Blues vs Coyotes

	vs
BLUES		COYOTES
4-7		4-3

The Aesthetics
Let's just get this out of the way. I'm going with the Blues logo here. The Coyotes logo isn't terrible, but nor is it great. They have yet to find a great logo in my opinion.
Blues

The Nickname
Coyotes howl and so does a Blues singer for that matter. Fortunately for the Blues man, if he ever had to face a Coyote, perhaps he'd have a saxophone with which to whack it on the head. (Try not to find the logic of a Blues singer carrying a sax into the desert. You'll never get there.)
Blues

The Analysis
Even though it probably won't live on as a classic NHL logo a hundred years from now, the Coyotes logo is at least a coyote. Sometimes I think a trumpet or some other musical instrument would be a better fit for the Blues logo. Despit that, I still like the musical note, I just don't quite get the wing attached to it. Anyone?
Coyotes

WINNER

2-1

 

Islanders vs Penguins

	vs
ISLANDERS		PENGUINS
1-10		2-7

The Aesthetics
Look both of these logos have annoying hockey sticks in them! No, but it's cool. I'm giving the Penguins this point for not writing out the entire team name within the logo. It also wouldn't hurt if the Islanders logo lost that puck. People mocked the fisherman guy, but that was actually a clever logo from back in the '90s.
Penguins

The Nickname
Islanders are people and people are the dominant predator on the planet. They don't Penguins but that doesn't make the little guys safe.
Islanders

The Analysis
I'm a fan of the outline of Long Island in the background of the Islanders logo, but I've recently been informed of the deep ties that elements of the Penguiins logo have to the city of Pittsburgh. Despite the fact that it's not easily recognizable to anyone not from Pittsburgh, I think it's more important that the logo means something to the home town crowd. And apparently it does.
Penguins

WINNER

2-1

 

Wild vs Avalanche

	vs
WILD		AVALANCHE
11-0		9-1

The Aesthetics
I've been dreading this match. How do you decide between two of the league's best logos? And while not everyone will agree with me, for now I'm the one having to decide. I'm going to go with the Avalanche logo but I can't really explain why. Just accept it.
Avalanche

The Nickname
If we assume the Wild is a forest and all the life that's part of it, then an Avalanche has the upper hand. The falling snow would completely take out everything.
Avalanche

The Analysis
This is where the Wild can truly earn a point. It's impossible to look at that logo and not see something different every time. You've got so many different things going on that it makes for a logo that's always interesting to look at — not to say that the Avalanche logo doesn't, but you can't expect to sweep a logo that looks that cool.
Wild

WINNER

2-1

 

Rangers Unveil New Uniforms!

There was no fanfare or big unveiling ceremony, but the New York Rangers now officially have their Rbk EDGE uniforms. They are up for pre-order on the Rangers' official web site along with photos!




As you can see, the jersey designs were not changed, merely adapted to the new cut. So that's that. Hope you Rangers fans like them. Now those among you annoyed with my posting of frivolous matter such as jersey designs in the template of the all-star uniforms can finally rest.

By the way, HUGE thanks to a reader for letting me know about this! You guys are great!

UPDATE (5:20 PM): I've just been informed the Rangers have since taken these photos off of their official web site. Like the Flyers they now only have a page up where you can pre-order the jerseys — without being able to see them. Luckily for us, we've already seen them and there were really no changes made. So if you have friends who are Rangers fans who would like to buy a jersey, let them know that if they want to see pictures, we've got them here.

Some Rangers Jersey Design Concepts

Earlier I posted some Wild designs but along with them I found these for the New York Rangers. Have a look.






I'm not expecting the Rangers new duds to look anything like these designs, but I'm of the opinion they should switch to the Lady Liberty logo full time and save the jerseys with "RANGERS" written across the front for special occasions like a vintage jersey. What do you guys think? Keep with tradition or move forward?

Some Wild Jersey Design Concepts

This is going to annoy those among you who are disturbed by the concepts being designed based solely on the look of the all-star game jerseys from this year. But, hey, it's out there and I feel like posting it for anyone who wants to see it. We've got a look here at some concept designs for the Minnesota Wild.





Take it as you will, knowing that in all likelihood, the actual Wild uniforms will not look anything like this. We don't have any official news from the team regarding an unveiling or announcement date, so stay tuned for that.

Possible Islanders Jersey Design?

Along the lines of my post earlier today regarding the Flyers comes another image for the New York Islanders. It's not official news as Newsday's Isles correspondent thinks the team won't unveil anything until September. However, remember that terrible cell phone photo from a while back? One fan has created a template layout based on what we saw there.



It's pretty awful, huh? (Not the artist's work, but the design itself.) The layout you see here isn't in the proper cut of the new Rbk EDGE uniforms, but it does give you a better overall idea of what was in that photo. Feel free to post your thoughts below.

Possible Flyers Jersey Design?

Just yesterday I posted what appears to be the new Rbk EDGE home jersey of the Philadelphia Flyers. It was seen in the background of a video interview with Simon Gagne. Problem was, it was hard to see being in the shadows. So apparently a kind fan took the time to create a rendering of what they entire jersey might look like (from the front) to share with the world.



Nothing wrong with that design, though this image does have a couple of other issues I thought I should point out. For one thing, the cut is in the old style of NHL jerseys and not the Reebok style. Second, the crest is rather small. But again, take it for what its worth. It's one fan's rendering of the jersey we saw in the shadows yesterday. It's more than you or I have done.

Hurricanes vs Maple Leafs

	vs
HURRICANES		MAPLE LEAFS
9-1		1-10

The Aesthetics
I know I continue to disappoint Maple Leafs fans for my lack of love for their logo, but I like pictures. The symbol on a jersey should be just that — a symbol. And while I think the leaf by itself is a little too boring to be its own logo, there's plenty that can be done to improve it. Or at least that's what I'm telling people. The Hurricanes logo is a cool one — a symbol for a jersey.
Hurricanes

The Nickname
This one pretty much writes itself. The winds of a Hurricane would blow all the Maple Leafs away.
Hurricanes

The Analysis
Now my distaste for the spelled out name on the maple leaf doesn't extend to this category. The reason I think it deserves this point over the Hurricanes is that the 'Canes logo lacks a good representation of the Carolinas, while the leaf is the very symbol of Canada itself and you can't really beat that.
Maple Leafs

WINNER

2-1

 

Stars vs Wild

	vs
STARS		WILD
5-4		10-0

The Aesthetics
These two logos seem to share a few colors. It makes the red in the Wild logo really stand out. But as far as who takes the point in this category, I think you already know who I'm going to pick. I really do think there are was of improving the Stars logo if you remove all the lettering from it. I like the star itself, though I admit it would look a little bare on its own. I've heard tale of a new Stars logo to be unveiled this summer. So we'll wait and see what happens.
Wild

The Nickname
What seems to keep working for the Stars is the fact that one is a giant ball of fire that you couldn't possibly imagine up close. Even the Wild would be consumed by its ferocity.
Stars

The Analysis
Now this one is harder for me, because it could almost go either way. The big "lone star" has Texas written all over it (I say that despite Dallas actually being written right there). The Wild logo continues to amaze me with all of its ingeniously combined elements. I wanted to give the Stars logo this point, but I can't in good conscience take it away from a logo this good. It's even got the "north star" as a tribute to Minnesota's hockey history. It was a close one, though.
Wild

WINNER

2-1