Just To Freak You Out XXXVIII

The absurdity continues here in my little corner of the world. First thing's first. We all have to be able to laugh at ourselves every now and then and god knows I make a habit of it. But this whole "rebranding" thing — it's a little weird, right? I mean it takes a special kind of person to keep an entire blog dedicated to the redesigning of NHL logos by various artistically inclined hockey fans.

I got a graphic emailed in this week that really made me laugh and I have to lead off with it.



Let the petty sniping begin (we all know that's what the comments are for anyway). I think it's absolutely hilarious. And when it comes to well-designed artwork, I get inspired regardless of whether I think a team should actually wear it in real life. That's what art is for anyway, isn't it?

But this post is about freaking you out, so you won't find any detailed and well-thought-out designs here. Instead, imagine the Quebec Nordiques going out west to become the Denver Dekes.



I don't have the words for it. Nor this.



I need a prescription for a drug that will allow me to fly. What's that? You say they don't make one? Hmm...

Forgive the poor quality of the jerseys in the next image, but these are worth looking at.



Be sure not to miss the purple and orange Flyers jerseys.

And lastly, an article on Yahoo! was pointed out to me today. The writer talks about the horror that was the Mighty Ducks third jersey back in the mid-'90s. (You guys should know, you voted it worst third jersey logo EVER!)

Anyway, that got me thinking. A while back I got these logos from a reader. He took the duck bursting through the ice and painted a different team's logo and jersey onto it — and then did it again for every team in the NHL! It's an absolute riot and this is the perfect time to start posting them.





As you can see I started with the Pacific Division so that I could show you the crazy duck with the new Ducks logo and colors on it. Just wait until you see the rest of the league. I'll post a new division in each Freak Out Friday post until we get through all six.

Just To Freak You Out XXXVII

Two weeks have elapsed since the last Freak Out Friday, so right on time it's here again. And oddly enough, we're starting where we started last time — with the clubs from New York.



I think that needs no explanation. And sticking with NY for a moment, check out this Buffalo Sabres logo concept.



Yeah it takes a minute to really realize what you're seeing. At first you're thinking, "yeah, that classic '70s logo... but wait, something is a little off about it — aside from the buffalo being yellow, that is." Oh that's it! It has a slug head.

And just when you thought the Sabres hadn't been through enough for one Freak Out post, just wait for this.



Perhaps if the Bills played hockey... No, just no. And while we're on the topic of odd jerseys, we have another.



I believe we've seen something of this nature before, but it's still funny to me.

Now we're heading out west for the rest of the post — starting with a very strange Vancouver Canucks concept logo.



The whale is diving into the "C" ... get it? (Say it out loud if you haven't gotten it yet.)

And with the QMJHL logo tournament in full swing over at ToHL, a reader sent me this logo crossing the Rimouski Oceanic with the Phoenix Coyotes.



Finally, on a completely different tack, someone has not only created a brand for a team, they've created a brand new team. I'm told the Florida Panthers should move to Seattle to become the Totems.



Now I'm no fan of the stinkin' Panthers but if this is the only option, I can't say I'd wholeheartedly support it. The design comes complete with jerseys and everything.



So keep your freaky artwork coming so I can keep this series going. Check back in two weeks for the next Freak Out Friday.

Oh, and to anyone out there who doesn't believe in the evil powers of Friday the 13th, consider this: Tim Russert dropped dead in the NBC newsroom today, a 6.9 magnitude earthquake rattled Japan, Iowa is under water and a tornado just tore off a bunch of roofs and wiped out a Wal-Mart down here in my part of Florida.

Yeah, but that Wal-Mart had it coming.

Just To Freak You Out XXXVI

Time this evening for a Freak Out post. I know you've been waiting eagerly for two long weeks. We'll kick things off in New York. What do you say we mix all three NY clubs? And then do it all over again?



The things people come up with. Now if we head west you might find the odd Mighty Ducks jersey with interesting striping.



But staying out west things only get stranger.



I don't think I even need to say anything about that. It's just weird.

Got a couple of crazy logos to share as well. It's Phoenix — in its mythical sense, I suppose.



To finish off tonight's Freak Out Friday, we'll dive into the Stanley Cup series and look at the only two clubs still playing hockey this season.

Folks often try to "update" the Red Wings logo yet it never seems to take.



I can't imagine why. And I'm all about the powder blue Penguins jerseys allegedly making a return in the fall...



...but make up your mind at least. It's gold or it's blue. It obviously can't be both.

Join me again in two weeks for another edition and keep sending in your freaky artwork and I'll keep posting.

Just To Freak You Out XXXV

I know you've all been waiting for two whole weeks, but I'm all set just to freak you out now. And some of these should really get the job done.

We'll begin in none other than the Windy City with a couple of logos that almost had tears coming out of my eyes I was laughing so hard.



Yeah, it's a Blackhawk and two tomahawks. I'm not saying the idea was over-the-top clever, but the execution had me on the floor.

Then there's this.



Which looks a bit more like a goose than a penguin. I guess that's what they were going for.



Not entirely sure what's going on there but the guy with the stick and... the eyes... that guys creeps me out.

We'll transition now from logo designs to jersey artwork. First, a completely new concept for the New York Rangers.



Yeah, they're the Broadway Blueshirts all right, I suppose. Which is a good reason why this should never happen.



Also, a not entirely unexpected result of naming your team the Ducks could be the nickname "mallards" — a completely harmless and ridiculous looking bird, let's all just be glad they didn't go with uniform colors to match.



Because as you can see, it could have been way worse.

Or you could just put a bug on your sweater.



I don't recommend it. However, if you're a Pens fan, I do recommend a trip to The Pensblog for some of the most entertaining coverage of Pittsburgh hockey. Their series of site logos during this playoff season has cracked me up. Enjoy this one (unless you're a Sens fan).



Unfortunately for them, there'll be no broom-clad penguin sweeping away wings of some sort.

Hoped you enjoyed this edition of the Freak Out Friday. Keep sending in the craziest artwork you can find/make and join me again in two weeks for another riveting episode.

Just To Freak You Out XXXIV

Time again for me to try to freak you out with some of the crazy stuff people send to me. We've got a theme for this one, though.

As you know, we're currently in the midst of the Tournament of Goalie Masks. It's pretty cool and it's made a lot of people look at goalie masks in a different way. I'm not really sure how to describe these next couple of graphics. They're not so much concept art as... freaky.



Yeah, that's an astronaut's mask on Cam Ward.



Right, a welder's mask on Marty Turco.



Ah, and a diver's mask on Jean-Sebastien Giguere. That's just trippy. Wait it gets worse.

Stare at this a little while.



I'm pretty sure a bunch of Leafs and Sens fans just swore off this blog. It's just so... freaky.

Speaking of which, ever wondered if Luongo can pull off purple?



Yeah, he can't. I've got an "If They Mated" concept for the Canucks, though.



I like the Rangers' jerseys with the red in them. But now let's get really nuts. If you want First Nations art, why don't you just go all or nothing?



And the answer comes back plainly enough.

We'll stay in Canada as we finish things off this week.



It's an actual maple leaf. Inventive.

That's all. As I mentioned before, I'm probably going to be making the Freak Out Fridays into an every-other-week feature simply because I'm not getting enough stuff sent to me to do it every Friday. But I enjoy these posts when I can write them and I know you guys do too.

Enjoy your weekend and stick around for more news about the changes going down here at NHLToL. Our birthday is just a week away!

Just To Freak You Out XXXIII

Hell has frozen over!



Indeed, the Freak Out Friday has returned. After two weeks off, it's been resurrected. All the talk last month about the league returning to the third jersey program next season has died down, but folks are still trying to come up with the best solution to this alternate sweater issue. The ones that fail tend to end up here.



See what I mean? What happened with the D there? And don't get me wrong, I like that blue for my Bolts, but I can't imagine having that written on the front of the jersey. There's more.



Same goes for the other team that joined the league the same year as Tampa Bay.



I know these are designs based on previously discussed rumors, but I always thought they were too horrible to actually see.

I've got some other stuff too — like a new alternate logo for the Blue Jackets.



And a sweater to boot.



But my favorite pair of sweaters for this week's Freak Out are based on the Minnesota Wild and the previous NHL club that occupied the state.



And finally, I know you guys hated the guitar thing, but someone else made this one and I thought it was kind of interesting.



So keep the crazy artwork coming in each week if you want me to be able to continue this series. I'm counting on you! Yes, you! And that's that for this week. Hopefully I'll return next Friday with a brand new batch of insanity.