Rbk EDGE Review: Coyotes

Part 7 of 30. All 30 NHL clubs have unveiled new jerseys under the new Rbk EDGE Uniform System for the 2007-08 season. Here at the NHLToL, we're going to review every one of them. Read up and then rate the new sweaters. We'll do a full ranking after completing all of the reviews.

Rbk EDGE Uniform System

Phoenix Coyotes

New Uniforms

Old Uniforms

The Unveiling
Saturday, September 15. The Coyotes unveiled their jerseys at CoyotesFest in Phoenix.

Home vs. Road
Home: Brick red. Road: White. The two sweaters are essentially mirror images of each other but for the shoulders and both feature secondary logo patches on the left shoulder.

The brick red home jerseys are completely solid in color except for three white stripes around each elbow. The middle stripe is about twice the thickness of the other two. White laces hang from the collar and the primary logo serves as the crest.

The white home jerseys feature a brick red shoulder yoke and three brick red stripes around each elbow. The middle stripe is about twice the thickness of the other two. White laces hang from the collar and the primary logo serves as the crest.

In The Details
The shoulder patch featuring the secondary logo is found only on the left shoulder of each sweater. The same numbering and lettering style has been retained.

New & Old
The biggest differences in the new jerseys are the lack of stripes around the waist and the addition of the shoulder yoke to the road sweater. One minor change seen here is that the shoulder patch has switched sides. It was previously worn on the right shoulder.

Standard FAQ
Numbers on the front? No.
Laces at the collar? Yes.

NHLToL Editorial by Chris
I have to say that I was always among the fools that loved the original Coyotes jerseys. They may have been a little busy, but boy were they unique. They looked like no other team on the ice. I especially liked the old logo as well. I'm not nearly as fond of the new one. Still, it's simplicity that works. I like the addition of the shoulder yoke to the road jersey and I think the "PHX" patch is top-notch. As a uniform, I won't say it's among my favorites, but I respect it. 3/5

View the photo gallery

Buy your new Coyotes jersey!

Sharks, Here's How You Fix It

Speaking personally, I'm a fan of the San Jose Sharks' new logo and uniforms. So I don't see a need for "fixing" it necessarily. But others have complained that the modern logo design clashes with the more traditional jersey design.



One alternative to the stripes they currently wear would be something more along the lines of what the Florida Panthers do. I guess those designs match a little better. But for my money, I'd go with white piping over the orange on the home sweater.

Other complaints deal with not being able to move past orange gaining more prominence on the jerseys. Here's a solution.



I like this one because it looks like there are shark fins under wavy water on the sleeves. I think it works a little better on the white. But here's hoping the Sharks consider something of the like for a future third jersey. Speaking of the whole "fin" element, here are a bunch of ideas, seen with orange versus silver.



What I really like is the black jersey. Perhaps that would serve as a better third jersey as it has the last few years for the Sharks. But what do we think of it with the current striping pattern?



I know I said I like how the San Jose sweaters are now, but I'd be lying if I didn't say these were pretty awesome too. I guess it's hard to go wrong with the Sharks. So if they need fixing, there are plenty of ways of doing it.

Next up: Philadelphia Flyers.

BIG NEWS! Vote On The Minor Leagues!

Hi everybody! As you may know, I've had plans in the works to set up a site where we can hold tournaments for other hockey leagues such as the AHL and ECHL. Well the wheels are in motion. Introducting the Tournament of Hockey Logos!

I'm launching it officially tomorrow, but you can get your first look at it today and vote on which league will get the first tournament. Check out the link below.

Check out the Tournament of Hockey Logos!

The first logo tournament to be held at ToHL will be either the AHL or ECHL but it will be up to you guys to decide which. The other reason I'm announcing this site today is that I want you guys to help me to start generating interest in the site with fans of other hockey leagues. Post the link on blogs, message boards, or wherever you think would be suitable.

As far as differences between the two sites, you probably won't find as much content there as you will here. I'm more of an NHL fan personally, and I'll take all the help I can get with the minor leagues. You'll also notice that the layout and design is similar but for some changed colors and fonts.

Hopefully the Tournament of Hockey Logos will be as big a hit as this site has been. Thanks to all of you for your support and feel free to post any suggestions or comments here or over there at ToHL!

We Like Concept Art

Yes, we do. And concept art loves us. First off I just want to thank everyone who sends in their cool and crazy work. I love opening my email everyday to see what surprises await me.

One such surprise was this New Jersey Devils uniform concept. If I'm to understand right, the logo seen here is one of the original designs that never made the final cut.



The Christmas colors don't work. If you want to see how to make green and red work together, see the Minnesota Wild.

Here's an interesting Nashville Predators design that was actually a little too good to be considered for the Friday Freak Outs.



I say "good," but not necessarily on the level of the NHL. If not as a Preds third jersey, I could totally see something like this passing in the AHL or ECHL. I like the white swipes across the sleeves. Need to find a different font for the wordmark, though. That one doesn't work.

And then I have this San Jose Sharks concept which I think I'm only posting because the orange seems to annoy Sharks fans to no end. And I like a little ribbing now and then.

I was going to try to say this isn't that bad of a design, but it really is. The teal works too well for the Sharks. No need to go playing up the orange when you already have the best color in hockey. I would like to see more silver come back though.

They need to bring that back. Moving right along now.



This Anaheim Ducks design is a bit of a mix between concepts I've posted here in the past. While this jersey looked great with the flying duck logo, I can't honestly say it looks horrible with this one. I know it's a Disney cartoon, but they do some of the best animation work in the world, so let's not knock them there. And despite the fact that they're similar to the Dallas Stars, I think these colors would serve the Ducks well. Maybe use the logo on a third jersey, though.

That's enough out of me. What do you guys thinks of these? Are they total duds or do they have some redeeming qualities?

Mailbag: For The Habs' Shoulders

I got an interesting email the other day with a new concept logo for the Montreal Canadiens. It wouldn't replace the primary, but rather serve as a secondary.



I don't think it's a necessary addition to the Habs' look, but I still like it a lot on its own merits. The designer, Gary, had this to say about it in his email to me.

There's two motivations behind it. One is political, the fleur de lis within the maple leaf clearly shows Quebec as a part of Canada, and not a seperate entity. However, using it as the base of the maple leaf is symbolic of the fact that the true Canadian identity requires a strong Quebec. The other reason is to honour Quebecs former NHL team, the Nordique, who proudly displayed the fleur de lis on their jerseys. Despite the rivalry between the Nords and Habs, NHL in Quebec City was great for the province and country.

I've had the idea for a long time but never tried it out. Your blog/website gave me the motivation to give it a try today while I should have been working.

We appreciate his work and he even went the extra mile to show us how it might look on a couple of jerseys.



I have to say, I don't hate it and it goes rather well with the logo and uniform. My only problem is that when I look at it all I see is Nordiques. And I'm pretty sure they don't exist anymore.



So what do you guys think? Love it? Hate it? Have any suggestions for improving it? Comment away.

Poll: Kings Logo History

1967	1988

1998	2002

With the Ducks and Kings opening the season with the NHL Premiere in London this weekend, I'm opening logo history polls for this two teams. The Anaheim poll was opened yesterday and the Los Angeles poll is opening today.

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 Sep 30 @ 8:57 AM

Poll closing date Oct 7 @ 11:59 PM

07BONLH | LHLAK

Result: Blackhawks Logo History

BEST ALL-TIME
1964
68% 2,740 votes


4,019 total votes

1937
14% 579 votes

1955
13% 518 votes

1935
5% 182 votes

Click here to see the original poll

Poll opening date Sep 22 @ 10:26 AM

Poll closing date Sep 29 @ 11:59 PM

07BONLH | LHCHI

Rbk EDGE Review: Predators

Part 6 of 30. All 30 NHL clubs have unveiled new jerseys under the new Rbk EDGE Uniform System for the 2007-08 season. Here at the NHLToL, we're going to review every one of them. Read up and then rate the new sweaters. We'll do a full ranking after completing all of the reviews.

Rbk EDGE Uniform System

Nashville Predators

New Uniforms

Old Uniforms

The Unveiling
Thursday, July 19. The Predators unveiled their jerseys at a fan event at Sommet Center in Nashville.

Home vs. Road
Home: Blue. Road: White. The two sweaters are essentially mirror images of each other but for minor alterations in terms of overall design and both feature secondary logo patches on each shoulder.

The blue home jerseys feature yellow piping extending down from the collar. The side panels are white. A thick stripe of silver outlined in blue extends from the neck to the cuff on the sleeves which are otherwise blue from the shoulder to the elbow and white to the cuff with blue piping around the wrist. The collar is blue and yellow and the primary logo serves as the crest.

The white road jerseys feature blue piping extending down from the collar. The side panels are blue. A thick stripe of silver outlined in blue extends from the neck to the cuff on the sleeves which are otherwise white with blue piping around the wrist. The collar is blue and yellow and the primary logo on a blue triangle serves as the crest with the word "NASHVILLE" just above it.

In The Details
The same shoulder patches featuring the secondary logo are found on both shoulders of each sweater. The white sweaters feature the city name above the logo, slightly differentiating it from the blue sweaters. The same numbering and lettering style has been retained.

New & Old
There are several differences in the overall design of the new sweaters when compared to the old. The silver shoulder yoke now extends completely down the arm. It also had yellow piping and a much thicker blue stripe around it that curved down to the wrist. The stripe and elements around the waist are also gone but replaced by side paneling. The new white sweaters do not include as much blue as the old ones did. On the ice, the jerseys look relatively similar, but you can find differences if you're really looking.

Standard FAQ
Numbers on the front? No.
Laces at the collar? No.

NHLToL Editorial by Chris
I've always been a fan of the Predators' jerseys. The old white is one of two non-Lightning jerseys that I actually own. (The other being a 1996 Mighty Ducks third jersey so that may not be a good barometer.) Looking at the home sweater on a rack, it can make you think of a t-shirt, the way the blue extends only down to the elbow. But I think that just adds to its uniqueness while many find that it's a fault. Another thing a lot of folks aren't fond of is the city name above the logo on the road sweater. That's one element I'm on the fence about. I see the merits of it while at the same time am bothered by it as a design element. On top of that, seeing these jerseys on a rack versus in action are two very different animals. I really don't care for how the whites look on the ice. I am impressed with the blues though. I'll call it a wash. 3/5

View the photo gallery

Buy your new Predators jersey!

Possible Secondary Logo Tournament

You've still got 4 days left to vote, but I thought I'd show you what a Secondary Logo Tournament would look like. Apologies for the delay but for some reason I thought I'd already posted it.

Last weekend I posted the possible Third Jersey Logo Tournament which was in the lead at the time. Then I posted the possible Vintage Logo Tournament which has now slightly overtaken the former for the lead.

The secondary logos are behind in the voting, which doesn't mean we'll never do it — just that it probably won't be the next one. But regardless, here are the 18 that would be used if it were next.





That's a very colorful group. The bracket would be determined randomly but wouldn't be posted until the tournament begins.

I'm a little concerned, however, that the Chicago Blackhawks secondary mark I have is a little off. Comparing it to photos, the "C" and the black stroke aren't quite right.

If any of you have the logo that appears on the Hawks' shoulders or know where I could find it, please let me know. I want everything to be as accurate as possible with this. You can leave a comment or email me.

One last thing. A couple of people have mentioned doing a concept logo tournament, throwing a bunch of the concept logos we've seen into the pool. I'm trying to gauge interest on that. Would you guys want to vote on that at some point in the near future or do you think it would be a waste of time? Drop me a line, either way.

Capitals, Here's How You Fix It

The sixth entry in the Here's How You Fix It series will take a look at the Washington Capitals' new duds.

One of seven teams to introduce new or updated logos, the Caps we the route of the old days by creating a wordmark logo that harkens back to the 1970s and the arrival of the team on the NHL scene. Now it may just be a personal complaint I'm voicing, but I don't really understand the striping patterns on the new sweaters. They just do something strange along the arms and sides if you ask me.



So in the interest of considering a more traditional — heaven forbid — striping pattern, I thought I'd post this concept which was emailed to me by a reader.



The striping is simple and I love the stars on the shoulders. I also like the Capitals in blue as opposed to red or black — like the had been wearing. Another neat aspect of this concept is that the colors of the logo are swapped for the home and road jerseys. Little things like that are what make me like a uniform.

How do you feel about it? Leave your comments below.

Coming up: San Jose Sharks.

Mailbag: New Canucks Logo Looks Familiar

This morning I woke up to find one of the funniest emails I've received since starting this blog.

To set things up for you, one of the sites I frequent is Chris Creamers SportsLogos.net. It's an excellent resource for a blog like mine. When the Vancouver Canucks unveiled their new uniforms last month, a bunch of alternate/secondary logos appeared on that site — none of which I saw in any official NHL/Canucks capacity, however.

Anyway, among them was a logo that I personally thought could serve amazing well as a primary mark for the club. This is it.



Now the email.

Hey Chris!

Is that really an official secondary logo? If so, I've attached this! You may find it funny!

In Canada, we have these things that are like Hostess Cakes in the States.... Vachon Cakes! They're very popular.... and tasty! And I've heard that ol' goalie Rogie Vachon is a close relative to the family that started the company!

I knew I had seen the Vancouver 'Johnny Canuck' logo somewhere before..... hmmmm! I mean, mmmmmm!

So what do you make of that? I just thought it was very funny and felt it was worth sharing.