Friday: Now With More Starch!

Hey guys! I'm back and less witty than ever!

I'd like to extend a formal welcome and congratulations to our new writers. They've done an excellent job so far and I know they've got more great stuff in them. Best of luck to you guys!

Since I haven't weighed in on any new jersey, I'm going to continue to beat the dead horse that is the All Star Jersey.

Thank you, nhluniforms.com (Great site, check it out if you haven't!)

I looked at this and I thought to myself "wow NHL, you managed to make something look just like the Arizona Coyotes jerseys, but somehow make it worse." I can say I've been very much opposed to these one off jerseys the past few years because they've been too wild and crazy (let's not forgot the great white pants incident), but this year everything has flipped. Outside of the Winter Classic jerseys and the Detroit jersey, everything this year is so... boring. It's all got the same arm stripe pattern but no hem stripe pattern gimmick. I think I'd like the neon green back if this is the alternative.

Also, this jersey just for some reason reminds me of corn. I don't know why, but when I look at it I just think of husking corn. I don't get it. But it just... corn man. Corn.

This jersey gets a strong Starch/10

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Hey everyone! So I have a new idea for a jersey you guys can make! My friend goes to a small school called Valparaiso in Indiana. You may have heard of their basketball team. Recently, they just created a hockey team, but sadly, they look bad.

I want to see what you guys can do with this jersey! I think a lot of you guys could be able to make something really dang cool for this team, which is still in its infancy. Talk about a way to get some work out in the real world!

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Look! Over the horizon! It's a bad joke about voting! Which you should do!

COTY-December vote (ends Friday @ 11:59pm Eastern)

COTW Jan 3-9 vote (ends Friday @ 11:59pm Eastern)

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Ben S - San Jose State

Execution: Your execution is great (100%)

Striping: What you did with the white main jersey is awesome. It's a simple, clear design. The highlights in the yoke look absolutely fantastic. The colored jersey does suffer a little because of the sheer simplicity in the design. (80%)

Effectiveness: Very "college jersey" (100%)

Creativity: For the team, incredibly. It goes against the hardcore edgy look the team currently strives for and has more of a classic, simplistic, and traditional appeal. That being said, it is very traditional. (80%)

Other: One thing I've never personally been a fan of is having the name be boxed in like that. It looks a little weird and doesn't carry too well from player to player. At least that's how I view the design. Everything else looks sweet though. Socks look on point and the everything is right where it should be. (90%)

Overall: A proper college approach to a team that should definitely get one (87%)

Glen W - San Jose State Spartans

Execution: Try to refrain from using the NHL logos on non NHL team jerseys. Also, the numbers on the arms should be a tad bigger. Other than that, great work! (75%)

Striping: I really love this pattern on the arms. It's simple, strong and expressive. Very classic look. (95%)

Effectiveness: Again, another great "college jersey" (100%)

Creativity: I think even though the jersey above this one and this design are drastically different, the same things could be said for each. (80%)

Other: Ok, so my apologies but in my original draft for this post I had paired both yours and Ben's concepts together, thinking they were one series. It wasn't until later I had gone through and looked at them again. But what I do have to say is that in a perfect world, these three could be a set, with this as a really cool alternate. Great work here, and I may or may not be suggesting a collab between the two of you. To the actual review, I'd just say maybe make the shoulder patch a tad larger. (90%)

Overall: Another great approach to jersey making that drastically differs from the team's current set. (89%)

Lucas D - Winter Classic 2017 (Maple Leafs v Rangers)

Execution: Fantastic work. (100%)

Striping: The Leafs jersey looks absolutely awesome. It's a very classic design that looks ripped straight from the annals of history. I think that the pattern could've been a little more experimental, but it still works. The Rangers invoke the good ol chest stripe design we've seen many times in the past, something that I really enjoy. This does do it very well, but I do think that the jersey could use some more white to create more of a contrast with the royal blue. (85%)

Effectiveness: I think that they might focus on more teams for next years, maybe another classic rivalry (Blackhawks again?) but I wouldn't count this out as a possibility. (100%)

Creativity: Not too incredibly creative on both jerseys, but I still think the logo that you've designed is very awesome. Not much we've seen like it. (75%)

Other: Two thing that I have to say is that the font for the Rangers looks a little strange here, and that the logo should be lined up with the chest stripe. (80%)

Overall: An outdoor game that's bound to happen. Maybe a sneak peek? (85%)

NSconcepts - Lakewood Lumberjacks

Execution: Really dang good! (100%)

Striping: Plaid is always awesome. I would've gone with a bit of a darker brown to contrast more with the wheat. I also would've rotated the plaid a little to be in line with the arm stripes. (75%)

Effectiveness: Really dang cool! Starting the Milwaukee Lumberjacks has been a plan my friends have had for years. Maybe this could be a jersey? (100%)

Creativity: Plaid is never seen here. I love plaid. As I'm writing this I am wearing plaid. My school's color is plaid. Everything needs more plaid. (95%)

Other: I think the logo does need some work. You usually do want the logo to be much flatter, that way it doesn't become too overly complicated in the wrong areas. (80%)

Overall: I couldn't find anything about this team, so I'm only assuming it's all original, and it's a really cool idea for a full team! (86%)

Ross T - Toronto Maple Leafs

Execution: Missing an NHL logo, but maybe that's the direction Adidas will take things? (90%)

Striping: Simple and killer. These are all patterns we've seen countless times and they've worked so well for these guys in the past. Although I've never been a huge fan of the pattern on the alternate. It just doesn't look balanced very well. (80%)

Effectiveness: A very modern jersey that pays the perfect homage. (100%)

Creativity: Not very. It ain't a bad thing, and it does have its own personal touches, but the Leafs redesign is pretty dang common. (80%)

Other: I like the redesigned leaf. It looks real dang cool with this jersey. (90%)

Overall: Another Leafs redesign that takes the team in a cool direction. (86%)

Ryan C - Florida Panthers

Execution: Missing that NHL patch, but everything else is good. Oh yeah, and don't forget that name! (80%)

Striping: It's a little too crazy for me. There are a lot of colors here, the bronze sticking out like a sore thumb. The biggest issue I think I have is the connecting navy stripe. It looks a lot more like a black outline and ends up crowding the jersey. (70%)

Effectiveness: It's definitely less templatey than the current, but I think the Panthers are gonna try steering clear of these colors. (50%)

Creativity: Incredibly. Not really seen much for this team like it. (95%)

Other: This jersey does really have a lot going on. I feel like this logo looks better paired with something a little simpler. Maybe with a more golden shade it could pop more instead of "weighing the jersey down" with too much color. Insert San Jose Sharks joke here. (75%)

Overall: The Panthers, for being such a strange team, don't reflect it too much in their jerseys. This does. (76%)

Vaughn R - Blainville Boisbriand Armada v Boston University Terriers

Execution: Killer (100%)

Striping: One really cool thing I'd like to point out it those stripes on the yoke of the Armada jerseys. The light silver on the Armada jerseys really is subtle, but does add that slight bit of character. The Terriers jersey could use some more detail on the hem, but all in all it's very successful. (80%)

Effectiveness: A very strange match that sounds like it would be pretty dang awesome. (100%)

Creativity: I've never seen anything like this. It has strange elements of other jerseys, but is wholesome and original in its origins. (90%)

Other: The Terriers numbers could've been all white. The black really isn't needed at all. For the Armada, I think that the team is missing that big old A logo that looks so lovably goofy. (70%)

Overall: College vs Junior league. A strange matchup that, maybe after this, could happen! (83%)

Zeke G - Winnipeg Jets

Execution: Just missing that NHL logo. And big applause for hitting the "1" rule on the head! (90%)

Striping: Beautiful. Absolutely. It's so simple and sleek. One of the few Jets designs that uses minimalism to its advantage. (95%)
Effectiveness: What they should've been wearing. (100%)

Creativity: Not too creative in the sense of the league, but something that the Jets could really use. (90%)

Other: Ok, new designers. Take note of the numbers here. See how well they work with the pattern of this. They're simple and modern just like the stripes, but they have that sense of movement like a Jet. Whereas they look tacky on the real jersey, the numbers here really do add to the story of the jersey. One complaint I do have is that I don't think the logo needed the silver outline on the white, so that way it contrasts more naturally against the jersey. (95%)

Overall: Absolutely amazing work. (94%) and my COTW Nom

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Well, that's the post! Thank you for coming back one more day!

Like what I said? Didn't like what I said? Think another jersey deserves COTW? Want to start a conversation on the functional uses of tiny horses? Leave it down in the comments!

Best of luck to all of you this weekend and the full week after!

Until next time...

GO HAWKS!!! GO DUCKS!!!

-Jack G