Jersey Design Concept For Lightning

So I thought I was finished with that whole "Hockey Fans & Photoshop" series but it turns out there's more. After the possible leak of what may be the new logo for the Tampa Bay Lightning, a fan had some fun designing a uniform based on it. I honestly can't remember where I found it, but I'd have to guess ModSquadHockey since that's where I originally came across the logo itself.




This is what he came up with. It's pretty cool. I'm a big fan of switching to blue for the home jerseys. The black has gotten old. And despite there being a number of other teams that wear blue (the Thrashers, Rangers, Maple Leafs, Blues, Predators, Oilers, Blue Jackets and Canucks...) I still think the Lightning could pull it off. And should.

Obviously, it's not the offiicial design. If you consult the sidebar, you'll see we still have 38 days to wait for the big announcement and unveiling by the Bolts. Personally, I can't wait. I'm on pins and needles.

By the way, as a complete side note, I would like to thank those of you who drop by here on a regular basis. A while back I mentioned hitting a record of over 300 hits in a single day. That was surpassed yesterday with 514. I'm kind of surprised, actually. Incidentally, we're already over 400 today at it's not even 5 PM. It'll be interesting to see if we can beat yesterday's record.

Once again, thanks for dropping by.

Islanders vs Devils

	vs
ISLANDERS		DEVILS
1-8		8-1

The Aesthetics
How many of my silly rules can the Islanders possibly break with one single logo? Most of them is right. The Devils, however, have so much I like. Simplicity at its finest. I see horns, a pointy tail and a subtle "NJ." That says Devils like almost nothing else could.
Devils

The Nickname
The Devil's a pretty nasty guy. Islanders are just pathetic humans to him.
Devils

The Analysis
I'm a big fan of the outline of Long Island in the Islanders logo, but it's not better than the Devils. I'm sorry but it's true. The team name spelled out. The hockey puck, the stuck (as cleverly placed as it may be), maybe the Isles will get this point against another team. Not the Devils. It seems like sweeps are the order of the day.
Devils

WINNER

3-0

 

Red Wings vs Wild

	vs
RED WINGS		WILD
3-6		8-0

The Aesthetics
I feel like the detail in the Red Wings logo is a little too heavy-handed and unnecessary. However, I don't see any upgrades coming for it in the near future. People in Detroit love their team and their traditional logo, in 80 years, we've yet to see even a secondary logo that veers from this design. Anyway, that forest scene in the Wild logo gets cooler every time I look at it.
Wild

The Nickname
There may be a bird in the wild with Red Wings, but the Wild is an unforgiving place with plenty of predators.
Wild

The Analysis
I've given this point to the Red Wings on many occasions for the wheel attached to the wing, signifying Detroit as the Motor City. But what better scene could you have to portray Minnesota? Plus the name itself gives you a clue as to the teams geographical location. I can't really think of how you could improve upon the Wild logo. Hence the sweep.
Wild

WINNER

3-0

 

Penguins vs Rangers

	vs
PENGUINS		RANGERS
1-5		2-8

The Aesthetics
Throughout most of this tournament, I've been bad-mouthing the Penguins logo, ignoring the fact that I actually like it. Granted, I like the '90s logo better, but this one is kind of cool. Despite what you may think, I actually am a fan of retro, just not when retro sucks. Anyway, for not using their entire name to make the logo, I award this point to the Penguins.
Penguins

The Nickname
Perhaps there's an arctic wildlife preserve somewhere where a Ranger keeps tabs on a bunch of Penguins.
Rangers

The Analysis
I've said it enough times but both of these teams have and currently use logos that would make better primaries than the primaries they actually use. Did that make sense? Read it again if it didn't. Anyway, I may not like hockey sticks and equipment in what are meant to be hockey logos, but more than that I hate words in them. Words are not symbols. Well, they are, but in a different way. Plus, there's actually a penguin in the Penguins logo. Kudos for that.
Penguins

WINNER

2-1

 

Blackhawks vs Avalanche

	vs
BLACKHAWKS		AVALANCHE
2-9		7-0

The Aesthetics
I hate to say it, but look at the records, this may be a really easy one. But the tournament is winding down for the Blackhawks. Just two more matches left after today. So let's get to it. As I discussed with a reader in the comments a few days ago, I counted eight different colors in the Blackhawks logo. It desperately needs a more defined color scheme. The Avalanche logo, on the other hand, is one of those all-around sports logo classics.
Avalanche

The Nickname
I don't care how tough Chief Blackhawk thinks he is, even an Avalanche would do him in.
Avalanche

The Analysis
You could say both logos do a decent job of being logos. As much as I complain about the Blackhawks logo, there are no words or hockey paraphernalia in it. I just can't get past the colors and overall design. There are bigger and better things you can do with a name like Blackhawks. The Avalanche logo has great colors a cool design and subtle elements like the puck at the bottom end of the avalanche itself. I'm also a fan of the bigfoot secondary logo but I know this competition isn't about those.
Avalanche

WINNER

3-0

 

Looking To The Future

The NHL Tournament of Logos is winding down but don't worry, it won't be over even when it's over. There's still the Championship Tournament where we'll pit the best of the East against the best of the West. That will be the ultimate decider of whose logo is really the best. Who will be able to stand up to the stiff competition in this marathon tournament.

I see a handful of you have voted in the poll I recently placed on the sidebar. I'm glad to see that. I'm also glad to see that no one has voted "no" so far. That's appreciated. Just so you know — if you're interested — I am working on a plan to implement a polling system for this site.

It likely won't be sorted out until after this tournament ends, but just so you know, there will be plenty to come. In future "mini-tournaments" I'll take random logos (secondaries and third jersey logos included) and place them in 16-team elimination grids and determine overall winners in a Stanley Cup playoff style competition (except not best-of-seven as that would not work). I may even go back in time and grab logos from teams that no longer exist. The sky's the limit, right?

Anyway, those are just some ideas I'm throwing around at the moment. If you have any suggestions for me, I'd love nothing more than to hear them. Drop me a line in the comments section and I'll certainly respond.

As a side note, it has come to my attention that I have a typo — I put "wade made" instead of "was made" — but unfortunately once votes have been cast I cannot make any changes to it. So there my typo will stay until I take the poll down. It pains me deeply but it is sadly out of my hands.

Wild vs Flames

	vs
WILD		FLAMES
7-0		8-0

The Aesthetics
This is going to be hard to watch. Two completely undefeated teams. And somebody has to lose. Here, though, you can't deny the beauty of the Wild logo. Great colors and a rather unique design.
Wild

The Nickname
The Wild cannot stand up to a wildfire. Flames can engulf a forest and leave nothing but ashes in its wake.
Flames

The Analysis
I'm convinced the Minnesota Wild logo is one of the most under-appreciated in the National Hockey League. How can you not admire it though? Not that it should take away from the Flames logo at all. I'm not sure how you could make it any better. I was one of the few, however, that liked the flaming horse logo from the third jersey. Still, that's not in competition here. So when comparing these two logos, the Wild has to win out.
Wild

WINNER

2-1

 

Canadiens vs Thrashers

	vs
CANADIENS		THRASHERS
6-2		4-4

The Aesthetics
As far as looks, I think the Thrashers have a great, strong logo. Unique color scheme. The hockey stick turns me off, though. The Canadiens logo, on the other hand, is very bold. It just stands out. And the bleu, blanc et rouge? Don't question it.
Canadiens

The Nickname
I feel like we've had a similar incident before, but say a Thrasher is flying in the air. It would be very easy for him to lay a "bomb" on the head of an unwitting Canadien.
Thrashers

The Analysis
First off, you'll notice that while the Thrashers logo actually features a bird, the Canadiens doesn't truly symbolize what it's meant to. But then the question is what does a "Canadien" look like anyway? So I guess the "C" is appropriate. It's well-designed and pays homage to the past in an aesthetically-pleasing manner. But enough talk about that. The Thrashers logo has some rather cool colors, but that would've earned it credit in Aesthetics above. Here, you gotta have something deeper. And the Habs have it. (That mysterious "H.")
Canadiens

WINNER

2-1

 

Oilers vs Kings

	vs
OILERS		KINGS
1-8		3-5

The Aesthetics
Well it's been a full two weeks since we've seen the Oilers in action. And at that time they were way ahead of everyone in matches played. Today, they're pretty much on par with the league. Unfortunately, they still have the same logo made up almost exclusively of the team name. The Kings on the other hand, are still looking as good as ever.
Kings

The Nickname
A King rules the land. An Oiler digs in it.
Kings

The Analysis
I feel like the Oilers logo missed the boat. The current shoulder logo isn't all bad and the third jersey logo is epic (after all, it was created by a comic book writer). Put this one on the shoulder. And that is all I have to say on the matter. The Kings hit the nail on the head with this logo. I like the purple shield they used in the late '90s but a crown is so much more effective. Add in the subtle hockey sticks and the suns on either side and you can call this a sweep of the coolest kind.
Kings

WINNER

3-0

 

Lightning vs Penguins

	vs
LIGHTNING		PENGUINS
3-4		0-5

The Aesthetics
Both logos have simple color schemes. The Lightning logo lacks the movement seen in the Penguins. The hockey stick gives it a demerit but the Lightning logo goes all out with the team name. That doesn't win points.
Penguins

The Nickname
If a Penguin got struck by Lightning, that would be that.
Lightning

The Analysis
Not only is the penguin in the Penguins logo carrying a hockey stick, but he's donning hockey gear with the gloves and skates. It's cute — if he's in a comic book, not on the front of a jersey. The '90s era logo was an improvement, though I am a fan of the Vegas gold. Fortunately for the Pens, despite all of that, the Lightning logo's use of a '90s era lettering and a flat yet 3-D bolt wins them the point.
Penguins

WINNER

2-1