My Thoughts: 2015 Stadium Series Jerseys

Hello everyone!  I hope you all had a very Merry Christmas, a Happy Hanukkah, or a good whatever else you may celebrate.  Today I'm going to discuss the Sharks and Kings Stadium Series jerseys, which were both unveiled in mid-December.  What do I think of the jerseys?  Even though there are some flaws, I think both jerseys are good on their own, but I don't like both of them together.

Note:  Since both jerseys are so similar I'm going to (mostly) review them together, instead of reviewing each team separately.

Image from sharks.nhl.com - Image from twitter.com/LAKings

Why do I think the jerseys are good (on their own)?  I like the fact that these jerseys are unique.  I think it's a good theme for the Stadium Series, if they went retro like the Winter and Heritage Classics it could get boring very quickly.  But I don't just like them because they are unique, I think the two-tone jersey is a good look, at least when done right.  I've seen several concepts that have had a light colour on one half and a dark colour on the other half, and I don't think that looks good, but both these jerseys avoided that problem.

There are some elements of these uniforms that I only like for a one off game.  I'd hate to see giant pant logos being used full-time, but I think they will be fun for this one game.  I also like the "carbon fiber" logos, but would be upset if a team kept them around (I'm still mad at the Islanders for promoting their "chrome" logo jerseys to a third jersey).

Then there are a also few features of these uniforms that I haven't decided if I like or not.  The biggest question mark for me are the Kings white pants.  I've always thought hockey pants should be a dark colour, but I don't think the white pants don't look horrible in this situation (also they could be a subtle nod to the yellow pants the Kings wore from 1970-79).  I'm also iffy about the fact that the jersey striping doesn't wrap all the way around the jerseys.  It helps the readability of the back numbers which I think is important, but it might look weird when the players turn around during the game (kind of like the Sabres third jersey).  I'll have to see them in action before I make up my mind on those two features.

Lastly, there are a few things I don't like about these jerseys.  As I alluded to at the start of this post, I dislike the fact that both jerseys use the same striping pattern.  I didn't mind last years' jerseys that used the same basic template yet had different striping patterns, however this years' jerseys don't have enough individuality for me.  The sleeve numbers are also on my naughty list, they are just too big and are lacking an outline.  My final complaint is about the collars, I don't like the shape of them or the way they are coloured (although I'm a big fan of the two crowns on the Kings' collar).

In summary, I think both jerseys are pretty good on their own, but I don't like both of them together (I might have said that already).

Sharks Grade:  B
Kings Grade:  C+
Grade of the overall look of the game:  C-

Have a good day!

Guest Concept Post #72

Hello again!  Before we get to today's concepts I just wanted to let you all know that I'm going to change up the Templates page soon, which will include getting rid of most of the templates that are currently on that page.  So if you want those images, save them to your computer now.

In other news the 2015 Stadium Series jersey designs have been leaked, and they look just like my Montreal Canadiens De-Edge concept from last July (but I can't take credit for the idea, many other people have made similar concepts).  I'll review the jerseys sometime after they have been officially unveiled.

Jean Béliveau Memorial Patch, by Ricky:

Our first concept is a memorial patch for the great Jean Béliveau created by Ricky.  The patch is simple, it's Béliveau's number four inside of the Canadiens' C (which is a similar idea to what Patrick Roy did on his helmet), and I think that simplicity works great here.  I also really like the presentation of this concept, particularly the use of Béliveau's signature.  My one suggestion would be to make the background black and white, since the image of Béliveau is black and white (and also it would make the rest of the concept stand out more).  Rest in peace Béliveau.

Anaheim Ducks, by Ricky:

Ricky also sent in this orange third jersey concept for the Ducks, which is based off of the Anaheim's 2003-06 third jersey.  It was a solid jersey in black and eggplant, and it's still a solid jersey in the Ducks' current colour scheme.  I think the logo and player's name both need to be a bit bigger, but other than that the execution is good.

Thunder Concept, by SM:

Our final concept is from first time contributor SM.  He created this concept for the team he plays for which is called the Thunder (the team is also Canadian which is why there is a maple leaf in the logo).  I think the striping on the torso of the dark jersey and the hem of the light jersey looks good, but the rest of the striping suffers from paint bucket syndrome (which is just colouring in the different panels on the jersey).  The execution could also be improved, there is also a lot of empty space on the image which can be fixed by just cropping the image, and there are a lot of loose pixels near the lines of the template.  I'd recommend trying a different template, because I don't think this one is very good unless you have a lot of experience.  My last suggestion would be to use a light neutral colour like silver or white as the background colour, which will make the jerseys stand out a bit better.

Thanks for visiting!

Guest Concept Post #71

Hello everyone!  There is a poll question on the sidebar of the page.  I'm wondering when I should switch the blog's header (design at top of the blog) to a Christmas design.

Sonic the Hedgehog NHL Jerseys, by Jared:

Our first concept today is another Sonic concept from Jared.  We have pretty much seen these concepts twice already, so I'm not going to comment on the designs again, but I will briefly talk about the execution.  The biggest issue here are that the armpits of the jerseys are down too low, and overall the drawn lines look sloppy and rushed.

Edmonton Oilers, by Jared:

Jared also sent in this concept for the Oilers.  I like the sash-style striping, it's a unique look which has a bit of history in Edmonton.  I also think this layout of the jersey is the best we've seen from Jared, as it seems to hide some of his execution errors.  There are still some errors though, including the sash-stripe which has a gap between the orange and blue at the bottom but no gap on the upper half.  Also the finer details get lost (which has been a problem with Jared's concepts), most noticeably on the oil-drop which is much more rounded on top than it should be.  In my opinion the only way too fix that problem is to take your time and not rush your concepts.

Enjoy the rest of your day!

My Thoughts: Blackhawks Winter Classic and Jersey Ads

Back on November 5th the Blackhawks unveiled the new Winter Classic jersey, then the next day a story was circulating that the NHL was considering putting ads on jerseys.  Today I'm going to discuss those two subjects (better late then never I guess).

Chicago Blackhawks Winter Classic Jersey

Images from blackhawks.nhl.com

When the Washington Capitals unveiled their Winter Classic jersey, the graphics in the stadium used the Blackhawks current logo.  That made me go "hmm" maybe the Blackhawks are just going to use their current road jersey (like the Canadiens in the 2011 Heritage Classic), and I thought to myself "I'd be perfectly fine with that".  My second thought was they might take an older version of their road sweater and put their current logo on it, which was exactly what they did.  The Blackhawks went with a design based off of their 1957-58 road jersey, completely accurate except for the use of their current logo.

I think the jersey is a great choice, I especially like the placement of the secondary logo on the sleeve stripes.  I don't like the choice to use their current logo though, although I understand why the Blackhawks would want to use their current logo, and I don't think the logo choice hurts the jersey that much.  Overall I think this year's Winter Classic will be a great looking game.
Grade:  A-

NHL Jersey Ads

Image from marlies.ca - Image from canucks.nhl.com

My thoughts on the idea of ads on NHL jerseys can be summed up in a very short sentence, which is "IT'S A TERRIBLE IDEA"!!!  The NHL would look like a minor league if their jerseys had ads, and unlike minor league teams they don't need the extra money, the NHL would just be being greedy.  I also think jersey ads would hurt jersey sales, I know I would stop buying them.  Another way to look at this is that many people have said that hockey is like a religion, building off of that you could say that hockey jerseys are like a sacred religious artifact, and putting ads on jerseys would be sacrilege, it's simple a terrible idea.

That being said it wouldn't be the end of the world, I would still watch the NHL just as much as I do now, I would still run this blog, and I'd still make jersey concepts.  Eventually I would get used to the jersey ads, I don't really notice them anymore when I'm watching my second favourite sports league the CFL (although the CFL needs the money a lot more than the NHL, so ads are more acceptable for that league).  It would just be very, very disappointing seeing ads on NHL jerseys, especially on timeless classics like the Canadiens red sweater.
Grade (of the idea of ads on NHL jerseys):  F-

Have a good day!