Sunday: The Next Round

 Hey gang, welcome to another Sunday post!

Well, my HJC Open run is over. I got a couple of votes against Christian, which is about what I expected, and Christian will be joining the other 7 winners for the HJC Open Quarter Finals. The depth of the tournament has been amazing, but now we're down to an elite group of 8 artists, and any one of these artists can win this whole thing. But we still have 3 rounds of action and concepts left, so stay tuned!

More excitement this week comes in the form of our 2nd Quarterly Vote for COTY.  One of those concepts will be featured in our COTY Final vote in January, which is kind of a big deal around here. We also have our weekly COTW vote happening as well, and without a COTW winner, we can't have a COTY winner, so voting for both is really important.  It's also really easy to get your votes in, just check the polls on the right, pick a winner, and done!  Now you have no excuse, seriously, do it now, I'll be waiting...

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And we're back.  Just as an off topic question for you guys: where (if at all) should the NHL expand?  NHL expansion is sounding more and more like a reality now, and there's quite a few different places that could have an NHL team.  At this point, I think Las Vegas is a no-brainer, as they've jumped through all the hoops, said all the right things, did everything Bettman wanted, and made a previously laughed at idea sound like a great one.  Seattle should get a team, but arena deals will likely be a huge hurdle. The east really doesn't need more teams, but with some division shuffling, Quebec is a very sensible place to have a team again. 

I've also heard a few less than likely scenarios, such as Milwaukee, northern Minnesota, Kansas City, Portland, Houston, and a 2nd Toronto team. Another Toronto team would make sense in a lot of ways, and would be successful irregardless of the other teams in the area, but I just don't see it happening.

That's what I think anyways, and I want to know what your say is.  Where would you like to see an expansion team? Or are you against expanding the NHL? Let me know your thoughts in the comments.

Alrighty then, let's get the concept party started!

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Columbus Blue Jackets -  Chase C.

First up is Chase's Columbus set. He takes their original alternate and creates a main set based on that.

I always liked this alternate, black looks really good with these logos and colours.
Good font choice, better than the one used on the original.
Very believable set.

The white jersey needs more black, but there really isn't anywhere to put it.  What you could do is have black pants instead of red, so both uniforms still have black on them.
You could have their newly recoloured alternate logo on one of the shoulders.
Besides the hem and curvyness of arms, the white jersey is basically what they wear now.

Overall: It's believable, and looks alright, but there's not much new or exciting here.  7.3/10




Arizona Coyotes - Ben M.

After the negative backlash for the new Coyotes jerseys, it didn't take long for designers like Ben to show off his alternative design.

No contrasting shoulders.
Ben does a great job of simplifying an overly complicated design by the Coyotes
Looking back and forth between this and their new set, I'm liking the black primary jersey more than the red one.  Black really makes the logo stand out.
Looks believable, well executed, and much better than their own design.

The TV numbers look strange slanted like that, especially since both arms are tilted slightly.
There should be a small gap between the small stripe and bottom of the sock, to match the rest of the stripes on the jersey.

Overall: Could be better, but definitely an improvement. 7.8/10




Windsor Spitfires - Chase C.

Chase returns, this time with a very unique alternate jersey for the Windsor Spitfires, a team that could really use some jersey help.

Those arm stripes are glorious!
This jersey is both simple yet unique, which is golden for any jersey design.
The font, though not a great choice for jersey designs, suits the team very well.

I'm guessing the grey dot on the sock is accidental, but still, not good.
The hem looks really boring compared to the rest of the jersey.  At least put some red down there.
Again, that font would be a little tough to use on jerseys as far as readability goes.

Overall:  Very sharp design.  Not without fault, but still looks really awesome. 8/10




Tampa Bay Lightning - Dylan B.

Dylan tries to go a different route when making a traditional alternate for the Lightning. 

Diagonal text that doesn't say "BOLTS"? About time!
Traditional striping, but not as overly simplistic as their main set.
I've warmed up to the idea of having a black alternate, as long as it doesn't resemble the Kings jerseys in any way.  This one passes the test.
The lightning bolt on the pants is a good addition.

The lightning bolt could be a bit thicker.
"Tampa Bay" almost looks too long to use as a wordmark.
Gloves could use more colour and design, while helmet could use a logo or something.

Overall:  It's better than what they have, and it's definitely believable.  A few tweaks and this could be the alternate they're looking for.  8.1/10




Northwest Kansas Tech Mavericks - Mario A.

Correct me if I'm wrong, but I don't think they actually have a hockey team.  But that doesn't stop Mario from giving us a design for their school.

Cool arm design.
Nice to see a concept from a school/team we'd probably never see on here.  That really pushes creativity.

The name and numbers are black, and the rest of the "black" on the jersey looks like it was made with CMYK instead of RGB, so the two shades don't match.  Either that or you intended to use a brownish-black, but then the numbers don't really match.
The arms and side panels make the jersey way too busy, and the inversion between both sets doesn't really make any sense.

Overall: Kudos for doing something different, but this set needs a ton of work.  6/10




Detroit Vipers - Ryan C.

Last up today is for the old IHL's Detroit Vipers.  This team and their colours rocked the late 90's, but can Ryan's set give them new life?

Simple striping, just the way they did it, but not going with the full cuff, so something a little different still.
Going from purple to black seems like a bold choice, but I like it.
Colours are well balanced.
This set could rock the crazy 90's, and still look good today.

The reason they went with a purple (or black in this case) dark jersey is because now with a blue jersey, the logo is really hard to see.

Overall: Only one issue with this set, but it's a pretty big one.  Otherwise, great set.  8/10



Almost every concept today featured an improvement from a current jersey, which is an awesome achievement.  However, none of the pieces today are really standing out to me as COTW-worthy, so I'm going to hold back my nomination today, and let the readers decide.

Don't forget to vote for the COTY 2nd Quarter and COTW votes, and to submit/vote for the HJC Open Quarter-Final.  Congratulations to everyone still involved and good luck in the next round!

That's all for now, thanks for reading and see you next week!