Winter Classic, Part I

In honor of the Winter Classic which takes place tomorrow, I've got concept art for the two clubs taking part. (Penguins today, Sabres tomorrow.)

First is a rather dramatic logo redesign. You can't help but like the throwback jerseys though.



On the right is a set that also makes use of a new logo while throwing back even further to the days of blue sweaters.



Here we have a recolored set of New York Islanders jerseys. Still not a fan of that design but the lack of piping is allowing me to warm to it only slightly.



The numbering here scares me but it shows what you can do to improve the visual look of the Pens' sweaters.



And this one's for the few of you that preferred the '90s penguin.

This last concept is a little far out but it's not bad thinking. Needs work but it feels like it's on the right track.



That's all I got. Should have some Sabres artwork tomorrow. Hope you enjoy the game if you were lucky enough to score tickets. Happy new year!

Concepts On The Isle

I got a couple of nice New York Islanders concepts delivered to me. I felt like sharing them tonight. The first is a really simple improvement over the new design introduced this year.



It's not much, but it makes the sleeves seem like they're actually a part of the jersey. And it does away with the pointless piping around the shoulders.

Now if you just can't live without the piping, here's how you do it the right way. Tip: Use a different color for the shoulders.



Plus, I've always liked the Islanders in an orange jersey. Just like I preferred the Stars in green — even the Wild in green as well. It's almost like there was actually a mandate requiring teams to wear black, blue or red (the Sharks with the teal the only exception). Anyway, here's to orange jerseys and Mike Comrie.



Though he appears to be disintegrating as if in one of those sci-fi films.

I'll have more stuff to post tomorrow. I hope to make a large-scale update to the Concepts Gallery as well.

Just To Freak You Out XXI

The Freak Out series hits 21 this week — old enough to get hammered. And boy, I think some of the designers this week had to have been hammered. I mean, just look at this.



It might take a moment or two to notice that this is an "If They Mated" example. It's the new Sharks secondary logo merged with the Mighty Ducks third jersey of the mid-90s. But I love it!



This Flames jersey is on fire! Someone on eBay is really selling it. For real.



Sidney Crosby recently dropped the gloves in a rare on-ice event. This picture isn't real but it cracks me up nonetheless. There's just so much about it that's so wrong. I'm curious to see if the guys over at Pensblog have anything to say about this.

And finally, we have a plethora of "matings" here to share.



To sum things up, what you see above is the Flyers and Bruins, Rangers and Islanders, Devils and Sabres, Blue Jackets and Blackhawks, Avalanche and Wild, Blues and Red Wings, Canucks and Hurricanes (weird!), Bruins and Flyers (opposite of the first one) and Stars and Coyotes.

But wait, there's more.



This one is interesting because it's all opposites of the previous image. They are the Coyotes and Stars, Blackhawks and Blue Jackets, Hurricanes and Canucks, Islanders and Rangers, Sabres and Devils, Red Wings and Blues (what the—?), and Wild and Avalanche.

Hope you enjoyed being freaked out. Have a fantastic weekend!

Poll: Capitals vs Thrashers

	vs
Washington CAPITALS		Atlanta THRASHERS

Place your vote and then feel free to leave a comment as to how you came to your decision. Tell all your friends to drop in and vote! The more voices heard, the more accurate the results!

Poll opening date Thu Dec 27

Poll closing date Mon Dec 31

07SCTRN | #3B | WSHvATL

Poll: Hurricanes vs Canucks

	vs
Carolina HURRICANES		Vancouver CANUCKS

The third round has begun! Place your vote and then feel free to leave a comment as to how you came to your decision. Tell all your friends to drop in and vote! The more voices heard, the more accurate the results!

Poll opening date Wed Dec 26

Poll closing date Sat Dec 30

07SCTRN | #3A | CARvVAN

Merry Christmas, Edmonton!

Santa has delivered some Edmonton Oilers concept art for me to post this evening.

This first one keeps with the copper theme but makes a few adjustments. For one thing, there are two different secondary logos — one for each shoulder. It also continues the stripe all the way around the sleeve.



Not too bad overall, though. The letters on the nameplate might be a bit hard to read but the secondary logos are well done. I like the one on the left, personally.



These two jerseys are a couple of designs featuring the logo you guys voted as the NHL's best third jersey logo. One with silver, one with copper. I like the silver.



And these two were just fun. I think that jersey on the left looks bad with an Islanders logo on it. The Oilers logo doesn't improve it. On the right are a few concepts with some interesting striping. The orange jersey was ill-conceived, I think, but the other two have my attention.

Finally, as a bonus for those of you longing for the days of the Winnipeg Jets, enjoy this.



Those are pretty sharp. Too bad we'll never get to see jerseys like that anytime soon.

I hope you all enjoyed your Christmas (if you celebrate it) and the day off (if you were lucky enough to get it). The third round of the Secondary Logo tournament kicks off tomorrow.

Quick Update

The response so far on the Worst Logo Tournament has been great! A lot of you guys definitely seem more interested in naming a bad logo than a good one, but to each his own. Just wanted to drop in with a brief update since I haven't really been around this weekend. Here's a little something to tide you over until I have a chance to do a real concepts post.



Certainly a lot to peruse there. In the meantime, I hope you all enjoy the long weekend (I have to work tomorrow — luckily the show has been cancelled for Christmas Day). And Merry Christmas to those of you that celebrate it!

Coming Soon: The NHL's Worst Logo!

All right, yes, it may say in the header of this blog that we're on a quest to find the "best" logo in the NHL, but by popular demand, we're going to digress from that a little in the new year.

Following the Secondary Logo Tournament, we'll ring in 2008 by deciding on the worst logo in NHL history. And you will determine which logos will be part of the new bracket!

Here's how it's going to work. We'll start with a pool of 16 logos and narrow that down to the very worst ever seen in the league. Those 16 logos will be determined by nominations made by you, the readers of NHLToL. Feel free to make nominations by leaving comments. (But only comment on THIS POST. Don't email me directly and don't make your nominations on other posts. This is where I'll be looking.) I'll start tallying things up over the next few weeks and then reveal the final bracket in January.

Now as with any good competition, we have to have some ground rules. The only eligible logos include those in use from 1967-68 onward (the year the league expanded from the Original Six). While some of you may not like this limitation, I think it's fair to say that many of the NHL logos that made appearances in the 1920s and '30s aren't really up to par in terms of design as those created in the last 50 years.

Feel free to argue that point with me, though. I'm willing to do whatever you guys want, within reason, but why needlessly poke fun at the Hamilton Tigers, Philadelphia Quakers and St. Louis Eagles (and others) just because they weren't into hiring graphic designers in those days? I'm all about a fair fight.

So having said that, everything else that's ever been worn on a jersey is fair game. Primary logos, secondary (shoulder) logos, third jersey logos — whatever! You guys make your nominations here and in a few weeks we'll have our pool. Also, if you opt to nominate a more obscure logo, be sure to include an image link so that we can see it. If it's really obscure, I can't guarantee I'll be able to include it, but don't let that stop you.

Now start the nominations!

Just To Freak You Out XX

The quality of Freak Out art I've become accustomed to was sorely lacking this week and that'll be clear after you get through tonight's post. It's not that nobody sent anything, it's that they were either trying too hard or not trying hard enough. I've got to have some standards, right? Perhaps not, but I'll forbear any further deliberation if for no other reason than to quite simply get on with it. Good plan?

What's wrong with this picture?



Yes, it seems like some of the colors there are a bit off. These too.



And don't even get me started on the absurdity of tropical storm flags surrounding a jersey with a Hartford Whalers logo on it. My head would explode.



Next is a Philadelphia Flyers concept logo that I think fits fairly into the "freaky" category.



At first, I liked this New York Rangers jersey. But the more I stare at it, the more it disturbs me. I don't care how old that team is. They need a new logo.



And finally, this one I just can't figure out. My brain tells me this is a nice Photoshop job, but a small part of me fears someone, somewhere actually made this jersey.



Islanders fans, I apologize. That's just horrible.

Anyway, that's all I've got for this week. Hope you got a little freaked out. And I hope you guys will keep sending in good Freak Out Friday material so we can keep this series going. Enjoy your holiday weekend!

Poll: Thrashers vs Kings

	vs
Atlanta THRASHERS		Los Angeles KINGS

Place your vote and then feel free to leave a comment as to how you came to your decision. Tell all your friends to drop in and vote! The more voices heard, the more accurate the results!

Poll opening date Thu Dec 20

Poll closing date Mon Dec 24

07SCTRN | #2D | ATLvLAK

Poll: Bruins vs Canucks

	vs
Boston BRUINS		Vancouver CANUCKS

Place your vote and then feel free to leave a comment as to how you came to your decision. Tell all your friends to drop in and vote! The more voices heard, the more accurate the results!

Poll opening date Wed Dec 19

Poll closing date Sun Dec 23

07SCTRN | #2C | BOSvVAN

Poll: Blackhawks vs Capitals

	vs
Chicago BLACKHAWKS		Washington CAPITALS

Place your vote and then feel free to leave a comment as to how you came to your decision. Tell all your friends to drop in and vote! The more voices heard, the more accurate the results!

Poll opening date Tue Dec 18

Poll closing date Sat Dec 22

07SCTRN | #2B | CHIvWSH

Announcement Coming

With the second round polls opening this week for the Secondary Logo Tournament, I've decided it's time for a big announcement. The last three logo tournaments have been obvious. But now the question remains as to what category of logos will be voted on next. Well based on emails and comments over the last several weeks, I've come to a decision I think (hope) you all will enjoy.

On Friday I'll announce the logo tournament that will follow this one.

I'm waiting because I want it to be a surprise. We've talked about a lot of things on here. Best center ice logo... best arena... even best locker room was suggested... I won't say what it is or isn't. Just be sure to vote all week on the second round polls and be sure to drop in on Friday night when I announce what it will be.

As a side note, I just thought I'd let you all know how the holiday schedule will work here in terms of logo voting. I'm anticipating a sharp drop in visitors for Christmas as most of you will likely be with your families, so even though technically the first poll of the third round could open on Christmas Eve, I'm pushing it back to Wednesday, December 26.

That means for five days there won't be a new poll for this tournament. But I am, however, going to post a new unrelated poll on Saturday that I think a lot of you have been waiting for.

Anyway, keep voting and stay tuned for Friday's big announcement!

Poll: Hurricanes vs Coyotes

	vs
Carolina HURRICANES		Phoenix COYOTES

Can you believe we're already starting the second round of the Secondary Logo Tournament? These things are really starting to fly by! Place your vote and then feel free to leave a comment as to how you came to your decision. Tell all your friends to drop in and vote! The more voices heard, the more accurate the results!

Poll opening date Mon Dec 17

Poll closing date Fri Dec 21

07SCTRN | #2A | CARvPHX

Painted On

I think you guys know by now one thing I'm a fan of is concept designers putting the extra effort in and painting their designs onto player photos. It's the closest thing we'll get to seeing what these jerseys might look like on the ice without them actually being stitched together.

Tonight's post is all about that. I'm starting with my favorite of the bunch. Why don't the Canucks wear green? Why isn't there any green in their logo?



Here's a new idea for the Islanders. I like it better than their real jerseys, but that's just my opinion.



Imagine the Flames in a black jersey. (Not sure what's going on on the shoulder there.)



Frankly, anything with a flaming C on it disgusts me right now after the 9-6 stomping the Lightning received at the hands of the team they once defeated for a Stanley Cup championship. Or did we forget that part?

Sticking to Alberta, many Oilers fans have been praying for the day that their club returns to their original colors.



While I'm on the subject, apparently word has been floating around that the Oilers have designed a third jersey that's awaiting NHL approval and will be worn next fall. I'm sure everybody's looking forward to that. I'll be sure to post something when I have more information.

And finally, we have black for the Devils.



If you have comments, you know what to do.

Poll: Kings vs Blue Jackets

	vs
Los Angeles KINGS		Columbus BLUE JACKETS

Place your vote and then feel free to leave a comment as to how you came to your decision. Tell all your friends to drop in and vote! The more voices heard, the more accurate the results!

Poll opening date Sat Dec 15

Poll closing date Wed Dec 19

07SCTRN | #1H | LAKvCBJ

Poll: Canucks vs Sabres

	vs
Vancouver CANUCKS		Buffalo SABRES

Place your vote and then feel free to leave a comment as to how you came to your decision. Tell all your friends to drop in and vote! The more voices heard, the more accurate the results!

Poll opening date Fri Dec 14

Poll closing date Tue Dec 18

07SCTRN | #1G | VANvBUF

Just To Freak You Out XIX

Finally, Freak Out Friday is back on Friday! And boy is this one a doozy. You won't believe some of the whacked out craziness your fellow readers have come up with this week. Let's start with an eyesore I probably never should've posted at all.



Yeah, there's no excuse for that. Speaking of inexcusable, here's a rather scary concept of a Tampa Bay Lightning logo.



Oh wait, it gets better. You know how Las Vegas has been involved in all the buzz about a possible future expansion of the NHL? Here's what they shouldn't do when it comes to naming the team and designing a uniform.



And then as always, we have our "If They Mated" blends. First, we have Pennsylvania's teams...



...and then all three New York clubs.



Plus as a special bonus, someone redesigned the Sabres' pants. But you know what I say? If the Lightning can have lightning bolts down their legs, than why can't the Sabres have swords?

Oh, and I mentioned the Penguins a second ago. I need to post this just so it's out there. I'm all for the retro blue jersey for the Winter Classic, but let's not go too far. Here's something to avoid at any cost.



And finally, I can't determine whether the designer of these hates the new Canucks jerseys, or loves them. You be the judge.



Hope you enjoyed your week — or at least your Friday. Christmas comes in just 11 days and you know what that means!

See you right here for another Freak Out post next Friday! And remember you can send in your concepts for consideration to nhllogos@gmail.com. I look forward to seeing them!