Saturday: Old Hat

Hello everyone! Today's post has some great designs from the NHL, MLS, and CHL! We have hockey teams turned into soccer teams, and vice versa. We have alternates and fauxbacks as well! So there really is something for everyone this Saturday.

Dylan's post on Tuesday, showcasing his massive hat collection, got a lot of great responses. Personally, I don't have an extensive hat collection. I have a few hats representing my favorite teams: the Nashville Predators, Tennessee Volunteers (no link because it's no longer in production), and St. Louis Cardinals. That's it. Three in total. I am extremely picky when it comes to hats, and tend to prefer designs that aren't exactly hot sellers. It took me over a year to find a Cardinals hat that I liked. Here's my criteria:

1. Must be understated: Nothing flashy. One logo, centered, will suffice. Neutral colors.

2. Must be adjustable: Cloth & brass, or a snapback. I hate fitted hats. Velcro is the worst, though.

3. Must have curved bill: Fitted, flat-bill hats are the choice of my middle-school students who actually still listen to Eminem, and say "swag" and "YOLO." Naturally, I avoid them. Everytime I see someone wear one of these hats in Bridgestone Arena with those huge stickers still on them I think, "We must be playing Boston."

4. Must be comfortable: I don't like the front of my hats to have that hard, structured feel. Thin cloth or meshbacks are preferable, especially in the often hot and humid summer of the Southeast.

5. No distressing: Distress your own hats the old fashioned way. Wear them places and do things. Acquire some stories. Buying a factory-distressed hat is like buying a replica of someone else's hat, and by extension, someone else's life and experiences. 

Based on that criteria, the hat manufacturers that I prefer are usually '47 Brand or Old Time Hockey. I'm pretty old-fashioned when it comes to hats. I'll likely wear the three I have out before I by another.

Naturally, I suspect some of you will have differing opinions, or criteria of your own. We'd all love to hear what you have to say in our comments section!

I know you're all very excited about the Grand Rapids Griffins contest! If you haven't sent in an entry yet, I trust you're still perfecting it. Entries are due on August 31st, so you have time to make these your best work yet! Click the banner above for more details.

Dallas Stars Soccer Concept - Phil B.

Positives: Reviewing a soccer concept is certainly a departure from the norm for me. There are a few soccer/hockey crossovers on the internets, some being pretty good. I think the star effect was definitely the right direction to go in with this jersey. I think the angled font compliments the star design well. Some people may not think a concept like this has much value or merit, but I think it's a good way to get yourself out of your comfort zone and experiment with different styles.

Negatives: There should probably be a manufacturers' logo on the jersey, but that's a small complaint. With presentation, the text box in the middle of the image infringes upon the jerseys. I would at least size that down so that it doesn't feel so crowded in the middle. 

Overall: The Stars don't play soccer, but if they did, they wouldn't look bad in this. (7.8/10)

Detroit Red Wings Soccer Concept - Phil B.

Positives: Again, it's good to mix it up every now and then with something like this. This concept is very understated, in typical Red Wings style.

Negatives: However, it's too understated. There's not much here that wasn't done with the fill-tool. I recommend doing something with sublimation to make this more interesting. Right now, it's just dull. Remarks above concerning presentation also apply here.

Overall: Just not that interesting. (6.5/10)

Real Salt Lake Hockey Concept (MLS) - Justin S.

Positives: We've seen to hockey teams turned into soccer teams, now here's the opposite. Justin does a pretty good job translating Real Salt Lake's uniforms onto a hockey template.

Negatives: I don't really think I like the number on the pants, or the logo on the socks. I also think the left sleeve on the dark jersey should be left red instead of yellow. You have three colors competing for attention there.

Overall: Not a bad translation, here. I think color balance is the central issue. (7.5/10)

Nashville Predators Concept - Scott B.

Positives: The striping isn't bad. I like the yoke, and that "NP" mark is a really underrated logo. Scott shows attention to detail with his sleeve numbers, and the small part of the arm striping visible on the back left arm. That's what I like to see.

Negatives: That logo. I've seen many attempts to fix this logo over the years. There's no hope for it. Let it die. The old numbers do show their age. The original Preds aesthetic just doesn't stand the test of time.

Overall: Some good detail here, but the old Preds' look is gone, and needs to stay that way. (7.5/10)

Philadelphia Flyers Concept - Jamie R.

Positives: We've seen several designs for the Flyers over the years that take inspiration from the old Philadelphia Quakers, which is incredible considering they only won 4 games and lasted one season. This has the arm striping from the Quakers jerseys, with the hem and nameplate from the Flyers current uniforms.

Negatives: The back of the left arm isn't consistent with the rest of the uniform. The sleeve number interrupts the striping on the other arms, but not that one. The lack of white in the rest of the uniform makes the logo look out of place. I suggest making the inner white part of the logo black, and the rest of the outlines orange.

Overall: A little more consistency is needed, but it's not a bad "fauxback." (7.5/10)

New York Rangers Concept - Joe D.

Positives: The stitching on the numbers and the captain's patch is a cool detail. I know the Sabres did it recently, but it's something I wouldn't mind seeing again. The vintage white works well here. I'm getting burned out on vintage white, but with all the pre-WWII design elements here, it makes sense.

Negatives: Barberpole striping isn't my favorite. I don't mind it so much on the arms, but the socks make the set busy. The combination of the striping on the arms and socks reminds me of Ronald McDonald. Also, I think there should still be a name on the back. I know they didn't do that back in the day, but if it's going to be worn on a semi-regular basis (meaning 3rd jersey) then it should have that anyway.

Overall: It's not bad, but potentially too close to a certain fast-food mascot. (7.5/10)

Rapid City Rush Redesign Concept (CHL) - TG

Positives: The striping pattern is unusual, and I like it. It has a geometric effect that seems to draw your eye inward to the jersey crest/name & number. Execution and presentation are very good. I particularly like TG's shading effect. It really helps the jersey pop off the screen and provides some textural depth. Bonus points for using one of the coolest names in sports: Winston Day Chief.

Negatives: The shoulders, with the intersecting lines, numbers, and shoulder patch, are a little crowded, it's not a huge issue, though.

Overall: I really like this set. Rapid City would look great in these jerseys. (8.8/10) COTW nomination from me!

Calgary Flames Concept - Christian L.

Positives: Christian's main strength is is his logos, as he shows here. I love the flaming stetson hat. It's based off of one of the unused Calgary logos we were given a brief glimpse of in the promotional material for Calgary's third jersey they introduced last year. The roundel used on that jersey looks great on the shoulders. The font fits perfectly with the jersey, even though some may find it gimmicky. The striping pattern has a nice western feel as well. Execution is very clean.

Negatives: There is a slight color imbalance. I think I would like the jersey better if the hem was red instead of white, and the collar was red as well. You misspelled "Calgary."

Overall: I think I would have preferred this as an alternate jersey as opposed to the one the Flames introduced last year. (8.5/10)

I hope you all enjoyed today's post. If you have something to add to what I said, or a differing opinion on my assessments, let us know your thoughts in the comments section! We had so many good concepts nominated last week that only two made it through to voting last week (those that had received 3rd and 4th nominations, etc.). That's why if you see a concept that absolutely love, you need to nominate it even if it's already been seconded! Speaking of voting, here's my weekly gifs:

Reward gif for those who used 10 seconds of their life wisely and sent their votes in.

Shame gif for those losers who can't get their stuff together.

There's still time to vote for the HJC Open Final Vote! This is the second biggest vote of the year for HJC (Next to the Concept of the Year) so you need to take the next 20 seconds and head over to the voting page to make your voice heard! No excuses! Do it now! Both Dylan W. and Justin C. have great entries in the HJC Open Final, and the last thing we want is a tie.

Come back here tomorrow to find out the results of this week's voting in Ryan's Sunday post!