Freak Out Friday XL

This is the 40th installment of the Freak Out Friday series. And the Roman numeral for 40 suggests I'd better have an extra-large helping of freaky hockey artwork this week. Let's hope I can deliver.

The biggest real-life freak out of the last couple weeks has been the public unveiling of the Iowa Chops along with their new logo. But someone's made an improvement.

(Apologies for the low image quality, but this is what was sent to me.)

It seems that with the Buffalo Sabres, when it comes to fan made concept art, you either love it or hate it. I wonder what you guys will think of these.

But wait, there's more.

There have even been jerseys designed for them.

And more along the lines of Matt's recent rebrand of the Stars, check this out.

Something else I got this week that made me chuckle were concepts for the Vancouver Canucks.

Don't get me wrong, I appreciate the effort someone put into this but wow, you can't help but shake your head in amazement.

Here's a concept jersey for the Chicago Blackhawks.

Don't shoot the messenger.

Sometimes folks send in team-branding concepts that miss the mark a little.

I can only imagine the nightmares the children of Cleveland would have to endure.

Speaking of nightmares, if you recall about a month ago I started a series within a series for the Freak Out Friday. One reader created 30 logos based around the Mighty Ducks' third jerseys from the mid-90s — one for every NHL team. Last week I posted the Atlantic Division and the week before was the Ducks' own Pacific. Today we're going to the Northwest.

Be sure to notice the half-stripes on the Oilers logo. Yes, all of these are based on last year's new Rbk EDGE jerseys.

And that's all folks. We're back with another Freak Out Friday in two weeks — assuming you get all your ridiculous artwork sent in! My big thanks to everyone who's submitted work — good and bad alike!

Improving On The Chops

Two weeks ago I posted the new name and logo for the AHL's Iowa franchise — the Iowa Chops. While the name remains an abomination, someone actually came up with a decent concept logo.

credit: Red Eye Graphic Design

This is a great example of how you can create a great logo even when saddled with a crummy name and overused colors. Too bad it will never see the front of a jersey.

For reference, this is what the Chops are actually using.

Thanks to Charlie for the tip!

Rebranding The Stars

Your favorite Icethetics partner artist is back tonight with another concept for his series, Rebranding The NHL. I know you're excited! Matt is taking his shot at the Dallas Stars and it's quite likely one of his best yet. But first, read his explanation in his own words.

After my exhaustive research into the Dallas Stars, many of the Stars fans really like their new uniforms. So taking cue from that, I ended up removing green from the color scheme. Why? Because the time has finally come to put the North Stars days away for good. This is the Dallas Stars. Minnesota has their new team. Time to turn the page in Stars history and embrace their home.

The goal of this new identity is to embrace the new "Lone" Stars. The completely custom wordmark is styled after an old saloon sign. The new secondary logo is a much better attempt to symbolize Texas than the failed "Mooterus" from a few years ago. The striping on the home and away feature barb wire lining the jersey, and the alternate jersey design resembles the horns of a steer...

So here are the logos he created for the Stars.

As usual, it's truly great work and that secondary logo is just downright scary. Like a lot of you, at first I was concerned with the lack of green. But after reading Matt's explanation, I think it's perfect. A true, individual branding for a great team.

Naturally, he's done uniform concepts to go with it.

I'd buy that gold jersey in a heartbeat.

But for all the fans of Matt's work, he's donated a neat little surprise for. A lot of folks have asked about getting a copy of Matt's uniform template. He's now generously offering it for the first time. Enjoy!

So what's next? Matt tells me he's hard at work on a new rebranding of the St. Louis Blues. But he's a little stumped. He says, "The only thing is I have no idea how I can give them a better identity than the Blue Note. So I would like to call out to all Icethetic-ites for aid in coming up with ideas for Blues logos..."

For one thing, he needs help determining a secondary color. And who better to ask than the awesome readers of Icethetics? In the sidebar is a new poll where you can voice your opinion. Choose between navy blue, yellow and red to go with the primary color of blue.

And if you have any brilliant ideas for a new direction for the Blues' logo, you can post them here in the comments or contact Matt directly by emailing him at gfb_designs@yahoo.com. Voice your thoughts and get ready for an exciting new look for the Blues!

Wallpaper Wednesday VII

We're beginning with one of the most popular teams on this blog for today's post. Canucks fans, enjoy this Roberto Luongo wallpaper.

For Lightning fans like myself, there's Vinny Lecavalier...

...or a more generic team wallpaper.

And at last, Canadiens fans have been begging for it... a Habs wallpaper!

Plus we've got one more for Saku Koivu.

Hope you guys enjoy this week's crop. And to anyone who has sent in a wallpaper but hasn't seen it posted, not to worry. It doesn't mean I'll never post it. I'm saving a bunch by posting about five a week so as to ensure I won't run out too quickly and have to switch to a biweekly schedule like the Freak Out Friday series.

More to come next week!

A Florida Makeover

One of our regular artists who designs under the moniker Sigma Kappa is back with another great design. Most recently he gave the Red Wings a new look. Before that came the Devils, Predators, Senators, Flyers, and Coyotes. Tonight we've got a logo/uniform makeover for the Florida Panthers.

That is one fierce logo. As with most of his designs, the logo is based off of the original to some extent but it's a rather unique take. In the secondary logo, the cat is calmer but no less fierce.

And below are the jersey designs he came up with.

Overall, it's outstanding work and I love it when I can post such an excellent concept. What do you think of it? Sound off in the comments.

Third Jersey Fan Renderings

It's been mostly quiet on the third jersey news front so far today. But several fans have been hard at work designing sweater concepts based on the rumors that have been swirling lately. There's a lot to get to so I'll dive in.

The Hurricanes may adopt a third jersey this season that looks a little something like this.

Meanwhile the Maple Leafs will likely take a more traditional path.

It's more likely they'll end up with a white sweater, but blue is certainly a possibility as well.

The Bruins have sort of already leaked their third jersey design and it looks like this.

The Oilers will probably go with a retro look...

...same as the Sabres.

Still other teams may ditch the historical look for something more contemporary. If the Stars go with a green third, it could look like this.

And the Lightning and Senators might go with informal nicknames on the front — the Bolts and Sens.

Not sure about the gold Ottawa sweater. I like black better for them. I also wouldn't expect to see the 2D logo on the front of a jersey anytime soon, but that's just me. I've been wrong before.

I'll have more later today including the next division in the IHA branding project.

Wallpaper Wednesday VI

Another Wednesday brings another set of wallpapers — all player-centric. First is Brad Boyes of the Blues.

We had a cool Bruins wallpaper last week based around Marc Savard. The same artist brings us Zdeno Chara this time around.

Like Trevor Linden? Apparently he is forever a Canuck.

And last, we have a simple design for Flyer Jeff Carter.

Keep the wallpapers coming guys if you want this to continue to be a weekly series. Otherwise, I'll just go ahead and make it a biweekly series like the Freak Out Friday.

Alternates From A Fan

In combing through my inbox I came across a set of third jersey designs one reader sent in recently. There's 18 in all but I'm going to start with six — my favorites of the bunch.

An obvious win for a Hurricanes alternate sweater would be this one.

Though it steals a page out of L.A.'s book with the locator on the front of the sweater, it's not a bad look. Speaking of the Kings...

...how about a purple jersey with the Gretzky-era logo? One of my favorite logos has to be the new alternate unveiled by the Canucks last summer. I'm dying to see it on a uniform.

As far as that jersey goes though, sort of reminds me of the Whalers. But I do like the green. A lot!

Of the few things we have confirmation of regarding next year's third jerseys, is that the Blues will use a new logo that incorporates the Gateway Arch. Here's another concept with that in mind.

It may not be a new logo but it does include the arch.

I know many of you are opposed to black third jerseys, but I think they work for teams that actually have color in their regular home sweaters — the Sharks and Coyotes, for example.

I love that shield logo too. And here's a unique take on Phoenix's logo.

I'll have more from this artist in the future. In the meantime, stick around. I'll be posting information about the brand new International Hockey Association logo project a little later this evening.

Four New Sweater Designs

Icethetics reader Paul (aka capn89) has been redesigning NHL uniforms league wide and he's sent in another batch for your enjoyment. Most recently you saw him take a stab at the Senators. Today we've got four new teams — beginning with Columbus.

I'm not sure how well a red third jersey works in theory for a team named the Blue Jackets, but looking at it, you can't help but like it.

His Islanders jerseys are sharp!

He's used a Liberty Bell logo on the shoulders of the Flyers jerseys.

Notice how the home sweater is orange. I think most Philly fans tend to prefer that to black. And finally, we have the Capitals.

That secondary logo just looks killer on the front of the third jersey. Let's hope the team's smart enough to actually make one for this season.

By the way, tomorrow I'll have more details on the new logo design contest I'm launching. Imagine a league with 30 teams — each team has a name and color scheme — but none of them have logos! Designers, this one's for you. You'll be able to brand a team from the ground up!

Pens, Leafs Fan Art

One new artist I've been receiving concept designs from signs his work Ivall. His first submission was a Blackhawks logo that was met with a lot of praise. His followup was a Sabres logo that landed in a Freak Out Friday post.

In the last few days he's been hard at work on new logos for the Penguins and Maple Leafs. We'll start in Pittsburgh.

You know, of all the Pens artwork I've been sent, I think this is the first time I've seen a forward-facing penguin. Despite its intricacies, it's a pretty well-drawn logo. Check it out on a jersey.

He also made five attempts at a new Leafs logo.

It's hard to say which is my favorite but I think I'd have to go with either the one on top or middle-right. Thoughts?

By the way, we've got new sweater designs from Paul (aka capn89). He's made Philly, Columbus, Washington and one other team — got to leave something to the imagination. Check back tomorrow for that!