Monday, September 17, 2007

Sharks Unveil New Uniforms!

The San Jose Sharks have become the final NHL team to unveil their new Rbk EDGE uniforms today.





How about those! To echo some other folks, we're definitely looking at a fancy new logo on a very retro sweater. What surprised me was the shoulder logo.



I was expecting a fin logo so I was a little shocked to see the full shark logo. And I'm pretty sure the shield logo will make its way onto the pants, leaving the fin logo homeless. The logos I'm referencing can be found here if you're interested.

That teal looks really great on these uniforms, by the way. What totally sells it for me is the orange. I know a lot of fans aren't too keen on it, but I think it brings a great new dimension to a look that in recent years had been kind of monochromatic.

The cool thing is that the stripes around the elbows and waist are reminiscent of the original uniforms from 1991 which had grey in place of orange. And who here doesn't love retro? You know you guys do.



And then here's your close up of the collar. That teal looks really, really great.

Overall, I'm a fan. I think they could've gone with some more curvy lines and vertical piping to match, but they chose something a bit daring as far as these new Reebok sweaters. I'm impressed. I still prefer my Lightning jersey... which is coming in just a few days!

Get Ready For A New Tourney!

As you know, the hockey season is nearing and that means the inaugural NHL Tournament of Logos is winding down. After tonight, just four logos will remain as we prepare to name one the best logo in the National Hockey League.

Planning Ahead
So I'm planning ahead. A lot of you have expressed interest in this site continuing past the unveilings of all the new Rbk EDGE jerseys and the logo tournament. Well as I've said, there's so much more we have left to do.

We can decide on the best secondary logo, the best vintage logo, the best third jersey logo — the list goes on and on. But we have to go one step at a time. Today I added a new poll to the sidebar so you can vote on which logo set we should decide the best of next. You can vote for one, two or all three categories if you'd like.

Like I've said before, this blog is for you guys. Just let me know what you want to vote on next, and we'll do it. Currently, you can choose from vintage logos (we'll use a pool of 16 chosen at random), secondary logos (we'll use a pool of all the current secondary marks), and third jersey logos (the pool will consist of all third jerseys since the program was introduced in 1995).

I know many of you have inquired about doing a jersey tournament. We'll get to that. But first let's do another set of logos. The site is called the NHL Tournament of Logos after all.

Reebok Reviews
That reminds me. Beginning a week from today I'm going to start a month-long Rbk EDGE series. Each day, I'm going to review a different jersey until we've done all 30 teams. Along with each review will be a poll so you guys can rate each new uniform.

Then sometime in the winter, midway through the hockey season, we'll do a tournament of jerseys. We'll set up a new bracket and you'll be able to vote on which is the league's best. I want to wait until the winter so that we can have some time to get used to them. Don't want to go around making snap judgments now, do we? We'll give them some time to sink in and then they'll be fair game — pitting one sweater versus another.

Your Opinion Matters!
And one final thought. I know I've only offered up three categories for the next logo tournament, but if you have an idea you think should be considered, I'm all ears. You can leave a comment on this post or email me directly at nhllogos@gmail.com.

Also worth mentioning is this. You've noticed the Logo History polls that I've been conducting on the days when I don't have a new poll for the tournament itself. The same will go for the next tournament, except with a twist. You'll be voting on the best logo of a relocated franchise. For example, we'll pit Whalers against Hurricanes, Nordiques against Avalanche, and Jets against Coyotes.

Anyway, I can't tell you how excited I am about this! The response from everyone has been amazing. I really can't believe how many people continue to visit this site and vote everyday. As long as you guys keep making it worthwhile, I'll keep updating the blog. Thanks again for dropping in and please email at any time!

Hurricanes, Caps In Action

Last night, the Carolina Hurricanes defeated the Washington Capitals in overtime in each team's first game of the preseason. Both teams wore their brand new Rbk EDGE uniforms and I thought I'd share some photos.



The Capitals jersey has grown on me a little, though I don't like the wordmark posing as a logo.



Anyway, I really feel like these new sweaters look great on the ice. I may stand alone in that belief, but I'm all right with that.

Also wanted to point out that I've been collecting game photos from as many preseason games as I can for the Rbk EDGE gallery. Hope you guys are enjoying that. And if you come across any photos I don't have, please let me know. I'm trying to compile as many as possible — just for the hell of it, I guess.

Poll: Canadiens vs Flyers


vs
Montreal
CANADIENS
Philadelphia
FLYERS


We're really coming down to the wire here. It was the tightest race yet that led the Flyers here to the fourth round to face the Canadiens. One of these two logos will be voted best in the East!

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 17 @ 4:22 AM
Poll closing date
Sep 24 @ 11:59 PM


07CHTRN | #E4 | MTLvPHI

Result: Senators vs Flyers

Philadelphia
FLYERS

50.4% 12,662 votes


Ottawa
SENATORS

49.6% 12,467 votes


25,129 total votes


Philadelphia Flyers
Advancing to face Montreal Canadiens


Ottawa Senators
Eliminated




Poll opening date
Sep 9 @ 7:47 AM
Poll closing date
Sep 16 @ 11:59 PM


07CHTRN | #E3B | OTTvPHI