Speaking Of The Sabres...

First thing: don't forget to vote to help Matt choose the color scheme for the Sabres rebranding. Second: I have Buffalo concept art to go along!

I know you guys have been eagerly awaiting the new batch of concept art and I apologize for the delay. I've been focusing my attention on the launch of Icethetics. I'm anticipating having it ready at some point in the next few weeks. At some point I should probably explain how that's going to work but that's not what this post is about.



We've got a very nicely designed blue sweater there with the old "goathead" logo on the chest. Nice color/logo mix there but probably not something we're apt to see at any point the future.

We've also got a nice shield which accents the "sabres" part of the design a little better.



And this would be a great throwback concept if Buffalo didn't already have the perfect vintage jerseys with the 1970s look.



Then, going totally off the beaten path is one of the coolest looking jersey concepts I've seen in a long time.



I know it's out there and it's contrast makes it difficult to place as a home or road sweater, but I love this idea. It's done so well. The design is based off of a logo created by John Slabyk.

All of these make for great artwork but will likely never see the light of day. However, that hasn't stopped a few fans from making their dreams come true. Recently, if you did an ebay search, you might have come across this gem.



You could even find it in white.



I'm not sure that what you see here is available anymore or even legal under copyright laws. But it's a beautiful design and I'd be willing to bet there are countless Sabres fans who would die for that logo to don that jersey on NHL ice.

So I hope you guys enjoyed the return of the concept art. I plan to have more up this week. You guys have been submitting some really great work! And stay tuned for a Freak Out Friday at the end of the week!

Poll: Guide GFB's New Rebrand

By about a 100 votes, you guys chose the Buffalo Sabres as the subject of Matt's concept series, Rebranding The NHL. The point of my partnership with him is to allow you guys to guide the direction of his work since, after all, this is for the fans anyway. You guys know what you want and Matt knows how to make it look great.

So as he gets started on creating a new look for the Sabres, let him know what color scheme he should go with. Do you want the royal blue, yellow and white of the '70s? Should it be the new navy, yellow, silver and white of the Buffaslug era? Would you want to see something more along the lines of what John Slabyk introduced with navy, gold and white? Or did you love the "goathead" era of blue, red, silver and white?

Place your vote and then feel free to leave a comment about your decision. Get your friends to drop in and vote too! The more voices heard, the more accurate the results!

This poll will close at 6 PM a week from today on Tuesday, May 20. So get your votes in now.

If you're thinking Matt should go with an entirely new color scheme or you have other suggestions regarding logos, uniforms, or the general direction of this new design, you can even email him directly at gfb_designs@yahoo.com.

Happy voting!

Poll: Leclaire vs Theodore

	vs
Pascal LECLAIRE		Jose THEODORE

Place your vote and then feel free to leave a comment about 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 Tue May 13

Poll closing date Sat May 17

Poll: Thomas vs Sabourin

	vs
Tim THOMAS		Dany SABOURIN

Place your vote and then feel free to leave a comment about 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 Mon May 12

Poll closing date Fri May 16

Poll: Fleury vs Niittymaki

	vs
Marc-Andre FLEURY		Antero NIITTYMAKI

Place your vote and then feel free to leave a comment about 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 Sun May 11

Poll closing date Thu May 15

Poll: Budaj vs Biron

	vs
Peter BUDAJ		Martin BIRON

Place your vote and then feel free to leave a comment about 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 Sat May 10

Poll closing date Wed May 14

And The New Title Is...

I appreciate all the "birthday" wishes from you guys for the blog. But as you know, I will be changing the name. NHL Tournament of Logos is on its way out. The reason being it doesn't accurately describe the content of this site.

We did the tournament of logos last year and there will be others in the future, but now this blog has become so much more. I post fan-made concept art and various jersey news on a regular basis and the site has become very well-known for that. Plus, we're not even doing a logo tournament right now. We're holding a tournament of goalie masks.

The point is, this site has become more about the look of hockey in general. Logos, jerseys, masks, etc. Yes we all love the game, but this site is about how our game looks. So I'm taking this opportunity to give the blog a more appropriate title. And that new title is...

Icethetics

Simple. Unique. Relevant. Right? I hope that wasn't a let down for you because I'm just nuts about it. Allow me to explain in detail.

The word aesthetics from which the new title is derived, is defined as a set of principles concerned with the nature and appreciation of beauty, especially in art. So to me, Icethetics would be defined similarly as the majority of the readers here have an interest in the "beauty" (or lack thereof) of their teams on the ice. The art of logo and jersey design is a fascinating one to a lot of people and I guess that's pretty much the point of this site — to fill a niche.

In addition to this name change, I'll also be launching a new web site at some point in the future. This blog will keep its format, but the web site will be dedicated to more long term projects. For one thing, I'm going to start compiling a history of logos in the NHL (and perhaps other leagues as well) in a "Logo Museum" of sorts. Same deal with uniforms and things of that nature. A blog just isn't a great format for that sort of thing and I want to branch out into that. By the way, anyone who's interested in helping out in those ventures, please feel free to email me.

Anyway, let me know what you guys think. Obviously your opinion is important to me as you are the reason I bother with this stuff in the first place. I suppose if the reaction is overwhelmingly negative, we'll have to go back to the drawing board. But I do think this name is the most appropriate. It also will allow me to begin incorporating other leagues into the same site — not just the NHL.

By the way, kudos to Charlie from Sabres, Not Slugs for planting the idea of Icethetics in my head in the first place.

UPDATE (4:47 PM): One more thing I forgot to add. Anyone interested in designing a logo based around the new name, Icethetics, and the tag "the look of hockey," (or feel free to come up with a better tag) my inbox awaits your creative prowess. Send your work to nhllogos@gmail.com.

The one I like the best will be featured on the site. Or if I can't choose, I'll do what I do best — a poll. Or if I like none of them, I'll use my own design (which I highly doubt will happen).

Poll: Luongo vs Joseph

	vs
Roberto LUONGO		Curtis JOSEPH

Place your vote and then feel free to leave a comment about 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 Fri May 9

Poll closing date Tue May 13

Happy Birthday To NHLToL!

Happy birthday to us! Today is officially the first anniversary of the NHL Tournament of Logos blog. I launched it one year ago today to little fanfare and, well, no one would know about it for another couple of months. That is, until I started posting news and rumors regarding the Rbk EDGE jerseys that were released last summer.

Anyway, today I'll be unveiling the new name of the blog and a cool new addition to the Tournament of Logos family of blogs. (Don't worry, it's not another blog.) Originally I planned on posting a poll to let you guys decide on the new name, and don't get me wrong I appreciate all the input, but one suggestion spawned an idea for the absolute perfect name to describe what this site is all about. You'll see what I mean later on when I write the post.

In the meantime, you know there's nothing I love more than promoting a good announcement. So check back later to see what the new name will be. And happy birthday to us!

Poll: Weekes vs DiPietro

	vs
Kevin WEEKES		Rick DiPIETRO

Place your vote and then feel free to leave a comment about 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 Thu May 8

Poll closing date Mon May 12