Sunday: Duotone

Hello everyone, welcome to another Sunday post with your favourite current Sunday writer, William.

So how about those Coyotes? They fell into the trap of announcing a new set of jerseys, and now they're in relocation trouble. Nordiques fans know all about this. But are the Coyotes actually going to be moved this time?

I highly doubt it, at least out of their metropolitan area.

When all of the legal battles and government issues settle, my guess is that they end up in either Scottsdale or downtown Phoenix. And honestly, that would be better for the franchise than staying in Glendale anyway. Relocating to Quebec/Seattle would be better yet, but Bettman is clearly against that.

But despite of all of this drama, right now there is a team in Arizona, and they're set to get some new uniforms. The logo is apparently staying the same, which I'm alright with, but I hope the jersey brings back some of their old design choices, especially the stripes.

What would you guys like to see on the Coyotes new uniforms?

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Our next competition is up now, and it's a bit of a doosy. You have to make 1-4 jerseys for an NHL team (including former teams) using only 2 colours. That includes white and black, so you have to be very careful with your colours. You could go with a Detroit/Toronto design, but it'll be hard to make it stand out. You can use the existing logo, or alter the colours. But if you alter the colours, you can only use the colours you use for your jersey.

This competition is basically a challenge of efficiency. Who can make the most stand-out, realistic yet creative design, while being limited to 2 colours?

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So last week we tried using polls for our COTY-May vote. That didn't quite work out, so we'll be going back to the mail-in votes, for now.  But we do have a packed COTW vote that needs your help, so make sure you send in those votes!

COTW June 7-13 vote (ends Friday @ 11:59pm Eastern)

Two Colour Comp entries (due Friday @ 11:59pm Eastern)

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Here are today's concepts:


Ball St. Cardinals - Ben S.

Yay: Other than a schedule of games from last year, they play in division 3, and they have a player from Calgary, ON (?), there isn't a lot of info to dig up. But they do have a team, and this would be a cool jersey for them to have. Diagonal stripes look great here, especially with the logo, and it doesn't mess with the numbers too much on the back.

Nay: The diagonal design works on the white jersey with the logo, but not with the straight wordmark on the red jersey. The collars would look better with the opposite colour. Both jerseys could use more of the opposite colour and/or black, especially the red jersey which combined with the pants would be an overdose of red.

Overall: It's a neat design, but colour balance could use some work.  7.5/10



Erie Otters - Brandon C.

Yay: Next up is Team McDavid the Erie Otters by Brandon.  Erie has never played it safe with their jerseys, and they usually come out pretty terrible. Brandon's concept uses a traditional design that definitely plays it safe, but looks like a respectable hockey jersey. Colours and stripes are well balanced, and everything looks nicely executed.

Nay: For clarity purposes, you could probably get rid of the outline on the names. You could also lower and shrink the front logo a little bit, and lower the captain patch a little as well.

Overall: Safe, but by far better than anything Erie has worn in the past. 8.2/10




Jersey Knights - CPM

Note:  This next concept is with the terribly failed Jersey Knights. They lasted one season, missed the playoffs, actually didn't start the season as the Jersey Knights (NY Golden Blades for 20 games), and had a slanted ice surface in their arena. They also had that weird "K" logo to deal with.

Yay: With 2 concepts in this week's COTW vote already, CPM's WHA series is so far a huge hit. He moves on to this challenge of a design, takes out the "K" (besides the helmet, but I'll leave that be), adds a ton of stripes and even a checkerboard pattern. Very sharp design with well balanced colours.

Nay: The stripes on the yoke are bothering me. The look straight in the front, but the two middle stripes on the back make it look...messy? I don't know how to describe it, but it doesn't look good.  The other issue is with the cuffs. Straight on the blue jersey, but curved on the white jersey. I'd just keep them straight.

Overall: This concept is sharp, well detailed, and is a great improvement to a fairly unknown uniform. But it isn't quite perfect yet. 7.9/10




New York Islanders - Danny R.

Yay: Have we had enough black New York Islanders concepts yet? Of course not! That's what we have next by Danny. I've seen more blue used in these concepts than orange, so this is a bit refreshing. The logo and jersey look good in black, white and orange.  The shoulder patch is a nice touch.

Nay: I'd make the stripes a little thicker, and have white numbers/names with orange outline to match the logo, but otherwise this concept is pretty solid.

Overall: I could definitely live with this as an alternate. 8.4/10




Dayton Flyers - Daryl D.

Yay: Dayton has a hockey team in the TSCHL, which is ACHA Div. 2. Not very high on the totem pole, but they are generally the top team of that division, so that's something I guess. They have a cool arm/yoke design with a diagonal wordmark. This concept is much more traditional, and makes them look like a well-designed WHA team.

Nay: The hem and sock stripes should be inverted to match the arms (or vice versa), there should be a name on the back of the jersey, the number could use a white outline between the red and blue to better mach the logo and stripes, and the shoulder patches would be better with a white outline as well.

Overall: I like the 70's feel of this jersey, but the concept itself seems incomplete. 6.4/10




Anaheim Ducks - Keegan G.

Yay: Next up is Keegan's Anaheim Ducks fauxback. Starting with the positive, yes this logo needs to come back, and I think a primarily purple jersey is something the NHL desperately needs again.

Nay: The arms on the concept aren't straight up and down, they're angled, so the arm stripes should be angled appropriately. The cuff and hem look like they were cut and pasted on top of the jersey than erased around the edges There are no TV numbers, no back of the jersey, and inconsistent stripe outline sizes. The presentation is just plain bad, with a dull background, a jersey that isn't front and center, lots of useless open space, and a font that is hard to read and not at all professional looking.

Overall: But at least it's purple. 5.3/10




Florida Panthers - Nick B.

Yay: Last up today is Nick's Florida Panthers concept. This is essentially a redo of their original alternate uniform, but with a few changes. Curved arms, separation of the white stripe, and a non-arching name make this jersey look more modern than the original, while still being close to the heart of the original's design. Well coloured, designed and executed.

Nay: The captain patch looks a little too big, or maybe too close to the yoke. I'd also add in some shoulder patches. But once those are fixed, you have yourself a great throwback concept.

Overall: Solid concept! 8.7/10

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My COTW nomination goes to Nick B's Florida Panthers concept!

Did you agree with my ratings? Hopefully I wasn't too harsh to some of these concepts today.

Don't forget to vote for COTW, and submit your 2 Colour Competition entries!

Thanks for reading and see you next week!