Saturday: Hockey is Almost Back

Hello everyone, and welcome to another Saturday HJC post! Today we have the continuation of Matt's soccer/NHL cross-over series, a Wild Wing revival, two alternates for both NHL teams from New York, and a concept inspired by Ozzy Osbourne! Really? Yes. I'm serious about all of that. You'll have to see for yourself, but sometimes the creativity on this site is truly amazing.

In other news, we're over the off-season hump! Very soon, training camps will begin, and some veteran players have already started voluntary workouts! James Neal and Shea Weber are already busy blasting pucks away in Nashville. NHL hockey is coming soon. Just a few more weeks...

In the meantime, why not join up with some HJC readers and writers for a little fantasy hockey? I started a league last week, and we already have enough to draft, but the more people we get the better! Click this link to join in on the fun! Everyone is welcome.

We have some more entries into the DEL Competition, and here they are!

Andrew W.

Brian C.

Coby S.

Danny R.

J3

Montreal Canadiens NHL/Soccer Cross-Over Concept - Matt Mc.

Positives: This is a good set here. The Canadiens logo looks remarkably good when placed off-center like that. I've long thought that the Habs could get away with a faux-sash design because of that, but of couse, Montreal would would go crazy if that happened. My favorite of the two here is actually the barberpole design. Execution is very good, and Matt always has excellent presentation.

Negatives: I still wish I could see the backs of the jerseys. Chest striping can produce problems with numbers on the back, so I'm interested to see how Matt would have solved that possible issue of readability.

Overall: I'm enjoying this series, and Matt's designs have shown how versatile many team's aesthetics truly are, even the most traditional ones. (8.5/10)

New Jersey Devils NHL/Soccer Cross-Over Concept - Matt Mc.

Positives: I can see a little bit of the green/red era Devils designs in the sleeve striping of this jersey. That's a nice touch, and shows that Matt fully evaluated the Devils history to determine how to most effectively translate their aesthetic to an entirely different template.

Negatives: The socks are a bit plain. I'd like to see something on them.

Overall: Solid, but not quite exciting. (8/10)

Nashville Predators NHL/Soccer Cross-Over Concept - Matt Mc.

Positives: The gold jersey looks pretty good when translated to a soccer template. I especially like the socks. The piping doesn't look out of place here. The checkerboard design is intriguing. I like pairing the gold jersey with the design of the old Preds navy third, mainly because those are my favorite Preds designs. 

Negatives: The gold used on the navy jersey looks almost out of place. I think leaving "Bridgestone" white might be better, especially since "Bridestone" is just one color on the gold jersey. 

Overall: Not many people do Nashville designs well, but I'm pretty satisfied here. (8.3/10)

St. Louis Blues Concept - David P.

Positives:  Very interesting inspiration for this concept. Kudos to David for including the picture of Ozzy's merch that inspired this concept. How strange to see Ozzy Osbourne arrested in Memphis with Blues gear on. This wouldn't make a bad fauxback for the Blues. The roundel logo fits well as a shoulder patch here. Sleeve numbers are executed perfectly. Hem striping balances the look well.

Negatives: There is some heavy pixelation on this concept that makes it difficult to discern some of the details, bringing down the overall quality.

Overall: I could see the Blues wearing something like this in a future Winter Classic game. The overall design makes a good fauxback, I just wish it was cleaner. (7.8/10)

New York Rangers Third Jersey Concept - TG

Positives: I am always a fan of a jersey that brings back the old Lady Liberty logo. Few alternate logos are more well-loved, and for good reason. It is unusual to see the logo on such a traditional jersey, but it doesn't look entirely out of place. I really like the striping. It fits the Rangers look well, while still bringing some new elements of its own. The numbers look great. I don't mind the drop shadow here, which is a big deal for me because I usually hate it. The grey trim is used very effectively here. I would say the color balance is perfect. Shading underneath the concept helps it pop off the screen. I also appreciate the restraint in not using a lace collar here.

Negatives: The only negative I have is presentation. The right margin here is underutilized, leaving a larger amount of dead space than necessary. You could use that better by placing the pants, socks, gloves, etc. underneath the Lady Liberty logo that it is already placed there.

Overall: TG's concepts have been very strong lately. A few minor tweaks in presentation,a nd this would be perfect for me. (8.8/10) COTW nomination from me!

Anaheim Ducks Alternate Jersey Concepts - Mario A.

Positives: Restraint is not a strong suit with some of Mario's concepts, but that means that he might be the perfect person to bring back the alternate designs of the old Mighty Ducks of Anaheim. For the Wild Wing jersey, the striping isn't bad. That's the strongest jersey of the two here. The Wild Wing has that certain je nes se quoi that made the 90s alternates so great. The font on the Wild Wing jersey is bad, but that's the point, isn't it?

Negatives: Really not digging the other jersey. The other alternates of the 97-2000 Ducks aren't as memorable. The designs just weren't that good, but weren't memorably bad. They tend to be forgotten. This design is sort of a conglomeration of a Flyers jersey, those 97-2000 third jerseys, with some other stuff thrown in. It just comes off as a hodgepodge.

Overall: The Wild Wing concept has some promise, but the other alternate is DOA. (6/10)

New York Islanders Alternate Jersey Concept - Tristan M.

Positives: Tristan is an expert in using shading to make his concepts stand out. Presentation is, as always, excellent. His concepts have a certain style that I appreciate. The striping pattern used here shows some Stadium Series inspiration. I thought the Isles had the best Stadium Series design, so I don't mind that at all. The diagonal striping pattern seems to fit them well. Pairing that with traditional hem striping, and balancing it out with blue on the arms and shoulders, makes for a good alternate jersey. The sleeve numbers are well done. 

Negatives: With execution, the side panel stitching doesn't meet the bottom of the shoulders on the front and back of the jersey.

Overall: I'd like to see more white alternates in the league, because this could be a good one. (8.6/10)

This week saw some changes here at HJC, with new writers on Tuesday and Wednesday, and Dylan A. moving to Mondays. William, Jets96, and I are staying put, but I'm excited to see two new writer debuts coming soon! 

Of course, it's not a Saturday post without gifs, so here's the renown reward gif for you winners who got out and voted this week! Also, here's the shame gif if you didn't. Learn from your mistakes.