Just To Freak You Out, Part 5 of 5

I know you'll all be sad to see it go, but today I'm wrapping up my week-long series of whacked-out and crazy images. So let's get this final show on the road. Our first stop is Pittsb— er, Kansas City. Or, well, I don't really know. You figure it out.



I know we've seen a lot of crazy shit, but wow. A Kansas City Scouts Rbk EDGE jersey with Sidney Crosby's name and number. I'm sure this design was concocted in the days when the Pens' future was largely uncertain. With KC looking like a predator ready to pounce, you never know. Just, wow. I don't really have any other words. Maybe you guys can find some.

Over in Philly, there's a consortium that can't tell the logo forms a "P" unless it's cockeyed.



My neck hurts from looking at that. My eyes hurt after looking at this.



Ha ha. Now your eyes hurt too. I promise I won't do that anymore.



Oops, gotcha! You guys are easy. Anyone want to see a black coyote?



Probably not anymore, huh? Seriously, though. Charlie, from SabresNotSlugs.com really needs to see this. It could be the new logo for his site.



Somebody didn't like the slug. Showed it what a sabre is. Then gutted it. Sad story, really. But you guys haven't seen the half of it yet. Remember the amazing composite logo Pfizer created for the Canucks. He dropped the Sabres logos into the same blender. It produced this.



Maybe that should be your new logo, Charlie. Sometimes we just don't recognize how good we have it.

I hope I've been successful this week in freaking you all out a little bit. My goal is to show you that what you have, despite what some of you think, isn't that bad. We all like to moan and complain about changes but just remember, they could've done so much worse. And then where would we be?

I'm going to leave you one last little nugget, though. On Tuesday I posted a crazy concept for the Tampa Bay Lightning. I also asked if someone might be able to show me what it would look like on a player. As I close out this series, let me leave you with that image. Let me burn it into your soul.



Big time thanks to Russ for that one!

Flyers Jersey Leaked?

Flyers fans, you've been asking for it. I finally have potentially credible evidence of the new Rbk EDGE home jersey of the Philadelphia Flyers thanks to Adam. Behold!



I know we all just love those grainy cell phone pictures, but this is what I've got. Take it for what it's worth. If it is real, it's pretty sharp. You guys could do a lot worse. Comment away!

Southeast Concept Designs

I know a lot of people — Tampa Bay Lightning fans included — aren't in love with the new logo and uniforms. Speaking as one of the biggest Bolts fans out there, I can say I love the designs. It's miles better than what we had even if it's not perfect yet. You have to admit that much. And hell, I already pre-ordered my black jersey. I can't wait until mid-September.

Anyway, on to the subject at hand. I've got concept art from across the Southeast Division today (except for the Stinkin' Panthers). And I'm starting with the Lightning.

Like I said, I like the new logo but I'm open to new ideas as well. This logo is cool in that it forms a lightning bolt out of the letters "TB." That sort of thing is why I wake up in the morning.

Unfortunately, as drawbacks go, there sure is a lot of negative space in that design. Maybe we don't need such a large circle. Let the bolt overlap the bounds of the circle sort of like the new logo does. And the muted colors don't market well. And whether we want to think so or not, that is an important element.

So let's see what that logo looks like on a jersey.



I like the lettering style but it doesn't really seem to go with the jaggedness of the logo. Loving the bolt on the bottom of the back. And the black sleeves with a blue body is pretty cool. Another one I'd be curious to see on a player. Overall, it's not horrible, but it could still use some touching up.

We talk a lot about simplicity in logos. Check this out.



You can find these designs and many others in the Concepts Gallery. I highly recommend a look through what's there.

Moving on now northward to the Atlanta Thrashers. I got emailed a couple of cool Reebok-style concepts worth a look.



The design above is very sharp. You'll notice the all-star logo on the shoulders which was a nice touch. Also this concept does away with the overhead Thrasher logo, opting instead for the head from the primary logo on the shoulder. Overall, Atlanta could do worse. Personally, however, I'm partial to the design on the left.

I think the red sides are very nice. I think that is a very smart accent color and there's no reason to do away with it. However, it seems the red pushed out most of the gold. I think it could use a little more. But my favorite thing about both designs is the retention of the sky blue used for the home sweaters. I think that was a great move by the Thrashers and I wouldn't want to see it go away.

How do you Thrasher fans feel about it?

Continuing up the east coast, we have some Carolina Hurricanes fan art. Check out this guy.



How about that logo?

This design here to the left is a rendering of the 'Canes unis based off of what we've seen from EA Sports in NHL 08. The black jersey is merely a suggestion at what could be done in the future for an alternate. I like the black and the hurricane flag is growing on me as a crest. I wasn't a fan at first.

Anyway, what really matters is what Carolina fans like. Any feelings on the matter, guys?



We'll wrap up our Southeast Division tour with the Washington Capitals. I agree with the above design almost whole-heartedly. That "W" eagle should definitely be the new primary. The wordmark "logo" should be relegated to the shoulders if you ask me. The stars on the shoulders are nice, but stolen from the Columbus Blue Jackets and that's not acceptable.

But this design fascinates me. That's a very nice use of the Capitol dome. Very impressive. I also like the black, silver and red jerseys. The blue being used sparingly works in its favor, I think. I'd like a better look at the shoulder logos to see what's going on there. Too small in this graphic.

Any Capitals fans out there to share an opinion? Because we know I'm certainly not one.

That does it for the Southeast today. Apologies for the long post. I know that irks some of you. If someone's holding a water gun to your head forcing you to read this blog, let me know and I'll see what I can do to shorten them.

Danger Looming For Rangers?

That headline was a little dramatic, but it got you to read right? A reader named Nick recently sent me an email I thought might be worth sharing with the rest of the class.

Hey Chris. Let me first say that you are doing a wonderful job over at your blog and i check it every day for updates. Great idea for the tournament as well. I'm sure you are getting a lot more traffic than you thought. Way to go.

Just kidding. I can gloat if I want. Here's what he was really writing about.

I'm a huge Rangers fan and when the "new" jersey came out I noticed that it didn't look right. The word R-A-N-G-E-R-S is much steeper than the original uniform (most likely to fit on the specific fabric section, I'll call it the "body")

Notice how the R is way over to the right, next to the ties whereas on the old uniform the R started way over on the shoulder almost. Same goes for the S. The S is all the way down and to the right (won't be able to see it when skating, might be under the pants even) whereas the old one it was up higher and more visible.

I doubt these jerseys will stretch enough in the "body" to compensate for that weird angle.

But here's the kicker. What happens when you put an A or a C on the body area for the captains?

That's a petrifying thought, isn't it?

Personally, I don't think it will be that bad. I wonder if there's a reason why the "C" or "A" couldn't be sewn onto the stretchy material on the shoulder. The idea of sewing anything onto stretchy material may be a non sequitur but maybe the trick is you sew it on while it's stretched out. I'm not a tailor, though.

Anyway, don't freak out yet. It's just a thought somebody had. It's not necessarily the way things will be (as far as we know). What do you think?

Mailbag: Retailers Talk Leafs

I've gotten about a dozen emails with a link to yesterday's post by Howard Berger of HockeyBuzz.com. The post is about speculation on the new Toronto Maple Leafs Rbk EDGE uniforms. By all means, it's worth a quick read. But I'll sum up here.

The Leafs will stay pretty much the same. While the design of the jersey will be slightly altered, the club will not tinker with its blue and white color scheme. Nor will the Leafs dip into their last Stanley Cup dynasty for the uniform's primary logo. It will remain as it's been since Harold Ballard re-worked the crest in 1970. The nine-point emblem (with "TORONTO MAPLE LEAFS" printed in a straight-line font) will not be replaced by the more stylish "stem" (or 35-point) logo of the 1960s ("TORONTO" being displayed in a dome-like curvature) — a time when the Maple Leafs were frequently winning championships. The stem logo had been re-introduced on the club's third jersey of recent years: the predominantly white uniform with blue shoulder piping that was a virtual copy of the jersey the Leafs wore in road games from 1963-64 to the end of the 1966-67 regular season.

He doesn't specify a source, but I'm led to believe it's a loose-lipped retailer with the scoop. Today, he added an update quoting another store owner.

"Exact same shirt as last year, minus, TML shoulder patches, bottom stripes are gone, (sleeves stripes remain). Silver twill is gone. Number font is the same as last year, block style, basically Marlies lettering — blue, white blue, and white blue white. Names remain one colour as per last year. Very, very plain."

For a visual aid to what we're talking about here, Jeff writes in: "From what I heard from a store owner, this is what the jersey should look like..."



I should also point out that the unveiling date of September 13 I have in the sidebar countdown comes from a reader citing a retail source. It all remains to be seen however and the speculation shall continue until we have official word from the Leafs.

Wild Leak Jersey To Season Ticket Holders; Season Ticket Holders Leak Jersey To Us

Minnesota Wild season ticket holders were treated to a photo of the brand new home Rbk EDGE uniforms when they received their ticket books. The image was featured on a coupon for the new sweater. Look!



Pretty much what we've expected. Basically the third jersey from last year. One would expect them to use this same template for the road whites. We'll find out when the Wild will officially unveil both uniforms a week from today.

Thanks to all of you who emailed in images, by the way. You're the reason this blog is so successful!

Poll: Blues vs Coyotes

	vs
St. Louis BLUES		Phoenix COYOTES

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 Aug 31 @ 4:28 AM

Poll closing date Sep 7 @ 11:59 PM

07CHTRN | #W2C | STLvPHX

Result: Kings vs Red Wings

Detroit
RED WINGS
67% 9,019 votes

Los Angeles
KINGS
33% 4,391 votes


13,410 total votes

Detroit Red Wings
Advancing to Quarterfinals to face Sharks or Canucks

Los Angeles Kings
Eliminated

Click here to see the original poll

Poll opening date Aug 23 @ 4:27 AM

Poll closing date Aug 30 @ 11:59 PM

07CHTRN | #W1F | LAKvDET

Just To Freak You Out, Part 4 of 5

My week-long series meant to freak you out a little continues today. If you thought the last three days were something, just wait until you see what I have for you today.

Canucks fans, a lot of you were unhappy with the new uniforms unveiled yesterday. But just remember. It could've been so much worse.



Told you. And what if they hadn't gone so far back to find vintage colors? What if they stopped in the '80s?



That's what.

Oh and I had to share this one. The Canucks seem to be all about mixing and matching. So here's what might've happened if they'd gone with this idea back in 1997 instead of the orca. A little scary but not horrible.

If you want to see horrible, imagine the Minnesota Wild in North Stars colors.

Try not to gouge your eyes out. It doesn't get any bigger for a reason. Quite frankly, I think the Wild have excellent colors. If you're among those who only see Christmas colors, I challenge you to find beige and yellow among the more common decorations. But that's neither here nor there.

Moving right along. While we're on the topic of throwback colors, what if the Phoenix Coyotes had gone with Jets colors?



It's a rather frightening thought. You don't know what bad is until you see and red and blue howling coyote.

But I've saved the best for last, dear friends. My pals over at ThePensBlog.com came up with a good bit of satire that pokes some friendly jabs at the Reebok folks.



You may not realize at first glance, but that's the front of the jersey, not the back. I love the giant NHL logo at the bottom. If you want to see the number, there's the damn number. Crest be damned! But don't riot yet. You haven't seen the worst part.



Now you can riot.

Have a nice night. I'll be back tomorrow.

A Bunch Of Concept Logos

I get a lot of emails with concept jerseys but most of them make use of the team's actual logo. But sometimes people send in new ideas for logos. That's what this post is about.

We're going to kick things off with the Buffalo Sabres. Lots of complaints have been lodged over the Sabres' new logo. There is even an entire site dedicated to the subject. Just as interesting is the now-famous design of John Slabyk. His work is nothing short of brilliant. But then someone emailed me this. And it rivals Slabyk's work on a different level.



The logo is very abstract but very unique because of it. The colors are a bit muted and I think that is actually a plus. But I feel like this is a very sharp logo. I'm curious to know what you all think of it. Please comment.

But that's not all. You probably know by now I'm not a huge fan of the Detroit Red Wings logo. I get the whole tradition/Original Six thing, but all right already. The Bruins are an original and their logos kick ass. They do. I'm not necessarily saying this is the answer for the Wings, but here's an idea.



I think the addition of black to the color scheme adds a lot to the uniform. The monochromatic red/white combo rubs me the wrong way — though I completely associate it with a scary good team. A little change never hurt anyone (except for the Islanders in the mid-'90s).

While still on the topic of the NHL's mainstays, you also probably know I'm not terribly keen on the Toronto Maple Leafs' logo. People like to say stuff like, "you don't mess with tradition" and the Leafs logo has been around forever. But the fact is, while the Leafs have been around forever, the current incarnation of logo has only existed since the 1970s. Anyway, what do you make of this?



I like the incorporation of the CN Tower, but I think this is more worthy of a secondary logo. I could see it as a shoulder patch, but not a primary for the Leafs. Thoughts?

Next we have the New York Islanders. I'm always talking about how a lighthouse would serve as a good logo element for the Islanders. Here's a rather simplistic version of that idea.



One of the most controversial notions I hold is the idea that the Chicago Blackhawks do not, in fact, have the best logo in all of professional sports. (Stop throwing rocks at me.) Here's what someone came up with to alter the Hawks' logo.



I see the differences and they make sense, but for my money, it's a lateral move. No better, no worse. Anybody else have an opinion on the logo?

One day I'd like to hear a real explanation as for why people think this logo is one of the best out there. There are too many colors in it and it's just so jumbled. A lot of you guys say simplicity rules all. That doesn't apply here. If you can educate me, leave a comment. I read them all.

Pens Announce Unveiling Event

It's just my luck. No sooner do I post Pittsburgh Penguins concept art when I find out they've announced the official event on their web site. It's true. See it here. Or read it below.

August 30, 2007

Pens To Unveil New Uniforms On Wednesday

Defenseman Ryan Whitney and forwards Ryan Malone and Maxime Talbot will be on hand as the Pittsburgh Penguins unveil their new uniforms Wednesday, Sept. 5, at the Galleria at Pittsburgh Mills, just off Route 28 in Tarentum.

The event is open to the public and festivities are expected to begin around 5:30 p.m. with the new uniform unveiling at 6:30 p.m.

All 30 NHL teams will be sporting new uniforms for the 2007-08 season as part of the new Rbk EDGE Uniform System — designed to meet the performance demands of today’s NHL player. The introduction of these new uniforms at the start of season marks the first time in the history of North American professional sports that a uniform innovation has been implemented league-wide.

After more than two years of research, the NHL and Reebok created a uniform system that features technologically-enhanced materials and fabrics that are more breathable, more water-resistant, more comfortable and more compatible with equipment.

The Penguins’ logo and colors will remain the same, although there will be some modifications to the striping, the shoulder areas, the pants and the socks.

Penguins players also will be wearing a special patch for the 2007-08 season that will be displayed for the first time on Sept. 5.

Any idea what the "special patch" is all about? That should be interesting. Looking forward to Wednesday!

Get Your Pittsburgh Fan Art

I've got Pittsburgh Penguins concept jersey designs today. So get excited. This first set here is a recoloring of the newly unveiled Ottawa Senators sweaters.



Continuing on this theme, though, someone recolored a mannequin donning that Sens jersey. Everyone seems to be concerned over the idea that Reebok has only created a handful of templates and that teams have had to choose between them. A color-by-number, if you will of the most ridiculous proportions. I don't see it that way though.

And those designs up there are rather plain. I think it works for the Sens, but not the Pens.

I also had something else rather unique emailed to me. Penguins fans, you know I've often talked about changing your logo — not that it necessarily needs to be. And right or wrong, you've shown that's not something you're at all interested in. But I thought this was interesting. Not sure it's better than what you have. In fact, the legs on the penguin make it look downright ridiculous.

You'll see what I mean.



Frightening stuff, right?

Well, on top of everything, the '90s logo which still graces the shoulder of the current Pens jersey has been much maligned. But then somebody sent me this logo design that I thought would make a pretty solid secondary mark.

Any thoughts on that? Thought it was pretty cool. Then I've been known to be wrong at times, though. I'm curious to know what those from Pittsburgh think of this idea — as too is the designer, I'm sure. Leave your comments below.

Flames Announce Official Unveiling Event

The Calgary Flames officially announced plans via their web site to unveil their new Rbk EDGE uniforms to the public. They will be holding the event on Tuesday, September 4 at Flames Central. The unveiling will happen at 3:30 PM my time. I'll post photos as soon as they're available.



This image comes from the Flames' web site, indicating the big day. With the Canucks having unveiled their jerseys, the Flames are up next. Reports also suggest the Canadiens will unveil theirs on Tuesday as well. The team has yet to announce anything official in that regard.



We're all excited to find out what jersey comes next in that series. Exciting stuff!

Blackhawks Jersey News

Much like what the Penguins have done, the Chicago Blackhawks have promulgated information regarding their new Rbk EDGE uniforms for this fall via a Q&A column on their web site.

GM Dale Tallon answered 10 fan questions on the web site, one of which referred to the new jerseys.

What changes will there be in the new style jersey, if any at all, and when will the Hawks show off the new jersey?
— Dave, Northern Illinois

September 14 we'll show it off. Everything is pretty well status quo as far as the look. It's just different fabrics and a different fit. It's a tighter fit — more aerodynamic, more modern fabrics that are moisture wicking to improve comfort level so players will be able to stay cool for a longer period of time. But the overall jersey will look the same.

So it confirms the date we already have in the sidebar countdown and indicates no real changes — I'm guessing, along the sames lines as the Red Wings and Rangers.

Enjoy the news, Hawks fans. You'll get to see your new jersey two weeks from tomorrow. I will of course have photos here.