pop more, and match the striping.

Overall: I would love to see the Panthers use this as an alternate. (8.8/10)

Pittsburgh Penguins concept - Bastian

What I like: This is a huge improvement over the current Penguins set, which has little to no character. I love the striping pattern, the color on the upper arms, and the matching stripes and hem/socks. Execution is flawless. I love this set.

What I dislike: I'm not sure how I feel about the pants stripe matching with the rest of the set. I would like to see what the pants stripes used on their Stadium Series jersey would look with this.

Overall: Excellent set for the Penguins. Instant improvement. (8.8/10)

Hockeyfying the NFL: Detroit Lions concept - Gerard M.

What I like: Some of the older NFL teams designs just transition really well to a hockey jersey. Striping pattern here actually looks better than on the Lions NFL jerseys.

What I dislike: I'm not sure about the Lions logo in white. Maybe it's because I'm so used to only seeing it in blue. I would place the numbers a little further apart, the way the font is, the numbers almost run together when they are so close. That's a small complaint, though.

Overall: Great jersey translation. I'm sure there are some Detroit fans who would buy one of these as fan merch. (8/10)

Hockeyfying the NFL: Green Bay Packers concept - Gerard M.

What I like: The Packers have the best jerseys in the NFL. Don't let anyone tell you different. As many games as the Packers play in the cold, you would think someone would start selling something like this at the merch tables. The striping pattern on the arms looks even better on a hockey sweater than it does on the Packers NFL jersey.

What I dislike: Not a fan of the chest stripe here. It looks good on the front, but the back gets complicated with the numbers. There's just too much going on, especially on the white jersey. I would stop the chest stripe just before it gets to the numbers. That would improve legibility and make the jerseys look cleaner, in my opinion.

Overall: Again, these would make great merch. One small change with the chest stripe, and I would need the Packers to start playing hockey so I see this on the ice. (8/10)

Chicago Blackhawks Stadium Series concept - Matt Mc.

What I like: When I saw the Blackhawks Stadium Series jerseys, my only thought was, "meh." We had see those before, and the template/chrome logo hadn't improved the look. This is new, and looks great. It draws on some history, while having enough forward-thinking elements to not come off as a pure throwback or a rehash. The striping pattern is great, but my favorite part is the yoke and the clean, modern Blackhawk logo. No chrome logos.

What I dislike: The thin white stripe on the collar should continue on the back. I'd like to see a logo on the helmet.

Overall: Now this is a Stadium Series jersey I'd like to see on the ice. (8.8/10)

Pittsburgh Penguins Stadium Series concept - Matt Mc.

What I like: When all was said and done, Pittsburgh's Stadium Series jersey ended up being my favorite. That doesn't mean there wasn't room for an improvement, though. I prefer this design by Matt. The hem/arms/yoke don't match, yet it all works together very well together.

What I dislike: I know many people probably don't care about helmet logos, but it's a detail that I like to see.

Overall: Forget Stadium Series, I would mind if a dark version of this was made to match this, and then became the Penguins full-time home/away. (9/10) COTW nomination from me!

Ottawa Senators CCM alternate concept - Tristan M.

What I like: This a really cool sweater. The chest stripe looks great with the logo. The subliminated stripes are nice detail. It reminds me of a soccer jersey, but I like it. Execution and presentation are faultless. 

What I dislike: I would like to see what the old Senators 'O' monogram would look like on the shoulders. 

Overall: This would be a really nice alternate. It has a lot of tried-and-true elements, with some new interesting details. (8.8/10)

As I said above, there are a lot of concepts today that deserve a COTW nomination, so I'm hoping you'll all give them the nominations and credit they deserve in the comments section!

If you saw anything today that has inspired you, and you want to share your idea with the community, be sure to post your thoughts on our new Leave and Idea page

Also, remember to send in your votes for nominated concepts and competition entries next week! See you all back here next Saturday