Friday: Patriotic Goalie Pads

Hello folks!  This post won't have much of an intro, but I do want to share a photo of Cory Schneider's awesome pads for the World Cup of Hockey.

Image from @VaughnHockey on Twitter

You may have seen these pads already, Ryan retweeted a photo of them last Sunday, but these are too good not to share on the blog as well.  I love the American flag design, it's the perfect choice for a Team USA goalie.  The design isn't too busy either, which could of been a problem if they used more red and white stripes.  Overall, I think these pads are perfect.  10/10

What are your thoughts?

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We're deciding the COTW winner for two weeks this week.  The week of August 26th to September 1st will be decided with a regular COTW vote, while the winner of the COTW Challenge will become the COTW winner for the August 19th to 25th week.

COTW Aug 26 - Sept 1 vote (ends Friday, Sept 9 @ noon Eastern)

COTW Challenge Top 3 vote (ends Friday, Sept 9 @ noon Eastern)

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Speaking of the COTW Challenge, here are the final entries for that competition...

by Ben M:

by JJ:

by Noah B:

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2017 Winter Classic, by Burkus Circus:

Burkus Circus starts us off today with a hand drawn Winter Classic concept.  I like the overall design of each jersey, the Blackhawks jersey is based off of their 1947-48 white sweater with some changes, while the Blues jersey is a brand new design that incorporates angled hem stripes like their 1995-98 set.  I'm not a fan of this number font though, it feels to modern for a Winter Classic.  Execution is decent for a hand drawn concept, but it could be improved with some more patience and a ruler.  Also the back collar wasn't coloured on the Blues jersey, and the Blues logo would look better if it was printed on a white background with the blue background added by hand.
Rating: 6/10

Team Finland, by Vaughn R:

We have two World Cup concepts from Vaughn today, starting with Finland.  Adding red (and some yellow) to the jerseys was an interesting choice, but I don't think it worked out.  There's already enough blue and red countries, and this colour scheme doesn't feel Finish to me.  I understand why it was done, but I think red and yellow should stay limited to their crest.  Moving past that, the striping pattern doesn't look bad but it's also generic, it's basically just a recoloured Blackhawks road jersey.  The execution is mostly good, however the logo is a bit too big.
Rating: 6/10

Team Sweden, by Vaughn R:

Vaughn also made some interesting choices for his Sweden concept, but this time I think they worked well.  The choices I'm alluding to are the front numbers below the crowns, and the squared number font.  I like how it looks like the front number is wearing a crown.  However, I prefer the yellow crowns on a blue background, so I'd swap the crowns colour with the front number.  The striping pattern looks good on it's own, but I also think it's too traditional to work with this modern number font and the front number.
Rating: 7/10

Quebec Nordiques, by Lucas D:

Eventually Quebec City will get another NHL team, and when they do that team will probably play in a Heritage Classic at some point.  Well Lucas has already designed a great Heritage Classic jersey for them.  I like the blue chest stripe with the monochrome igloo logo, it reminds me of the old Quebec Bulldogs sweaters.  The striping pattern also reminds me a bit of the Nordiques WHA jerseys.  I'm also a fan of the leather pants.  I don't have any design complaints, but execution wise the design on the front of the jersey is flat and forward facing while the template is 3D and angled slightly away from the viewer.
Rating: 8/10

Sudbury Wolves, by Ryan H:

Our fearless leader Ryan bravely takes on the Sudbury Wolves and their ugly logo to create this next concept.  I like the white upper arms, I think they look much better than their current sleeve-length yoke.  I don't mind the phantom yoke either, it works well with the contrasting upper arms (I've said the same about the Wild's home jersey before), and the collar looks nice as well.  Lastly, I prefer how the silver is separate from the white on the hem stripe, I think the arms should be altered to match.
Rating: 8/10

Washington Capitals, by Jimmy T:

Next up Jimmy combines a few different eras of Capitals jerseys to create this concept.  The striping pattern is mostly from their original jerseys, but the hem stripes are simplified and the red jerseys loses its yoke.  I approve both of those changes.  I also like that Jimmy used their current number font and shoulder logo.  The name is a bit hard to read on red jersey though, and I also don't think their Winter Classic logo works on a white background because the blue W and red "Capitals" blend together.  Execution is very good, except the jersey stitching is a bit too faint in my opinion.
Rating: 8/10

San Jose Sharks, by Jake88:

For our final concept, Jake redesigned the Sharks by emphasizing black over teal.  I think the striping pattern looks great, I especially like how the sleeve stripes are angled but don't form a point.  The collar on the road jersey blending into the yoke is a nice detail as well.  Additionally, this sharp number font works perfectly with the new logo.  I wouldn't like the use of black over teal if these were the Sharks primary jerseys, but they'd make fantastic alternate jerseys.
Rating: 9/10 and my COTW nomination!

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That's all folks!