Mailbag: "Buffaslug" A Scam?

Ever since I set up an email address for this blog, I've been getting some of the most interesting and strange emails I've ever seen. I'm filing this one in the nutty bin but I wanted to at least show it to all of you. Before I say anything about it, just have a read and then feel free to laugh to yourself for a little while.

the sabres slug was a scam. they are planning on revealing the final logo this september. the new blue and gold project was in on it the whole time.
http://www.newblueandgold.com/photos/i/sabresconfidentialphoto.jpg

That was the cryptic message I received today. Verbatim. And the image to which he linked can be seen below.



Now, for the record, I think the Blue & Gold Project is amazing. I've had a link to it on the sidebar since I started this site. John Slabyk does some of the best work I've ever seen. I was a graphic artist for a newspaper for eight years and every time I think about going back into the field, I see work like that and think twice. (That's why I'm sticking with television.)

Anyway, having said that, it would be utterly ridiculous for us to really put stock in this email. As we know, Photoshop is more prevalent than ever these days and therefore what you see, is not necessarily what you will get. The reason I say it is ridiculous is that there's no way a multi-million-dollar NHL club goes through the hassle of creating a whole new identity, only to dump it after just 12 months.

Forget the uniforms. Think of all the hats, t-shirts, bumper stickers and other merchandise with the "Buffaslug" logo. Think of how much money it would cost to create all new merchandise with a new logo. I'm sorry, I do love the logo Slabyk created and I hope one day the Buffalo Sabres can use it or something similar, but don't hold your breath for this season.

If you have a question or comment you'd like to submit by email, you can reach me at nhllogos@gmail.com.

UPDATE (8/5 6:16 PM): We need to ease off on all the confusion here. I'm reading in some places things that would make English teachers everywhere sit down on the floor and cry. If only people would read.

The image featured in this post, as was stated, is just for fun. But to clear things up, I wanted to add the screen grab in the comments to the actual post as an update. As you can see, there's a very clever watermark in the image proving its lack of authenticity as far as that goes. I'm trying not to spread rumors here, but the trick is reading what gets posted along with the pictures.

Mailbag: Senators Fan Art

I got an email this afternoon from Pat with some neat fan art for the Ottawa Senators' uniforms. They have some slight similarities to work I posted back in June, but nevertheless, it's always nice to share.




Those two aren't in the Rbk EDGE cut, but this next one is. Though some among you will complain about it being set in the template of those now-infamous all-star jerseys, try to deal. It's an alternate harkening back to the original Sens from back in the day.



I think the stripes would drive me nuts. Sharp design for the '20s but I don't think it would go over very well today. Feel free to leave your comments for the designer.

And as always, if you have fan art of your own or would like to get in touch, email me at nhllogos@gmail.com.

Deplorable Detroit Design

Not sure exactly where I first saw this design for the Detroit Red Wings new Rbk EDGE uniform, but not to worry, I'd bet money on it being a fake.



Now you can see why. It is rather ugly. I mean, like, really, really ugly! Scary ugly!

But what do you think? Is it really as bad as I'm making it out to be or would something like this work for the Red Wings?

Mailbag: Lightning Fan Concepts

A few people have responded to yesterday's post about the St. Pete Times requesting fan designs for the new Tampa Bay Lightning logo. I've received a couple of designs I thought I'd share.

The first one comes from Doug and its simply the current primary logo sans the text.



It's very plain and it feels unbalanced. It's better than having the text, though, if you ask me. Then Michael emailed in with a completely new concept. And he likes yellow.



It sort of reminds me of a '50s high school jacket. What do you guys think? These two were also part of that set. Feel free to continue sending in your concept designs and I'll continue posting them.



By the way, if you've desgined a logo or uniform for another team and would like to have it posted, send it along and I'll put it up here. You can email me at nhllogos@gmail.com.

Flames vs Avalanche

	vs
FLAMES		AVALANCHE
10-1		11-1

The Aesthetics
Despite what some readers may think, I actually like letter-based logos. We've got flames on a "C" and an avalanche on an "A." Plus, I've said before that I feel like the Avalanche logo will be an all-time NHL logo classic. But that's not to say the Flames logo isn't already. However, when we look at the elements of these logos, the avalanche is being led by a subtle puck and that is cool.
Avalanche

The Nickname
This is the ultimate battle. Fire and ice. The Flames melt the Avalanche, turning it into a waterfall which extinguishes the fire. That was a pretty good one.
Flames

The Analysis
This is another hard call to make. If you want to know my thoughts on these logos, you should go back and read their previous matches since I'd rather not go through it all again. The deciding factor, though, will be that as one of the few Canadian teams, the Flames logo's "C" can stand for Calgary or Canada. The "A" is only for Avalanche.
Flames

WINNER

2-1

 

Hurricanes vs Sabres

	vs
HURRICANES		SABRES
10-1		6-5

The Aesthetics
These two logos are definitely in the same league. The colors may be different but the designs are very similar. Notice how they're both outlined in silver. Weird. Anyway, I'm partial to the puck in the eye of the storm in the Hurricanes logo.
Hurricanes

The Nickname
I'm not sure a swordfight is the wisest thing to do in a Hurricane. Those winds can make blunt object deadly. Imagine what it could do with a sharpened Sabre.
Hurricanes

The Analysis
I've said before that the Sabres logo makes for a very strong sports symbol. The problem it has here is that its more buffalo than sabre. At least with the Hurricanes, at least you get a hurricane. But really, how can you deny the impressiveness of the 'Canes logo? Like I've said, the only thing I'd change is the aspect. Make it a little rounder — like an actual hurricane.
Hurricanes

WINNER

3-0

 

Blue Jackets vs Coyotes

	vs
BLUE JACKETS		COYOTES
11-2		5-6

The Aesthetics
These are a couple of young logos — less than five years under their belts. The Coyotes logo certainly says desert but not any better than the old one. I like it, but not more than the Blue Jackets logo. These is where small detail can actually help.
Blue Jackets

The Nickname
If a Coyote snuck up on a Blue Jacket while he was sleeping, do you think he'd be able to react quick enough to avoid becoming dinner? I have my doubts.
Coyotes

The Analysis
The Blue Jackets logo features an Ohio flag forming a "C" for Columbus. How can you improve on that? The Jackets definitely hit the mark with this logo. Nice to see them going with it as the primary this season. The Coyotes logo doesn't really have anything like that and it just looks awkward to me. By the way, this is the finale for the Jackets.
Blue Jackets

WINNER

2-1